System and method for monitoring multiple patients

• US 9,940,807 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J Brasch Company LLC
• Original Assignee: J Brasch Company LLC
• Inventors: Brasch, John Joseph, Smith, Jr., Gordon, Leacock, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US14/474,894
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A system for monitoring multiple patients within a facility comprises a plurality of monitoring apparatuses, a central communication hub, and a plurality of notification devices. The monitoring apparatuses generate data relating to the status of patients, and send the data to the communication hub. The data may include an alarm signal. In a variant, the monitoring apparatuses do not generate alarm signals. Rather the communication hub processes the data and generates alarms if needed. Alarms are sent by the communication hub to the notification devices to inform employees of the facility of the source of the alarm.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring multiple patients within a facility, the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of monitoring apparatuses, each monitoring apparatus corresponding to at least one respective patient, each monitoring apparatus being configured for being in communication with a respective sensing unit which comprises at least one sensor configured for creating sensing data indicative of a status of the patient, and each monitoring apparatus comprising;

(a1) a respective control unit configured for being in wired and/or wireless communication with the sensing unit, and for receiving the sensing data; and

(a2) a respective communication unit, configured for receiving the sensing data from the control unit and transmitting the sensing data to a remote location;

(b) a central communication hub configured for being in communication with the plurality of monitoring apparatuses, and for receiving the sensing data from each communication unit, wherein the central communication hub and/or the control unit is configured for processing the sensing data, and generating an alarm signal if at least a portion of the sensing data deviates from a predetermined pattern, the deviation being indicative of an undesirability in the patient'"'"'s status;

(c) a plurality of notification devices configured for being in wired and/or wireless communication with the central communication hub, each notification device being accessible to one or more employees of the facility, and each notification device comprising a communication element configured for receiving the alarm signal and an output element informing the one or more employee about the source of the alarm signal, wherein each of at least some of the notification devices comprise a respective user inter face configured for enabling the one or more employees to respond to the alarm, the response causing the respective device to generate instruction data and send the instruction data to the central communication hub, the instruction data causing the central communication hub to communicate with all other notification devices in use so as to inform the other employees that the alarm has been responded to.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient'"'"'s status comprises at least one of:

the patient'"'"'s presence in at least one particular location, absence from at least one particular location, a position of the patient, a stance of the patient.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the central hub is associated with a memory utility configured for storing the sensing data and/or the alarm signal corresponding to each monitoring apparatus.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the central hub is configured for monitoring an amount of free memory in the memory utility, and for generating and sending a notification to at least one of the notification devices when the amount of free memory is less than a predetermined amount.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the notification devices is configured for storing the sensing data and/or the alarm signal when the amount of free memory in the memory utility is less than a predetermined amount.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each monitoring apparatus comprises at least one output unit configured for delivering a message to the respective patient, when the alarm is generated.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the output unit is associated with a memory unit storing a plurality of messages corresponding to a plurality of causes due to which the alarm has been generated, the output unit being configured for selecting one of the messages, depending on the cause for due to which the alarm has been generated.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the central communication hub is configured for generating data indicative of the message in response to the alarm signal, and for transmitting the data indicative of the message to the monitoring apparatus; and

the output unit is configured for delivering the message based on the data indicative of the message.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the monitoring apparatuses comprises at least one output unit;

at least one of the notification devices comprises at least one input unit configured for receiving a message input from the one or more employees, the message input being indicative of a message to the patient;

the central communication hub is configured for delivering the message input to the at least one monitoring apparatus;

the at least one output unit is configured for delivering a message to the corresponding patient, the message being based on the message input.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the message input comprises at least one of:

a press of a button of the notification device, a tap of a button of the notification device, a touch of a touchscreen of the notification device, a swipe of the touchscreen of the notification device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is configured for emitting a low-volume warning sound in response to receiving the alarm signal.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device comprises a display configured for displaying an image indicative of the source of the alarm signal in response to the notification device'"'"'s receipt of the alarm signal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the image comprises a map of the facility and a mark on the map displaying a location of the source of the alarm.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification device is configured for generating haptic feedback in response to receiving the alarm signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one control unit is connected to a plurality of sensing units associated with a plurality of respective patients.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured for being in communication with at least one sensing unit which comprises a plurality of sensors.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each sensor is connected to the control unit and is configured for communicating with the control unit by wire and/or wirelessly.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring apparatuses are disposed in series with each other in a partial mesh network configuration, such that any given monitoring apparatus is configured for receiving first sensing data and/or a first alarm signal from a preceding monitoring apparatus and for conveying the first sensing data and/or the first alarm signal to a following monitoring apparatus along with the sensing data and/or the alarm signal generated by the given monitoring apparatus; and

a last monitoring apparatus of the series is configured to be in direct communication with the central communication hub and for conveying to the central communication hub the sensing data and/or alarm signals of all other monitoring apparatus along with the sensing data and/or the alarm signal generated by the last monitoring apparatus.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the monitoring apparatuses comprises:

a first set of monitoring apparatuses disposed in a first series, such that a last monitoring apparatus of the first series is configured to be in direct communication with the central communication hub; and

a second set of monitoring apparatuses disposed in a second series, such that a last monitoring apparatus of the second series is configured to be in direct communication with the central communication hub.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

any particular monitoring apparatus of the first set is configured to be in communication with a previous communication apparatus, a following apparatus in the first set, and at least one monitoring apparatus of the second set;

any monitoring apparatus of the first set is configured for conveying the received and generated sensing data and/or alarm signal to the following monitoring apparatus of the first set;

if the following monitoring apparatus in the first set is not responsive to communication, the monitoring apparatus of the first set is configured to convey the received and generated sensing data and/or alarm signal to the at least one monitoring apparatus of the second set;

any particular monitoring apparatus of the second series is configured to be in communication with a previous monitoring apparatus, a following monitoring apparatus in the second set, and at least one monitoring apparatus of the first set;

any monitoring apparatus of the second set is configured for conveying the received and generated sensing data and/or alarm signal to the following monitoring apparatus of the second set;

if the following monitoring apparatus in the second set is not responsive to communication, the monitoring apparatus of the second set is configured to convey the received and generated sensing data and/or alarm signal to the at least one monitoring apparatus of the first set.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the central communication hub is associated with a server, and at least one of the monitoring apparatuses is configured for being programmable via the server and/or via a computing device in communication with the server.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the central communication hub is associated with a server;

the central communication hub is configured for using the sensing data corresponding to at least one of the patients for generating a report relating to the at least one of the patients;

wherein the report is accessible via the server and/or via a computing device in communication with the server.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein each notification device is configured for being carried by a respective employee.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the monitoring apparatuses comprises a respective sensing unit.