Method of providing a medical assistance device for use by a non-medically trained person, and device and network thereof
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- AIDENCY AS
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-13
Smart Images
Figure NO2024050156_09012025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] METHOD OF PROVIDING A MEDICAL ASSISTANCE DEVICE FOR USE BY A NON-MEDICALLY TRAINED PERSON, AND DEVICE AND NETWORK THEREOF
[0002] Background
[0003] Ambulance services play a crucial role in modern society by providing emergency medical care to people who are in urgent need of assistance. However, there are several problems associated with ambulance services that can have negative consequences, including waiting times to get to the scene of an incident.
[0004] One of the main issues with ambulance services is the long waiting times that people often experience when they call for emergency medical assistance. Some medical emergencies and injuries are such that the longer a patient is experiencing the medical emergency / injury the odds of permanent damage or loss of life are dramatically increased.
[0005] Thus, early intervention in these situations is imperative. The goal for an ambulance service is to arrive at the scene of an emergency within a short timeframe to increase the chances of patient survival and / or reduced patient suffering and permanent damage. For example, in Norway the target for an ambulance to arrive on scene is within 12 minutes in densely populated areas, and 25 minutes for rural areas, of receiving a call. However, this target is often missed due to delay.
[0006] This delay can be caused by a range of factors, including a shortage of ambulances, insufficient staff, heavy traffic, challenging landscape topography creating poor accessibility, and a high volume of emergency calls. Insufficient medical professionals is a growing problem, especially in western countries experiencing an ageing population.
[0007] Delays in ambulance response times can have a significant impact on patient outcomes. For example, it has been investigated that for every minute of delay in ambulance response time, the odds of survival for patients with a cardiac arrest decreased by 7.5%.
[0008] Furthermore, it has been investigated that delays in ambulance response times can also result in permanent damage or disability for patients. For example, it has been investigated that patients who experienced a stroke and were delayed in receiving appropriate medical care had a higher risk of long-term disability and a poorer quality of life.
[0009] The negative consequences of these problems can be significant, and may include delayed medical treatment, increased morbidity and mortality rates, and decreased patient satisfaction. In order to address these issues, new technologies and equipment are required to improve response times and patient outcomes.
[0010] It is an object of the invention to provide a method, device and system to address the above-outlined problem associated with the waiting time for an ambulance service to arrive on scene and in particular reduce a loss of life probability as a result of said waiting times.
[0011] Summary of the Invention
[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing a medical-assistance-device for use by a non-medically trained person at a scene of an accident or incident to a person in need of medical attention, comprising: a) providing a medical-assistance-device network, the network comprising: a plurality of medical-assistance-devices stowed at various publicly accessible locations across a predetermined geographical area, wherein the medical-assistance-device comprises a selection of medicines; and a control centre for the medical- assistance-device network; wherein a data connection between each of the medical-assistance-devices in the network and the control centre is periodically activated; and b) establishing a communication connection with an emergency services operator by a user; c) locating a medical-assistance-device in the network that is closest to the person in need of medical assistance and establishing a data connection between said closest medical-assistance-device and the control centre; d) manual retrieval of said closest medical-assistance-device at the publicly accessible location; e) manually transporting the closest medical- assistance-device to the person in need of medical assistance; f) making the closest medical-assistance-device accessible when it arrives at a scene of the accident or incident; g) based on an analysis of the medical assistance required of the person in need of medical attention, providing instruction on a use of the medical-assistance-device.
[0013] The method may further comprise providing a personal computer application, said application comprising instructions for use of each of the selection of medicines in the medical-assistance-device, the personal computer application data communicable with the control centre.
[0014] The medical assistance device may further comprise a location tracking device, the method further comprising: h) locating by the emergency services operator and / or the control centre, a geographical location of the scene of the accident or incident; i) receiving, by the control centre, location data from the device to track the transportation of the device to the person in need of medical assistance in order to determine when the device arrives at a scene of the accident or incident.
[0015] Activating the closest medical-assistance-device when it arrives at a scene of the accident or incident may further comprise the step of: j.1 ) putting the device into an unlocked state by remotely unlocking a remote control lock such that the user can access a contents of the medical-assistance-device; or j.2) wherein the medical- assistance-device comprises a mechanical code-based lock, retrieving the code for the particular medical-assistance-device and transmitting said code.
[0016] Each of the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network may have a control module and at least one sensor for gathering use-related data, and the method may further comprise: k) uploading said use-related data from each of the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network to the control centre during periodic activation of the data connection. Locating a medical-assistance-device in the network that is closest to the person in need of medical assistance may comprise: I) selecting an area around the scene of the accident or incident determined by a predetermined radius; m) identifying all of the medical-assistance-devices falling within the selected area; and n) analysing, by the control centre, a transport time from a stowage location to the scene for each of the identified medical-assistance-devices falling within the selected area, wherein analysing the transport time comprises adjusting for at least one of live traffic conditions, landscape topography, and route configuration.
