An elderly blood sampling waiting time prediction and reminding bracelet and method

Abstract

The application provides an old blood sampling waiting time prediction and reminding bracelet and method, through integrating a dynamic time prediction engine and an old-age multi-modal reminding function in the bracelet, the accurate prediction and multi-sensory friendly reminding of the test report waiting time for the old patients are realized for the first time. The dynamic time prediction engine can calculate the predicted report issuing time according to the test item, historical data and real-time laboratory load and dynamically correct, so that the problems of the existing technology that the oral informing time is ambiguous and cannot be dynamically updated are solved. The combination of large-size display, voice broadcast and strong reminding effectively overcomes the obstacles of the decreased vision, decreased hearing and complex operation of the old patients, and significantly reduces the waiting anxiety of the patients and the repeated inquiries to the medical staff.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of building blocks, and in particular to a wristband and method for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, elderly patients often repeatedly inquire with medical staff about the turnaround time for their test results after blood collection, which not only increases the workload of nurses but also exacerbates patients' anxiety. Existing solutions, such as mobile apps, self-service printers, or SMS notifications, are not user-friendly for the elderly: they commonly experience vision loss leading to difficulty seeing screen content, complex operation making them unable to use the systems, and hearing loss causing them to miss broadcast notifications. Furthermore, the testing times for different tests (such as complete blood count, biochemistry, and immunology) vary significantly, and verbal estimates such as "approximately 2 hours" given by nurses are too vague and cannot be dynamically updated based on actual conditions, resulting in inaccurate and untimely information. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a wristband for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time, comprising:

[0004] The wristband itself is for the patient to wear.

[0005] The communication module is configured to communicate with the hospital's laboratory information system to obtain the codes of all test items for this blood collection and the real-time completion status of each item.

[0006] A dynamic time prediction engine is built into the wristband or set on the hospital server and interacts with the wristband through the communication module. The dynamic time prediction engine is configured to: calculate the expected report issuance time based on the historical testing time data of each test item and the real-time load of laboratory instruments, and dynamically correct the expected report issuance time according to the obtained real-time completion status.

[0007] A display unit is disposed on the wristband body to display the remaining waiting time or report issuance information based on the expected report issuance time;

[0008] The voice broadcast unit is configured to respond to patient actions and broadcast the current estimated waiting time.

[0009] The strong reminder unit is configured to trigger a multi-sensory combined reminder immediately after all inspection reports have been approved.

[0010] As an improvement of the present invention, the dynamic time prediction engine is specifically configured to: combine the average time and standard deviation of each inspection item from sample reception to report review, and the real-time number of samples to be inspected, to calculate and output the expected report issuance time within the % confidence interval.

[0011] As an improvement of the present invention, the bracelet body includes a detachable bracelet body and a wearing part; the display unit is a low-power e-ink screen or a reflective LCD; the bracelet is powered by a battery; and the communication module is a low-frequency Bluetooth communication module.

[0012] As an improvement to the present invention, a pairing module is also included, configured to automatically bind patient information to the wristband in response to a nurse sequentially scanning the patient's test request barcode and the ID barcode on the wristband using a barcode scanner.

[0013] As an improvement to the present invention, the bracelet includes two wearing methods: wristband and lanyard.

[0014] As an improvement of the present invention, the strong reminder unit is configured to: make the multi-sensory combination reminder continue for a preset duration, or until the patient presses the confirmation button on the wristband; the multi-sensory combination reminder includes flashing light, vibration and voice broadcast.

[0015] As an improvement to the present invention, an indoor positioning and intelligent guidance module is also included, the indoor positioning and intelligent guidance module comprising:

[0016] The indoor positioning unit is configured to use multiple low-power Bluetooth positioning beacons and multi-point positioning algorithms deployed inside the hospital to determine the patient's real-time location within the hospital.

[0017] The virtual geofence unit is configured to determine the type of area where the patient is currently located based on the boundaries of multiple preset functional areas;

[0018] The tiered reminder control unit is configured to execute a corresponding reminder strategy based on the patient's current region type when all test reports have been approved.

