Bed status information system for hospital beds

• US 5,699,038 A
• Filed: 08/04/1995
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Tom, Ulrich, Daniel J., Novak, Joe, Weismiller, Matthew W., Myers, Julie, Jennings, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Application Number:
  US08/511,701
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.06, 340/286.07, 340/286.08, 340/825.52, 340/573, 340/825.08, 340/332, 340/286.01, 364/413.02, 364/413.07, 379/38
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/12 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/014 Alarm signalling to a central station with two-way communication, e.g. with signalling back
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/12 Manually actuated calamity alarm transmitting arrangements emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm, activators, e.g. details of alarm push buttons mounted on an infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• 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

Abstract

A bed status information system for indicating to attending personnel the status of a patient bed includes bed condition input signal generators carried by the bed and coupled to operational elements on the bed, which have one or more monitorable conditions. The signal generators are operable to monitor a bed element condition and input signal indicative of the status of the monitored condition. An interface board on the bed processes the bed condition input signal and generates bed condition messages, which indicate the status of the monitored condition. A processing station remote from the bed is electrically coupled via a datalink to the interface board and is operable to receive the bed condition messages and indicate the status of the patient bed and its operational elements to attending personnel at a location remote from the bed, thereby eliminating the need for constant personnel attendance at the bed. The system is capable for monitoring a variety of different bed operational element systems, as well as providing a remote processing station and identification number for the bed, bed-type information, and a list of the operational capabilities of the bed.

Claims

1. A bed status information system for indicating to attending personnel the status of a patient bed, the bed status information system comprising:

at least one bed condition input signal generator carried by said patient bed, the signal generator operable for monitoring a condition of the patient bed and generating an input signal indicative of the status of said monitored bed condition;

an interface board including a processor which is electrically coupled with said signal generator, said interface board operable for receiving said bed condition input signal and processing said input signal to create bed condition messages indicating the status of the monitored condition;

a processing station remote from the bed and coupled with said interface board by a datalink, the processing station operable for receiving said bed condition messages over the datalink and processing said messages, said station including an indication device for indicating, in a humanly perceptible form, the status of the monitored condition of the patient bed and the contents of the bed condition messages, such that the status of the monitored condition of the patient bed is indicated to attending personnel at a location remote from the bed.

2. The bed status information system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of bed condition input signal generators for generating input signals indicative of the statuses of a plurality of different monitored bed conditions.

3. The bed status information system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of interface boards and a plurality of respective input signal generators associated with the boards for indicating the statuses of monitored conditions for a plurality of different hospital beds.

4. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein the interface board is further operable to create a bed condition message comprising a data field identifying the patient bed which corresponds to the message, the processing station operable to determine, from said data field, the identity of the patient bed corresponding to the message.

5. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein the interface board is further operable to create a bed condition message comprising a data field containing bed type information which corresponds to the type of bed being monitored, the processing station operable to determine the type of bed which created the message.

6. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein the interface board is further operable to create a bed condition message comprising a data field containing information which corresponds to the types of monitored conditions for a particular bed, the processing station operable to determine which conditions will be monitored and indicated by the processing station.

7. The bed status information system of claim 1 further comprising an interface unit electrically coupled between said interface board and said processing station, said interface unit operable to receive said bed condition messages and create a corresponding system bed condition messages, the interface unit operable to send the system bed condition messages to said processing station.

8. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein the datalink is a serial datalink.

9. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein said processing station is operable to send messages to the interface board over said datalink.

10. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the bed condition messages comprises a data field containing information indicating the condition of a mattress surface of a patient bed.

11. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the bed condition messages comprises a data field containing information indicating at least one of the following:

the physical position of a mattress on a patient bed, the operational condition of a brake on a patient bed, the physical position of a headrail on the patient bed, the physical position of a footrail on the patient bed, and whether a patient exit system of a patient bed is in an armed status.

12. The bed status information system of claim 1 further comprising an optical isolator electrically connected between said interface board and said processing station in line with the datalink to electrically isolate the interface board from the processing station.

13. The bed status information system of claim 1 further comprising an operating network for generating a data message indicative of the status of at least one condition of a bed, the interface board including a network port electrically coupled to the operating network for receiving said network data message, the interface board operable to process said data message and create a bed condition message.

14. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein the processing station and interface board are each operable to create node status messages and send said node status message to the interface board and processing station, respectively, over said datalink, said node status messages indicating the operational communication status of said processing station and said interface board.

15. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein the processing station is operable to create a bed output message and send said bed output message to the interface board over said datalink and said interface board is operable to create and send a node status message to the processing station upon receipt of said message, said interface board node status message indicating the operational communication status of said interface board with respect to said message received from the processing station.