[0017] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a control system implemented in a cloud computing environment for management of a medical- assistance-device network, management of the use of a medical-assistance- device in said medical-assistance-device network, and serve as a connection interface to different users in the medical-assistance-device network comprising: a data connection module configured to be in data communication with a plurality of medical device units in a medical device network, and to be in communication with an emergency services operator, and to be in communication with a personal computer device of a person at a scene of an accident or incident; a location module configured to receive location data on a location of a person in need of medical assistance; a logistics module configured and locate at least one medicalassistance devices in a predetermined vicinity of the person in need of medical assistance and identify a nearest available medical-assistance-device of the at least one medical-assistance-devices; a device authorisation module which receives an authorisation request through the data connection module to unlock a particular device in a device network; the device authorisation module configured to remotely unlock the particular device upon receiving a valid authorisation request; a monitoring module configured to remotely and periodically monitor an integrity state of each of the devices in the device network via the data connection module to monitor an integrity state of each of the devices.
[0018] The location module may comprise computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor, performs step c) of the first aspect of the invention; the device authorisation module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor, performs step f) of the first aspect of the invention; and the instruction module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor, performs step g) of the first aspect of the invention.
[0019] The data connection module may comprise computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor perform steps h) and i) of the first aspect of the invention.
[0020] The device authorisation module may comprise computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor perform steps j.1 ) or j.2) of the first aspect of the invention.
[0021] The data connection module may comprise computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor performs step k) of the first aspect of the invention.
[0022] The data connection module may comprise computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor perform steps I), m) and n) of the first aspect of the invention.
[0023] The control system may be further configured to track a location and status of each of a device caretaker to optimise a logistics of carrying out step c) of the first aspect of the invention, wherein the nearest available medical-assistance-device is measured in terms of time or distance for travel.
[0024] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a medical- assistance-device for use in a network of publicly accessible medical devices, the medical-assistance-device comprising: an external housing comprising: a lid part; and a base part; a device lock; an internal housing for storing medicine to be stored in the device; and a control module for enabling data communication to the control system of the second aspect of the invention; and a remote-controlled device lock configured to be remotely unlocked by the control system of the second aspect of the invention when the control system identifies that the device has arrived at a scene of a medical accident or incident.
[0025] The internal housing may comprise a plurality of recesses each recess configured to individually house one of a plurality of separate medicines.
[0026] The selection of medicines stored in the recesses of the internal housing may comprise nitro-glycerine; at least one epinephrine auto-injectors, at least one glucagon nose injector and at least one insulin pen.
[0027] According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a medical- assistance-device network comprising: a plurality of the medical-assistance- devices according to the third aspect of the invention, each medical-assistance- device having a stowage location in a publicly accessible area, said stowage locations distributed across a predetermined geographical area; and the control system of the second aspect of the invention; wherein each of the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network are data-connectable to the control system.
[0028] The network may further comprise at least one allocated caretaker for each medical-assistance-device in the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network; and a personal computer device associated with each caretaker in the network, wherein each personal computer device is enabled with an application which is data-connectable to the control centre for receiving notifications about the network and / or a respective medical-assistance-device.
[0029] According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a use of the medical- assistance-device network of the fourth aspect of the invention, in the method of the first aspect of the invention. Brief Description of the Drawings
[0030] Fig. 1 a is a flowchart of a method for providing medical assistance at a scene of an accident or incident;
[0031] Fig. 1 b shows a schematic diagram of a control system implemented in a cloud computing environment;
[0032] Fig. 1 c shows a flowchart of a monitoring procedure to be performed on each medical-assistance-device in a medical-assistance-device network;
[0033] Fig. 2 is a medical-assistance-device network;
[0034] Fig. 3a is a perspective view of an example medical-assistance-device;
[0035] Fig. 3b is a top-down view of an example medical-assistance-device;
[0036] Fig. 3c is a side on view of an example medical-assistance-device;
[0037] Fig. 3d is a perspective view of an example medical-assistance-device;
[0038] Fig. 4 is an internal view of an example medical-assistance-device;
[0039] Fig. 5a shows an example lock for use with the medical-assistance-device of the invention;
[0040] Fig. 5b is a side on view of the example lock in a partially open position;
[0041] Fig. 5c is a perspective side view of the example lock in a partially open position; Fig.6a is an expanded view of a further example medical-assistance-device; and Fig. 6b is a perspective view of the example medical-assistance-device of Fig. 6b in a closed state.
[0042] Definitions
[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all terms of art, notations and other scientific terms or terminology used herein are intended to have the meanings commonly understood by those of skill in the art to which this invention pertains. In some cases, terms with commonly understood meanings are defined herein for clarity and / or for ready reference, and the inclusion of such definitions herein should not necessarily be construed to represent a substantial difference over what is generally understood in the art. In this text, the term ‘scene’ refers to the location where a person is in need of medical attention, for example after an accident or due to a medical emergency such as a heart attack, stroke, hypothermia, hypoglycaemia, shock, to name a few non-limiting examples.
[0044] In this text, the term ‘a person at the scene’ refers to any person assisting the person in need of medical attention such as a passer-by, a first responder or an acquaintance of the person in need of medical assistance and includes the person in need of medical attention themselves.
[0045] In this text, the term ‘control centre’ and ‘control system’ may be used interchangeably.
[0046] Detailed Description
[0047] Figure 1 shows a flowchart of a method 100 of providing medical assistance at the scene of an accident or incident before an ambulance or paramedics arrive on scene.
