U.S. patent application number 14/325905 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-30 for nurse call system with additional status board.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hill-Rom Services, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michelle E. McCleerey, Whitney W. Pesot, Christian Saucier, Katherine J. Vigneron.
Application Number | 20140324451 14/325905 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44476053 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140324451 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pesot; Whitney W. ; et
al. |
October 30, 2014 |
Nurse Call System with Additional Status Board
Abstract
A healthcare information system for use in a healthcare facility
having patient beds in a plurality of patient rooms is provided.
The healthcare information system has a nurse call computer which
is located at a nurse's station and which is configured to receive
nurse calls and/or safety alerts originating from the patient
rooms. The healthcare information system has a status board
computer which is also located at the nurse's station and which is
operable to display, for more than one patient, information
regarding the patient, staff location, bed data, and room
status.
Inventors: |
Pesot; Whitney W.; (Cary,
NC) ; Vigneron; Katherine J.; (Blaine, MN) ;
McCleerey; Michelle E.; (Raleigh, NC) ; Saucier;
Christian; (Raleigh, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hill-Rom Services, Inc. |
Batesville |
IN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
44476053 |
Appl. No.: |
14/325905 |
Filed: |
July 8, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12711850 |
Feb 24, 2010 |
8779924 |
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14325905 |
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12708950 |
Feb 19, 2010 |
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12711850 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G16H 10/60 20180101;
G16H 40/67 20180101; A61B 5/7475 20130101; A61B 5/6891 20130101;
G08B 5/226 20130101; G08B 21/02 20130101; A61B 5/7465 20130101;
G16H 40/63 20180101; A61B 5/0006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/2 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/00 20060101
A61B005/00; G08B 21/02 20060101 G08B021/02; G06F 19/00 20060101
G06F019/00 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A healthcare information system for use in a healthcare
facility having patient beds in respective patient rooms and having
an electronic medical records (EMR) system for storing records of
associated patients, the healthcare information system comprising a
nurse call computer located at a nurse's station, the nurse call
computer including a first display screen, the nurse call computer
being configured to receive nurse calls originating from the
patient rooms and to display information about the nurse calls on
the first display screen, and a status board computer also located
at the nurse's station, the status board computer comprising a
second display screen that is operable in a first mode to display,
for more than one patient, information regarding the patient, staff
location, bed data, and room status, the second screen also being
operable in the first mode to display, for more than one patient,
information received from the EMR system.
22. The healthcare information system of claim 21, wherein the
information received from the EMR system and displayed on the
second display screen includes risk type information for one or
more patients.
23. The healthcare information system of claim 22, wherein the risk
type information indicates that the patient is a fall risk.
24. The healthcare information system of claim 22, wherein the risk
type information indicates that the patient is at risk of
developing bed sores.
25. The healthcare information system of claim 22, wherein the risk
type information indicates that the patient is a priority risk that
requires enhanced attention from caregivers.
26. The healthcare information system of claim 22, wherein the risk
type information is color coded on the second display screen to
indicate whether safety monitoring associated with the risk type
information is turned on at the associated bed.
27. The healthcare information system of claim 26, wherein the risk
type information is color coded green to indicate that the
associated safety monitoring is turned on.
28. The healthcare information system of claim 26, wherein the risk
type information is color coded yellow to indicate that the
associated safety monitoring is turned off.
29. The healthcare information system of claim 26, wherein the risk
type information is color coded red to indicate that the associated
safety monitoring is in an alarm state.
30. The healthcare information system of claim 21, wherein the
second display is operable in the first mode to display, for more
than one patient, information regarding a time within which rounds
are due.
31. The healthcare information system of claim 30, wherein rounding
interval information indicating how often rounds are due for the
patients is received by the status board computer from the EMR
system.
32. The healthcare information system of claim 30, wherein an
amount of time allotted for a caregiver to be in the room of the
associated patient during the round is based on information
received by the status board computer from the EMR system.
33. The healthcare information system of claim 30, wherein the
status board computer is usable by a caregiver to set rounding
interval information indicating how often rounds are due for the
patients.
34. The healthcare information system of claim 30, wherein the
status board computer is usable by a caregiver to set an amount of
time allotted for another caregiver to be in the room of the
associated patient during the round.
35. The healthcare information system of claim 21, wherein the
second display is operable in the first mode to display, for more
than one patient, information regarding when the next turn of the
patient using a turn assist function of the associated bed is to
occur.
36. The healthcare information system of claim 35, wherein a time
interval between turn assists is based on information received by
the status board computer from the EMR system.
37. The healthcare information system of claim 35, wherein the
status board computer is usable by a caregiver to set a time
interval between turn assists.
38. The healthcare information system of claim 21, wherein the
second display screen is operable in a second mode to display a
safety alert history for a selected one of the patients.
39. The healthcare information system of claim 38, wherein the
status board computer is configured to communicate the safety alert
history to the EMR system.
40. The healthcare information system of claim 21, wherein the
second display screen is operable in a second mode to display
history information including at least one of a chair mode history,
a continuous lateral rotation therapy (CLRT) history, a percussion
and vibration therapy (P-V) history, and a weight history; the bed
status computer begins gathering the history information for each
patient in response to the bed status computer receiving admission
information from an Admission Discharge and Transfer (ADT) system;
and the bed status computer terminates gathering the history
information for each patient in response to the bed status computer
receiving discharge information from the ADT system.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/711,850, filed Feb. 24, 2010, to be issued as U.S. Pat. No.
8,779,924, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/708,950, filed Feb. 19, 2010, each of which is hereby
expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present disclosure relates to healthcare information
systems such as nurse call systems and bed status systems found in
healthcare facilities. More particularly, the present disclosure
relates to the handling and display of data associated with
patients and the hospital beds on which patients are located, as
well as any nurse calls or other types of alert or alarm calls
originating from patient rooms.
[0003] Nurse call systems used in healthcare facilities, such as
hospitals, are known. Patients place nurse calls by pressing a
nurse call button on a siderail of a hospital bed or by pressing a
nurse call button on a handheld unit known in the art as a pillow
speaker. Wall mounted cords or switches may also be used to place
nurse calls. Typically, after the nurse call is placed, a nurse at
a master station will speak with the patient via an intercom type
system to find out why the patient placed the nurse call.
[0004] Some nurse call systems are configured to receive and
display bed status data to indicate the positions and/or status of
various subsystems or portions of the hospital beds that are
located in various patient rooms. The bed status data may include,
for example, data indicating whether each of the siderails of the
bed are up or down, data indicating whether the casters of the bed
are braked or unbraked, and data indicating whether an upper frame
of the bed is in its lowest position relative to a base frame of
the bed. Examples of such prior art nurse call systems are
Hill-Rom's COMposer.TM. communication system and Hill-Rom's
COMLinx.TM. communication system.
[0005] Hospitals are continually trying to improve the efficiency
of caregivers. In this regard, providing needed information quickly
to caregivers without the caregivers having to spend valuable time
retrieving the information enhances caregiver efficiency. However,
if too much information is provided to caregivers, they can become
overwhelmed with the data which results in diminishing, rather than
enhancing, caregiver productivity. Striking the right balance
between providing too little information to caregivers and too much
information to caregivers is no easy task. In the prior art nurse
call systems, certain information was available to caregivers only
after certain selections on a computer screen were made or certain
keyboard entries were made. Such extra steps to retrieve desired
information detract from caregiver productivity.
SUMMARY
[0006] The present invention comprises one or more of the features
recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which,
alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject
matter:
[0007] A healthcare information system for use in a healthcare
facility having patient beds in a plurality of patient rooms may be
provided. The healthcare information system may have a nurse call
computer located at a nurse's station. The nurse call computer may
include a first display screen. The nurse call computer may be
configured to receive nurse calls originating from the patient
rooms and to display information about the nurse calls on the first
display screen.
[0008] The nurse call system may also have a plurality of interface
units located in patient rooms. Each interface unit may be
configured to receive bed data that pertains to an associated
patient bed. Each interface unit may be communicatively coupled to
the nurse call computer. The interface units may be spaced from the
respective hospital beds or attached to the respective hospital
beds or included as part of the respective patient beds. The
interface units in some embodiments may be communication circuitry
that is included as part of the overall circuitry of the respective
hospital beds.
[0009] The nurse call system may further have a status board
computer also located at the nurse's station. The status board
computer may be communicatively coupled to the plurality of
interface units as well. The status board computer may comprise a
second display screen that is operable in a first mode to display,
for more than one patient, information regarding the patient, staff
location, bed data, and room status. The status board computer may
be located away from the nurse's stations in some embodiments.
[0010] The second display screen, when being operated in the first
mode, may also display for more than one patient one or more of the
following: the position of multiple bed siderails; graphical
indicia indicating whether a bed exit alarm is activated; a timer
indicating the amount of time that has elapsed since a caregiver
has last entered each of the rooms of the more than one patient;
and head of bed angle data. The head of bed angle refers to the
angle at which a head section of a bed frame is pivoted upwardly
with respect to another bed frame portion or with respect to
horizontal.
[0011] In some embodiments, the nurse call computer and/or the
status board computer are communicatively coupled to the plurality
of interface units via a network switch and/or via a Power over
Ethernet (PoE) switch. However, in other embodiments, other network
components or even dedicated cabling may be used to interconnect
the nurse call computer and/or status board computer to the
plurality of interface units. The communicative coupling may
include wired communicative couplings and/or wireless communicative
couplings.
[0012] According to this disclosure, the second display screen may
be operable to display a safety alert history for a selected one of
the patients. The safety alert history may include a date and a
time at which any siderails of the patient bed associated with the
selected one of the patients has been lowered. Alternatively or
additionally, the safety alert history may include a date and a
time at which any bed exit alerts from the patient bed associated
with the selected one of the patients has been generated. Further
alternatively or additionally, the safety alert history may include
a date and a time at which a caster brake of the patient bed
associated with the selected one of the patients has been
released.
[0013] The second display screen may be operable to display various
history screens. For example, the second display may be operable to
show a date and a time during which the patient bed associated with
a selected one of the patients has been in one or more of the
following: a chair mode; a continuous lateral rotation therapy
(CLRT) mode, a percussion and vibration therapy (P-V) mode.
Alternatively or additionally, the second display screen may be
operable to display a weight history for a selected one of the
patients to show a date, a time, and a weight reading made by a
scale system of the patient bed associated with the selected one of
the patients.
[0014] With regard to the history screens, the bed status computer
may begin gathering the history data for each patient in response
to the bed status computer receiving admission information from an
Admission Discharge and Transfer (ADT) system and the bed status
computer may terminate gathering the history information for each
patient in response to the bed status computer receiving discharge
information from the ADT system. In some embodiments, the history
data associated with the history screens may be transmitted to an
electronic medical records (EMR) system by the bed status computer
or the nurse call computer or by some other computer device.
