System for monitoring caregivers and equipment

• US 8,766,804 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Reeder, Ryan A., Kramer, Kenneth L., Jacques, William L., Riley, Carl W., Schuman, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US13/939,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/286.06, 340/286.07, 340/539.1, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/825.49, 340/825.52, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 128/903, 128/904, 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• 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 2203/46 for temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05 Parts, details or accessories of beds devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 ; mattresses A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0506 Head or foot boards head or foot boards for comfort or ergonomics A47C19/022
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/008 Alarm setting and unsetting, i.e. arming or disarming of the security system
• 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 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 : Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 : Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A hospital monitoring system for monitoring hospital personnel, a plurality of patient locations for patients, and associated devices is configured to control the associated devices based on the presence of hospital personnel or alarms.

Claims

1. A system comprising

a patient bed having controls that are used by a patient to control functions of the patient bed, and

a monitoring system configured to detect a presence of a caregiver in a vicinity of the patient bed, wherein at least some of the controls are locked out from use by the patient in response to the monitoring system detecting the presence of the caregiver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient bed has an alarm and wherein, if the alarm is sounding when the caregiver is not detected by monitoring system, the alarm becomes silenced in response to the monitoring system detecting the presence of the caregiver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient bed has an alarm and wherein the alarm is required to be silenced by the caregiver if the alarm sounds while the caregiver is detected by the monitoring system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient bed has an alarm and wherein the alarm is automatically silenced after a predetermined amount of time if the alarm is sounded when the caregiver is detected by the monitoring system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient bed has an alarm and wherein at least one of the controls is locked out in response to activation of the alarm.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer that is communicatively coupled to the patient bed and to an associated device that is located in the vicinity of the patient bed.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the associated device has an alarm and wherein the computer is configured to detect the alarm being active and signal the patient bed to lock out at least one of the controls in response to the alarm being active and the presence of the caregiver not being detected by the monitoring system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the associated device has an alarm, wherein the computer includes a caregiver database associating the caregiver with the patient, and the computer is configured to silence the alarm when the caregiver associated with the patient is detected by the monitoring system.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the associated device has an alarm and wherein the computer is configured to detect the alarm and alter the patient bed when the alarm is detected.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer is configured to determine an override for the patient bed and not alter the patient bed if the override exists.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the override is based on a time of day.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the override is based on an event magnitude of the alarm of the associated device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient bed further comprises a plurality of lockouts each of which is configured to prevent actuation of an associated one of the controls based on a lockout status and wherein changes to the lockout status are prevented when the presence of the caregiver is not detected by the monitoring system.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system comprises a locating and tracking system and further comprising a computer coupled to the locating and tracking system and coupled to the patient bed.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer communicatively coupled to the patient bed and to the monitoring system and further comprising a plurality of associated devices communicatively coupled to the computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of associated devices comprise two or more of the following:

a patient monitor, a treatment device, a therapy device, and an environmental device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of associated devices has an alarm and wherein, if any of the alarms of the plurality of associated devices are being sounded, the alarm is silenced in response to the monitoring system detecting the presence of the caregiver.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the associated devices has an alarm and wherein the computer signals the patient bed to lock out at least one of the controls in response to the alarm being activated.