[0048] At step 101 , a medical-assistance-device network is provided. The network has a plurality of medical-assistance-devices spread across a predetermined geographical location, preferably the devices are located in publicly accessible places. In a particular implementation, the geographical locations are spaces where a person, organization or company has ownership to said space. These spaces may be offices, cinemas, shopping centres, hospitals, apartment buildings, gyms, to name a few non-limiting examples. The network also has a control centre for the medical-assistance-device network. A data connection between each of the medical-assistance-devices in the network and the control centre is periodically activated to check for a status update and / or to transfer use-related data from the respective device to the control centre. Checking for a status update preferably includes checking the device has not been compromised, for example by vandalising. Said control centre may comprise real-time information regarding the status and location of all medical-assistance-devices in the network. The status of each medical-assistance-device in the network can include: its contents, history of use, history of checks, to name a few non-limiting examples. This includes monitoring of temperature fluctuations, expiry dates and unauthorized access (e.g., theft) of the medical-assistance-device or any of its content. In some examples of the medical-assistance-device, said contents includes a thermometer. In this case the control centre may further comprise real-time and historic temperature data. Logging a temperature over time of the medical-assistance- device device may be carried out for a quality control of the contained medication, as described further below. The control centre may further gather and store data relating to usage of the Pre-aid device. Examples of usage data include: number of usages of each of the available drugs within the medical-assistance-device, number of use occasions of each location. The usage data can be used in data analysis to improve the device network, and optimise device availability and contents. In addition, a data connection may also be established between the medical-assistance-device and the mobile phone of the PAS.
[0049] A person in need of medical attention (PMA) is identified after which an emergency services is called, step 102. Normally the emergency services will be the national medical emergency service, for example 113 can be called in Norway to reach the Norwegian ambulance service. Once a connection with the emergency services has been established, a person at the scene (PAS) can talk to the emergency services operator (ESO) for instructions, step 104. In some instances, and where the national emergency services infrastructure supports it, a video connection between an ESO and the PAS can be established, for example on a personal computer device (mobile phone) of the PAS. The PAS may receive an SMS, step 105, containing a link to establish a video connection, step 106.
[0050] Via audio description of a state and symptoms of the PMA and / or from visual information via the video link, the ESO can diagnose a medical issue of the PMA, step 108. The ESO may also access a medical history of the PMA and use this in combination with the description of the state and symptoms of the PMA to diagnose a correct medical issue. At this stage 110, a location of a medical-assistance-device in proximity to the PMA is located. Preferably a medical-assistance-device out of a plurality of possible medical-assistance-devices that are geographically nearest to the PMA is identified. The device may be enabled with location finding aids such as audio and / or visual indicators, for example the device may make a sound and / or have flashing lights which are activated when said device is located as the nearest device in the network to the scene. Optionally, the control centre / control system starts an automated process wherein several contact persons are contacted, preferably via a notification on an associated Application or by text message, on a personal computer device of said several contact persons. The medical- assistance-device can then be located using directions provided by the Application. These several contact persons may be described as a network of device caretakers and is described further below.
[0051] Preferably, the medical-assistance-device is configured to remain in a locked state until it arrives on scene. The medical-assistance-device may be enabled with an alarm function such that, prior to activation of the medical-assistance-device, an alarm will trigger in response to detecting a potential tampering with the device. The alarm may be audible, and may have escalating steps. In the arrangement wherein there is a network of caretakers associated with the network of medical- assistance-device, a caretaker of the particular medical-assistance-device may receive an alert notification, via notification on the Application or via a text message, warning that the caretaker that a potential tampering of their respective device is occurring.
[0052] The medical-assistance-device may comprise a control module to enable the periodic data connection to be established between the medical-assistance-device and the control centre, such as an online (cloud-based) platform. The control module of the medical-assistance-device may also provide phone connectivity. After the closest medical-assistance-device is located, a connection to said device is established via its control module, step 112. Preferably, this data connection is secure and continuous. The data connection is enabled through a wireless or Bluetooth network. At 114, the medical-assistance-device is removed from its secured location, and transported to the PMA, for example by a device caretaker as explain in more detail below. Since the device and control centre (control system) are configured to react to removal and movement of the device as a security event, upon valid selection of the particular medical-assistance-device, the control centre / system disables its, and the devices, warning / alert functions so that they are not erroneously activated by authorised use.
[0053] At 116, the contents of the medical-assistance-device is made accessible and / or activated, for example the device is changed from a locked state to an unlocked state. As will be explained in more detail below, the medical-assistance-device preferably contains medicines, such as essential and / or lifesaving medicines. These lifesaving medicines may be non-prescription or prescription. Some examples of medicines to be kept in the medical-assistance-device include adrenalin, insulin, and nitro-glycerine.
[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the contents of the each medical-assistance-device is as follows: a pulse oximeter, a breathing assistance / face mask, a glucose measurement device, a heath blanket, a bandage, and a selection of pharmaceutical products.
[0055] The following is a list of preferred medicines to make up the contents of the medical-assistance-device, along with their effects.
[0056] Naloxone: Emergency treatment for known or suspected opioid overdose, manifested by respiratory depression and / or CNS depression, both inside and outside healthcare facilities / medical settings. Does not replace emergency medical care. Adrenaline: Emergency treatment for severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to insecticides, foods, medicines and other allergens, as well as idiopathic or exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Glyseroltrinitrate: Angina pectoris. Acetylsalisylic acid: Emergency treatment for suspected acute myocardial infarction after contact with 113. Glucagon: Treatment of severe hypoglycaemic reactions that may occur in insulin-treated children and adults with diabetes mellitus. Salbutamol: Acute bronchospasm.
