Nurse call system

Abstract

To suppress occurrence of a turnover and a fall of a patient from a bed while preventing an erroneous report based on a behavior of a medical worker.SOLUTION: A first operation button 10A is arranged at a position to be visually recognized by a patient existing inside a bed. A second operation button 10B is arranged at a position not to be visually recognized by the patient existing inside the bed. A nurse call is made only when a bed fence 30D is operated to open by a first operation button 10A between an opening / closing operation of the bed fence 30D by the first operation button 10A and an opening / closing operation of the bed fence 30D by the second operation button 10B. Consequently, the call is made before the bed fence 30D is opened when the patient performs the opening operation of the first operation button 10A, and the nurse call is not made even when the medical worker performs the opening operation of the second operation button 10B to perform a nursing behavior or the like to the patient.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a nurse call system, and is particularly suitable for use in a nurse call system having a function for preventing a patient from falling or tipping over from a bed. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a nurse call system that uses a detection means such as a mat sensor or an infrared sensor to detect when a patient gets out of bed and issues a nurse call. This type of nurse call system is introduced for the purpose of detecting when a patient falls out of bed and preventing falls of a patient who gets out of bed and walks around by himself.

[0003] However, when such detection means are used to make a call, if the patient falls off the bed or falls when getting off the bed, the call is made after the patient falls, making it difficult to prevent the patient from falling.

[0004] There is also a known system in which a sensor is attached to the railing (handrail) around the bed to prevent the patient from easily getting out of bed, and a nurse call is made when any part of the patient's body touches the sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this technology, it is possible to make a call before the patient actually falls or falls. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that a call is made even when a medical professional touches the bed rail while providing nursing care to the patient. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-176512 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has as its object to prevent false alarms based on the actions of medical staff while preventing patients from slipping or falling out of bed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, bed fences at least some of which can be opened and closed electrically are installed around the bed, and a first operation instruction means is provided for instructing the opening and closing of the bed fences at a position visible from inside the bed by the patient inside the bed, and a second operation instruction means is provided for instructing the opening and closing of the bed fences at a position not visible from inside the bed by the patient inside the bed or out of the patient's reach. A nurse call is made only when the bed fence is opened by the first operation instruction means, out of the opening and closing operations of the bed fences by the first operation instruction means and the second operation instruction means. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention configured as described above, when a patient gets off the bed, it is necessary to open the first operation instruction means to open the bed rails, and when the first operation instruction means is opened, a nurse call is issued. This makes it possible to issue a call before the bed rails are electrically opened. On the other hand, when a medical professional opens the bed rails to perform a nursing action on a patient, the second operation instruction means is simply opened, and in this case, a nurse call is not issued. This prevents false alarms based on the actions of the medical professional, while preventing the patient from falling off the bed by issuing a call at an early timing before the patient is ready to get off the bed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a nurse call system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the opening and closing control device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a bed to which the nurse call system of the present embodiment is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a nurse call system according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an opening / closing control device, which is one of the components of the nurse call system according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a bed to which the nurse call system of this embodiment is applied. Fig. 3(a) shows the bed as viewed from above, and Figs. 3(b) and (c) show the bed as viewed from the side.

[0011] First, the configuration of the bed will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the bed used in this embodiment is provided with bed rails 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D (hereinafter, collectively referred to as bed rails 30) around the four sides. The bed rails 30 are provided to prevent the patient 100 from easily getting out of bed. Of these, the bed rail 30D on one side is an electrically operated bed rail that can be opened and closed.

[0012] For example, as shown in Figures 3(b) and (c), the bed rail 30D is configured to be openable and closable by sliding the entire rail up and down. Figure 3(b) shows the bed rail 30D in a completely closed state (closed state), and Figure 3(c) shows the bed rail 30D in a completely open state (open state). Note that the bed rail 30D does not necessarily have to be entirely openable and closable, and only a portion of it may be openable and closable. Also, although an example of the bed rail 30D moving up and down is shown here, it may also be configured to slide left and right.

[0013] The bed is provided with a first operation button 10A for instructing the opening and closing of the bed rails 30D, at a position visible from inside the bed by the patient 100 inside the bed. In the example of Fig. 3, the first operation button 10A is provided on the inside of the bed rails 30D, which open and close electrically. The first operation button 10A is provided on one of the inner side surfaces of the bed rails 30D, close to where the patient 100's head will be positioned when lying down on the bed. This allows the patient 100 to easily confirm the presence of the first operation button 10A.

[0014] The bed is also provided with a second operation button 10B for instructing the opening and closing of the bed rails 30D, at a position that cannot be seen from inside the bed by the patient 100 inside the bed. In the example of Fig. 3, the second operation button 10B is provided on the outside of the bed rails 30D, which open and close electrically. The second operation button 10B is provided on one of the outer side surfaces of the bed rails 30D, far from the position where the patient 100's head will be positioned when lying down on the bed. This makes it difficult for the patient 100 to notice the presence of the second operation button 10B.

