System and method of using location technology to aid patient recovery

• US 10,602,963 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• 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, Nantz, Brian W., Davis, Carl C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Downey, John R
• Application Number:
  US14/792,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20150305654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• 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 method of monitoring an ambulatory patient, the method comprising:

providing the ambulatory patient with a remote monitoring device;

presenting the patient with a prescribed ambulation distance;

tracking a plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device with a location services (LS) system;

monitoring an ambulatory event with a patient tracking computer communicatively connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS system;

identifying 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 plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device;

selecting a path from the plurality of possible paths between the first location of the plurality of locations and the second location of the plurality of locations;

deriving ambulatory event data from the tracked plurality of locations and the selected path, the ambulatory event data comprising an ambulatory event distance and an ambulatory event duration;

comparing the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device tracked by the LS system to the prescribed ambulation distance; and

presenting, to the ambulatory patient on a graphical display, the ambulatory event data and the prescribed ambulation distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising mapping a patient pathway during the ambulatory event.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring a plurality of physiological values of at least one physiological value type from the patient with the remote monitoring device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

broadcasting the plurality of physiological values from the remote monitoring device; and

triangulating the broadcast physiological values with the LS system, wherein the LS system tracks the plurality of locations from the triangulated broadcast physiological value.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one physiological value type comprises at least one of heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and SpO2.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising presenting, on a graphical display, the ambulatory event data in comparison to the physiological value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording ambulatory event data for a plurality of previous ambulatory events;

presenting current ambulatory event data derived from a current ambulatory event on the graphical display in comparison to ambulatory event data for at least one previous ambulatory event.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising presenting a trend in ambulatory event data from a plurality of previous ambulatory events and the current ambulatory event data on the graphical display.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

presenting, on the graphical display, ambulatory event data from a plurality of previous ambulatory events of the same prescribed ambulation.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an ambulatory event start and an ambulatory event end from the tracked plurality of locations, wherein the ambulatory event data is derived from the ambulatory event start and the ambulatory event end.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the ambulatory event data in an electronic medical record (EMR) of the patient.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein ambulatory event data further comprises at least one of average speed and instantaneous speed.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote monitoring device further comprises a global positioning system (GPS) and comprising:

determining the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device with the GPS; and

providing the plurality of locations from the remote monitoring device to the LS system.

13. A method of monitoring a patient, the method comprising:

providing the ambulatory patient with a remote monitoring device;

measuring a plurality of physiological values of at least one type of physiological value with the remote monitoring device;

tracking a plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device over time with the location services (LS) system;

monitoring an ambulatory event with a patient tracking computer communicatively connected to the remote monitoring device and the LS system;

receiving the plurality of physiological values from the remote monitoring device;

determining an ambulatory event start and an ambulatory event end from the tracked plurality of locations;

identifying 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 plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device;

selecting a path from the plurality of possible paths between the first location of the plurality of locations and the second location of the plurality of locations;

deriving ambulatory event data from the tracked plurality of locations, the selected path, the ambulatory event start, and the ambulatory event end, the ambulatory event data comprising an ambulatory event distance and an ambulatory event duration; and

presenting the ambulatory event data and at least one physiological value of the plurality of physiological values to the patient on a graphical display.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

broadcasting the plurality of physiological values from the remote monitoring device;

receiving the broadcasted plurality of physiological values at a plurality of telemetry receivers of a location services (LS) system;

triangulating the broadcasted physiological values with the LS system to determine the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device;

measuring signal strengths of the received broadcasted plurality of physiological values received at each of the plurality of telemetry receivers; and

determining the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device based upon the measured signal strengths.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

presenting the patient with a prescribed ambulation;

comparing the plurality of locations of the remote monitoring device tracked by the LS system to the prescribed ambulation; and

presenting the prescribed ambulation on the graphical display.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein deriving ambulatory event data comprises calculating a distance traveled by the patient from the tracked plurality of locations between the ambulatory event start and the ambulatory event end.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

calculating a probability that the remote monitoring device traveled a possible path associated with each of the plurality of possible paths wherein the selected path is a most probable path from the plurality of possible paths; and

calculating the distance traveled by the patient based upon a distance of the selected path.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising recording the ambulatory event data in an electronic medical record (EMR) of the patient.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein ambulatory event data further comprises at least one of average speed and instantaneous speed.