Wireless ambulatory care network

• US 9,924,298 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: St. Pierre, Shawn C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAKRABORTY, RAJARSHI
• Application Number:
  US14/529,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20160127854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method for connecting wireless devices using Bluetooth® low energy can be used to connect wireless computing devices with a medical device in an ambulatory care setting. The wireless computing devices can receive measured vital sign data and transmit the vital sign data to a patient'"'"'s electronic medical record. The wireless computing devices can be configured to include a user-friendly name and the transmitter power in one or more advertising broadcasts. The medical device can receive advertising broadcasts from one or more wireless computing devices and sort the devices by proximity, last use, number of times used, or alphabetically. After the devices exchange information over Bluetooth® low energy, the devices can connect in Bluetooth® Classic. Systems for implementing the method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for connecting with a wireless device, comprising:

receiving, at a host medical computing device, a Bluetooth®

low-energy broadcast from one or more wireless devices that are in a range of the host medical computing device,

wherein the host medical computing device is configured to receive vital signs data of a patient, the vital signs data being obtained from at least one of;

a thermometer, a heart rate monitor, a pulse oximeter, a non-invasive blood pressure monitor, and a respiration rate monitor; and

wherein the Bluetooth®

low-energy broadcast includes a user-friendly alias that corresponds to a media access control (MAC) address of the one or more wireless devices;

identifying the one or more wireless devices by associating the MAC address with the user-friendly alias;

sorting the one or more wireless devices;

pre-pairing the one or more wireless devices with the host medical computing device;

on a device selection display, displaying a name for each of the one or more wireless devices, wherein the name displayed corresponds to the user-friendly alias of the one or more wireless devices; and

connecting to one of the one or more wireless devices as a background process, including;

closing the device selection display; and

recording vital sign measurements while connecting to the one or more wireless devices.

2. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 1, further comprising receiving a transmitter power from at least one of the one or more wireless devices.

3. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 2, wherein the one or more wireless devices are sorted by the received transmitter power from at least one of the one or more wireless devices.

4. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the signal strength of the one or more wireless devices.

5. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a transmitter power from at least one of the one or more wireless devices; and

determining a distance of the one or more wireless devices from the host medical computing device using the signal strength and the transmitter power of the one or more wireless devices.

6. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 5, wherein the one or more wireless devices are sorted using the distance from each wireless device to the host medical computing device.

7. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 1, wherein the name comprises up to 28 bytes.

8. The method for connecting with a wireless device of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless devices are sorted by the order in which the wireless devices were last connected to the host medical computing device;

and further comprising

pre-selecting one of the one or more wireless devices based on the wireless device most recently connected to the host medical computing device.

9. A system for communicating vital signs data wirelessly, comprising:

a host medical computing device configured to receive vital signs data of a patient, the vital signs data being obtained from at least one of;

a thermometer, a heart rate monitor, a pulse oximeter, a non-invasive blood pressure monitor, and a respiration rate monitor, and including non-transient storage media containing instructions stored thereon, where the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the host medical computing device to;

receive a Bluetooth®

low-energy broadcast from one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices, wherein the Bluetooth®

low-energy broadcast includes a user-friendly alias that corresponds to a media access control (MAC) address of one or more wireless devices;

identify one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices that are in a range of the host medical computing device by associating the MAC address with the user-friendly alias;

sort the one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices;

on a device selection display, display a name for each of the one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices, wherein the name displayed corresponds to the user-friendly alias of the one or more wireless devices; and

connect to one of the one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices as a background process, including;

closing the device selection display; and

recording vital sign measurements while connecting to the one or more wireless devices, wherein the one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices have been pre-paired with the host medical computing device;

wherein the electronic medical records portal computing device includes non-transient storage media containing instructions stored thereon, where the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the host medical computing device to;

activate a Bluetooth®

low-energy radio;

broadcast a user-friendly name via the Bluetooth®

low-energy radio;

form a Bluetooth®

Classic connection with the host medical computing device; and

deactivate the Bluetooth®

low-energy radio.

10. The system for communicating vital signs data wirelessly of claim 9, wherein the host medical computing device is further configured to:

send the one or more vital signs measurements to the electronic medical records portal computing device,

wherein the electronic medical records portal computing device is further configured to receive the one or more vital signs measurements from the host medical computing device.

11. The system for communicating vital signs data wirelessly of claim 10, wherein the electronic medical records portal computing device is further configured to send one or more of the one or more vital signs measurements to an electronic medical record corresponding to the patient.

12. The system for communicating vital signs data wirelessly of claim 11, wherein the host medical computing device disconnects from the electronic medical records portal computing device after sending the one or more vital signs measurements.

13. The system for communicating vital signs data wirelessly of claim 9, wherein the host medical computing device is further configured to:

determine the signal strength of the one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices;

receive a transmitter power from the electronic medical records portal computing device; and

determine a distance of the electronic medical records portal computing device from the host medical computing device using the signal strength and the transmitter power of the one or more electronic medical records portal computing devices.