[0057] In some instances, changing the medical-assistance-device from a locked state to an unlocked state comprises unlocking a lock of an external housing of the device. The lock may be remotely unlocked by the emergency services when they identify that the device has arrived at the scene. This may be achieved by a location tracker device, i.e. a GPS tracker, incorporated into the medical-assistance-device or simply by visual indication through the established video feed. In a particular example, the lock preventing access to the device contents is a mechanical lock and the control centre / system provide a notification comprising the code to the mechanical lock.
[0058] In a first example of the method, at step 1 18a, the PAS or a device caretaker is guided by oral instructions by the ESO. The oral instructions comprise which medicine from the selection of medication in the medical-assistance-device to select based on the symptoms of the PMA and direction of use of said medicine. Each of the selection of medication contained within the medical-assistance- device may be stored in packaging with clear identifiable numbering as well as the medical name of the product. In an example of oral instructions, the ESO may instruct the user to select medicine number one, followed by requesting the user to read the medical name and / or further information on the medicine packaging for confirmation that the correct medication has been selected by the user.
[0059] In a second example of the invention, at step 1 18b, a pair of AR glasses are activated upon activation of the medical-assistance-device into an unlocked state. The AR glasses are controllable by the control centre via the ESO and are programmed to overlay a simulation of a use of the identified correct medicine onto the PMA. This provides the benefit that both of the user’s hands are free to administer the medicine.
[0060] In a third example of the invention, at step 1 18c, an App on the PAS’s mobile phone may be activated, said App enabled with augmented reality (AR) capabilities to overlay a simulation of a use of the identified correct medicine onto a video stream of the PMA from the PAS’s personal computing device’s camera.
[0061] Preferably, the PAS stays with the PMA and the medical-assistance-device until an ambulance crew arrives.
[0062] After an ambulance crew arrives, the medical-assistance-device is preferably subjected to a decommissioning procedure. For example, the device is collected, brought to a management centre where a safety check is performed on the device, any used medication is replaced and then the device is deployed back into the network. In the meantime, an alert may be triggered on the platform indicating that one of the devices in the network has been removed, and this triggers instructions for a replacement device to be deployed to said location.
[0063] Preferably the ambulance crew have instructions that a medical-assistance-device is on scene, and they should close the kit on arrival. As a fail-safe, the Pre-aid kit may be configured with an automatic closing and locking mechanism which is activated upon removal of a medicine, is programmed to close after a predetermined elapsed time of first opening of the device, or can be actuated by the ESO.
[0064] Figure 1 b shows a schematic diagram of a control system 600 implemented in a cloud computing environment. The control system 600 has a data connection module 602, a location module 604, a logistics module 606, a device authorisation module 608, a monitoring module 610, and an instruction module 612.
[0065] The data connection module 602 is configured to be in data communication with a plurality of medical device units in a medical device network, an emergency services operator, and a personal computer device of a person at a scene of an accident or incident. The location module 604 is configured to receive location data on a location of a person in need to medical assistance and locate a medical-assistance-device in the network of medical-assistance-devices which is closest to said person.
[0066] The logistics module 606 configured to identify a nearest available medical- assistance-device in the medical-assistance-device network.
[0067] The device authorisation module 608 is configured to receive an authorisation request through the data connection module 602 to unlock a particular device in a device network; the device authorisation module 608 is configured to remotely unlock the particular device upon receiving a valid authorisation request.
[0068] The monitoring module 610 is configured to remotely and periodically monitor an integrity state of each of the devices in the device network via the data connection module 602 to monitor an integrity state of each of the devices.
[0069] The cloud-based control system serves as a web user interfaces to different users like the ESO, and personnel. The control system may track a location and status of each device caretaker to optimise a logistics of carrying out method 100 when it has been identified that the medical-assistance-device is required at a scene of an accident.
[0070] The instruction module 612 is configured to received information via the data connection module 602 about the type of illness and / or injury of the person in need of medical attention, retrieve instructions for us of a medicine or accessories in the medical-assistance-device relevant for care of the predetermined illness and / or injury and transmit via the data connection module 602 the instruction for use to the personal computer device of a person at a scene of the accident or incident.
[0071] Figure 1 c shows a flowchart of the monitoring procedure, to be performed on an ongoing basis, by the control system 600 (the control centre) on each medical- assistance-device in the medical-assistance-device network. During each status update wherein there is a temporary data connection between the control system 600 and a particular medical-assistance-device, or upon triggering of an associated sensor, it is assessed whether the device has been used to provide preliminary assistance 702, whether there is evidence of tampering 704, whether a temperature range that is safe for the products contained within has been positively or negatively exceeded 706, or whether a shelf life of one or more of the medicines has been exceeded 708. If any of the above are confirmed to have occurred by the control system 600, the control system 600 determines that the medical-assistance-device is invalid for further use 716. If the control system 600 determines that none of the above have occurred, the medical-assistance-device is determined to be valid for continued use in situ 710. The control system 600, configured to continually (periodically) check for the invalidations of figure 1 c, allows the system to be disposed in publicly accessible locations, since it provides a continuous and necessary monitoring of the devices made vulnerable by their accessibility to the public.
