Bed status information system for hospital beds

• US 7,538,659 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Thomas E., Ulrich, Daniel J., Novak, Joseph H., Myers, Julie E., Jennings, Robert J., Weismiller, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAI, ANNE VIET NGA
• Application Number:
  US11/768,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20070247310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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: 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 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• 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 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A bed monitoring system that remotely monitors a patient bed. The bed monitoring system comprises a bed status system and a master station. The bed status system is coupled to the patient bed and is configured to monitor at least one condition of the bed, and to generate a bed message indicating the status of the monitored condition. The master station, remote from the patient bed, is operatively coupled to the bed status system to receive bed status information. The bed message can include a bed identifier, bed type identifier, patient exit detection signal, bed occupied signal, or various other status signals. The system can also include locating stations that receive the bed messages from any beds within its monitored location, and generates a station message including information from the bed messages. The master station receives the station messages and can determine the status and location of any bed.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the position of a siderail of a patient bed, the system comprising:

a first sensor coupled to the siderail, a first signal from the first sensor being related to the position of the siderail, the signal changing value in response to the siderail being moved from a raised position to a lowered position and vice versa, regardless of a patient being present on the patient bed;

a second sensor to detect whether the patient is on the bed and whether the patient has exited the bed, a second signal from the second sensor having a first value when the patient is on the bed and having a second value when the patient is off the bed; and

a computer remote from the patient bed and coupled to the sensor by a datalink, the computer being configured to receive data related to the first and second signals via the datalink and display indicia on a display device in response to receipt of the data, wherein data indicative of a change from the first value of the second signal to the second value of the second signal, and vice versa, is received by the computer when the siderail is up and when the siderail is down.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the datalink comprises a wired datalink.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the datalink comprises a wired network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a message including a data field containing data indicative of the position of the siderail.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to display information on the display device indicative of the position of the siderail.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to display indicia on the display device based on a change in the position of the siderail.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to continually update the indicia displayed on the display device in response to receipt of the data.

8. A system for monitoring a condition of a patient bed, the system comprising:

a first sensor coupled to the patient bed and configured to provide a first signal that changes value in response to movement of a portion of a frame of the patient bed between a first position and a second position,

a second sensor to detect whether the patient is on the bed and whether the patient has exited the bed, a second signal from the second sensor having a first value when the patient is on the bed and having a second value when the patient is off the bed; and

a computer remote from the patient bed and communicatively coupled to the patient bed by a datalink, the computer being configured to receive data related to the first and second signals via the datalink and display indicia on a display device in response to receipt of the data, wherein data indicative of a change from the first value to the second value of the second signal, and vice versa, is received by the computer when the portion of the frame is in the first position and when the portion of the bed frame is in the second position.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a third sensor coupled to the patient bed and configured to provide a third signal that changes value in response to movement of a brake of the patient bed and a fourth sensor coupled to the patient bed and configured to provide a fourth signal that changes value in response to movement of a siderail of the patient bed, the data received by the computer also relating to the changing value of the third and fourth signals.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data is received by the computer via a wired datalink.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the data is received by the computer via a wired network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the fourth sensor comprises multiple sensors to individually detect associated positions of a corresponding number of multiple siderails of the patient bed.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the data comprises a message including a set of data fields containing data indicative of the first, second, third and fourth signals from the first, second, third and fourth sensors, respectively.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer is configured to simultaneously display information on the display device indicative of the position of the brake and the position of the siderail.

15. The patient monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the computer is configured to display indicia on the display device relating to the at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth signals.

16. The patient monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the data received by the computer is generated based on the first, second, third and fourth signals from the first, second, third and fourth sensors, respectively.

17. The patient monitoring system of claim 9, wherein the computer is configured to update the indicia displayed on the display device in response to receipt of the data.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the datalink comprises a wired datalink.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the datalink comprises a wired network.