System and method of using location technology to aid patient recovery

• US 9,104,788 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2010
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Friedman, Bruce A., Grubis, Matthew, Davis, Carl C., Nantz, Brian W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Archer, Marie
• Application Number:
  US12/849,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,834 Days
• Field of Search: 340/853.1, 340/870.01, 340/870.05, 340500-538, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/539.14, 340/539.15, 340/539.2, 340/540, 340/546, 340/1.1, 340/2.1, 340/3.1, 340/4.1, 340/992, 340/993, 340/435, 340/286.01, 340/286.02, 340/286.07, 340/999, 600300-301, 600363-365, 600372-374, 600377-379, 600382-384, 600386-394, 600/481, 600/485, 600500-503, 600/508, 600515-519, 600529-531, 600544-547, 600/549, 600587-595, 128920-925, 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/09 Rehabilitation or training
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/468 by Triangulation, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the bearing, direction or angle to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/10 together with the recording, indicating or registering of other data, e.g. of signs of identity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A system for telemetrically monitoring a patient includes a remote monitoring device associated with the patient. A location services system tracks a location of the remote monitoring device. A patient tracking computer calculates a distance and a duration of patient ambulation from the tracked location. A method of monitoring an ambulatory patient monitors the location of a remote monitoring device and derives ambulatory event data from the monitored location.

Claims

1. A system for telemetrically monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

a remote monitoring device associated with the patient, the remote monitoring device obtains a physiological value from the patient and broadcasts the physiological value;

a location services (LS) system that tracks a plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device; and

a patient tracking computer communicatively connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS system, the patient tracking computer receives the physiological value and the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device and executes computer readable code embodying an algorithm to calculate a distance traveled by the patient and a duration of patient ambulation to travel the calculated distance from the tracked plurality of locations received from the LS system, wherein the patient tracking computer applies an algorithm that identifies a plurality of possible paths between a first location of the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device and a second location of the remote monitoring device, and calculates a probability that the remote monitoring device traveled a possible path associated with each of the plurality of possible paths, to calculate the distance traveled by the patient.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) within the remote monitoring device, wherein the GPS determines the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device and the remote monitoring device broadcasts each of the plurality of locations determined by the GPS to the LS system.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least two telemetry receivers that receive the physiological value broadcast by the remote monitoring device, wherein the LS system determines the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device by triangulating the broadcast physiological value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient tracking computer further executes computer readable code that causes the patient tracking computer to monitor an ambulatory event prescribed by a clinician, the ambulatory event being defined in the computer readable code by a predetermined distance and a predetermined duration.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the patient tracking computer further monitors an elapsed time for the ambulatory event.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a graphical display communicatively connected to the patient tracking computer, the graphical display presents the physiological value, the distance of the ambulatory event, and the elapsed time of the ambulatory event.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the patient tracking computer executes computer readable code such that the computer identifies the ambulatory event within the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device received by the patient tracking computer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the patient tracking computer executes computer readable code such that the calculated distance and calculated duration are a calculated distance of the ambulatory event and a calculated duration of the ambulatory event.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a graphical display communicatively connected to the patient tracking computer, the graphical display presents predetermined distance and predetermined duration in comparison to the calculated distance and the calculated duration.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the algorithm applied by the patient tracking computer is derived from analysis of historical patient location information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the algorithm is derived using an advanced neural network (ANN).

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the patient tracking computer calculates the distance traveled by the patient as an average of distances of each of the plurality of possible paths weighted by the probability associated with each of the possible paths.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the patient tracking computer calculates the distance traveled by the patient at a distance of a selected path of the plurality of possible paths having a highest probability associated with the path.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the patient tracking computer further calculates an average speed from the duration of patient ambulation and the calculated distance traveled by the patient.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the patient tracking computer further correlates the physiological value to the duration of patient ambulation and the calculated distance traveled by the patient.

16. A system for telemetrically monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

a remote monitoring device associated with the patient, the remote monitoring device obtains physiological values from the patient and broadcasts the physiological values;

a location service (LS) system that tracks a plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device; and

a patient tracking computer connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS system, the patient tracking computer receives the physiological values and the tracked plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device, and executes computer readable code that causes the patient tracking computer to determine an ambulatory event with a start and an end within the received plurality of locations, calculate a distance traveled by the patient during the ambulatory event, and calculate a duration for the ambulatory event, wherein the patient tracking computer applies an algorithm that identifies a plurality of possible paths between a first location of the plurality of locations and a second location of the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device and calculates a probability associated with each of the possible paths in calculating the distance traveled by the patient during the ambulatory event.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the patient tracking computer receives a prescribed route and the patient tracking computer determines the ambulatory event start and end based upon the prescribed route.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the prescribed route comprises a plurality of locations tracked by the LS system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the patient tracking computer executes computer readable code that causes the patient tracking computer to calculate at least one correlation between the physiological values and at least one of the ambulatory event, distance traveled, and duration, and stores the calculated at least one correlation in a patient electronic medical record.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the patient tracking computer calculates the distance traveled by the patient during the ambulatory event as a distance of a selected path of the plurality of possible paths having a highest probability associated with the path.

21. the system of claim 16 wherein the patient tracking computer calculates the distance traveled by the patient during the ambulatory event as an average of distances of each of the plurality of possible paths weighted by the probability associated with each of the possible paths.

22. A system for telemetrically monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

a remote monitoring device associated with the patient, the remote monitoring device obtains physiological values from the patient and broadcasts the physiological values;

a location service (LS) system that tracks a plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device; and

a patient tracking computer connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS system, the patient tracking computer receives the physiological values and the tracked plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device, and executes computer readable code that causes the patient tracking computer to determine an ambulatory event with an event start and an event end within the received tracked plurality of location, the patient tracking computer identifies a plurality of possible paths between a first location and a second location between the event start and the event end and identifies a probability associated with each of the plurality of possible paths, the patient tracking computer calculates a distance traveled by the patient during the ambulatory event in part based upon a distance of each of the identified possible paths and probabilities associated with possible paths, and calculates a duration for the ambulatory event between the determined event start and event end.

23. The system of claim 22 where the plurality of possible paths and probability associated with each of the plurality of possible paths are identified from historical patient ambulation data, and wherein the patient tracking computer calculates a distance between the first location and the second location within the ambulatory event by selecting a distance of a path of the plurality of paths associated with a highest probability.