[0019] The strong reminder unit is triggered when the patient is in the designated waiting area;

[0020] When the patient is in other functional areas within the hospital, the voice broadcasting unit is instructed to broadcast an enhanced voice reminder containing personalized navigation guidance to the blood collection center, and to send an assistance notification containing the patient's location information to the terminal of the medical staff closest to the patient.

[0021] When a patient is identified as having left the hospital grounds, an SMS notification containing report readiness information and follow-up procedures is sent to the pre-registered contact number.

[0022] As an improvement of the present invention, the graded reminder control unit also communicates with a medical staff visual management interface, which is configured to: display the waiting status, expected report time and real-time location of all patients wearing wristbands on a map in real time, and highlight patients whose reports have been issued but have not yet been collected and their locations.

[0023] A method for predicting and reminding elderly people of their waiting time for blood collection includes:

[0024] Step S1: After blood collection, bind the wristband to the patient's test information;

[0025] Step S2: The dynamic time prediction engine reads the patient's test item codes, and calculates the expected report issuance time by combining the historical test duration data of each item and the real-time number of samples to be tested in the laboratory, and sends the time to the wristband.

[0026] Step S3: The wristband's display unit displays a countdown of the remaining waiting time based on the estimated report issuance time in large font, and responds to the patient's operation of the voice button by announcing the current estimated waiting time.

[0027] Step S4: When the status of all inspection reports being approved is received, the strong reminder unit of the wristband immediately triggers a multi-sensory combination reminder including flashing light, vibration and voice broadcast.

[0028] As an improvement to the present invention, it also includes:

[0029] Step Q1: Track the patient's location in real time using low-power Bluetooth positioning beacons deployed within the hospital, and pre-set multiple virtual geofences;

[0030] Step Q2: Once all reports have been approved, identify the patient's current location and issue a tiered alert.

[0031] Step Q21: If the patient is outside the designated waiting area but still inside the hospital, control the wristband to broadcast an enhanced voice reminder that includes route guidance and send an assistance request to the nearest medical staff terminal.

[0032] Step Q22: If the patient is identified as having left the hospital grounds, the report readiness information will be automatically sent to the patient or their emergency contact via SMS.

[0033] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides a wristband and method for predicting and reminding elderly patients about blood collection waiting times. By integrating a dynamic time prediction engine with an age-friendly multimodal reminder function into the wristband, it achieves for the first time accurate prediction and multi-sensory-friendly reminders for elderly patients regarding their test report waiting times. The dynamic time prediction engine can calculate and dynamically correct the expected report issuance time based on the test items, historical data, and real-time laboratory load, solving the problems of vague verbal time notifications and lack of dynamic updates in existing technologies. The combination of large-font display, voice broadcast, and strong reminders effectively overcomes obstacles such as decreased vision, hearing loss, and complex operation for elderly patients, significantly reducing their waiting anxiety and reducing repeated inquiries to medical staff. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. The accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the wristband end of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of the hospital system terminal of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the method flow of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating another method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0040] refer to Figures 1 to 4A wristband for predicting and reminding elderly patients about blood collection waiting time includes a wristband body 10 for patients to wear; a communication module 20 configured to communicate with the hospital's laboratory information system to obtain the codes of all test items for the current blood collection and the real-time completion status of each item; a dynamic time prediction engine 30, built into the wristband 10 or located on the hospital server and interacting with the wristband through the communication module 20, configured to calculate the estimated report issuance time based on historical testing time data for each test item and the real-time load of laboratory instruments, and dynamically correct the estimated report issuance time according to the obtained real-time completion status; a display unit 40, located on the wristband body 10, to display the remaining waiting time or report issuance information based on the estimated report issuance time; a voice broadcast unit 50 configured to respond to patient operations and broadcast the current estimated waiting time; and a strong reminder unit 60 configured to immediately trigger a multi-sensory combined reminder after all test item reports have been approved.

[0041] By integrating the dynamic time prediction engine 30 with an age-friendly multimodal reminder function into the wristband, the system achieves for the first time accurate prediction and multi-sensory-friendly reminders for elderly patients' test report waiting times. The dynamic time prediction engine 30 calculates and dynamically corrects the estimated report issuance time based on test items, historical data, and real-time laboratory load, solving the problems of vague verbal time notifications and lack of dynamic updates in existing technologies. The combination of large-font display, voice broadcast, and strong reminders effectively overcomes obstacles such as decreased vision, hearing loss, and complex operation for elderly patients, significantly reducing their waiting anxiety and minimizing repeated inquiries to medical staff.