[0072] When the medical-assistance-device is unlocked and opened, the medical- assistance-device is automatically invalidated, and appropriate messages is sent to ESO and the control centre / control system. When a medical-assistance-device is invalidated due to use or other conditions, the control centre / control system 600 will issue a replacement device and the invalidated device will be decommissioned 722. In other circumstances such as whether a temperature range that is safe for the products contained within has been positively or negatively exceeded 706, or whether a shelf life of one or more of the medicines has been exceeded 708, a notification is provided by the control system 600 that the invalidated device is to be returned for servicing 720.
[0073] Figure 2 shows an illustration of a medical-assistance-device network 200 in a particular geographical area 202. The Medical-assistance-device network comprises a plurality of Medical-assistance-devices Pi -Pn distributed at various locations across a public space, for example across an urban area in a similar manner to the current public distribution of defibrillators. Some of the devices may also be installed in office buildings and public transport hubs such as train stations and metro stations. Also, the medical-assistance-device network 200 may include mobile situations where medical-assistance-devices are stowed on public transport vehicles, such as trains, trams, busses, ferries, to name a few nonlimiting examples. The density of medical-assistance-devices in a network for a particular network area may depend on the population density of the area and / or a particular demographic of said area. In an example, the device density in a particular urban-type area may be in the region of a device every 500m. Along with a network of devices 200, the invention may include a network of device caretakers. Each device caretaker is responsible for one or more medical- assistance-devices in the network. Their responsibilities may include one or more of regularly manually checking a state of the medical-assistance-device, being generally responsible for ensuring a medical-assistance-device is present and operational at each device location, and in its optimum state, and to be on call to be alerted that a PMA requires the medical-assistance-device to deliver the device to the scene. Preferably, there is more than one device caretaker for each medical-assistance-device in the network. The control centre may track a location and status of each device caretaker to optimise a logistics of carrying out method 100 when it has been identified that the medical-assistance-device is required at a scene of an accident.
[0074] With further reference to figure 2, when a person experiences an emergency or injury within a particular network area 204, the location is available from the location data from the person’s phone or by an oral description of the location to the ESO. A control centre in the form of a cloud-based software system sets a predetermined radius 206 from the scene, for example 500 meters. The program identifies each medical-assistance-device falling within the set radius Pi-Ps. Using location data of each device in the area defined by the predetermined radius, the distance between each device Pi-Ps and the scene is determined. The devices are ordered by distance. The status of each device Pi-Ps is checked in sequential order. The first device in the sequential order deemed in an operational state becomes the target device to be fetched and brought to the scene. Status can be retrieved from a log of operational states retrieved periodically, or preferably a forced “wake up” is instructed in the device to access its real-time status. In the example of figure 2, P3 is the closest device “as the crow flies”. However, it can be observed that the actual route from the scene to device P3 crosses a river. Thus, the actual walking distance may be much greater to incorporate crossing over a bridge such as bridge 208. The program may utilize a mapping application, such as Google Maps® or Apple maps® and incorporate real journey time into the calculation of distance to each device falling within the area determined by the radius from the scene.
[0075] Figures 3a to 3d show an example medical-assistance-device 300. The medical- assistance-device 300 has an external housing 302 comprised of a lid part 308a and a base part 308b, a pair of handles 304a, 304b, and a device lock 306. The external housing 302 may be fabricated from a stiff plastic or other hardwearing material. Preferably, the external housing comprises at least one handle for transporting the device. In the example of figures 3a to 3b, the pair of handles comprise a left handle 304a and a right handle 304b perpendicular to a length of the device 300 and inset into grooves in the lid part 308a. This handle arrangement encourages a carrying of the device in a flat position which may be important for some medicines stored within. The external housing 302 houses and protects all the internal elements of the medical-assistance-device 300 including the medicine.
[0076] Figure 4 shows the medical-assistance-device 300 in an open state. The medical- assistance-device further has an internal housing 402, a selection of medicines 404a-404i, and a location tracking device (not shown). The internal housing 402 has a plurality of recesses to individually house each separate medicine 404a-404i in the device 300. The internal housing 402 may be fabricated from a foam which fills an internal cavity of the external housing with cut-outs for housing the corresponding medicine. This may provide the benefit of protecting the medicine from impacts whilst the medical-assistance-device is being transported and / or used. Alternatively, the inner housing may be fabricated from plastic. The medical- assistance-device may have a control module with data connectivity via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. Preferably, the device is mounted to a wall using magnets for quick and easy removal in an emergency situation. Since magnets do not secure the device from use by an erroneous actor, the status of the device is periodically monitored by the control system.
[0077] The medical-assistance-device may further comprise one or more anti-tamper devices. A first example anti-tamper device is incorporated into the external housing. A second example anti-tamper device is incorporated into the internal housing. For example, each recess is covered by a breakable cover such as a paper cover or thin plastic cover. To access the medicine, the cover must be torn open thus providing an instant visual indication that the medical-assistance-device has been tampered with and the corresponding medicine may have been tampered with. The breakable cover tamper device has the advantage that it is a simple, mechanical solution which does not significantly increase cost, complexity or weight of the medical-assistance-device. It may be important to keep these qualities low in order to create a feasible system in some jurisdictions.
[0078] The contents of the medical-assistance-device is determined by choosing medicines which effectively treat common medical emergency / injuries having a time critical factor. There are several medical emergencies and injuries wherein response time is critical. Some examples of medical emergencies include: cardiac arrest wherein the heart of a patient suddenly stops beating; stroke wherein blood flow to the brain is interrupted; anaphylaxis resulting from a severe allergic reaction; and hyperglycaemia wherein a person’s blood sugar levels drop too low. In a particular example the content of the medical-assistance-device is: nitroglycerine; at least one epinephrine auto-injectors such as EpiPen® and Adrenaclick®, and at least one insulin pen.