[0015] In some embodiments contemplated by this disclosure, the
second display screen when operating in the first mode may show
information regarding those patients only for whom an alert or
nurse call has been generated. In such embodiments, for each
patient for whom an alert or nurse call has been generated, the
second display screen may show an alert/call type and an elapsed
time since the alert or nurse call was generated. The alert/call
type may comprise, for example, one of a safety alert call type, a
normal call type, and a code blue call type.
[0016] Additional features, which alone or in combination with any
other feature(s), such as those listed above and those listed in
the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the
following detailed description of various embodiments exemplifying
the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently
perceived.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The detailed description particularly refers to the
accompanying figures in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a healthcare information system
according to this disclosure showing within a dotted L-shaped box a
nurse call computer referred to as a primary staff console and a
status board computer, each of which is communicatively coupled to
multiple hospital beds;
[0019] FIG. 2 is block diagram showing various nursing units of a
healthcare facility having nurse call computers and status board
computers located at master nurse stations of each of the nursing
units and communicatively coupled to each other and coupled to
other computer devices of a network of the healthcare facility;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a screen shot of an example of a status board
screen shown on a display of the status board computer showing for
each room in the associated nursing unit information about the
patient of each room, the staff assigned to each of the patients,
and the status of the hospital bed associated with each of the
patients;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a screen shot of an example of a Safety Alert
History window;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a screen shot of an example of a Head of Bed Angle
History window;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a screen shot of an example of a Chair Mode
History window;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a screen shot of an example of a Continuous
Lateral Rotation (CLRT) Therapy History window;
[0025] FIG. 8 is screen shot of an example of a Percussion &
Vibration (P-V) Therapy History window;
[0026] FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an example of a Weight History
window;
[0027] FIG. 10 is screen shot of another example of a status board
screen; and
[0028] FIG. 11 is a screen shot of an example of a Settings window
which is used to select the type of information to be shown on the
status board screen.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] The present disclosure relates to the addition of a status
board computer 10, and optionally, an enlarged status board display
screen 12, to a nurse call system, such as for example, the nurse
call system described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos.
2009/0212956 A1 and 2009/0217080 A1 which are both hereby expressly
incorporated by reference herein. The nurse call system described
in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009/0212956 A1 and
2009/0217080 A1, as well as the nurse call system described herein,
pertains to the NaviCare.RTM. Nurse Call.TM. system marketed by
Hill-Rom Company, Inc. As will be described in further detail below
in connection with FIGS. 3 and 11, the status board computer 10 and
enlarged status board display screen 12, if present, provides at
one location dynamic information regarding active calls, patient
information, staff location, bed status, and/or room status. This
information is presented for all of the rooms within one or more
hospital units so that information about an entire unit or multiple
units is presented to caregivers at a glance.
[0030] According to one embodiment according to this disclosure, a
healthcare communication system 20 which includes bed status
computer 10 also includes a plurality of graphical audio stations
22 and a master station or console 24 which are communicatively
coupled as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. Many of the stations
22 are located in patient rooms and are mounted, for example, to a
wall of the respective room or to a headwall unit that, in turn, is
mounted to a wall of the respective room. Stations 22 may be
mounted to other architectural support structures, such as service
chases or columns just to name a couple. Stations 22 may be located
in other areas of the healthcare facility as well, such as in staff
work areas including, for example, hallways and staff lounges. The
stations 22 located in patient rooms may sometimes be referred to
herein as patient stations 22, whereas the stations 22 located in
staff work areas may be sometimes be referred to herein as staff
stations 22. The functionality of stations 22 described herein is
applicable to all stations 22 regardless of whether the station 22
is a patient station 22 or a staff station 22, unless specifically
noted otherwise.
[0031] Patient stations 22 communicate bidirectionally (e.g.,
two-way communication) with a room control board (RCB) circuit 27
which is located within a housing 26 mounted near a dome light
assembly 28. RCB circuit 27 is sometimes referred to as an
input/output (I/O) circuit. The bidirectional communication is
indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 1 by double headed arrows 30. In
the illustrative example, two patient stations 22 are located in
the same hospital room and communicate with a single associated RCB
circuit 27. Dome light assemblies 28 are typically mounted outside
respective patient rooms near the doorways of the rooms and are
readily visible to caregivers in the hallway to determine whether
any calls or other events indicated on the dome light are occurring
within the associated room. Thus, housings 26 with I/O circuit 27
therein are mounted generally at these same locations outside
patient rooms in some embodiments. However, having housings 26
mounted elsewhere and spaced from dome light assemblies 28 is
within the scope of this disclosure.
[0032] In one embodiment, dome light assembly 28 is, for example,
an International Business Machines (IBM) Part No. 43T1899 dome
light fixture and I/O circuit 27 is, for example, an IBM part no.
43T2063 IO Board. These IBM part nos. are made specifically for
Hill-Rom to be marketed as part of the NaviCare.RTM. Nurse Call.TM.
system. I/O circuit 27 may sometimes be referred to as an I/O board
or an I/O circuit board. However, this is not to imply that all
circuit components of the circuitry of I/O circuit 27 need to be on
a single circuit board, but that is certainly one possibility.
Thus, in some contemplated embodiments I/O circuitry 27 may be
distributed among numerous circuit boards, and in other
contemplated embodiments some or all of the components of circuit
27 may not be on any circuit board at all. While illustrative
circuit 27 is located in housing 26, it is within the scope of this
disclosure for various components of circuit 27 to be located in
separate housings.
[0033] The I/O circuit 27 communicates bidirectionally with a Power
over Ethernet (PoE) switch 32 as indicated diagrammatically in FIG.
1 by double headed arrow 34. PoE switch 32 communicates
bidirectionally with master station 24 as indicated
diagrammatically by double headed arrow 36. Suitable PoE switches
are available from a variety of suppliers and may include, for
example, the PoE switch marketed by Hill-Rom Company, Inc. in
connection with its NaviCare.RTM. Nurse Call.TM. system or such as
one or more of the various Dell PoE switches marketed under the
PowerConnect.TM. brand name. While only one patient station 22 is
shown in FIG. 1 as being communicatively coupled to master station
24, via the I/O circuit board 27 of assembly 28 and via PoE switch
32, it will be appreciated that system 20 may have numerous such
patient stations 22 that may communicate with master station 24 via
respective I/O circuit boards 27 and via PoE switch 32.
[0034] As indicated diagrammatically by dotted L-shaped box 11 in
FIG. 1, it is contemplated by this disclosure that bed status
computer 10 and master console 24 are co-located together at the
master nurse call station. However, it is also within the scope of
this disclosure for the bed status computer 10, as well as the
enlarged bed status display screen 12 if there is one, to be
located away from the master nurse station at which master console
24 is located. For example, bed status computer 10 may be located
within a hospital administrator's office.
[0035] In some embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 1, system
20 includes bed connector units 40, each of which is
communicatively coupled to an associated hospital bed 42 as shown
diagrammatically in FIG. 1 via lines 44. Bed connector units 40
are, in turn coupled to respective patient stations 22 as indicated
diagrammatically in FIG. 1 via lines 46. Other arrangements for
interconnecting beds 42 with the associated master console 24 are
described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0212956
A1 which is already incorporated by reference herein. In some
embodiments, beds 42 comprise one or more of the beds marketed by
Hill-Rom Company, Inc. under the brand names TOTALCARE.RTM.,
VERSACARE.RTM., ADVANCED-1000.TM., CCUII.TM. and ADVANTA.TM.. The
illustrative bed connector units 40 are also configured to connect
to handheld pillow speaker units 41 as indicated diagrammatically
via lines 43.
[0036] Typically, all of the patient stations 22 of a nursing unit
communicate with the same master station 24. The master stations 24
and graphical audio stations 22 of different nursing units may be
coupled together by interconnecting the respective PoE switches 32
as indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 2 via dotted lines 38. The
illustrative example of FIG. 1 includes a facility network switch
90 that communicates bidirectionally with PoE switch 32 as
indicated diagrammatically via line 92. Facility network switch 90
is shown in FIG. 2 as being coupled to the PoE switches 32 of the
various nursing units. Thus, information can be shared, and
communications established, between computer devices, such as
stations 22, 24, of different nursing units.
[0037] According to this disclosure, if desired, the bed status
computer 10 located at one nursing is able to display data
pertaining to other nursing units. In the diagrammatic embodiment
of FIG. 2, for example, two of the nursing units have bed status
computers 10, each with an associated enlarged bed status board
display 12, and one of the nursing units does not have any bed
status computer 10 or associated display 12. The two bed status
computers 10 each communicate with an associated PoE switch 32 as
indicated by dotted lines 94. However, it should be understood that
both of the bed status board computers 10 are able to receive an
display data from any of the three nursing units that are
illustrated in FIG. 2. Accordingly, it is not necessary that each
and every nursing unit of a healthcare facility have a bed status
computer 10 although that is certainly within the scope of this
disclosure. In other systems, bed status computers 10 may not
communicate with associated PoE switches, but instead may
communicate directly with the facility network switch 90. Such an
alternative is shown in FIG. 1 in which bed status computer 10
communicates bidirectionally with facility network switch 90 as
indicated diagrammatically with line 94.
[0038] Many other types of devices in a patient room may also
couple to a respective I/O circuit 27 mounted near the
corresponding dome light assembly 28 to communicate with master
station 24 and, if desired, other computer devices of the a
computer network of the healthcare facility. For example, in FIG.
1, a wall-mounted nurse call switch 52 which may be mounted in a
lavatory of the patient room, for example, is coupled to the
circuit board 27 of assembly 28 as indicated diagrammatically by
double-headed arrow 54. Furthermore, a wireless receiver 56, which
illustratively is an infrared receiver that receives wireless
signals from locating-and-tracking badges 58, shown in FIG. 2, worn
or carried by caregivers is coupled to the I/O circuit 27 as
indicated diagrammatically by double-headed arrow 62 as shown in
FIG. 1. Wireless receivers 56 are sometimes referred to as room
location receivers (RLR). In one of the examples given in FIG. 1,
RLR's 56 are daisy chained together such that one of the RLR's 56
communicates with circuit 27 via another of the RLR's 56.
[0039] As previously mentioned, some graphical audio stations 22
are located in staff work areas and are referred to as staff
stations or consoles 22. In FIG. 1, a first staff station 22
communicates bidirectionally with an associated RCB circuit 27 via
a communications link 68 and a second staff station 22 communicates
bidirectionally directly with PoE switch 32 via a communications
link 70. The first staff station 22 is mounted to a wall, for
example, whereas the second staff station 22 has a graphical
display screen module 72 connected to a base module 74 which
includes a telephone hand set 76. The master station 24 shown in
the FIG. 1 example also has a graphical display screen module 72
connected to a base module 74 which has a telephone handset 76. In
the FIG. 1 example, the first staff station 22 is in communication
with PoE switch 32 via the RCB 27 and associated communication link
34.
