Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE
[0001] Patient Care Monitor
FIELD
[0002] This relates to a patient care monitor for use in hospitals and care
facilities.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Hospitals and other care facilities require the use of alarms to help
monitor
patients and warn administrators and staff when help is required in a specific
area.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to an aspect, there is provided a patient care monitor
comprising a
housing defining an interior cavity, a power source and interior circuitry
within the interior
cavity comprising a controller and a transmitter or alternatively a controller
and a transceiver.
There is more than one activator connected to the controller, at least one
activator comprising
a sensor that senses a patient condition, the controller causing the
transmitter to transmit an
alarm signal in response to the operation of the more than one activator.
[0005] According to another aspect, at least one attached activator may be
carried by the
housing and at least one remote activator positioned remotely from the housing
that
communicates wirelessly with the controller. At least one attached activator
may be
positioned on a front face of the housing, or positioned on a top or a bottom
of the housing.
At least one attached activator may be a push button or a pull cord.
[0006] According to another aspect, the sensor may be is a bed monitor. The
bed monitor
may communicate wirelessly or through a hard wired connection with the
controller. The bed
monitor may monitor a position of the patient and the controller causes the
transmitter to
transmit an alarm signal when the patient is in an undesirable position. The
undesirable
position may be a patient's absence from a bed or presence in a bed. At least
one of the bed
monitor and the controller may comprise a delay such that the alarm signal is
transmitted only
after the undesirable position is maintained for a predetermined period of
time.
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[0007] According to another aspect, the power source may comprise one or more
batteries or a wired connection. When batteries are used, the controller may
cause the
transmitter to transmit a low battery signal when the batteries are low.
[0008] According to another aspect, there may further comprise a remote
receiver in
communication with the transmitter. The remote receiver may be either wireless
receiver or
connected through a hard wired connection. The remote receiver may receive the
signal from
the transmitter and generates at least one of an audible alarm, a visible
alarm, or a
communication signal transmitted to a further remote receiver. An indicator is
positioned on
the monitoring housing that flashes when a signal is sent to the remote
receiver. A reset
button on the monitoring housing that deactivates the indicator when the
indicator reset button
is activated. The indicator may be positioned on any face of the housing. The
transmitter and
the remote receiver may be transceivers that permit two-way communication,
such that the
controller is capable of receiving instructions wirelessly from the remote
receiver.
[0009] According to another aspect, a hanger may be positioned on a back face
of the
monitoring housing.
[0010] The alarm signal may be at least one of an audible alarm, a visible
alarm, or a
communication signal transmitted to a remote receiver. The controller may
comprise a
separate control module for each activator. The controller may comprise an
integrated circuit
chip.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] These and other features will become more apparent from the following
description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings
are for the
purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a patient care monitor with a pull cord.
FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the patient care monitor shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the patient care monitor shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the patient care monitor with a call
button.
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FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the patient care monitor shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the patient care monitor shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a schematic of a wireless sensor communicating with the patient care
monitor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] A patient care monitor generally identified by reference numeral 10,
will now be
described with reference to FIG. 1 through 7.
Structure and Relationship of Parts:
[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, a patient care monitor 10 includes a monitoring
housing 12
with a front face 14, a rear face 16, a top 18, and a bottom 20. Housing 12
has interior
circuitry, such as a controller 22 in communication with a transmitter 24. As
shown,
controller 22 is made up of a single processor, but may be multiple modules,
such as modules
22a, 22b and 22c as shown in FIG. 6. Controller 22 receives inputs from
activators, which
may be attached to housing 12, such as a push button 26 or pull cord 28, or
may be auxiliary
equipment 30 that transmits a signal, such as a bed pad, or other sensor that
detects the
condition of a patient and transmits information to controller 22. Other
conditions may
include vital signs, movement, etc. As will be understood, sensor 30 may
transmit a signal
only when a certain condition is achieved, or continuously transmit data to
controller 22, and
controller 22 may monitor for a particular condition. Controller 22 may be an
integrated
circuit chip that is programmed or configured to perform certain functions as
will be
described below. Controller 22 may be designed to transmit and receive
signals, and may be
programmed to have its parameters of operation adjusted based on signals from
external
devices. Controller 22 may also provide a mechanism to allow in field
reprogramming of any
firmware contained within the controller 22. When controller 22 includes
multiple modules,
each module may be designed to receive an input from a different activator.