[0079] However, the contents of the medical-assistance-device may be location dependent and reflect the most frequent emergency medical need in said location. For example, the medical-assistance-device network in Australia may include antivenom injectors for the most common poisonous spiders, to name a non-limiting illustrative example. In some examples, the medical-assistance-device 300 has at least one temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of each medicine’s environment. Many medicines are temperature sensitive and can spoil when subjected to temperatures outside an acceptable predetermined range. For example, nitroglycerine and epinephrine should be kept at a temperature between 15°C to 30°C, whilst insulin should be stored at 2°C to 8°C. The temperature sensor may be in data-communication with the control module which itself is in data communication with a heating / cooling element such that the internal temperature of the device can be controlled to keep it within the predetermined acceptable medicine temperature ranges.
[0080] Alternatively, or additionally, if it is detected by the temperature sensor that one of the medicines has been exposed to a temperature outside of an acceptable range, an alert is provided signalling that this medicine should be deposed of and replaced. The temperature data from the sensor may be provided to the control module of the medical-assistance-device 300 and the alert may be a physical signal displayed on the device, such as a LED lighting up, flashing, or changing colour. Alternatively, or in addition, real time data from the temperature sensors may be uploaded to the control centre and monitored.
[0081] An arrangement of temperature protection features, such as the temperature sensors, heating / cooling elements, and untenable temperature exposure alerts may depend on the location of the medical-assistance-device network. For example, for a Pre-aid network system based in Norway, excessively cold temperatures may need to be managed. In this case the device may be incorporated with a heating element. Alternatively, in countries where temperatures regularly exceed 40°C such as countries in the middle east e.g., Saudi Arabia, countries in South Asia e.g., India, countries in North Africa and Australia, the device may be arranged to protect the contents from extreme heat. This arrangement may include a cooling element or a local or remote alert to indicate that the device has experienced untenably high temperatures. In lieu of a heating / cooling element, the internal and / or external housing of the medical- assistance-device 300 may have insulating properties in order to aid the maintenance of a stable temperature within the device 300. This arrangement has the benefit that it does not require a power source for the cooling / heating protection element and may reduce the cost of manufacture and maintenance of the device 300.
[0082] In a particular example arrangement of the medical-assistance-device 300, there may be a warm portion and a cool portion. The warm portion may be configured to be subjected to temperatures between 15°C to 30°C and the cool portion may be configured to be subjected to temperatures between 2°C to 8°C. The warm portion may house nitro-glycerine; and the at least one epinephrine auto-injectors, and the cool portion may house the insulin pen.
[0083] In some examples of the invention, the medical-assistance-device further comprises an internal weight sensor. For example, the internal weight sensor may be incorporated into the internal housing and configured to sense a total weight of the medicine contents of the device. The scales are sensitive enough to distinguish between removal of different medicines based on the reduction of total weight. In another example, the tamper device measures a weight across an area. For example, a piezo-electric plate can be positioned between the internal and external housings. Removal of a medicine reduces a measured weight in a particular area across the piezo electric plate. Correlating the area of reduced weight with the known locations of the medicines within the medical-assistance- device, the removed medicine can be sensed remotely.
[0084] In a simplified arrangement of the device with reduced additional power-operated features - such as cooling / heating element, temperature sensors, electronic scales - the device requires only a small, rechargeable battery. With the addition of temperature sensors and / or electronic scales a medium size rechargeable battery may be required. In some cases, wherein the device further includes a heating / cooling arrangement, the device may be plugged into a mains power outlet whilst stowed. In all embodiments of the medical-assistance-device, the device should be of a size and weight to be carried by a person of average physical strength for a distance of up to 500m. Thus, the device has a weight between 5kg and 25kg, a length between 30cm and 70cm, a width between 10cm and 30cm and a height between 30cm and 70cm.
[0085] The invention may further comprise a data analytics module associated with the medical-assistance-device 300, device network 200 and / or control system. In a first example, the data analytics module is in data communication with all of the medical-assistance-devices in the network and is configured to receive information from the devices such as: a frequency of use of each device in each location, and / or a frequency of use of each medication in the medical-assistance-devices, and / or at the particular locations. The data analytics can be used to improve the Pre-aid system, method and / or network, for example, by modifying an amount of medicine in the medical-assistance-device, and / or modifying a density of devices in the network.
[0086] Figures 5a to 5c show an example lock 306 for use with the medical-assistance- device 300. Preferably, the lock 306 is configured to be remote controlled to be openable by the ESO. This is to prevent misuse of the medicines in the medical- assistance-device 300 since the device will likely be located in a public location. The lock may further comprise a further tamper-proof device which indicates when the lock 306 has been attempted to be opened by an unauthorised user. This tamper device may be digital, mechanical or both. In some examples of the invention, a user of the medical-assistance-device may only have access to a relevant compartment of the device. Thus, the individual compartments housing medicines will be individually secured by a remote-controlled lock. It is important to restrict access to the medicines since their use can cause harm from improper use. Moreover, the medicines are expensive so should be protected from theft.