[0040] Some further exemplary devices coupled to RCB circuit 27 in
the FIG. 1 example include a staff emergency switch 71, a
simplified staff station 124 (aka a Standard Room Station or SRS),
a single-bulb dome light 73, a remote code switch 75, and a zone
light 77. Each of these further devices 71, 73, 75, 77, 124 is
shown communicating bidirectionally with RCB 27 via diagrammatic
lines 81. In some embodiments, master consoles 24 and staff
consoles 22 having display 72 coupled to base 74 are model number
GRS-10 devices available from Hill-Rom Company, Inc. Also in some
embodiments, patient stations 22 and staff stations 22 that are not
coupled to base 74 are model number GRS-5 devices available from
Hill-Rom Company, Inc. The simplified staff station 124 may be IBM
part no. 43T2082 which is available from Hill-Rom Company, Inc. as
model number SRS.
[0041] The FIG. 2 example shows that a personal computer 78 may
cooperate with the associated display screen module 72 to provide
the master station functionality. In other embodiments, personal
computer 78 is the only computer device included in master station
24 while, in still other embodiments such as the one of FIG. 1,
personal computer 78 is omitted. Thus, depending upon the manner in
which a graphical display module 72 is programmed it can serve as a
patient station 22, a staff station 22 or as a master station 24.
When serving as a staff station 22 or a master station 24, module
72 can be coupled to base module 74, if desired. The display screen
of module 72 is approximately a 10 inch display screen in some
embodiments and therefore is larger than the LCD screen used in,
for example, the COMLINX.RTM. system.
[0042] Each of the communications links 30, 34, 36, 38, 44, 46, 54,
60, 62, 66, 68, 70, 81, 92, 94 shown diagrammatically by lines or
arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2, as well as any other communications links
described herein, may include wired links and/or wireless links
and/or combinations thereof, along with associated connectors. For
example, with regard to links 44 between beds 42 and bed connector
units 40, known cables having 37-pin connectors (or similar
connectors) may provide these links 44. Alternatively or
additionally, some of links 44 may be wireless links, in which
case, the respective beds 42 and units 40 have appropriate wireless
transmitter and wireless receiver circuitry, which may be in the
form of a wireless transceiver. Such wireless communication between
beds 42 and units 40 is discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.
7,319,386 and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.
2007/0210917 A1, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by
this reference.
[0043] It is also contemplated that the communication protocol for
links 30, 34, 36, 38, 44, 46, 54, 60, 62, 66, 68, 70, 81, 92, 94
may be according to any suitable protocol such as the TCP/IP
protocol, the RS-232 protocol, the RS-422 protocol, the RS-423
protocol, or the RS-485 protocol, or similar such protocols, and
such as wireless protocols including any of the IEEE 802.11,
protocols (where x represents the various revision levels a, b, c,
d, e, g and so forth of the 802.11 protocol), the Bluetooth
protocol, the Zigbee protocol, or similar such wireless
communication protocols. In some embodiments, the Palmetto protocol
described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009/0212956
A1 is used as the communication protocol for the data sent one or
more links 30, 34, 36, 38, 44, 46, 54, 60, 62, 66, 68, 70, 81, 92,
94.
[0044] In one embodiment, for example, links 30, 44, 46, 54, 62,
which are the communications links associated with a patient room
that communicate between devices in the patient room and the I/O
circuit board 27 of dome light assembly 28, are according to the
RS-485 protocol, whereas links 34, 36, 68, 70, 92 which are the
links to and from PoE switches 32, are according to the TCP/IP
protocol. The devices that communicate over these various links are
configured and programmed appropriately for the required RS-485 or
TCP/IP protocol, as the case may be.
[0045] As to the various devices coupled to I/O circuit 27 other
than stations 22, in some embodiments, the circuitry of I/O circuit
27 operates to convert the data from these various devices
according to their device-specific communication protocols (e.g.,
serial links to stations 124; locating and tracking receivers 56
room bus protocol; bed connector 40 room bus protocol; and serial
to dome light protocol) into the TCP/IP protocol for subsequent
transmission to the PoE switch and ultimately to the master station
24 and to other network devices, if desired.
[0046] While stations 22, 24 each have graphical displays, stations
124 are a low cost offering that don't have any graphical display
but that provide call cancel, call placement, reception for signals
from locating badges 58 and voice communication functionality.
Stations 124 connect to the I/O circuit board of assembly 28 via an
RS-485 connection. Stations 124 can be configured as a patient
station, staff station, or visitor station.
[0047] According to this disclosure, the components of system 20
which cooperate to provide a healthcare facility with a nurse call
system are referred to collectively as a "base nurse call system."
Thus, stations 22, 122 and I/O circuit 27, dome light assemblies
28, and any of the equipment described above that is capable of
providing a nurse call signal, as well as the associated master
station 24 and PoE switches 32 along with any of the communication
links interconnecting these components, are among the components
which comprise a "base nurse call system" according to this
disclosure. Staff stations 22, if present, are also considered to
comprise part of the base nurse call system.
[0048] Base nurse call systems are subject to Underwriter's
Laboratories UL-1096 requirements. According to some embodiments
contemplated by this disclosure, the bed status board computer 10
and, if present, the associated enlarged bed status board display
screen 12 are not part of the base nurse call system and so are not
subject to the UL-1096 requirements. However, the bed status board
computer 10 and optional screen 12 provide caregivers with some of
the same information that the base nurse call system provides to
caregivers. In this regard, some of the information displayed on
the monitor of bed status board computer 10 and/or screen 12 is
redundant to information that may be displayed on screen 72 of
master station 24. While the components of the base nurse call
system of illustrative system 20 are compliant with the
Underwriter's Laboratories 1069 standard according to this
disclosure, this is not to imply that the components of the base
nurse call system may not also be compliant with other standards
relating to nurse call systems or relating to some other aspect of
these devices.
[0049] According to other embodiments contemplated by this
disclosure, the bed status board computer 10 and, if present, the
associated enlarged bed status board display screen 12 are part of
the base nurse call system and so are compliant with UL-1096
requirements. In some of such embodiments, the bed status computer
10 is coupled to the same PoE switch 32 that the master console 24
rather than being coupled to the network facility switch 90. If
desired, the reporting server 268 may also be coupled to the PoE
switch 32 rather than the facility network switch 90. It is
contemplated by this disclosure that the functionality of status
board computer 10 and master console 24 can be merged into a single
computer device. For example, status board computer 10 may be
configured to permit a nurse at the master station to answer nurse
calls via the status board computer 10 and master console 24 may,
in turn, be omitted. Such a capability is facilitated at computer
10, in some embodiments, by use of voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) communications technology and software.
[0050] If voice communication capability among stations 22, 24, 124
is to be a function of the nurse call system, then a Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) sever 250 is also included in the base
nurse call system and is coupled to PoE switch 32 via a TCP/IP
communications link 252 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. Server
250 facilitates communication between which ever of stations 22,
24, 124 are present in the system 20. Server 250 is configured to
translate system operations and communications to the corresponding
messages that then control endpoint devices, such as stations 22,
124, consoles 24, or room input/output circuits 27. As such, server
250 may include a soft telephony switch and other associated
components in some embodiments. Server 250 may also provide
integration with the hospital telecommunications structure (not
shown), although some other server may do so as well.
[0051] As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, the healthcare
communication system 20 includes a facility network or Ethernet 260
that communicates with facility network switch 90 via a
bidirectional communications link 262. Facility network 260
includes all of the various other computer devices (not shown),
hardware (not shown), and software (not shown) that those skilled
in the art typically consider as comprising an Ethernet of a
healthcare facility. Furthermore, the components shown in FIGS. 1
and 2 such as computer 10, stations 22, 24, 124, RCB 27, server 250
are also considered to be part of the facility network of system
20. In other words, the facility network 260 "cloud" shown in FIGS.
1 and 2 is intended to be representative of all of the parts of any
given healthcare system 20 that are not specifically described
herein.
[0052] In the illustrative example of FIG. 1, an admission,
discharge, and transfer (ADT) system 264 is shown communicating via
a bidirectional communications link 266 with facility network 260.
In some embodiments, bed status computer 10 receives patient
information from the ADT system 264 via network 260, network switch
90, and the associated communications links 92, 94, 262, 266. Also
in the illustrative example, a reporting server 268 is coupled to
facility network switch 90 via a bidirectional communications link
271. In the illustrative embodiment, the reporting server 268
serves as a data repository for bed data emanating from patient
beds 42 and bed status computer 10 obtains data from the reporting
server for populating the information on the various screens shown
in FIGS. 3-10, for example. Reporting server 268 may receive data
from other sources, such as for example, an Electronic Medical
Records (EMR) system in some embodiments, and reporting server 268
may be included as part of an EMR system in some embodiments.
[0053] While the term "server" is used herein, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that the functionality
represented or performed by devices referred to as "severs" may
comprise and be performed by any suitable computer device having
software programs or services that may be resident and/or
executable by any computer, device or equipment in the system or
more than one computer, device or equipment in the network. Thus,
there term "server" is intended to broadly encompass any computer
device that is capable of performing the mentioned functions.
[0054] Referring now to FIG. 3, an example of a status board screen
100 which is shown on a display or monitor 15 of the status board
computer 10 includes a header bar 102 that has a Status Board icon
104, a Hospital Administration icon 106, a System Views icon 108
and an Anonymous identifier 110. Header bar 102 is shown on display
15 at all times that the bed status computer system is operating to
permit the user to navigate to the main portion of the system.
Thus, when Status Board icon 104 is selected, computer 10 responds
with status board screen 100 which is discussed in further detail
below.
[0055] When Hospital Administration icon 106 is selected, computer
10 responds with an administration screen (not shown) that permits
a hospital administrator to enter a user name and password to gain
access to various other screens to set up new users of the system,
for example. In some embodiments, such other screens also permit
the administrator to add caregivers to the list of assignable
caregivers and to assign particular caregivers to patients and/or
to rooms in the nursing unit. In other embodiments, the caregiver
assignments to patients and/or rooms are made using the associated
master console 24 and then that data is communicated to bed status
computer 10 so that the assignment information can be properly
shown on screen 100.
[0056] When System Views icon 108 is selected, computer 10 responds
with the types of screens which are shown, for example, in FIGS.
