Patient activity monitor

• US 7,336,187 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sotera Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trustees of Boston University
• Inventors: Healy, Micahel D., Mastrangelo, Marianne, Hubbard, James E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope; Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US10/531,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20050242946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/506, 340/517, 340/521, 340/524, 340/525, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/286.02, 340/286.07, 340/825.19
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A patient activity monitoring system that allows caregivers of multiple patients to work more efficiently and with reduced cost, while increasing the quality and level of patient care. The system includes a plurality of remote monitoring subsystems, a plurality of user notification units, and a central monitoring unit with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) communicably coupled between the remote monitoring and user notification units. Each remote monitoring subsystem includes a remote monitoring unit, and a sensor device associated with a respective patient that detects one or more activity and/or physiological parameters of the patient. A simplified user interface including the GUI and the user notification units provides indications of the type and level of assistance required by one or more patients to caregivers at centralized and remote locations.

Claims

1. A patient activity monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of remote monitoring subsystems, each remote monitoring subsystem including a remote monitoring unit and at least one sensor device coupled to the remote monitoring unit, each sensor device being associated with a respective patient;

a plurality of user notification devices; and

a central monitoring unit communicably coupled to the plurality of remote monitoring subsystems and the plurality of user notification devices, the central monitoring unit having a graphical user interface,

wherein each sensor device is configured to detect at least one predetermined patient activity parameter of the respective patient associated therewith, and to transmit sensor data representative of the detected patient activity parameter to the remote monitoring unit coupled thereto,

wherein each remote monitoring unit is configured to receive sensor data, to process the sensor data to generate patient activity information corresponding to the sensor data, and to transmit the patient activity information to the central monitoring unit, the patient activity information including at least one representation of at least one type of physical activity of the respective patient associated with the sensor device, and a representation of a level of assistance required by the respective patient based at least in part on the at least one type of physical activity of the respective patient, and

wherein one or more of the graphical user interface and the plurality of user notification devices is operative to provide at least one alarm indication based at least in part on one or more of the at least one type of physical activity of one or more of the respective patients, and the level of assistance required by one or more of the respective patients.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the central monitoring unit is configured to store the patient information in at least one database.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the central monitoring unit is further configured to access selected patient information from the database, and to generate at least one report based on the selected information.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the central monitoring unit is communicably coupleable to a wide area network, the central monitoring unit being further configured to transmit the at least one generated report over the wide area network.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the central monitoring unit is configured for periodically transmitting the at least one report over the wide area network.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the central monitoring unit is configured for automatically transmitting the at least one report over the wide area network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one patient activity parameter is selected from the group consisting of patient weight data, random movement data, swaying movement data, low activity data, rocking movement data, cheek walk data, patient presence data, patient incontinence data, and patient seizure data.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface is configured to receive inputs from a System user for making multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the graphical user interface includes a first display area configured to display caregiver information, a second display area configured to display patient information, and a third display area configured to display user notification device information.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the first, second, and third display areas of the graphical user interface are configured to communicate the multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices to the system user.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one alarm indication provided by the graphical user interface includes at least one icon having a predetermined color and a predetermined shape, the icon being associated with a respective patient.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative at the type of assistance required by the respective patient.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the type of assistance required by the respective patient.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface includes a first display area configured to display information corresponding to the at least one patient activity parameter.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the central monitoring unit is communicably coupled to the remote monitoring subsystems and the user notification devices via at least one wireless network.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the central monitoring unit is communicably coupled to the remote monitoring subsystems and the user notification devices via at least one land-based network.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein each user notification device comprises an alphanumeric pager.

20. A method of operating a patient activity monitoring system, comprising the steps of:

detecting at least one predetermined patient activity parameter of at least one respective patient by at least one sensor device, each sensor device being associated with a respective patient;

transmitting sensor data representative of the detected patient activity parameter to at least one remote monitoring unit by the sensor device, the remote monitoring unit being coupled to the at least one sensor device;

receiving sensor data from the sensor device by the remote monitoring unit;

processing the sensor data to generate patient activity information corresponding to the sensor data;

transmitting the patient activity information to a central monitoring unit by the remote monitoring unit, the patient activity information including at least one representation of at least one type of physical activity of the respective patient associated with the sensor device, and a representation of a level of assistance required by the respective patient based at least in part on the at least one type of physical activity of the respective patient; and

providing at least one alarm indication based at least in part on one or more of the at one type of physical activity of one or more of the respective patients, and the level of assistance required by one or more of the respective patients by one or more of a graphical user interface of the central monitoring unit and a plurality of user notification devices, the plurality of user notification devices being coupled to the central monitoring unit.

21. The method of claim 20 further including the step of storing the patient activity information in at least one database by the central monitoring unit.

22. The method of claim 21 further including the step of accessing selected patient activity information from the database and generating at least one report based on the selected patient activity information by the central monitoring unit.

23. The method of claim 22 further including the step of transmitting the at least one generated report over a wide area network by the central monitoring unit.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one patient activity parameter is selected from the group consisting of patient weight datr, random movement data, swaying movement data, low activity data, rocking movement data, cheek walk data, patient presence data, patient incontinence data, and patient seizure data.

25. The method of claim 20 further including the step of receiving inputs from a system user for making multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices by the graphical user interface.

26. The method of claim 25 further including the steps of displaying caregiver information by a first display area of the graphical user interface, displaying patient activity information by a second area of the graphical user interface, and displaying user notification device information by a third area of the graphical user interface.

27. The of claim 26 further including the step of communicating the multiple associations of patients, caregivers, and user notification devices to the system user by the first, second, and third display areas of the graphical user interface.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one alarm indication provided by the graphical user interface includes at least one icon having a predetermined color and a predetermined shape, the icon being associated with a respective patient.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of the level of assistance required by the respective patient.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the predetermined color of the icon is indicative of the type of physical activity of the respective patient.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the predetermined shape of the icon is indicative of a type of assistance required by the respective patient.