[0087] Figure 6a is an expanded view of a further example medical-assistance-device 500 and Figure 6b is a perspective view of the example medical-assistance-device 500 of Figure 6a in a closed state. Any of the features described with reference to a medical-assistance-device described above apply equally or can be combined with the medical-assistance-device of figure 6a and 6b accept where clearly mutually incompatible. With further reference to figure 6a and 6b, the medical-assistance-device 600 comprises an upper lid 1 providing a top part of plastic casing, a bottom lid 2 providing a bottom part of plastic casing, a carrying handle 3 providing a soft carrying handle mounted on top of the upper lid 1 and mounted with snap fit. The device 600 further has an opening handle 4 providing a main part of opening mechanism and keeping the device from opening when it is unlocked. The opening handle 4 is mounted on the upper lid 1 with two spring plungers as rotary axles. The device 600 further has a light guide 5 for distributing light from a printed circuit board and out through the upper lid 1 . There is a lock bracket 6 and a sheet metal bracket for mounting the lock. The lock bracket 6 is preferably mounted onto the upper lid 1 with two screws. There is a cooling plate 7 formed from a sheet metal plate mounted on the bottom lid 3 to provide cooling. The cooling plate 7 may be mounted with two-sided tape. The upper and lower lids are connected via a hinge axle 8, the hinge axle preferably made from steel. There is an upper tray 9 comprised of a vacuum formed plastic tray with slots for medicines and accessories. The upper tray 9 is preferably mounted on the upper lid 1 with two screws. There is further a bottom tray 10 comprised of a vacuum formed plastic tray with further slots for medicines and accessories. The bottom tray is preferably mounted in the bottom lid 3 with two screws. An O-ring 11 provides hermetically seals the interior between upper and lower lids. A lock 14 is comprised of an electronic rotary push-to-close latch with delayed re-lock and door and latch sensor. Preferably, the lock 14 is mounted on a lock bracket with two screws. A lock striker 15 is a rotary latch striker, locking into the lock 14, mounted on bottom (lower) lid.
[0088] In the example of figure 6a and 6b, the medical-assistance-device is held in place on a wall bracket with magnets 16. Preferably, there are two magnets mounted in the bottom (lower) lid 3 and two magnets mounted with screws on the wall mount made of sheet metal. There are further two spring plungers 17 working as a rotary axle for the opening handle, an opening handle spring 18, and opening handle spring 19 mounted between the opening handle 4 and the upper (top) lid 1 for spring loading the opening handle. An adapter board 20 and a battery pack 21 are shown.
[0089] The invention herein provides a method, system and device which allows non- medically trained members of the public or to device caretakers to offer critical, potentially life-saving medical assistance to persons experiencing a medical emergency. When a person is experiencing a medical emergency, time is critical with every passing minute increasing a likelihood of permanent damage or even death. There may be a number of people available to assist but the sick person needs particular expert assistance based on their condition. However, getting the required medicine and / or medical experts to the injured or sick person requires the person to be located, the closest available ambulance to be located, said ambulance to be directed to the injured / sick person’s location, and the paramedics deployed from the ambulance to the person with required medicine and / or equipment. This procedure can take valuable time and is dependent on the demand on the emergency service. This has been a growing problem in modern societies as the population ages and thus a larger percentage of the populous may require the emergency service at some point. The present invention provides a solution to the above-described problem by having a network of distributed secured boxes filled with essential medicines (medical-assistance-devices) and a control centre in data communication with the network of medical-assistance- devices to organize logistics to bring the medical-assistance-device to the injured / sick person in the shortest possible time. The invention further alleviates the problem of the sick / injured person suffering permanent, severe health consequence, and in some cases death, since the system comprising the network of device and the control centre acts as a live data gathering tool to make improvements to the system according to location, density and contents of the medical-assistance-devices.
[0090] Moreover, the method, system and device is configured to balance public accessibility, system and device safety, simplicity and cost effectiveness of the system and functionality. For example, the battery pack 21 must be small enough and light enough to be incorporated in a device that can be carried a short distance by a person of average ability. The electronics of the system must, therefore, be simple enough to facilitate such a battery. Initial location data for status update may comprise only accelerometer data which is computationally inexpensive and thus use low battery drainage. In the example wherein the medical-assistance-device is stowed internally, satellite data is ineffective for tracking the device, thus accelerometer data is used to track the location of the device until the device is in the outside.
[0091] The periodicity of the period data connection for the status check of the device may be approximately every ten minutes until accelerometer data indicates that the device is in motion, in which the periodicity is increased to several times a minute.
[0092] The medical-assistance-devices in the medical-assistance-device network described above are composed of simple components for two reasons. A first reason is that, when components of the device are non-valuable, the chance of theft is reduced, which is important in a network wherein the devices to be stowed in publicly accessible locations. A second reason is, to make the method and system commercially viable, it is necessary for the devices to be simple to use, install replace and cost conservative.
[0093] Having described preferred examples of the invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments incorporating the invention may be used. These and other examples of the invention illustrated above are intended by way of example only and the actual scope of the invention is to be determined from the appended claims.