16. The bed status information system of claim 14 wherein each of said bed condition messages and node status messages comprises a data field containing message type data for indicating to the processing station and interface board that the message is one of a node status message and a bed condition message.

17. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein said bed condition message comprises a data field containing verification data for verifying that the contents of the bed condition message were properly received by said processing station.

18. The bed status information system of claim 1 wherein said bed condition message comprises a data field containing data for indicating the length of another data field in the bed condition message.

19. An information system for monitoring patient care, the system comprising:

at least one patient bed including a patient support surface carried by a bed frame for supporting a patient, the bed further comprising a plurality of patient care operational elements coupled to one of the bed frame and the support surface, each operational element operable to have at least one monitorable condition;

a bed condition input signal generator coupled to an operational element for monitoring a condition of one of the bed frame and support surface and generating an input signal indicative of the status of said monitored condition;

an interface board including a processor associated with the patient bed, the interface board electrically coupled to said input signal generator for receiving said bed condition input signal and processing said input signal to create bed condition messages to be sent over a datalink;

a processing station remote from the bed and coupled with said interface board by a datalink for receiving said bed condition messages and processing said messages, said station including at least one indication device for indicating, in a humanly perceptible form, the status of the patient bed monitored condition as contained in the bed condition messages, such that the status of various patient bed conditions is indicated to attending personnel at a location remote from the bed.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the interface board is further operable to create a bed condition message comprising a data field identifying the patient bed, the processing station operable to determine, from said identifying data, the identity of the patient bed associated with the message.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the interface board is further operable to create a bed condition message comprising a data field containing bed type information which corresponds to the type of bed being monitored, the processing station operable to determine the type of bed which generated the message.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the interface board is further operable to create a bed condition message comprising a data field containing information corresponding to the types of operational elements on the bed frame and support surface which are being monitored.

23. The system of claim 19 further comprising an interface unit electrically coupled between said interface board and said processing station, said interface unit operable to receive said bed condition messages and create corresponding system bed condition messages, the interface unit operable to send the system bed condition messages to said processing station.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein the processing station and interface board are each operable to create node status messages and send said node status messages to the interface board and processing station, respectively, over said datalink, said node status messages indicating the operational communication status of said processing station and said interface board.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein each of said bed condition messages and node status messages comprises a data field containing message type data for indicating to the processing station and the interface board that the message is one of a node status message and a bed condition message.

26. A patient bed for patient care, the bed comprising:

a bed frame;

a patient support surface carried by the frame for supporting a patient;

a plurality of patient care operational elements, each of the elements coupled to one of the bed frame and the support surface, each of the elements operable to have at least one monitorable condition;

an input signal generator coupled to at least one element for monitoring said element monitorable condition and generating an input signal indicative of the status of said monitorable condition; and

an interface board including a processor associated with the patient bed, the interface board electrically coupled to said input signal generator for receiving said input signals, the interface board operable to process said input signals for creating bed condition data messages to be sent over a datalink to a processing station remote from the bed, such that the status of a patient bed is indicated to attending personnel at a location remote from the bed.

27. The bed of claim 26 wherein at least one of the bed condition data messages comprises a data field containing information indicative of one of the following:

the physical position of a headrail on the patient bed frame, the physical condition of a headrail on the patient bed frame, the condition of a mattress surface included with the patient support surface, the physical position of a mattress included with the patient support surface, and whether a patient exit system of the patient bed is in an armed status.

28. A method of retrofitting a patient bed, having at least one operational element with a monitorable condition, for use in a medical facility having a nurse locator system with a central processing station remote from the patient bed, the method comprising:

coupling an input signal generator to said operational bed element, the input signal generator operable for monitoring said monitorable condition and generating an input signal indicative of the status of said monitorable condition;

complying an interface board with a processor to said bed and said input signal generator such at the interface board receives the input signal, the interface board being operable to process the input signal and create a bed condition data message;

connecting said interface board and said facility central processing station with a datalink such that the bed condition data message may be sent from the bed to be processed at a location remote from the bed and retrieved by attending personnel to indicate to the personnel the status of the monitorable bed condition.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the interface board includes a memory element and further comprising storing the interface board memory element, data containing identification information for the patient bed such that the interface board is capable of a bed condition data message corresponding to the bed identity for processing at the central processing station.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the interface board includes a memory element and further comprising storing, in the interface board memory element, data containing bed type information for the patient bed such that the interface board is capable of sending a bed condition data message corresponding to the type of bed being monitored.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the interface board includes a memory element and further comprising storing, in the interface board memory element, data containing information regarding the monitored operational elements on the bed such that the interface board is capable of sending a bed condition data message corresponding to the bed elements to allow attending personnel to determine which element has a particular condition status.