[0015] The first operation button 10A and the second operation button 10B (hereinafter, sometimes collectively referred to as operation buttons 10) are examples of a first operation instruction means and a second operation instruction means, respectively. Note that the operation instruction means does not necessarily have to be a button. For example, the operation instruction means may be a switch or a contact sensor.

[0016] The second operation button 10B may be provided at a position where the patient 100 inside the bed cannot see from inside the bed, and is not necessarily provided on the outside of the electrically operated bed rail 30D. For example, the second operation button 10B may be provided at a position where the patient 100 cannot easily notice from outside the bed when the patient 100 gets into the bed, outside any of the bed rails 30A to 30C that are not electrically operated. The second operation button 10B may also be provided at a position different from the bed. In this case, the second operation button 10B may be provided at a position where the patient 100 inside the bed can see from inside the bed, as long as the position is out of reach of the patient 100 inside the bed. The second operation button 10B may be a remote control button.

[0017] Next, the configuration of the nurse call system will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the nurse call system of this embodiment is configured to include a nurse call master unit 1, a control unit 2, a corridor light 3, a wall-embedded handset 4, a hand-held handset 5, a handheld call main unit 6, a private branch exchange (PBX) 7, a wireless base station 8, a mobile terminal (e.g., a PHS terminal or a smartphone) 9, and an opening / closing control device 10. A first operation button 10A and a second operation button 10B are connected to the opening / closing control device 10.

[0018] Nurse call master unit 1 is installed, for example, in a nurse's center, and performs a predetermined notification process when it receives a nurse call from wall-embedded slave unit 4, hand-held slave unit 5, or opening / closing control device 10. This notification process includes a process of displaying the patient information of the called patient on the display screen and outputting a predetermined ring tone from the speaker. This notification process includes a notification process in nurse call master unit 1 as well as a notification process for mobile terminal 9.

[0019] The control unit 2 is placed between the nurse call main unit 1 and the corridor light 3, and controls calls and the sending and receiving of data. The corridor light 3 is connected between the control unit 2 and the wall-embedded handset 4, and transfers call signals sent from the wall-embedded handset 4 or hand-held handset 5 to the nurse call main unit 1 via the control unit 2. The corridor light 3 is installed outside the entrance to each patient room in the hospital. The corridor light 3 is equipped with a display device that shows the name of the patient in the room and also shows when a nurse call has been made in the room.

[0020] The wall-embedded handset 4 is embedded in the wall of each bedside in the patient's room. The wall-embedded handset 4 is equipped with a call button that allows the patient to make a nurse call call, a microphone and speaker that the patient uses when talking to a medical professional, and connection terminals for connecting the hand-held handset 5 and the opening / closing control device 10. When a patient operates the call button on the wall-embedded handset 4 to make a nurse call call, the wall-embedded handset 4 outputs a call signal to the corridor light 3. Note that the wall-embedded handset 4 does not necessarily have to be equipped with a call button.

[0021] Furthermore, when a patient operates the call button on the handheld handset 5 to make a nurse call, the wall-embedded handset 4 receives the call signal output from the handheld handset 5 and transfers it to the corridor light 3. Furthermore, when a patient operates the first operation button 10A to instruct the bed railing 10D to be opened, the wall-embedded handset 4 receives the call signal output from the opening / closing control device 10 and transfers it to the corridor light 3.

[0022] The hand-shaped handset 5 is connected to the wall-embedded handset 4. The hand-shaped handset 5 is equipped with a call button that allows the patient to make a nurse call call, and a microphone and speaker that the patient uses when talking to medical staff. When the patient operates the call button on the hand-shaped handset 5 to make a nurse call call, the hand-shaped handset 5 outputs a call signal to the wall-embedded handset 4. Note that the configuration of the hand-shaped handset 5 is not limited to this. For example, it may be one that does not have a microphone and speaker (a grip-push button).

[0023] The handyman call main unit 6 controls the transmission and reception of calls and data between mobile terminals 9 carried by medical personnel and the handyman call main unit 6 via the PBX 7. This handyman call main unit 6 is installed, for example, in a communication center in a hospital and is connected to the nurse call main unit 1. The handyman call main unit 6 executes nurse call calls to multiple mobile terminals 9 under the control of the nurse call main unit 1. The wireless base station 8 is for wireless communication of calls and data between the mobile terminals 9 and is connected to the PBX 7.

[0024] Although not shown in Fig. 3, the opening and closing controller 10 is provided near the bed. As shown in Fig. 2, the opening and closing controller 10 of this embodiment has, as its functional components, an opening and closing control section 11 and a calling section 12. These functional blocks 11, 12 can be configured by any of hardware, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and software. For example, the above-mentioned functional blocks 11, 12 are realized by the operation of a program stored in a storage medium such as a RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory under the control of a microcomputer configured with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc.

[0025] The opening / closing control unit 11 controls the opening and closing operation of the bed rail 30D. That is, when an opening operation (operation to instruct the bed rail 10D to be opened) is performed on the first operation button 10A or the second operation button 10B, the opening / closing control unit 11 moves the bed rail 30D from the closed state in Fig. 3(b) to the open state in Fig. 3(c). Also, when a closing operation (operation to instruct the bed rail 10D to be closed) is performed on the first operation button 10A or the second operation button 10B, the opening / closing control unit 11 moves the bed rail 30D from the open state in Fig. 3(c) to the closed state in Fig. 3(b).