Claims
P A T E N T C L A I M S1 . A method of providing a medical-assistance-device for use by a non- medically trained person at a scene of an accident or incident to a person in need of medical attention, comprising: a) providing a medical-assistance-device network, the network comprising: a plurality of medical-assistance-devices stowed at various publicly accessible locations across a predetermined geographical area, wherein the medical-assistance-device comprises a selection of medicines; and a control centre for the medical-assistance-device network; wherein a data connection between each of the medical-assistance- devices in the network and the control centre is periodically activated; and b) establishing a communication connection with an emergency services operator by a user; c) locating a medical-assistance-device in the network that is closest to the person in need of medical assistance and establishing a data connection between said closest medical-assistance-device and the control centre; d) manual retrieval of said closest medical-assistance-device at the publicly accessible location; e) manually transporting the closest medical-assistance-device to the person in need of medical assistance; f) making the closest medical-assistance-device accessible when it arrives at a scene of the accident or incident; g) based on an analysis of the medical assistance required of the person in need of medical attention, providing instruction on a use of the medical- assistance-device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises providing a personal computer application, said application comprising instructions for use of each of the selection of medicines in the medical-assistance-device, the personal computer application data communicable with the control centre.
3. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the medical assistance device further comprises a location tracking device, the method further comprising: h) locating by the emergency services operator and / or the control centre, a geographical location of the scene of the accident or incident; i) receiving, by the control centre, location data from the device to track the transportation of the device to the person in need of medical assistance in order to determine when the device arrives at a scene of the accident or incident.
4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein activating the closest medical- assistance-device when it arrives at a scene of the accident or incident further comprises the step of: j.1 ) putting the device into an unlocked state by remotely unlocking a remote-control lock such that the user can access a contents of the medical- assistance-device; or j.2) wherein the medical-assistance-device comprises a mechanical codebased lock, retrieving the code for the particular medical-assistance-device and transmitting said code.
5. The method of any preceding claim, wherein each of the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network have a control module and at least one sensor for gathering use-related data, the method further comprises: k) uploading said use-related data from each of the plurality of medical- assistance-devices in the network to the control centre during periodic activation of the data connection.
6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein locating a medical-assistance- device in the network that is closest to the person in need of medical assistance comprises: l) selecting an area around the scene of the accident or incident determined by a predetermined radius; m) identifying all of the medical-assistance-devices falling within the selected area; andn) analysing, by the control centre, a transport time from a stowage location to the scene for each of the identified medical-assistance-devices falling within the selected area, wherein analysing the transport time comprises adjusting for at least one of live traffic conditions, landscape topography, and route configuration.
7. A control system implemented in a cloud computing environment for management of a medical-assistance-device network, management of the use of a medical-assistance-device in said medical-assistance-device network and serve as a connection interface to different users in the medical-assistance-device network comprising: a data connection module configured to be in data communication with a plurality of medical device units in a medical device network, and to be in communication with an emergency services operator, and to be in communication with a personal computer device of a person at a scene of an accident or incident; a location module configured to receive location data on a location of a person in need of medical assistance; a logistics module configured to locate at least one medical-assistance devices in a predetermined vicinity of the person in need of medical assistance and identify a nearest available medical-assistance-device of the at least one medical-assistance-devices; a device authorisation module which receives an authorisation request through the data connection module to unlock a particular device in a device network; the device authorisation module configured to remotely unlock the particular device upon receiving a valid authorisation request; a monitoring module configured to remotely and periodically monitor an integrity state of each of the devices in the device network via the data connection module to monitor an integrity state of each of the devices.
8. The control system of claim 7, wherein: the location module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor, performs step c) of claim 1 ; the device authorisation module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor, performs step f) of claim 1 ; andthe instruction module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor, performs step g) of claim 1 .
9. The control system of claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the data connection module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor perform steps h) and i) of claim 3.
10. The control system of any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the device authorisation module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor perform steps j.1 ) or j.2) of claim 4.11 . The control system of any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the data connection module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor performs step k) of claim 5.
12. The control system of any of claims 7 to 11 , wherein the data connection module comprises computer readable media with instructions that, when executed on a processor perform steps I), m) and n) of claim 6.
13. The control system of any of claims 7 to 12, further configured to track a location and status of each of a device caretaker to optimise a logistics of carrying out step c) of claim 1 , wherein the nearest available medical-assistance-device is measured in terms of time or distance for travel.
14. A medical-assistance-device for use in a network of publicly accessible medical devices, the medical-assistance-device comprising: an external housing comprising: a lid part; and a base part; an internal housing for storing medicine to be stored in the device; a control module for enabling data communication to a control centre; anda remote-controlled device lock configured to be remotely unlocked by a control centre when the control centre identifies that the device has arrived at a scene of a medical accident or incident.
15. The device of claim 14, wherein the internal housing comprises a plurality of recesses each recess configured to individually house one of a plurality of separate medicines.
16. The device of any of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the selection of medicines stored in the recesses of the internal housing comprises nitro-glycerine; at least one epinephrine auto-injectors, at least one glucagon nose injector and at least one insulin pen.
17. A medical-assistance-device network comprising: a plurality of the medical-assistance-devices according to any of claims 14 to 17, each medical-assistance-device having a stowage location in a publicly accessible area, said stowage locations distributed across a predetermined geographical area; and the control system of any of claims 7 to 13; wherein each of the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network are data-connectable to the control system.
18. The network of claim 17, further comprising at least one allocated caretaker for each medical-assistance-device in the plurality of medical-assistance-devices in the network; and a personal computer device associated with each caretaker in the network, wherein each personal computer device is enabled with an application which is data-connectable to the control centre for receiving notifications about the network and / or a respective medical-assistance-device.
19. Use of the medical-assistance-device network of claim 17 or 18, in the method of claims 1 to 6.