4-9 and which are discussed in further detail below. The Anonymous
identifier 110 shown in header bar 103 simply indicates that the a
user with the user name "Anonymous" has logged into the bed status
system which includes computer 10. Thus, when a user having a user
name established within the bed status computer system, then the
Anonymous identifier 110 is replaced under such circumstances by
the particular user's user name.
[0057] In the illustrative status board screen 100, a display
control area bar 112 appears beneath header bar 102 but above a
main table 122. Illustrative display control area bar 112 includes
a Unit A identifier 114, a Unit Selector icon 116, a Dynamic
Message Area box 118, and a Calls Selection menu 120. The Unit A
identifier 114 in the illustrative example indicates the user has
selected to view the data associated with Unit A. If the user
selects the Unit Selector icon 116, then computer 10 responds with
a drop down menu in the vicinity of icon 116 that has a list of the
nursing units that may be view on status board screen 100. For
example, such a drop down menu may include a list such as Unit A,
Unit B, Unit C, All Units. The user then selects in the drop down
menu the unit or units for which the user desired the data to be
displayed on screen 100.
[0058] The Dynamic Message Area box 118 shows any calls that have
been received from any of the rooms in the nursing unit or units
selected using icon 116. If there are multiple calls and multiple
call types, then the calls are prioritized and appear in Dynamic
Message Area box 118 in the following manner. More specifically, if
more than one call exists, the viewable message in box 118 will
rotate using a vertical scrolling marquee technique. In connection
with scrolling through the calls, each message will be visible for
a threshold amount of type, such as about 8 seconds in one
embodiment, before rotating out to show the next message. However,
if one or more code call exists, then the list of messages that
appear in box 118 are limited to the code call(s). Code calls
typically are made when a patient goes into cardiac arrest.
[0059] If there are no code calls, but one or more emergency calls
exist, then the list of messages that appear in box 118 are limited
to the emergency call(s). Once all code and emergency calls have
been canceled, then the scrolling of regular calls or normal
messages appears in box 118 on a rotating or scrolling basis as
mentioned above. In some embodiments, System Alert calls which
relate to, for example, an error condition in a piece of equipment,
do not count toward the total number of calls and are not displayed
in box 118. In other embodiments, the System Alert calls are shown
in box 118 along with the regular or normal calls. Similarly, in
some embodiments, Bed Disconnect alerts which indicate that a bed
42 has been disconnected from its respective bed connector unit 40,
do not count toward the total number of calls and are not displayed
in box 118. In other embodiments, the Bed Disconnect alerts are
displayed in box 118 along with the regular or normal calls.
[0060] It is contemplated by this disclosure that the amount of
time that has elapsed since a particular call has been placed can
be included in box 118 during the time that the associated call or
alert is displayed in box 118. For example, in FIG. 3, the message
"1 Critical Call (0:37)" appears in box 118 to indicate that 37
seconds have elapsed since the critical call was placed. In the
FIG. 3 example, the Critical Call is a Code Blue call from room 305
as indicated by highlighting 126 around the associated line in the
main table 122 of screen 100. The text "Normal--Cardiology, Room
101 has been waiting for 32:45 min" is another example of the type
of information that may be displayed in box 118 in some
embodiments. In this second example, a normal call has been placed
by the patient in room 101, which happens to be in the Cardiology
unit of the healthcare facility, and 32 minutes, 45 seconds have
elapsed since the patient in room 101 placed the normal call. Based
on the foregoing, it should be understood that the particular text
used for a particular type of call shown in box 118 is at the
discretion of the system programmer and may even be configurable by
a hospital administrator such that the couple examples given herein
are intended to be illustrative of the basic idea.
[0061] In some embodiments, the amount of time that has elapsed is
referred to as a Call Threshold Indicator and may be a number that
is preprogrammed or that is preselected by a hospital
administrator. For example, a Call Threshold Indicator may be set
at 15 minutes. Thus, after a call occurs, the elapsed time since
the call is not displayed in box 118 until after the threshold
amount of time has elapsed. After the threshold amount of time has
elapsed, which in the given example is 15 minutes, then the time
since the call was placed is indicated in box 118.
[0062] Calls selection menu 120 includes a set of choices that are
selectable by the user of computer 10 to indicate which types of
calls and/or alerts are to be shown within box 118. In the
illustrative example of FIG. 3, menu includes the following
choices: "Critical Call View;" "Code Calls;" Emergency Calls;"
"Show Only Calls;" "Normal Calls;" and "System Alerts." An
indicator box 128 appears next to each choice of menu 120. In the
illustrative example, indicator boxes 128 associated with the "Code
Calls;" "Normal Calls;" and "System Alerts" menu items are filled
in to indicate that the user has selected these types of calls to
appear in box 118. It should be apparent from FIG. 3 that the main
table 122 indicates all of the types of calls that may occur in any
of the rooms in the unit such that the information appearing in box
118 is redundant to information that otherwise can be seen on main
table 122.
[0063] Main table 122 occupies the majority of screen 100 and
includes rows that correspond to each room in the nursing units
that have been selected via icon 116 for display. In the
illustrative example in which Unit A is the only nursing unit
chosen for display, there is a row for each room 300-308 that is
included in the nursing unit. If there are more rooms in a nursing
unit than are able to fit onto the viewing area of main table 122,
then a scroll bar appears at the left or right side of table 122 to
permit the user to scroll down to see the additional rooms. Main
table 122 includes the following columns of information: a Call
column 130; a Room column 132; a Patient column 134; a Staff column
136; a Risk column 138; a Bed Exit column 140; a Rails column 142;
a Low column 144; a Brake column 146; a Rounds Due column 148; a
Turn Assist column 150; a Head of Bed (HOB) column 152; and a
Weight (kg) column 154.
[0064] Call column 130 shows the type of call, if any, that has
been placed or that has otherwise been detected for each room in
the unit. Next to or beneath the text indicating the type of call
is a clock in minutes:seconds format to indicate the amount of time
that has elapsed since the associated call was placed or detected.
In the illustrative example, Normal calls were placed from each of
rooms 300, 302, and 303 thirty seconds ago, Rails call were
detected in rooms 301 and 307 twenty-three second ago, and a Code
Blue call was placed from room 305 eleven seconds ago. It should be
understood that the illustrative example provides a somewhat
unrealistic scenario in that it is unlikely that patients in three
rooms would place a Normal call, such as by pressing the nurse call
button on a bed siderail or on a pillow speaker, at exactly the
same time and it is unlikely that patients or caregivers in two
rooms would lower one or more bed siderails at exactly the same
time. It should be noted that, in the illustrative example, no
calls of any type exist with regard to rooms 304, 306 and 398.
[0065] The Room column 132 shows the number of the room associated
with each row of information. An ascending/descending sort icon
156, illustratively a triangle, appears next to the word "Room" in
the column 132 heading. Icon 156 can be selected to change the sort
from ascending to descending and vice versa. In the illustrative
example, the room numbers are sorted into ascending order. That is,
the room numbers go up from 300 to 308 down the table 122. If the
room numbers were sorted in descending order, they would go down
from 308 to 300 down the table. As will discussed below in
connection with the FIG. 10 example, other sorting techniques for
the data appearing on monitor 15 of computer 10 and/or on display
screen 12 are contemplated by this disclosure. In those situations
in which hospital rooms have two patients located therein, then
Room column 132 includes either "A" and "B" indicators appended to
the two-patient room numbers (e.g., 101A and 101B) or "-1" and "-2"
indicators appended to the two-patient room numbers (e.g., 101-1
and 101-2) or some similar such nomenclature scheme.
[0066] The Patient column 134 shows, for each of the rooms that
contain a patient, a patient identifier in a HIPAA compliant
format. In the illustrative example, a partial patient name is
shown by indicating the first two letters of the patient's last
name followed by a set of ellipses and the first letter of the
patient's first name. In the illustrative example, the row
associated with room 304 has the text "Room Ready" in the Patient
column 134. This indicates that no patient is in the room currently
but the room is ready to receive a patient. Also in the
illustrative example, the row associated with room 308 has the text
"Not Ready" in the Patient column 143. This indicates that there is
no patient in the room currently and that the room is not yet ready
to receive a patient. To indicate that a room is ready to receive a
patient, a caregiver may enter certain information on the patient
station 22 located in the associated patient room as discussed in
further detail in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/708,891, filed Feb.
19, 2010, which is titled "Patient Room and Bed Management
Apparatus and System" and in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/711,912,
filed Feb. 24, 2010, which is also titled "Patient Room and Bed
Management Apparatus and System" and both of which are hereby
expressly incorporated by reference herein. Alternatively or
additionally, the user can change the status of a particular room
from "Not Ready" to "Room Ready" using the bed status computer
10.
[0067] The Staff column 136 lists the names of the caregivers who
are assigned to patients in each of the rooms. As can be seen in
FIG. 3, some patients have two assigned caregivers and others only
have one assigned caregiver. In the illustrative example, the
caregiver names are listed in last name, first name format. A
parenthetical abbreviation follows the caregiver name to indicate
the caregiver's role. For example, RN is the abbreviation for
registered nurse and LPN is the abbreviation for licensed practical
nurse. Staff column 136 also includes an icon 158, illustratively a
square, to indicate whether or not a caregiver is present in the
patient room. In the example of FIG. 3, caregivers are present in
rooms 300, 305, and 307. Thus, computer 10 receives information
form a locating and tracking system of the healthcare facility in
order to determine whether icon 158 is to be shown on screen 100 in
the Staff column 136 of a particular row. The locating and tracking
system includes, for example, badges 58 and room locating receivers
56 which are described above. The locating and tracking information
is stored in reporting server 268 in some embodiments.
[0068] The Risk column 138 indicates within each row of table 122
whether the associated patient has been identified as having a
particular type of risk. In the illustrative example, patients in
rooms 301-303 and 305-307 have each been identified as having a
"Fall" risk. If a patient is considered a Fall risk, then typically
it is not desirable for that patient to get out of bed unless a
caregiver is present in the room to assist the patient.
Accordingly, for Fall risk patients, an alert condition will be
considered to exist if any of the bed siderails are moved to a
lowered position or if the patient exits the bed. Also in the
illustrative example, the patient in room 300 has been identified
as having a "Fall" risk, a "Skin" risk, and a "Priority" risk.
Thus, bed status computer 10 is able to indicate multiple risk
types on table 122 for particular patients if necessary. A patient
indicated as a "Skin" risk, then this typically means that the
patient has a higher than normal risk of developing bed sores or
pressure ulcers. A patient identified as a "Priority" risk means
that the patient likely requires more nursing attention than other
patients on the unit. The information indicating that a patient is
a particular risk type may come from a number of sources. For
example, the information may be entered by a user of computer 10 in
some instances and may be transmitted to computer 10 and/or
reporting server 268 from another portion of system 20 such as ADT
system 264 or an EMR system. Thus, in some embodiments, the Risk
column 138 of table 122 may be auto-populated with risk data that
originates from another portion of system 20.