[0042] In this embodiment, the dynamic time prediction engine 30 is specifically configured to: combine the average time and standard deviation of each test item from sample reception to report review, as well as the real-time number of samples to be tested, to calculate and output the expected report issuance time within a 90% confidence interval. Through this structure, and by introducing statistical methods (standard deviation and confidence interval), the prediction results are not only accurate but also reliable and scientific. Elderly patients receive a reasonable time range with high confidence, rather than a single fuzzy estimate, which further reduces patient dissatisfaction and anxiety caused by prediction bias.

[0043] In this embodiment, the wristband body 10 includes a detachable wristband body 11 and a wearing part 12; the wearing part 12 is made of medical-grade silicone and supports alcohol wiping disinfection; the display unit 40 is a low-power e-ink screen or a reflective LCD; the wristband is powered by a single button battery 13, with a battery life of no less than 3 months; the communication module 20 is a low-frequency Bluetooth communication module, achieving full coverage of the outpatient area. Through the above structure, the detachable design and the use of medical-grade silicone for alcohol wiping disinfection meet the hygiene and safety requirements of the hospital environment, support the reusability of the wristband 10, and reduce consumable costs; the low-power screen and long-lasting battery (3 months) significantly reduce the maintenance workload of charging or replacing batteries; the low-frequency Bluetooth communication ensures stable coverage of the entire outpatient area and guarantees the real-time and reliable transmission of predictive data.

[0044] In this embodiment, a pairing module 70 is also included, configured to automatically bind patient information to the wristband 10 in response to a nurse scanning the patient's test request barcode and the ID barcode on the wristband sequentially using a barcode scanner. This structure eliminates the need for manual input of patient information or complex pairing operations, greatly simplifying the nurse's workflow, reducing the possibility of human error, and improving the overall efficiency and accuracy of the blood collection process, enabling elderly patients to quickly and accurately begin using the wristband 10.

[0045] In this embodiment, the wristband 10 includes two optional wearing methods: a wristband type 81 and a lanyard type 82. This structure fully considers the different physical conditions and personal preferences of elderly patients (such as wrist arthritis, skin sensitivity, etc.), improving wearing comfort and patient compliance. The lanyard type also allows the screen and voice broadcasts to be closer to the patient's line of sight and hearing range, optimizing information reception and ensuring that the reminder function is equally effective for elderly people with poor vision or hearing.

[0046] In this embodiment, the strong reminder unit 60 is configured to provide a multi-sensory reminder for a preset duration, or until the patient presses the confirmation button 61 on the wristband; the multi-sensory reminder includes flashing light, vibration, and voice announcement. Through this structure, by setting up continuous reminders and an active confirmation mechanism, the probability of elderly patients noticing the "report has been issued" notification is greatly increased, effectively preventing them from missing important reminders due to slow reaction, temporary absence, or distraction. The interactive design of the confirmation button also provides a clear closed loop, allowing patients to clearly know that they have received the information, further reducing anxiety.

[0047] This embodiment also includes an indoor positioning and intelligent guidance module 90, which includes: an indoor positioning unit 91, configured to use multiple low-power Bluetooth positioning beacons and multi-point positioning algorithms deployed inside the hospital to determine the patient's real-time location within the hospital; a virtual geofence unit 92, configured to determine the area type where the patient is currently located based on the boundaries of multiple preset functional areas; and a graded reminder control unit 93, configured to execute a corresponding reminder strategy based on the area type where the patient is currently located when all test reports have been approved: when the patient is in a designated waiting area, a strong reminder unit 60 is triggered; when the patient is in other functional areas within the hospital, an enhanced voice reminder containing personalized navigation guidance to the blood collection center is broadcast by a command voice broadcast unit 50, and an assistance notification containing the patient's location information is sent to the terminal of the medical staff closest to the patient; when the patient is identified as having left the hospital area, an SMS notification containing report ready information and subsequent processing methods is triggered and sent to a pre-registered contact number.

