VIDEO MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20120075464A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Derenne, Richard A., DeLuca, Richard T., Wroblewski, Jason J., Shall, Sanjay, Duan, Xiyu, Lowalekar, Vishal P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,204,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/03 Intensive care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0036 including treatment, e.g., using an implantable medical device, ablating, ventilating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6889 Rooms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/026 by measuring distance between sensor and object G01B11/0608 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/043 detecting an emergency event, e.g. a fall
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 : responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 : Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands
• 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: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A monitoring system includes a camera adapted to capture images and output signals representative of the images. The camera may include one or more depth sensors that detect distances between the depth sensor and objects positioned within the field of view of the one or more cameras. A computer device processes the image signals and or depth signals from cameras and determines any one or more of the following: (a) whether a patient care protocol has been properly followed; (b) what condition a patient is in; (c) whether an infection control protocol has been properly followed; and (d) whether steps have been taken to reduce the risk of a patient from falling. Alerts may be issued if any conditions of importance are detected.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

a camera adapted to capture images and output signals representative of said images; and

a computer device in communication with said camera, said computer device adapted to process said signals and to determine at least one of the following items;

(a) whether a patient care protocol has been properly followed;

(b) what condition a patient is in;

(c) whether an infection control protocol has been properly followed; and

(d) whether steps have been taken to reduce the risk of a patient from falling.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said camera include a depth sensing device adapted to detect the distance between the depth sensing device and objects positioned within a field of view of the camera.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines item (a) and said determination of item (a) includes:

determining an identity of the clinician;

monitoring a sequence of steps performed by said clinician;

comparing said sequence of steps to stored information indicative of specific tasks; and

forwarding data regarding at least one of said specific tasks to another computer device if said sequence of steps matches the stored information.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said specific tasks include at least one of:

turning a patient, dressing a wound, conducting a patient assessment, providing physical or respiratory therapy, starting a ventilator, and applying CPR.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said another computer device uses said data regarding at least one of said specific tasks to do at least one of the following:

make an entry in a patient'"'"'s electronic medical record, and update a work flow computer system.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines from said output signals how long a patient has been lying on a particular side, front, or back of the patient'"'"'s body, and said computer device initiates an alert to a caregiver if the patient has been lying on a particular side, front, or back of the patient for longer than a predetermined amount of time.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines from said output signals a current angle of a head portion of a bed and initiates an alert to a caregiver if the current angle of the head portion of the bed is less than a predetermined value.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines a current height of a bed positioned within a room, determines how low the bed in the room is capable of being lowered to, and initiates an alert to a caregiver if the bed is not currently at its lowest position and a clinician is not in the room.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device is adapted to determine item (b) and said determination of item (b) includes determining from said output signals if a patient is engaged in at least one of the following activities:

eating, sleeping, exiting a bed, walking, walking to a bathroom, having a seizure, falling, getting entrapped in side rails on a bed, and sitting in a chair.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device is adapted to determine item (c) and said determination of item (c) includes at least one of the following:

monitoring a clinician'"'"'s hand washing, monitoring one or more sterile fields;

monitoring usage of personal protection equipment;

monitoring mobile objects for assessing cross infection potential; and

monitoring cleaning.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said computer device monitors a clinician'"'"'s hand washing and is adapted to monitor objects which are touched by a clinician after said clinician has washed his or her hands.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said computer device monitors one or more sterile objects and is adapted to identify what other objects come into contact with the sterile object after the sterile object has been removed from its packaging.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device is adapted to identify if a clinician is wearing at least one of a gown, a mask, or gloves.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device monitors mobile objects for assessing cross infection potential and said computer device is adapted to identify objects within a room that are mobile, to monitor whether any such mobile objects are contacted by potential sources of infection, and to issue an alert to a clinician if any such mobile object is moved out of the room.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines what areas of a room have not been cleaned.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device is adapted to assess a likelihood of a patient getting out of a chair or bed in the near future.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device detects at least one of the following:

a patient using arms of a chair or a rocking motion to get up, a patient'"'"'s stooped posture, a patient'"'"'s short steps, a patient'"'"'s grasping of nearby furniture, or a Morse gait assessment of the patient.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device detects at least one of the following:

patient movement of sheets, patient clearance of one or more objects from his or her path, patient leaning forward, patient locating footwear, patient moving toward the edge of the bed or chair, and patient grasping an object for lifting support.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device detects a patient fall by determining a proximity of a patient'"'"'s head to a floor.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines at least one of the following:

a height of a bed, whether side rails on a bed are in an up position, whether a patient is wearing hip protectors, whether a patient is wearing a special ID identifying a fall risk, whether a patient is wearing a helmet, whether a patient is wearing anti-slip socks, whether a floor mat is an obstruction, whether any obstacles are in a patient'"'"'s path to a bathroom, and whether items needed by a patient are within reach of the patient while the patient remains in the bed.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said computer device determines at least one of the following:

whether a patient grasps an object when arising and whether a patient is connected to an IV.

22. A monitoring system comprising:

a camera positioned within a room and adapted to capture images of the room and output image signals representative of said images, and

a computer device in communication with said camera and adapted to process said image signals to determine whether at least one step has been taken to reduce a risk of infection taking place within the room.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said computer device determines whether a clinician in the room has cleaned his or her hands at a location within the room.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein said computer device monitors cleaning of the room and identifies any portions of the room that are missed during the cleaning.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein said camera includes a depth sensing device adapted to detect the distance between the depth sensing device and objects positioned within a field of view of the camera.

26. A monitoring system comprising:

a camera positioned within a room and adapted to capture images of the room and output image signals representative of said images, and

a computer device in communication with said camera and adapted to process said image signals to determine whether an aspect of a patient care protocol is being followed.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer device determines when a patient has turned in the bed and issues an alert if a predetermined amount of time passes without the patient turning.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein said computer device determines an angle of a head portion of a bed with respect to horizontal and issues an alert if the angle is less than a predefined angle.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein said camera includes a depth sensing device adapted to detect the distance between the depth sensing device and objects positioned within a field of view of the camera.

30. A monitoring system comprising:

a camera positioned within a room and adapted to capture images of the room and output image signals representative of said images, and

a computer device in communication with said camera and adapted to process said image signals to determine whether a siderail on a bed positioned in the room is in an up or down position.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein said computer device determines if any objects are within a path from the bed to a bathroom or a doorway out of the room.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein said camera includes a depth sensing device adapted to detect the distance between the depth sensing device and objects positioned within a field of view of the camera.