[0014] Housing 12 may be mounted using a typical design for a back of a
device, such as
the series of holes 23 shown in FIG. 2. Other hanger designs may also be used
as is known in
the art to be mounted to equipment, railings, a wall, or to a standard
electrical or low voltage
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outlet box.
[0015] As shown, inputs are received by controller 22 from activators that are
carried by
housing 12, such as activators 26 and 28 that electrically connect to
controller 22. In addition,
communication with controller 22 may occur through ports 32, which may allow
for a wired
connection to a computer network or to other input devices. One or more ports
32 may be
located at a convenient location, such as bottom 20 of housing 12 as is the
case with monitor
depicted in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 5 and 6, monitor 10 may also include an
alarm 38,
such as a visual and/or auditory alarm, or may transmit an alarm signal via
transmitter 24.
10 Referring to FIG. 6, monitor 10 may also include an alarm delay or
temporary disable timer
40, which is described in more detail below.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 6, patient care monitor 10 is powered by a power
source 34. As
shown in FIG. 5, monitor 10 may be powered by one or more batteries, which may
be
connected in serial or parallel to either provide a higher voltage or a higher
capacity. The use
of batteries 34 allows the monitor to be placed in any location regardless of
the availability of
power. The power source 34 may also include a wired power source that may be
plugged into
a common power outlet, or another powered device. When batteries 34 are used,
a low battery
signal may be sent to the wireless receiver when the batteries are low, or may
generate an
audible or visual alarm from monitor 10. The low battery signal may be
generated by the
controller 22, or may be a separate circuit. The patient care monitor
preferably provides
sufficient battery capacity to ensure that the monitor will continue to
operate correctly for a
predefined period of time that will match the installed facility's regular
equipment schedule,
which is generally at least once per year. In the case where the device is
powered from a
wired connection, the patient care monitor may provide the ability internally
to regulate the
AC or DC power supplied to the monitor to the power required internally for
the monitor to
operate.
[0017] The monitor is preferably designed to receive different transmitters,
such that the
monitor may be compatible with various types or brands of communication
equipment. The
monitor preferably supports wireless and hard wired connections to various
types or brands of
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wireless or wired communication equipment running a plurality of different
communication
protocols and configurations
[0018] Controller 22 receives an input from an activation source, such as a
sensor or
input device such as a pull cord or push button. While the block diagram in
FIG. 6 shows
separate modules in the block diagram, in some embodiments all three modules
may be
incorporated into the same integrated circuit 22 or microcontroller unit as
shown in FIG. 5.
Examples of activators will be given below in the context of common monitoring
equipment
used in patient care. It will be understood that controller 22 may be
configured to respond
differently to an activation signal than what is described below, depending on
the preferences
of the user or the demands of a particular situation. The patient care monitor
10 may
include hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software that
allows each
activation source to map to an input of the wireless transmitter 24. The same
mechanism
preferably allows multiple activation sources to be combined into a single
input of the
wireless transmitter. This combining can be achieved either through simple
logic or through a
more complex combining algorithm which may then be packaged into the correct
protocol or
packet structure as required by the wireless transmitter 24. The monitor may
also permit the
configuration of the signal that is sent to the wireless transmitter 24 to be
either a direct
reflection of the activation source, or be modified to provide just a single
pulse, or
alternatively latch until reset. Referring to FIG. 5, the device may be reset
by pressing a reset
button 42 or receiving a RF signal from the central station or other device
that requests a reset
of monitor 10. Each input into the wireless transmitter 24 may also be
configured as being
either active high or active low depending on the end user's requirement. This
mapping and
signal conditioning preferably also applies to wired connections.
[0019] One activator may be a push button 26 that is positioned on the first
face of the
monitoring housing as shown in FIG. 1, however it will be understood that the
push button
may be positioned on any portion of the monitoring housing. In the depicted
example, this
activator may cause the transmitter to send a signal to a wireless receiver,
such as a nurse
station or other receiver 44 as shown in FIG. 7. The design of the housing may
include the
ability to have the push button removed, disabled, or covered for embodiments
that do not
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require this functionality.
