MEDICAL MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20110105854A1
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Inventors: Muhsin, Bilal, Kiani, Massi Joe E., Sampath, Anand
• Granted Patent: US 10,032,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• 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 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Medical patient monitoring devices that have the capability of detecting the physical proximity of a clinician are disclosed. The medical patient monitoring devices may be configured to perform a first selected action when the presence of a clinician is detected in a first detection area, and to perform a second selected action when the presence of the clinician is detected in a second detection area. The medical patient monitoring devices may be configured to determine whether a clinician is present in a detection area based on the strength of a signal from a clinician token, and based on a signal strength adjustment value associated with the clinician token. When the presence of a clinician is detected in a detection area, the medical patient monitoring devices may be configured to perform a predetermined action that is determined from a remote database communicatively coupled thereto.

Claims

1. A medical patient monitoring device for monitoring physiological information, the medical patient monitoring device comprising:

an interface configured to receive physiological information associated with at least one patient; and

a detector for detecting the physical presence of a clinician token within first and second detection areas in the vicinity of the medical patient monitoring device, the clinician token being indicative of the identity of a clinician,

wherein the medical patient monitoring device further comprises a processor that is configured to take a first predetermined action in response to detection of the clinician token in the first detection area, and to take a second predetermined action in response to detection of the clinician token in the second detection area, the first and second predetermined actions being associated with the identity of the clinician.

2. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the first detection area comprises a first distance range from the medical patient monitoring device, and wherein the second detection area comprises a second distance range from the medical patient monitoring device.

3. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the first detection area is nearer to the medical patient monitoring device than the second detection area, and wherein the first predetermined action comprises displaying text with a first size, and the second predetermined action comprises displaying text with a second size that is larger than the first size.

4. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the first detection area is nearer to the medical patient monitoring device than the second detection area, and wherein the first predetermined action comprises sounding an alarm with a first audible volume, and the second predetermined action comprises sounding an alarm with a second audible volume that is larger than the first audible volume.

5. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to take a third predetermined action if the clinician token is detected in the first detection area for a first amount of time, and to take a fourth predetermined action if the clinician token is detected in the first detection area for a second amount of time.

6. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined action comprises setting the configuration of the medical patient monitoring device in accordance with the clinician'"'"'s preferences.

7. A medical patient monitoring device for monitoring physiological information, the medical patient monitoring device comprising:

an interface configured to receive physiological information associated with at least one patient; and

a detector for detecting the physical presence of a clinician token within a detection area in the vicinity of the medical patient monitoring device, the clinician token being indicative of the identity of a clinician,

wherein the medical patient monitoring device further comprises a processor that is configured to take a predetermined action in response to detection of the clinician token in the detection area, the predetermined action being associated with the identity of the clinician, and

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the clinician token is present within the detection area based on the strength of a signal from the clinician token, and based on a signal strength adjustment value associated with the clinician token.

8. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an estimate of the distance between the clinician token and the medical patient monitoring device, and to adjust the estimate of the distance using the signal strength adjustment value.

9. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 7, wherein the signal strength adjustment value is based on a feature of the clinician token.

10. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 7, wherein signal strength adjustment value is based on the clinician'"'"'s preference as to the manner of wearing the clinician token.

11. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 7, wherein the signal strength adjustment value is determined from a database communicatively coupled to the medical patient monitoring device, the signal strength adjustment value being related in the database to identification information stored on the clinician token.

12. A medical patient monitoring device for monitoring physiological information, the medical patient monitoring device comprising:

an interface configured to receive physiological information associated with at least one patient; and

a detector for detecting the physical presence of a clinician token within a detection area in the vicinity of the medical patient monitoring device, the clinician token being indicative of the identity of a clinician,

wherein the medical patient monitoring device further comprises a processor that is configured to take a predetermined action in response to detection of the clinician token in the detection area, the predetermined action being associated with the identity of the clinician, and

wherein the predetermined action is determined from a database that is remotely communicatively coupled to the medical patient monitoring device via a communication network.

13. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 12, wherein the medical patient monitoring device is configured to receive identification information from the clinician token, to transmit the identification information to the remote database, and to receive the predetermined action from the remote database via the communication network.

14. The medical patient monitoring device of claim 12, wherein the database comprises configuration preferences, of a plurality of clinicians, for the medical patient monitoring device, and wherein the configuration preferences in the database are remotely configurable.