[0069] According to this disclosure, in some embodiments, the risk
names such as Falls and/or Lungs, are color coded to indicate
whether or not safety monitoring associated with the particular
risk is turned on at the associated bed 42. For example, a color
coding of green means that the associated monitoring is turned on,
a color coding of yellow means that the associated monitoring is
turned off, and a color coding of red means that at least one of
monitored conditions associated with the particular risk name is
alarming. It is contemplated by this disclosure that beds 42 may
have a button or other user input to turn the safety alerting on,
to turn the safety alerting off, and/or to suspend or silence the
safety alerting. Alternatively or additionally, a user input to
turn the safety alerting on and/or off, or to suspend or silence
the safety alerting, may be provided on patient stations 22. For
example, patient stations 22 may have one or more touch screen
buttons for one or more of these purposes.
[0070] The Bed Exit column 140 indicates whether or not a bed exit
system of the hospital bed 42 associated with the patient of each
row of table 122 is armed, at what level it is armed, and whether a
bed exit alarm is occurring. In the illustrative example, there are
three levels of bed exit sensitivity that can be chosen when the
bed exist system of a particular bed 42 is armed. Those levels are
patient position mode, bed exiting mode, and out-of-bed mode. When
the bed exit system of an associated patient bed 42 is armed in the
patient position mode, then a patient position mode icon 160
appears in column 140 as shown in table 122 with regard to rooms
301, 302 and 305-307. When the bed exit system of an associated
patient bed 42 is armed in the bed exiting mode, then a bed exiting
mode icon 162 appears in column 140 as shown in table 122 with
regard to room 303. When the bed exit system of an associated
patient bed 42 is armed in the out-of-bed more, then an out-of-bed
mode icon 164 appears in column 140 as shown in table 122 with
regard to room 300.
[0071] Column 140 also includes an alarm on/off indicator 164,
illustratively a square, to indicate whether or not a bed exit
alarm is occurring. If a bed exit alarm is occurring, then the
alarm on/off indicator 164 becomes highlighted as shown in table
122 with regard to room 306, for example. The data shown in column
140 is based on information transmitted from the beds 42 located in
the patient rooms of the nursing unit for which the information
viewed on monitor 15 and/or display screen 12 is associated. The
bed exit systems are typically armed by caregivers at the bedside
by manipulating the appropriate bed exit user interface devices,
such as buttons or touch screen, found on the individual beds.
However, it is within the scope of this disclosure for the bed exit
systems of beds 42 to be armed via some other user input device or
computer device such as stations 22, 24.
[0072] The Rails column 142 indicates for each of the hospital beds
42 in each of the patient rooms, whether the siderails of the bed
are in a raised position or in a lowered position. In the
illustrative example of FIG. 3, four indicators 166 which
illustratively are squares are provided in each row with each
individual square 166 corresponding to one of the four siderails of
the associated hospital bed 42. There are four siderails included
on many hospital beds and these four siderails are oftentimes
referred to as the left headrail, the right headrail, the left
footrail, and the right footrail. In those instances when a
particular bed 42 has a different number of siderails, such as
having only two siderails for example, then a corresponding number
of indicators 166 are provided in column 140. If a particular
siderail corresponding to an associated icon 166 in column 142 is
lowered, then the icon 166 becomes highlighted as is shown for
several of icons 166 in FIG. 3. If a particular siderail
corresponding to an associated icon 166 is raised, then the icon
166 remains unhighlighted as is shown for the remaining icons 166
in FIG. 3. The data shown in column 142 is based on information
transmitted from the beds 42 located in the patient rooms of the
nursing unit for which the information viewed on monitor 15 and/or
display screen 12 is associated.
[0073] The Low column 144 includes an indicator 168, illustratively
a square, for each of the hospital beds 42 in each of the patient
rooms which indicates whether an upper frame of the bed 42 is in
its lowest position relative to a base frame of the bed 42. If the
upper frame of a particular bed is not in its lowest position, then
the icon 168 becomes highlighted as is shown for icons 168
associated with rooms 301 and 305 in column 144 of table 122. If
the upper frame of a particular bed is in its lowest position, then
the icon 168 remains unhighlighted as is shown for the icons 168
associated with rooms 300, 302, 303, 306 and 307 in column 144 of
table 122. The data shown in column 144 is based on information
transmitted from the beds 42 located in the patient rooms of the
nursing unit for which the information viewed on monitor 15 and/or
display screen 12 is associated.
[0074] The Brake column 146 includes an indicator 170,
illustratively a square, for each of the hospital beds 42 in each
of the patient rooms which indicates whether the caster brakes of
the bed 42 are braked. If the casters of a particular bed are not
braked, or to put it another way, if the casters of a particular
bed are released, then the icon 170 becomes highlighted as is shown
for icons 170 associated with rooms 301 and 307 in column 146 of
table 122. If the casters of a particular bed are braked, then the
icon 170 remains unhighlighted as is shown for the icons 170
associated with rooms 300, 302, 303, 3065 and 306 in column 146 of
table 122. The data shown in column 144 is based on information
transmitted from the beds 42 located in the patient rooms of the
nursing unit for which the information viewed on monitor 15 and/or
display screen 12 is associated.
[0075] The Rounds Due column 148 includes, for each row
corresponding to a patient in table 122, a countdown timer or clock
to indicate when the next rounds are due for the associated
patient. In this regard a "round" is considered to be a scheduled
visit by an assigned caregiver to the patient's room regardless of
whether any call has been placed or any alert condition detected.
The countdown timer or clock is illustratively shown in a
minutes:seconds format. In the illustrative example, the rounds for
each of the patient rooms is scheduled 5 minutes apart. Thus, for
room 300, the next round is due in 15 minutes, 15 seconds; for room
301, the next round is due in twenty minutes, fifteen seconds; and
so on. The time interval between rounds to a particular patient can
be set by the user with computer 10 or can be based on information
transmitted from some other portion of system 20 such as the ADT
system or EMR system for example. Also, the time allotted for a
caregiver to be in a room during the scheduled visit can be set by
the user with computer 10 or can be based on information
transmitted from some other portion of system 20 such as those
mentioned above.
[0076] The Turn Assist column 150 includes, for particular rows
corresponding to one or more selected patients in table 122, a
countdown timer or clock to indicate when the next turn of the
patient is to occur. In this regard a turn of patient means rolling
the patient from their back to either their right or left side or
vice versa, or rolling the patient from their left side to their
right side. Some hospital beds 42 have a turn assist function in
which a left turn assist bladder or a right turn assist bladder is
inflated on a one-time basis for a short period of time to assist a
caregiver in turning the patient either toward the left or toward
the right as the case may be. The countdown timer or clock in
column 150 is illustratively shown in a minutes:seconds format. In
the illustrative example, the a turn assist for the patient in room
300 is scheduled to occur in 15 minutes, 15 seconds. The time
interval between turn assists of a particular patient can be set by
the user with computer 10 or can be based on information
transmitted from some other portion of system 20 such as the ADT
system, the EMR system, or a computerized physician's order system,
for example.
[0077] The Head of Bed (HOB) column 152 indicates for each hospital
bed 42 associated with a patient of a corresponding row of table
122, the angle at which a head section of the bed is elevated with
respect to horizontal or with respect to an upper frame of the bed
42. In the illustrative example, the bed 42 in room 300 has its
head section raised by 35 degrees, the bed 42 in room 301 has its
head section raised by 30 degrees, and so on. The data shown in
column 152 is based on information transmitted from the beds 42
located in the patient rooms of the nursing unit for which the
information viewed on monitor 15 and/or display screen 12 is
associated.
[0078] The Weight (kg) column 154 indicates the weight of each
patient associated with a corresponding row of table 122 as
measured by a weight scale system of the respective bed 42. In the
illustrative example, each of the weights in column 154 is in the
units of kilograms Computer 10 can be used to change the weight
units to pounds in some embodiments. The data shown in column 154
is based on information transmitted from the beds 42 located in the
patient rooms of the nursing unit for which the information viewed
on monitor 15 and/or display screen 12 is associated. The weight
scale systems of many beds 42 permit caregivers to select whether
the weight measurement is displayed at the bed in pounds or
kilograms Thus, there is a chance that some beds in a unit are set
to display weight in pounds and others are set to display weight in
kilograms According to this disclosure therefore, computer 10 is
configured to convert weight in pounds to weight in kilograms if
column 154 is set to display weight in kilograms and computer 10 is
configured to convert weight in kilograms to weight in pounds if
column 154 is set to display weight in pounds. In other
embodiments, the weights shown in column 154 may have the same
units as received from the associated bed 42 in which case, the
pounds (lb) or kilogram (kg) units designators appear next to each
of the weights in column 154.
[0079] If a user selects Systems Views icon 108 on screen 100,
computer 100 responds with a Safety Alert History window 200 an
example of which is shown in FIG. 4. The information in the windows
of FIG. 4-9 pertain to the patient associated with the row that the
user highlighted or selected on table 122 of screen 100. Window 200
is the default window that appears upon selection of icon 108.
Window 200 actually appears over a portion of table 122 such that
the header bar 102 and display control area bar 112 can still be
seen above window 200 on monitor 15 and/or display screen 12. Along
the bottom of window 200 are a Safety Alerts tab 202, a Head of Bed
tab 204, a ChairMode tab 206, a Rotation (CLRT) tab 208, a
Percussion & Vibration tab 210, a Weight tab 212, and a cancel
button 214.
[0080] Window 200 has a header area 216 with the "Safety Alert
History" title appearing on the left-hand side. Header area 216
also includes the patient's name 218 but not in a HIPAA compliant
format. In other embodiments, the patient's name is shown in header
area 216 in a HIPAA compliant format. Header area 216 further
includes on the right hand side the patient's room number 220 and
any risk categories 222 designated for the patient as discussed
above. In the illustrative example, the patient's name 218 is John
Patient, the patient's room number 220 is 213-A, and the patient's
risk categories are "No Falls" and "Clear Lungs."
[0081] Beneath header area 216 in window 200 is a History table
224. History table 224 has a number of rows in which are shown the
date and time that various bed alerts have been detected. In the
illustrative example, a Rails alert occurred on Feb. 28, 2009 at
1:54 pm, a Bed Exit alert occurred on Feb. 28, 2009 at 11:34 am, a
Brakes alert occurred on Feb. 27, 2009 at 9:56 pm, and another
Rails alert occurred on Feb. 26, 2009 at 4:20 pm. Next to table 224
are an up arrow icon 226 and a down arrow icon 228 which are used
to scroll up and down the rows of table 224 if there are more rows
of information than can fit on table 224 at the same time.