[0026] Here, the time from when an opening operation is performed with the first operation button 10A to when the opening operation of the bed rail 30D is completed (hereinafter referred to as the opening operation time) is set to be, for example, approximately the same as or slightly longer than the time it is assumed that a medical staff member in the vicinity of the hospital room will need to rush to the bed after receiving a nurse call from the mobile terminal 9. On the other hand, the opening operation time when an opening operation is performed with the second operation button 10B may be shorter than the opening operation time when an opening operation is performed with the first operation button 10A.

[0027] The calling unit 12 issues a nurse call by outputting a call signal to the wall-embedded handset 4 only when the bed rail 30D is opened by the first operation button 10A, out of the opening and closing operation of the bed rail 30D by the first operation button 10A and the opening and closing operation of the bed rail 30D by the second operation button 10B. That is, when the patient closes the bed rail 30D by the first operation button 10A, or when the medical staff opens and closes the bed rail 30D by the second operation button 10B, the nurse call is not issued, but only when the patient opens the bed rail 30D by the first operation button 10A. The call signal output by the calling unit 12 when the bed rail 30D is opened by the first operation button 10A may be a call signal of a different call type from other call signals.

[0028] According to the nurse call system of the present embodiment configured as described above, when a patient gets off the bed, the first operation button 10A must be opened to open the bed rail 30D, and the nurse call is issued when the first operation button 10A is opened. This makes it possible to issue a call before the bed rail 30D is electrically opened. Since it takes a certain amount of time from when the patient opens the first operation button 10A until the bed rail 30D opens, a medical worker who receives a nurse call call can rush to the patient during that time. This makes it possible to prevent the patient from falling off the bed by calling at an early timing before the patient is able to get off the bed. On the other hand, when a medical worker opens the bed rail 30D to perform nursing care for the patient, the second operation button 10B can be opened, and in this case, a nurse call is not issued. This makes it possible to prevent false alarms based on the actions of the medical worker.

[0029] In the above embodiment, when the bed rail 30D is opened by the first operation button 10A, the opening / closing control unit 11 may control the bed rail 30D to start moving to the open state after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the opening operation. For example, the opening operation time of the bed rail 30D, including the first predetermined time, in this case can be set to be approximately the same as or slightly longer than the time assumed to be required for a medical staff member in the vicinity of the hospital room to rush to the hospital in response to a nurse call. Alternatively, the first predetermined time may be the time assumed to be required for a medical staff member in the vicinity of the hospital room to rush to the hospital in response to a nurse call. In the latter case, the time from when the movement of the bed rail 30D starts to when the opening operation is completed may be approximately the same as the opening operation time when the opening operation is performed by the second operation button 10B.

[0030] Also, a means for arbitrarily setting the first predetermined time may be provided. For example, a switch or a user interface for arbitrarily setting the first predetermined time may be provided in the opening and closing control device 10, and the first predetermined time may be arbitrarily set by a medical staff member operating these. The estimated time required for a medical staff member who receives a nurse call to rush to a patient's bed may differ from hospital to hospital or from hospital room to hospital. Therefore, it is very convenient in terms of operation if the first predetermined time can be arbitrarily set according to the actual situation of the hospital that uses the nurse call system of this embodiment.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the bed rail 30D is moved to the closed state when the patient or medical staff operates the operation button 20 to close the bed rail 30D, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the opening / closing control device 10 may control the bed rail 30D to automatically close after a second predetermined time (a time longer than the first predetermined time) has elapsed since the operation button 20 is used to open the bed rail 30D.

[0032] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereby. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Nurse call base unit 2. Controller 3. Corridor Lights 4 Wall-mounted slave unit 5 Handheld handset 6 Handyman Squall Main Unit 7 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) 8 Radio Base Station 9. Mobile Devices 10 Switching control device 10A First Operation Button 10B Second Operation Button 30D Electric bed rail

Claims

1. A bed rail is provided around the bed, at least a portion of which can be opened and closed electrically; a first operation instruction means for instructing opening and closing of the bed rails is provided at a position visible from inside the bed to a patient inside the bed, and a second operation instruction means for instructing opening and closing of the bed rails is provided at a position not visible from inside the bed to a patient inside the bed or out of reach of the patient inside the bed, Of the bed rail opening / closing operation by the first operation instruction means and the bed rail opening / closing operation by the second operation instruction means, a nurse call is made only when the bed rail opening operation is performed by the first operation instruction means. A nurse call system comprising:

2. The nurse call system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the bed railing is opened by the first operation instruction means, the bed railing is controlled to start moving to the open state after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the opening operation.

3. 3. The nurse call system according to claim 2, further comprising a means for arbitrarily setting the first predetermined time.

4. A nurse call system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bed railing is controlled to automatically close after a second predetermined time has elapsed since the bed railing is opened by the first operation instruction means or the second operation instruction means.

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