[0020] Another activator may be a pull cord 28 that is positioned on the first
face of the
monitoring housing. Again, it will be understood that the pull cord may be
positioned on any
portion of the monitoring housing. Furthermore, while a pull cord is preferred
as it can be any
length and can be activated from a position further from the monitoring
housing, the pull cord
may be replaced with other suitable designs known to those in the art. Pull
cord 28 may
provide input to controller 22, which causes transmitter 24 to send a signal
to a wireless
receiver 44, and may also activate an auditory alarm 34 in monitor 10.
Auditory alarm 34
allows personnel to quickly locate distressed users or provide additional
support to healthcare
personnel in the event of an emergency. The auditory alarm 34 may be either a
single tone, a
plurality of different tones of one or many different pitches, or a recorded
sound or message.
The design of pull cord 28 preferably provides for the activation of alarm 34
from any angle
in which the cord is pulled. The design of housing 12 may include the ability
to have the pull
cord removed, disabled, or covered for embodiments that do not require this
functionality, as
shown in FIG. 4, where the opening for pull cord 28 has been replaced by a
cover 36.
[0021] Another activator may be some auxiliary equipment or sensors that are
connected
to the monitoring housing. For example, referring to FIG. 7, the auxiliary
monitor may be a
bed monitor 30 that monitors whether a person being monitored is in bed or
not. When a
certain condition is sensed by the bed monitor, i.e. the person is absent from
the bed,
controller 22 receives input from the auxiliary monitor and a signal is sent
by the transmitter
26 to the wireless receiver 44. The condition may be sensing a patient getting
out of bed,
remaining in bed, not returning to bed, etc. Sensor 30 may be connected to
controller 22 by a
wireless or wired connection. Other sensors may also be used to monitor other
patient
conditions.
[0022] A variety of different activators may be used, such as call buttons,
geriatric
pressure balls, geriatric nod pads and geriatric breath call cords. Other
activators may also be
used. The type of mechanism may be altered in each monitor by providing a
standard jack
which can be used to connect the mechanisms to the monitoring housing. The
monitor 10
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may also include circuitry to detect when a connected activator of any type
has been removed
or is no longer in contact and provide a signal to the wireless transmitter
24.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 3, an indicator 38 is preferably positioned on the
monitoring
housing which flashes when a signal is sent to the wireless receiver. The
indicator 38 is
preferably located on the first face where it is easily seen. An indicator
reset button 42 is also
preferably positioned on the monitoring body to stop the flashing of the
indicator once it has
been activated. This helps to prevent a signal from being ignored, as the
indicator will
continue to flash until it has been reset. The reset button 42 is preferably
positioned on the top
of the housing, however it should be understood that it may be positioned
anywhere on the
monitoring housing. Other types of indicators may also be included, such as
indicators
related to warning or error conditions, such as low batteries. Indicator 38
may also act as an
alarm, which may produce an audible or visual alarm.
[0024] In some examples, the configuration of the patient care monitor may be
completed
through (a) a bank of switches with each switch or group of switches
corresponding to the
turning off or on of various configuration options, or (b) the monitor may be
configured
through a wired or wireless connection which presents a programmable interface
such as a
configuration screen on a terminal program, a command interface, webpage or
any other
mechanism which allows the monitor to be configured or the like, or (c) all
configuration is
done during manufacturing, or (d) any combination of (a), (b), and (c).
[0025] Transmitter 24 and receiver 44 may each be transceivers, such that they
are
capable of sending and receiving signals. This may be useful in order to
change the function
of monitor 10, such as to look for a particular condition from a sensor or
other activator, to
reset an alarm, or to perform a status check of monitor 10 and its activators.
In addition to the
above the monitor 10 controller 22 could be reprogrammed through the
transceiver allowing
for a bulk update of controller 22 firmware over many monitors in a facility
without having to
physically connect to each monitor.