[0082] It should be noted that the Alert History for each patient
is stored in memory for the duration of their stay at the
healthcare facility as determined by information obtained from or
sent from the ADT system. During each patient's stay at the
healthcare facility, therefore, the alerts information for the
patient is stored in computer 10 and/or reporting server 268 but,
in some embodiments, is erased as a result of the patient's
discharge. Thus, in such embodiments, computer 10 and server 268 do
not permanently maintain the alerts information in the way that an
EMR system computer may. However, it is within the scope of this
disclosure for computer 10 and/or server 268 to communicate the
alerts information to the EMR system for longer term storage.
Alternatively or additionally, some or all of the data associated
with the Alert History for each patient may continue to stored in
server 268 and/or computer 10 for a longer period of time after an
associated patient's discharge. By continuing to store such
historical information, reports can be generated using computer 10
and/or server 268 to determine protocol compliance over time.
Healthcare facilities can determine their performance trends, such
as with regard to safety protocol compliance, over time by studying
such information.
[0083] It is contemplated by this disclosure that, in addition to
patients being admitted and discharged using the ADT system 264,
computer 10 and/or server 264 may be used for one or more of these
purposes in some embodiments. For example, manual admit and
discharge functions can be performed manually using the keyboard of
computer 10. Such admit and/or discharge information entered via
computer 10 may be used only locally in connection with the
information being gathered and displayed by computer 10, in which
case the ADT system 264 still may need to be used for entry of
patient admit and discharge information for other purposes. In some
embodiments, however, the admit and/or discharge information
entered at computer 10 is communicated to other computer devices of
facility network 260 including computer devices of the ADT system
264 such that no additional patient admit and/or discharge
information needs to be entered by caregivers elsewhere within the
network 260.
[0084] Window 200 also includes a Bed Alerts Active/Suppress icon
230 that is selected to turn on or turn off whether alerts relating
to bed status (e.g., siderail position, caster brake status, bed
height) are to be displayed on screen 100 when they occur for the
particular patient 218 listed in header area 216. The user simply
selects the bed alerts icon 230 to toggle been the active and
suppress functions. Window 200 further has a bed icon 232 that
provides a graphical image of the current status of the bed
associated with the patient 218 listed in header area 216. The
graphical appearance of icon 232 mimics the positions of the
siderails of the bed and uses color coding such as green and red to
indicate the status of bed height and caster brake statuses.
[0085] If a user selects Head of Bed tab 204, computer 10 responds
with a Head of Bed Angle History window 240 an example of which is
shown in FIG. 5. Window 240 includes the same information in header
area 216 as window 200 except that the title on the left hand side
of header area 216 is changed to "Head of Bed Angle History."
Window 240 has a head of bed angle graph 242 which has columns that
correspond to each day of the associated patient's stay at the
healthcare facility and that graphically indicates in each column
for each day the ranges within which the angle of the head section
of the patient's bed 42 was positioned. The ranges are color coded
to indicate whether the head section of the bed is above 30 degrees
of elevation, above 45 degrees of elevation, or in an alert
condition which, in some embodiments, is above 60 degrees of
elevation. In one embodiment, the color coding includes green
blocks 244 for indicating that the head section was above 30
degrees of elevation, blue blocks 246 for indicating that the head
section was above 45 degrees of elevation, and yellow blocks 248
for indicating that the head section was in an alert condition.
Other color coding schemes and other graphical representation
schemes can be used if desired.
[0086] Beneath each column of graph 242 are blocks of information
to indicate the date, the duration of time during the 24 hour
period of the associated date that the head section of the bed was
above 30 degrees, and the duration of time during the 24 hour
period that the head section of the bed was above 45 degrees. In
some embodiments, an additional block of information is provided to
indicate the amount of time during the 24 hour period that the head
section of the bed was in an alert condition. It will be
appreciated that graph 242 is constructed by computer 10 based on
the head of bed angle information that originates at the associated
patient bed 42. The historical head of bed information may be
stored in memory of computer 10 and/or reporting server 268. The
head of bed angle history data used to construct graph 242 begins
to be stored in response to receipt of admission data for the
patient from the ADT system 264 and ceases to be stored in response
to receipt of discharge data for the patient from the ADT system
264.
[0087] If a user selects ChairMode tab 206, computer 10 responds
with a Chair Mode History window 270 an example of which is shown
in FIG. 6. Window 270 includes the same information in header area
216 as windows 200, 240 except that the title on the left hand side
of header area 216 is changed to "Chair Mode History." Window 270
has a chair mode graph 272 which has columns that correspond to
each day of the associated patient's stay at the healthcare
facility and that graphically indicates in each column for each day
the times during which the patient's bed 42 was placed in a chair
position. The chair position refers to a position in which the head
section of bed 42 is raised and the foot section of bed 42 is
lowered to place a mattress support deck in a chair like
configuration. The times during which the bed 42 is in the chair
position are color coded in graph 272. In one embodiment, the color
coding includes green blocks 274 for indicating that the bed 42 was
in the chair position. Other color coding schemes and other
graphical representation schemes can be used if desired.
[0088] Beneath each column of graph 272 are blocks of information
to indicate the date, the duration of time during the 24 hour
period of the associated date that the bed 42 was in the chair
position, and whether any alarm associated with the chair position
occurred. It will be appreciated that graph 272 is constructed by
computer 10 based on information that originates at the associated
patient bed 42 to indicate whether the bed is in the chair
position. The historical chair position information may be stored
in memory of computer 10 and/or reporting server 268. The chair
position data used to construct graph 272 begins to be stored in
response to receipt of admission data for the patient from the ADT
system 264 and ceases to be stored in response to receipt of
discharge data for the patient from the ADT system 264. In the
illustrative example, a left scroll icon 276 and a right scroll
icon 278 are provided near the bottom of window 270 to permit a
user to scroll to days that are earlier in time or later in time,
respectively, than those currently shown in window 270.
[0089] If a user selects Rotation (CLRT) tab 208, computer 10
responds with a Continuous Lateral Rotation Therapy (CLRT) History
window 280 an example of which is shown in FIG. 7. Window 280
includes the same information in header area 216 as windows 200,
240, 270 except that the title on the left hand side of header area
216 is changed to "Continuous Lateral Rotation (CLRT) Therapy
History." Window 280 has a CLRT graph 282 which has columns that
correspond to each day of the associated patient's stay at the
healthcare facility and that graphically indicates in each column
for each day the times during which a mattress on the patient's bed
42 was operating in a CLRT mode. The CLRT mode of a mattress refers
to a therapy in which rotation bladders on the left side of the
mattress and the right side of the mattress are continuously and
alternately inflated and deflated to turn the patient repeatedly to
their right and to their left. The times during which the mattress
of bed 42 is in operated in the CLRT mode are color coded in graph
282. In one embodiment, the color coding includes green blocks 284
for indicating that the mattress of bed 42 was operating in the
chair CLRT mode. Other color coding schemes and other graphical
representation schemes can be used if desired.
[0090] Beneath each column of graph 282 are blocks of information
to indicate the date, the duration of time during the 24 hour
period of the associated date that the mattress of bed 42 was
operating in the CLRT mode, and whether any alarms associated with
the CLRT mode occurred. It will be appreciated that graph 282 is
constructed by computer 10 based on information that originates at
the associated patient bed 42 to indicate whether the bed is in
operating in the CLRT mode. The historical CLRT mode information
may be stored in memory of computer 10 and/or reporting server 268.
The CLRT mode data used to construct graph 282 begins to be stored
in response to receipt of admission data for the patient from the
ADT system 264 and ceases to be stored in response to receipt of
discharge data for the patient from the ADT system 264. In the
illustrative example, window 280 includes left scroll icon 276 and
right scroll icon 278 that are used in the same manner as described
above to scroll to additional days of information.
[0091] If a user selects Percussion & Vibration tab 210,
computer 10 responds with a Percussion & Vibration (P-V)
History window 290 an example of which is shown in FIG. 8. Window
290 includes the same information in header area 216 as windows
200, 240, 270, 280 except that the title on the left hand side of
header area 216 is changed to "Percussion & Vibration (P-V)
Therapy History." Window 290 has a P-V graph 292 which has columns
that correspond to each day of the associated patient's stay at the
healthcare facility and that graphically indicates in each column
for each day the times during which a mattress on the patient's bed
42 was operating in either a percussion mode or a vibration mode.
The percussion and vibration modes of a mattress refers to a
therapy in which P-V bladders of the mattress are vibrated or
percussed. The times during which the mattress of bed 42 is in
operated in the P-V modes are color coded in graph 282. In one
embodiment, the color coding includes green blocks 294 for
indicating that the mattress was operating in the percussion mode,
blue blocks 296 for indicating that the mattress was operating in
the vibration mode, and yellow blocks 298 for indicating that at
least one of the P-V modes was in an alert condition. Other color
coding schemes and other graphical representation schemes can be
used if desired.
[0092] Beneath each column of graph 282 are blocks of information
to indicate the date, the duration of time during the 24 hour
period of the associated date that the mattress of bed 42 was
operating in the percussion mode, the duration of time during the
24 hour period of the associated date that the mattress of bed 42
was operating in the vibration mode, and whether any alarms
associated with the P-V modes occurred. It will be appreciated that
graph 292 is constructed by computer 10 based on information that
originates at the associated patient bed 42 to indicate whether the
bed is in operating in one of the P-V modes. The historical P-V
mode information may be stored in memory of computer 10 and/or
reporting server 268. The P-V mode data used to construct graph 292
begins to be stored in response to receipt of admission data for
the patient from the ADT system 264 and ceases to be stored in
response to receipt of discharge data for the patient from the ADT
system 264. It is contemplated by this disclosure that a similar
type of graph can be constructed for other types of therapies
associated with beds 42. One example of another time of therapy is
alternating pressure (AP) therapy.
[0093] If a user selects Weight tab 212, computer 10 responds with
a Weight History window 300 an example of which is shown in FIG. 9.
Window 300 includes the same information in header area 216 as
windows 200, 240, 270, 280, 290 except that the title on the left
hand side of header area 216 is changed to "Weight History." Window
300 has a weight graph 302 which has columns that correspond to
each weight reading taken during the associated patient's stay at
the healthcare facility and that graphically indicates in each
column the weight measured by the weigh scale system of the
patient's bed 42 at the time that the weight was taken. The
patient's weight readings are each indicated by a color coded bar
304 in graph 302. In one embodiment, the color coding includes
green blocks 304 for indicating the patient's weight reading. Other
color coding schemes and other graphical representation schemes can
be used if desired.