[0048] This structure fundamentally solves the technical problem of the wristband's top 10 alerts failing due to distance or noisy environments when elderly patients leave the designated waiting area. By providing enhanced voice alerts with personalized navigation guidance in other areas of the hospital and notifying nearby medical staff for assistance, a leap from passive waiting to proactive guidance is achieved. Automatic SMS notifications and alerts for discharged patients ensure full coverage of notifications. This solution significantly improves the timeliness of report retrieval and the patient's medical experience, while reducing the burden on medical staff to manually search for patients.

[0049] In this embodiment, the tiered reminder control unit 93 also communicates with a visual management interface 100 for medical staff. The management interface 100 is configured to display the waiting status, estimated report time, and real-time location of all patients wearing wristbands 10 on a map in real time, and to highlight patients whose reports have been issued but not yet collected, along with their locations. This structure provides medical staff with global real-time awareness, enabling nurses to intuitively grasp the dynamics and status of all waiting patients, especially quickly locating patients requiring special attention or guidance. This achieves proactive and efficient management and intervention, optimizing departmental workflows and resource allocation.

[0050] A method for predicting and reminding elderly people of their waiting time for blood collection includes:

[0051] Step S1: After blood collection is completed, bind the wristband 10 to the patient's test information;

[0052] Step S2: The dynamic time prediction engine 30 reads the patient's test item code, and calculates the expected report issuance time by combining the historical test duration data of each item and the real-time number of samples to be tested in the laboratory, and sends the time to the wristband 10.

[0053] Step S3: The display unit 40 of the wristband displays the countdown of the remaining waiting time based on the expected report issuance time in large font, and responds to the patient's operation of the voice button, and announces the current expected waiting time in voice.

[0054] Step S4: When the status of all inspection reports being approved is received, the strong reminder unit 60 of the wristband immediately triggers a multi-sensory combination reminder including flashing light, vibration and voice broadcast.

[0055] The above structure clearly defines the complete workflow from blood collection and binding, dynamic prediction engine calculation and time transmission, large-font countdown display on the wristband and voice broadcast, to triggering a multi-sensory strong reminder upon report completion. This method deeply integrates age-friendly multimodal interaction with dynamic time prediction, providing elderly patients with a complete, clear, and self-contained information acquisition loop that does not rely on assistance from others, effectively solving the problems of uncertain waiting times and unfriendly reminder methods.

[0056] In this embodiment, the method for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time also includes:

[0057] Step Q1: Track the patient's location in real time using low-power Bluetooth positioning beacons deployed within the hospital, and pre-set multiple virtual geofences;

[0058] Step Q2: Once all reports have been approved, identify the patient's current location and issue a tiered alert.

[0059] Step Q21: If the patient is outside the designated waiting area but still inside the hospital, control the wristband 10 to broadcast an enhanced voice reminder including route guidance and send an assistance request to the nearest medical staff terminal.

[0060] Step Q22: If the patient is identified as having left the hospital grounds, the report readiness information will be automatically sent to the patient or their emergency contact via SMS.

[0061] Through the aforementioned structure, by tracking patient locations in real time and pre-setting virtual geofences, the system can intelligently adjust reminder strategies based on the patient's location upon report completion—providing navigational guidance to patients in other areas of the hospital and sending SMS notifications to patients leaving the hospital. This method ensures effective notification delivery while proactively locating and guiding patients leaving the waiting area, further enhancing its practicality and adaptability to complex hospital environments.

[0062] The above descriptions provide one or more embodiments in conjunction with specific details, but do not imply that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. Any methods or structures that are similar to or identical to those of the present invention, or any technical deductions or substitutions made based on the concept of the present invention, should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wristband for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time, characterized in that, include: The wristband body (10) is for the patient to wear; The communication module (20) is configured to communicate with the hospital's laboratory information system to obtain the codes of all the test items collected by the patient for this blood collection and the real-time completion status of each item; The dynamic time prediction engine (30) is built into the wristband (10) or set on the hospital server and interacts with the wristband through the communication module (20). The dynamic time prediction engine (30) is configured to: calculate the expected report issuance time based on the historical test duration data of each test item and the real-time load of laboratory instruments, and dynamically correct the expected report issuance time according to the obtained real-time completion status. A display unit (40) is disposed on the wristband body (10) to display the remaining waiting time or report issuance information based on the expected report issuance time; The voice broadcast unit (50) is configured to respond to patient operations by broadcasting the current estimated waiting time. The strong reminder unit (60) is configured to immediately trigger a multi-sensory combined reminder after all inspection reports have been approved.