[0026] The monitoring housing may be placed in any location convenient for
use. A
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hanger is positioned on the second face of the monitoring housing to allow the
housing to be
hung on a bedside wall, a bedside rail, attached to furniture, or hung in any
other convenient
location. Incorporated inside of the housing may be a tamper detection
mechanism that can
be used to determine when the housing has been opened to detect unauthorized
service or
manipulation of the system. This mechanism may then send a signal to the wired
or wireless
transmitter. The housing preferably provides a mechanism in which the front
cover can be
removed to access configuration options and to replace the battery or
batteries without
requiring removal of the entire device from its mounting location.
[0027] The interior circuitry of the patient care monitor preferably also
includes the
ability to delay an alarm or to temporarily disable an alarm for either a
fixed or variable
period of time. The ability to delay an alarm provides the ability to prevent
a transient
condition from instigating a nuisance alarm. An example of this is for a bed
monitor as a
patient may move many times in a night and each movement could potentially
trigger an
alarm, having a delay allows the patient a period of time in which to adjust
their position
without triggering an alarm. However, if a patient is still off of the bed pad
after the delay
elapses the monitor will detect this and trigger the alarm. The temporary
alarm disable
provides the ability to complete a task without an alarm being triggered. An
example of this
is for the caregiver to disable the bed pad input for a few minutes while they
get the patient up
off of the bed. This mode could be entered either remotely from the nursing
station or locally
through some combination of inputs to the device such as by pressing a two
buttons at once,
holding one of the buttons down for a certain period of time, etc. Additional
embodiments
may include the ability to disable an alarm input for a period of time upon
first trigger of the
sensor. An example of this is the bed pad alarm may be disabled for a period
of time upon
first contact with the bed pad to allow a patient to settle before triggering
an alarm. The unit
may provide visual and or auditory feedback when it is in a delay or
temporarily disabled
mode. All delays could be implemented in a plurality of ways; however, in one
embodiment
the timer can be implemented as a timing mechanism on the controller 22 or in
another
embodiment could be alarms scheduled as interrupts through either an internal
or external real
time clock module.
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Operation:
[0028] A discussion of the use of the preferred embodiment will now be
described. The
patient care monitor may be positioned beside a patient's bed in easy reach.
The push button
may be used for many different purposes including a call button or a check in
button. When
used as a check in button, a user pushes the button upon awakening which
provides input to
controller 22 and causes the transmitter in the monitoring housing to send a
signal to the
receiver 44. In the event that the check in button did not provide input to
the first module,
personnel would know to check on the patient, or an alarm may be triggered by
controller 22
after a certain period of time. Controller 22 may be programmed to send a
signal if the
button is pushed, or if the button is not pushed for a certain period of time.
[0029] Pull cords are best suited for use as an emergency resource. When used,
it
provides input to controller 22 which causes the transmitter 24 to send a
signal to the wireless
receiver 44 and causes activation of an alarm. When a bed monitor 30 is used,
controller 22
receives an input when a patient gets out of bed, gets in bed, remains in bed,
doesn't return to
bed, etc., depending on the condition to be monitored. The transmitter 24
sends a signal to the
wireless receiver 44 and personnel can monitor this to ensure, for example,
that bedridden
patients are quickly cared for if they fall out of bed. It can also be used to
ensure that non
bedridden patients have left the bed and if they have not, personnel can be
sent to check on
them.
[0030] The override timer, or delay circuit 40, may be activated to provide
caregivers
with time to help residents into bed without causing the alarm to be activated
or a signal being
sent by the transmitter 44, or to allow patients time to themselves to get
into bed, change
positions, etc. This also helps to eliminate false signals from being
transmitted due to
movement of patients into or out of beds, or as they shift position. As will
be understood,
controller 22 may be programmed to process data from a particular actuator and
respond
accordingly, or may be programmed to simply respond to a particular input
signal.
[0031] In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-
limiting sense to
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mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically
mentioned are not
excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not
exclude the
possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context
clearly requires that
there be one and only one of the elements.
[0032] The following claims are to be understood to include what is
specifically illustrated
and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, and what can be
obviously substituted.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set
forth in the
examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the
description as a
whole.