[0094] Beneath each column of graph 302 are blocks of information
to indicate the patient's weight reading in kilograms (kg), the
patient's weight reading in pounds (lb), the date on which the
weight reading was taken, and the time at which the weight reading
was taken. It should be noted in the illustrative example of graph
302 that two weight readings were taken on Feb. 21, 2009. Thus,
however many weight readings are taken are how many bars are
included in graph 304. It is contemplated by this disclosure that,
to "take" a weight reading, a caregiver manipulates some sort of
user input on bed 42 or the associated patient station 22 or the
associated master station 24. In the illustrative example, a left
scroll icon 276 and a right scroll icon 278 are provided near the
bottom of graph 302 to permit a user to scroll to the weight
reading that were taken earlier in time or later in time,
respectively, than those currently shown on graph 302.
[0095] Each time a weight reading is taken, it is sent to computer
10 and/or reporting server 268 for storage in memory. The weight
data used to construct graph 302 is associated with the particular
patient when weight readings are taken during the time between
which the ADT system 264 indicates that the patient is admitted to
and discharged from the healthcare facility. Patient-to-bed
association data, which may be entered at master console 24 or
computer 10 or some other computer of the facility network 260,
including a computer of the ADT system 264, is used to associate
the data originating from bed 42, including the weight data, with
the proper patient.
[0096] Window 300 also includes a table 306 that contains some
additional data relating to patient weight. In the illustrative
example, table 306 includes the last (aka the most recent) weight
reading and includes the weight reading in both kilograms and
pounds. Illustrative table 306 further includes the amount of
weight change the patient has experienced over the previous 24
hours. In the FIG. 9 example, the patient has lost 0.6 kg or 1.3
lb, which represents a loss of 0.08% of the patient's weight, in
the preceding 24 hour period. Illustrative table 306 also includes
the date and time which the last weight reading was taken and the
date and time at which the scale was last zeroed. Zeroing the scale
means that the patient is off of the bed, but all blankets and
equipment that will be on the bed with the patient remain on the
bed so that a tare weight can be established. The patient's weight
is determined relative to the tare weight.
[0097] Based on the foregoing, it will be appreciated that computer
10 controls monitor 15 and/or display screen 12 to operate in two
primary or main modes of operation. In a first mode of operation,
the status board screen 100 is shown on monitor 15 and/or screen
12. In a second mode of operation, one of the history windows 200,
240, 270, 280, 290, 300 is shown on monitor 15 and/or screen 12 and
the history windows 200, 240, 270, 280, 290, 300 are accessible via
selection of associated tabs 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214.
When viewing any of windows 200, 240, 270, 280, 290, 300, the user
can return to the status board screen 100 by either selecting
cancel button 214 in the associated window 200, 240, 270, 280, 290,
300 or by selecting the status board icon 104 which appears in the
header bar 102 above whichever is of windows 200, 240, 270, 280,
290, 300 is shown at the time.
[0098] Referring now to FIG. 10, an example of an alternative
status board screen 310 which is shown on monitor 15 of the status
board computer 10 includes a header bar 312 that has a Status Board
icon 314, a Hospital Administration icon 316, and a System Views
icon 318. A user name bar 319 which is actually above header bar
312 indicates the name of the user that is logged into the bed
status system. In the illustrative example of FIG. 10, the text
"Logged in as B. Walters" appears in user name bar 319. Header bar
312 is shown on display 15 at all times that the bed status
computer system is operating to permit the user to navigate to the
main portion of the system. Thus, when Status Board icon 314 is
selected, computer 10 responds with status board screen 310 which
is discussed in further detail below.
[0099] When Hospital Administration icon 316 is selected, computer
10 responds with an administration screen (not shown) that permits
a hospital administrator to enter a user name and password to gain
access to various other screens to set up new users of the system,
for example. In some embodiments, such other screens also permit
the administrator to add caregivers to the list of assignable
caregivers and to assign particular caregivers to patients and/or
to rooms in the nursing unit. In other embodiments, the caregiver
assignments to patients and/or rooms are made using the associated
master console 24 and then that data is communicated to bed status
computer 10 so that the assignment information can be properly
shown on screen 310. When System Views icon 318 is selected,
computer 10 responds with the types of screens which are shown, for
example, in FIGS. 4-9 and which were discussed above.
[0100] In the illustrative status board screen 310, a display
control area bar 322 appears beneath header bar 312 but above a
main table 332. Illustrative display control area bar 322 includes
an Unit identifier block 324, a Unit Selector icon 326, a Dynamic
Message Area box 328, and a Settings icon 330 and a Full Screen
icon 331. The Unit identifier block 324 in the illustrative example
indicates the user has selected to view the data associated with
All Units. If the user selects the Unit Selector icon 326, then
computer 10 responds with a drop down menu in the vicinity of block
324 that has a list of the nursing units that may be view on status
board screen 310. For example, such a drop down menu may include a
list such as Cardiology, Unit 1, Unit 2, All Units. The user then
selects in the drop down menu the unit or units for which the user
desired the data to be displayed on screen 310.
[0101] The Dynamic Message Area box 328 shows any calls that have
been received from any of the rooms in the nursing unit or units
listed in block 324. If there are multiple calls and multiple call
types, then the calls are prioritized and appear in Dynamic Message
Area box 328 in the same manner as described above in connection
with Dynamic Message Area box 118 of screen 100 shown in FIG. 3. In
the example of FIG. 10, box 118 contains the text "Code
Blue--Cardiology, Room 108" and there is an octagon with a plus
sign icon in front of the text to indicate a code blue situation.
It is contemplated by this disclosure that the amount of time that
has elapsed since a particular call has been placed can be included
in box 328 during the time that the associated call or alert is
displayed in box 328, although in the illustrative example, the
elapsed time does not appear in box 328. As was the case with box
118 described above, it should be understood that the particular
text used for a particular type of call shown in box 328 is at the
discretion of the system programmer and may even be configurable by
a hospital administrator such that the examples given herein are
intended to be illustrative of the basic idea.
[0102] In some embodiments, the amount of time that has elapsed is
referred to as a Call Threshold Indicator and may be a number that
is preprogrammed or that is preselected by a hospital
administrator. For example, a Call Threshold Indicator may be set
at 15 minutes. Thus, after a call occurs, the elapsed time since
the call is not displayed in box 328 until after the threshold
amount of time has elapsed. After the threshold amount of time has
elapsed, which in the given example is 15 minutes, then the time
since the call was placed is indicated in box 328.
[0103] If a user selects Settings icon 330 on screen 310, computer
10 responds with a Settings window 400 an example of which is shown
in FIG. 11. Window 400 includes a set of columns choices 402 that
are generally grouped together, a set of call type choices 404 that
are generally grouped together, and a set of message choices 406
that are generally grouped together. Each of the various choices
402, 404, 406 is selectable and deselectable by the user of
computer 10 by checking or unchecking, as the case may be an
associated check box 408 that is adjacent to each of the choices
402, 404, 406. If a user selects Full Screen icon 331, screen 310
occupies the full amount of the area of monitor 15 and display
screen 12.
[0104] In the illustrative example of FIG. 11, columns choices 402
include the following choices: Nursing Unit Room, Assigned Staff,
Call Type, Staff in Room, Bed Rails, Brake On, Staff in Room Icon,
Patient Name, Call Type Icon, Wait Time, Bed Exit, and Bed Low. An
Advanced Options button or icon 410 appears on screen 400 near the
columns choices 402. If a user selects the Advanced Options button
then additional user choices can be made such as, for example,
changing the order in which the columns appear on screen 310,
changing the font type or size of the text that appears in the
columns, and so on. In the illustrative example, call types choices
404 include the following choices: Code Calls, Normal Calls,
Emergency Calls, and System Alert Calls. An additional check box
412 appears in the vicinity of choices 404 in window 400 and can be
selected by a user to only show rows with calls. In the
illustrative example, box 412 is deselected as indicated by the
absence of a check mark in box 412. Also in the illustrative
example of FIG. 11, the messages choices include the following
choices: Code call received, Emergency call received, Total number
of active calls, and Call has been active for longer than minutes.
The blank in the last message choice corresponds to a text box 414
in which a user may enter a number of minutes at which the
particular message is to be triggered if a call has remained
active.
[0105] Widow 400 also includes a Reset to Default button or icon
416, a Save button or icon 418, and a Cancel button or icon 420. If
a user selects the Reset to Default icon 146, then certain ones of
the choices 402, 404, 406 are selected as the default and the
associated check boxes 408 are populated with check marks. The
check boxes appearing in FIG. 11 correspond to the default setting.
One of the options associated with the Advanced Options icon 410 is
the ability of the user to change the default choices. If a user
selects the Save icon 418, then the user's various selections and
deselections made while window 400 was opened are saved and
implemented and then, window 400 automatically closes to return the
user back to screen 310. If the user selects the Cancel icon 420,
then the user's various selections and deselections made while
window 400 was opened are undone and ignored, the settings that
existed prior to the user opening window 400 are restored, and
then, window 400 automatically closes to return the user back to
screen 310.
[0106] Main table 332 occupies the majority of screen 310 and
includes rows that correspond to each room in the nursing unit or
units that have been selected via icon 326 for display. In the
illustrative example in which All Units have been chosen for
display, there is only room on table 332 for seven rows of
information. In the example of FIG. 10, rooms 101-106 and room 108
of the Cardiology unit can be seen on table 332. Thus, because
there are more rooms in the selected nursing units than are able to
fit onto the viewing area of main table 332, a scroll bar 333
appears at the left side of table 332 to permit the user to scroll
up and down to see the additional rooms. Main table 332 includes
the following columns of information: a Nursing Unit column 334, a
Room Number column 336, a Patient Name column 338, an Assigned
Staff column 340, a Call Type column 342, a Wait Time column 344, a
Staff in Room column 346, a Bed Exit column 348, a Bed Rails column
350, a Bed Low column 352, and a Brake On column 354.
[0107] The Nursing Unit column 334 simply lists the name of the
nursing unit in which the room and other information of the
associated row correspond. In the illustrative example of FIG. 10,
Cardiology is the unit for all of the rows shown in table 332.
[0108] The Room Number column 336 shows the number of the room
associated with each row of information. Table 332 has the rows
sorted based on the type of call that is received. In particular,
rooms having code blue calls are listed first, then rooms having
emergency calls, then rooms having normal calls, then rooms having
equipment status alerts, and finally, rooms having not alerts.
Thus, in the illustrative example, the order of the rooms appears
to be somewhat jumbled and is as follows: 108, 106, 102, 101, 105,
103, 104. However, that is simply a consequence of sorting the
table based on call type. Also of note with regard to the example
of FIG. 10 are the Staff in Room icons 356 which appear just to the
left of the room number in three of the rows, namely, the rows of
rooms 108, 106 and 105. The Staff in Room icon 356 of the
illustrative example is the letter "N."
