Rapid response health care communications system

• US 4,237,344 A
• Filed: 04/20/1979
• Issued: 12/02/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hospital Communication Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hospital Communication Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Moore, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardillo, Jr., Raymond F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Popek, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US06/031,924
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 179/1 H, 179/1 HF, 179/2 R, 179/2 A, 179/2 TS, 179/2 TV, 340/286 R, 340/312, 340/313, 358/85, 358/86
• US Class Current: 379/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/027 Annunciator systems for hospitals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/913 Person locator or person-specific

Abstract

A rapid response health care communications system for providing rapid and reliable health services to patients located within or outside a health care facility, such as an acute-care hospital, includes personnel locator for identifying both the type and the location of health care personnel, such as doctors, nurses, interns, and the like; and personnel communicating network for communicating with certain of such personnel from a central location to direct them to patient locations where their need is paramount. A patient response communication network is provided for communicating with the patient or with the patient'"'"'s room from the central location to identify the patient'"'"'s needs and the personnel required to respond to those needs. A central console at the central location includes a plurality of locator panels, one for each floor of the facility, each of which include indicator lamps for identifying the particular location of the health care personnel within the facility. The console further includes a device for storing and retrieving a patient'"'"'s medical profile to assist the health care coordinator in making an informed judgment as to the type of care required for a particular patient and the type of health care personnel needed to provide the required care. In addition, an out-of-hospital communication network using auto-dialing telephones is provided to allow outpatients to communicate from outside the facility with the health care coordinator to assist the outpatients in rapidly and efficiently receiving appropriate advice and health care as indicated by the patient medical profile and for responding to emergency situations.

Claims

1. A rapid-response health care communication system for a health care facility having a plurality of rooms for patient care comprising:

a central health-care console adapted for use by a health care coordinator, said console having a plurality of personnel location display means for displaying the location of various types of health care personnel in the facility;

a personnel location designating means at a plurality of preselected locations in the health care facility including said patient rooms connected to said personnel location display means, each of said designation means including a plurality of designator switches, each of said designator switches corresponding to one of a plurality of types of health care personnel, said designator switches selectively operable by the health care personnel at each location to cause a corresponding one of said personnel location display means to provide an indication to the health care coordinator of the type of health care personnel at each of said location designation means;

coordinator/personnel intercommunications-means extending between said central console and each location;

said coordinator personnel intercommunication means having a coordinator communication-interface at said central console and a personnel communication-interface at said locations whereby the coordinator and personnel at a selected location may communicate with one another; and

coordinator/patient intercommunication-means extending between said central console and each patient room, aid coordinator/patient intercommunication-means having a coordinator communication-interface at said central console and a patient communication-interface at each of said patient rooms whereby the hospital health care coordinator at the central console and the patient at the patient room may communicate with one another;

whereby the health care coordinator, in response to a request by a patient through the coordinator/patient intercommunication-means, may determine the location of selected types of health care personnel from said display means, communicate with selected ones of the health care personnel through the coordinator/personnel intercommunicationmeans, and direct the selected health care personnel to the patient room location.

2. The health care communication system claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

an illuminable lamp at the personnel location designation means locations associated with each one of said designator switches to provide, when illuminated, a visual indication of the position of said switch.

3. The health care communication system claimed in claim 1 wherein the display means comprises:

a panel having a visual indicator associated with each of said designator switches to provide a visual indication to the health care coordinator of the position of each of said switches at each location and thereby provide an indication to the health care coordinator of the health care personnel type at each location.

4. The health care communication system claimed in claim 3 wherein said visual indicators comprises:

an illuminable indicator associated with each one of said designator switches which, when illuminated, provides a visual indication to the health care coordinator of the health care personnel type at each location.

5. The health care communication system claimed in claim 4, wherein:

each of said designator switches and its associated visual indicator at each of said locations and its associated illuminatable indicator at said location display panel are in series-wired electrical connection.

6. The health care communication system claimed in claim 4, wherein:

each of said visual indicators at each of said locations and its associated illuminatable indicator at said location display panel are connected in parallel electrical connection with their corresponding designator switch.

7. The health care communication system claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said coordinator/personnel intercommunication-means extends between said central console and each of said locations and includes a transmitting/receiving speaker at each location and a corresponding transmitting/receiving speaker at the central console.

8. The health care communication system claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

another personnel location display means remotely located from and connected to said central console.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said coordinator/patient intercommunication-means includes a manual call-button interconnected with a patient telephone which is in communication with said central console.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said coordinator/patient intercommunication-means includes a manual call-button interconnected with a transmitting and receiving speaker at each patient location which is in communication with said central console.

11. The health care communication system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

an automatic telephone dialing means at a residence of an outpatient for automatically establishing telephone communication with said central console at said health care facility.

12. The health-care communication system as set forth in claim 11 further comprising:

activator means at said residence for sensing alarm conditioning and actuating said automatic telephone dialing means in response thereto.

13. The health care communication system as set forth in claim 11 further comprising:

a hand-held remote control unit connected to said automatic telephone dialing means including a first control and a second control;

activation of said first control causing said automatic telephone dialing means to electrically off-hook a telephone; and

activation of said second control causing said automatic telephone dialing means to electrically on-hook a telephone.

14. The health care communication system claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

a timer means for electrically on-hooking a telephone a predetermined period of time after the telephone is off-hooked.