2. The elderly blood collection waiting time prediction and reminder wristband according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dynamic time prediction engine (30) is specifically configured as follows: combining the average time and standard deviation of each inspection item from sample reception to report review, and the real-time number of samples to be inspected, to calculate and output the expected report issuance time within a 90% confidence interval.

3. The elderly blood collection waiting time prediction and reminder wristband according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wristband body (10) includes a detachable wristband body (11) and a wearing part (12); the display unit (40) is a low-power e-ink screen or a reflective LCD; the wristband is powered by a battery (13); the communication module (20) is a low-frequency Bluetooth communication module.

4. The elderly blood collection waiting time prediction and reminder wristband according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a pairing module (70) configured to automatically bind patient information to the wristband (10) in response to a nurse scanning the patient's test request barcode and the ID barcode on the wristband in sequence with a barcode scanner.

5. A wristband for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bracelet (10) includes two wearing methods: wristband (81) and lanyard (82).

6. A wristband for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time according to claim 1, characterized in that, The strong reminder unit (60) is configured to make the multi-sensory combination reminder continue for a preset duration, or until the patient presses the confirmation button (61) on the wristband; the multi-sensory combination reminder includes flashing light, vibration and voice broadcast.

7. A wristband for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an indoor positioning and intelligent guidance module (90), which includes: The indoor positioning unit (91) is configured to use multiple low-power Bluetooth positioning beacons and multi-point positioning algorithms deployed inside the hospital to determine the real-time location of the patient within the hospital. The virtual geofence unit (92) is configured to determine the type of area where the patient is currently located based on the boundaries of multiple preset functional areas; The graded reminder control unit (93) is configured to execute a corresponding reminder strategy based on the patient's current region type when all test reports have been approved: When the patient is in the designated waiting area, the strong reminder unit (60) is triggered. When the patient is in other functional areas within the hospital, the voice broadcasting unit (50) is instructed to broadcast an enhanced voice reminder containing personalized navigation guidance to the blood collection center, and to send an assistance notification containing the patient's location information to the nearest medical staff terminal; When a patient is identified as having left the hospital grounds, an SMS notification containing report readiness information and follow-up procedures is sent to the pre-registered contact number.

8. A wristband for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time according to claim 7, characterized in that, The graded reminder control unit (93) also communicates with a medical staff visual management interface (100), which is configured to display the waiting status, expected report time and real-time location of all patients wearing wristbands (10) on a map in real time, and highlight patients whose reports have been issued but have not yet been collected and their locations.

9. A method for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time, applied to a wristband as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, include: Step S1: After blood collection is completed, bind the wristband (10) to the patient's test information; Step S2: The dynamic time prediction engine (30) reads the patient's test item code, and calculates the expected report issuance time by combining the historical test duration data of each item and the real-time number of laboratory samples to be tested, and sends the time to the wristband (10). Step S3: The display unit (40) of the wristband displays the remaining waiting time countdown based on the expected report issuance time in large font, and responds to the patient's operation of the voice button by broadcasting the current expected waiting time. Step S4: When the status of all inspection reports being approved is received, the strong reminder unit (60) of the wristband immediately triggers a multi-sensory combination reminder including flashing light, vibration and voice broadcast.

10. A method for predicting and reminding elderly people of their blood collection waiting time according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: Step Q1: Track the patient's location in real time using low-power Bluetooth positioning beacons deployed within the hospital, and pre-set multiple virtual geofences; Step Q2: Once all reports have been approved, identify the patient's current location and issue a tiered alert. Step Q21: If the patient is outside the designated waiting area but still inside the hospital, the control wristband (10) will broadcast an enhanced voice reminder containing route guidance and send an assistance request to the nearest medical staff terminal. Step Q22: If the patient is identified as having left the hospital grounds, the report readiness information will be automatically sent to the patient or their emergency contact via SMS.

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