[0109] The Patient Name column 338 shows, for each of the rooms
that contain a patient, a patient identifier in a HIPAA compliant
format. In the illustrative example, a partial patient name is
shown by indicating the first two letters of the patient's last
name followed by a set of ellipses and the first letter of the
patient's first name. While each room in table 332 of FIG. 10 has a
patient in the room, the Room Ready and Not Ready messages
discussed above in connection with table 122 are also used under
similar circumstances in table 332.
[0110] The Assigned Staff column 340 lists the names of the
caregivers who are assigned to patients in each of the rooms. As
can be seen in FIG. 10, some patients have two assigned caregivers
and others only have one assigned caregiver. In the illustrative
example, the caregiver names are listed in last name, first initial
format.
[0111] Call Type column 342 shows the type of call, if any, that
has been placed or that has otherwise been detected for each room
in the unit or units being viewed in table 332. Next to Call Type
column 342 is the Wait Time column 344 which indicates the amount
of time that elapsed after the call in column 342 was placed until
a caregiver entered the associated room to attend to the call.
Column 344 is only populated with wait times for code blue calls,
emergency calls, and normal calls.
[0112] In the illustrative example, a Code Blue call was placed
from room 108 and it took 5 seconds for a caregiver to respond, an
Emergency call was placed from room 106 and it took 8 seconds for a
caregiver to respond, and a Normal call was placed from room 102
and 21 second have elapsed since the call. A code blue icon 358
appears to the right of the "Code Blue" text in column 342 and an
emergency icon 360, illustratively an exclamation point, appears to
the right of the "Emergency" text in column 342. With regard to
Normal calls, a suitable caregiver response sometimes involves
nothing more than speaking with the patient using the
communications capability of the nurse call system. Thus, the wait
time for normal calls in some embodiments is the amount of time it
takes for a caregiver to open up a communication channel to the
room from which the Normal call originated.
[0113] In the FIG. 10 example, there are two equipment status
alerts that appear in table 332. Specifically, there is a "Can't
Place Calls" alert occurring in room 101 and a "Bed Disconnect"
alert occurring in room 105. The "Can't Place Calls" alert may be
occurring, for example, due to a malfunction associated with a
nurse call button on a bed siderail or on a pillow speaker unit. A
can't place calls icon 362, illustratively a triangle, appears to
the right of the "Can't Place Calls" text in column 342. The "Bed
Disconnect" alert means that the associated bed 42 has been
disconnected from the respective connector unit 40. A bed
disconnect icon 364 appears to the right of the "Bed Disconnect"
text in column 342.
[0114] The Staff in Room column 346 lists the names of the
caregivers or other staff members who are physically present in the
associated patient rooms. In the illustrative example, Dorris D.
and Albert F. are present in room 108, Edward H. is present in room
106, and Emily P. is present in room 105. For each of the rooms in
which a staff member is present, the staff in room icon 356 appears
in column 336 as mentioned previously. It should be noted that,
with regard to room 106, the staff member that is present in room
106 is not one of the staff members that is assigned to that
particular room. However, the likely reason for that in the given
example is that the two staff members assigned to room 106 are also
assigned to room 108 where the code blue is occurring. Thus, both
caregivers assigned to room 108 are present in that room to attend
to the code blue situation.
[0115] It will be appreciated that computer 10 receives information
from a locating and tracking system of the healthcare facility in
order to determine the identities of the staff members that are
present in each of the rooms. Based on that information, the
information in row 346 is populated accordingly and the appropriate
staff in room icons are added to column 336. As mentioned
previously, the locating and tracking system includes, for example,
badges 58 and room locating receivers 56 which are described above.
The locating and tracking information is stored in reporting server
268 in some embodiments.
[0116] The Bed Exit column 348 indicates whether or not a bed exit
system of the hospital bed 42 associated with the patient of each
row of table 332 is armed, at what level it is armed, and whether a
bed exit alarm is occurring. In the illustrative example, there are
three levels of bed exit sensitivity that can be chosen when the
bed exist system of a particular bed 42 is armed. Those levels are
patient position mode, bed exiting mode, and out-of-bed mode. When
the bed exit system of an associated patient bed 42 is armed, then
a bed exit armed icon 366 appears in column 348 as shown in table
332 with regard to rooms 101 and 103. In the illustrative example,
the bed exit armed icon 366 is a circle. Icon 366 is color coded to
indicate which of the levels of bed exit sensitivity is chosen. For
example, patient position mode may be color coded green, bed
exiting mode may be color coded yellow, and out of bed mode may be
color coded red. When the bed exit system of an associated bed is
not armed, then a bed exit unarmed icon 368 appears in column 348
as sown in table 332 with regard to rooms 102 and 104. In the
illustrative example, the bed exit unarmed icon 368 is a circle
with an "x" inside of it.
[0117] Column 348 also includes an alarm indicator 370,
illustratively a triangle with an exclamation point inside of it,
to indicate that a bed exit alarm is occurring. Icon 370 is color
coded in some embodiments to indicate whether the alarm that is
occurring but has been silenced. For example, icon 370 may be color
coded red if the alarm is occurring and has not been silenced and
may be color coded yellow if the alarm is occurring and has been
silenced. The data shown in column 348 is based on information
transmitted from the beds 42 located in the patient rooms of the
nursing unit for which the information viewed on monitor 15 and/or
display screen 12 is associated. As mentioned previously, the bed
exit systems are typically armed by caregivers at the bedside by
manipulating the appropriate bed exit user interface devices, such
as buttons or touch screen, found on the individual beds 42.
However, as also mentioned previously, it is within the scope of
this disclosure for the bed exit systems of beds 42 to be armed via
some other user input device or computer device such as stations
22, 24.
[0118] The Bed Rails column 350 indicates for each of the hospital
beds 42 in each of the patient rooms, whether the siderails of the
bed 42 are in a raised position or in a lowered position. In the
illustrative example of FIG. 10, there are four rectangular
indicators provided in each row with each individual rectangle
corresponding to one of the four siderails of the associated
hospital bed 42. There are two different types of rectangular
indicators, however. Namely, an up indicator 372 to indicate that
the corresponding siderail of the bed 42 is in a raised position
and a down indicator 374 to indicate that the corresponding
siderail of the bed 42 is in a lowered position.
[0119] A patient icon 376 is also provided in column 350 to
indicate the relative locations of the siderails relative to the
patient and associated bed 42. In those instances when a particular
bed 42 has a different number of siderails, such as having only two
siderails for example, then a corresponding number of rectangular
indicators are provided in column 140. The data shown in column 350
is based on information transmitted from the beds 42 located in the
patient rooms of the nursing unit for which the information viewed
on monitor 15 and/or display screen 12 is associated. It is
contemplated by this disclosure that, in some embodiments, patient
icon 376 is color coded to indicate the patient's presence in the
associated bed 42. For example, when the bed exit system of bed 42
detects that the patient is in the bed, icon 376 is color coded
green in some embodiments. When the patient is not in bed, icon 376
is color coded in some other manner such as red or white.
[0120] The Bed Low column 352 includes a Low indicator or icon 378
to indicate that an upper frame of the bed 42 is in its lowest
position relative to a base frame of the bed 42 and a Not Low
indicator or icon 380 to indicate that the upper frame of the bed
42 is not in its lowest position relative to the base frame. In the
illustrative example, Low icon 378 can be seen with regard to rooms
101, 102, 103 in table 332 and Not Low icon 380 can be seen with
regard to rooms 104, 106 in table 332. Also illustratively, the Low
icon 378 is a circle and the Not Low icon 380 is a circle with an
"x" in it. The data shown in column 352 is based on information
transmitted from the beds 42 located in the patient rooms of the
nursing unit for which the information viewed on monitor 15 and/or
display screen 12 is associated.
[0121] The Brake On column 354 includes a Brake On indicator or
icon 382 to indicate that the casters of the associated bed 42 are
braked and a Brake Off indicator 384 to indicate that the casters
of the associated bed 42 are not braked. In the illustrative
example, Brake On icon 382 can be seen with regard to rooms 102,
103, 104 in table 332 and Brake Off icon 384 can be seen with
regard to rooms 101, 106 in table 332. Also illustratively, the
Brake On icon 382 is a circle and the Brake Off icon 384 is a
circle with an "x" in it. The data shown in column 354 is based on
information transmitted from the beds 42 located in the patient
rooms of the nursing unit for which the information viewed on
monitor 15 and/or display screen 12 is associated.
[0122] With regard to columns 348, 350, 352, 354, if a dash appears
in those columns, it means that the associated bed 42 does not have
the capability to provide the associated type of data or that the
bed 42 is disconnected in that particular room. In the illustrative
example, the bed 42 in room 108 is not a capable of providing any
of the types of data that would otherwise be populated in columns
348, 350, 352, 354 and the bed 42 in room 105 has been
disconnected.
[0123] When it is stated herein that a user or caregiver "selects"
an icon or button on a particular screen or display, or similar
such words are used such as "selected" and "selecting" in a similar
context, all methods of selecting a button or icon on a screen or
display are intended to be covered. For example, selections can be
made by moving a computer mouse to place a cursor over a button or
icon and then a button on the mouse can be clicked or pressed or
double-clicked, for example. Other methods of selecting buttons or
icons within the scope of this disclosure include using the tab or
arrow keys on a computer keyboard to highlight the desired icon or
button and then pressing the enter key of the keyboard or by
touching the screen, such as with a finger, stylus, or light pen,
on the area of the screen on which the desired button or icon is
displayed.
[0124] According to this disclosure, certain pop-up windows with
information appear when a user hovers over a particular button or
icon. In this regard, to "hover" or "hovering" means to use a
computer mouse to place a cursor over an icon or button for a short
threshold period of time (e.g., on the order of one or two seconds)
without clicking any buttons of the mouse. With regard to table 332
of screen 310, when a user hovers over the Assigned Staff icon 340
or above the Staff in Room icon 346, a pop-up window appears
listing the assigned or located staff, as the case may be, along
with their titles, which are abbreviated in some embodiments, and
their extension. The staff extension means a phone number or other
numeric code that is dialed or entered on a phone keypad to reach a
wireless communication device, such as a wireless handset or
Vocera.TM. badge, which is carried by the particular staff member.
Also with regard to table 332 of screen 310, when user hovers over
the Call Type icon 342, a pop-up window appears listing all of the
active calls and the duration of the calls.
[0125] Although certain illustrative embodiments have been
described in detail above, variations and modifications exist
within the scope and spirit of this disclosure as described and as
defined in the following claims.
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