Compact treatment, examination and waiting station

Abstract

Adapt / upgrade existing or new healthcare facilities to provide a safe and efficient way to examine and treat patients. Utilizing modular frames and compartments, the system allows for more space-efficient placement of medical utilities, equipment, and devices than traditional examination and treatment spaces, resulting in examination and treatment spaces that are one-quarter the size of traditional spaces. The frames and compartments are shaped to focus acoustic energy, improving intelligibility between caregivers and patients while reducing the transmission of ambient acoustic energy. Additionally, the equipment can be easily disassembled, moved, and reassembled. Furthermore, the compartment surfaces create a safe barrier between expensive and delicate utilities, reducing the risk of tampering or accidental damage and potentially transmitting infectious diseases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] <Cross - reference to Related Applications> None applicable <Description of Research and Development Funded by the Federal Government> None applicable <Macrofiche Appendix> None applicable <Technical Field> The present invention relates to providing users in need of examination, treatment, or observation with the medical treatments, supplies, and equipment they need in an environment with high spatial efficiency, safety, flexibility, and privacy.

Background Art

[0002] Medical care is expensive, involves long waiting times, and may not be accessible. Medical care is at the apex of policy changes, technological changes, and financial pressures, all of which together require successful medical facilities to adapt, change, and respond quickly in a rapidly changing environment. It is important to note that access to medical care is a function of provider availability, user payment ability, appropriate diagnostic tools, and an appropriate amount of examination / treatment space for examining and treating patients. In many cases, access to medical care is hampered by a lack of appropriate waiting space, examination space, and treatment space. This is particularly true in emergency medical care, where it is clear that long waiting times are associated with shortages in the waiting, examination, and treatment areas. In addition, the space in medical facilities is essentially limited because construction is costly. However, for example, in the emergency department, 50% of the arriving users do not need to be on a stretcher in a large, expensive private room. These individuals are called "vertical" because they can sit in a chair as opposed to being on a stretcher in a private room ("horizontal"). However, except for this invention, there has been no research that details the requirements of vertical users.

[0003] Currently, (in an emergency medical environment) vertical users are accommodated in chairs in the waiting room and, if medical provider intervention is required, are accompanied to examination, treatment, and diagnostic departments. This requires not only intensive staff attention but also a number of large, specially adapted treatment and examination spaces for each intervention. As a result of numerous studies on these users, what is needed is a compact, safe space that provides access to all supplies, equipment, and diagnostics necessary to appropriately manage the care of the user while ensuring privacy. As a result of years of research, a space that is considerably smaller than a conventional examination / treatment room provides all the functions of a conventional examination / treatment room at a quarter of the floor area. In the previous description, the requirements in emergency medicine were used as an example, but several other medical environments can also benefit from a compact, safe, private treatment environment. Examples include, but are not limited to, infusion, surgical recovery, outpatient clinics, independent urgent care clinics, independent urgent care centers, small hospitals, industrial medicine in the workplace, and clinics provided by telemedicine. The devices disclosed herein enable a medical facility to increase the number of patients that can be treated per square foot, examine more patients at one time, and reduce wait times. The medical facility can also reduce medical costs because it can construct a highly space-efficient treatment area. Also, since the present disclosure provides two examination / treatment areas for what was previously one examination / treatment space, existing facilities can be very easily retrofitted at a 2:1 ratio. Conventional examination / treatment rooms are composed of studs, drywall, and ceiling components and cannot be moved as one unit or disassembled into components. In contrast to a conventional examination / treatment space, the disclosed devices have an integrated frame that supports the entire assembly and enables the assembly to be easily moved as one unit or disassembled into components for easy relocation and reassembly in another location within the medical facility.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0004] There has not been a device that enables the integration / transformation / upgrade of a medical facility to provide a compact and safe private treatment area that enables the distribution of hospital equipment to users. Three disclosures: U.S. Patent No. 7,818,840, priority date October 26, 2010, Barnett; Peter Andrew (Costa Mesa, California), Neil; Todd Douglas (Brea, California), Alexander; Stephen Bruce (Rolling Hills Estates, California), Domai; Terrance Paul (Cerritos, California). U.S. Patent No. 5,991,947, priority date March 2, 1995, Gregory C. Levin; Craig A. Young. U.S. Patent No. 5,918,331, priority date August 5, 1994, David Hall; John Charles; Grant Thomas. All three of them have medical equipment integrally designed into a stretcher and disclose a method of constructing a movable trauma treatment platform (optimally considered as an enhanced stretcher), and the stretcher is intended to function as a means of transporting trauma victims between a remote injury site (battlefield) and a hospital where the injured will be transferred to a bed. In the present disclosure, the method of connecting to a utility is only used in a specially constructed treatment platform, and the movable unit that is part of the disclosure is not a hospital treatment platform. In all of the prior disclosures, there is nothing suitable for use in a conventional hospital, outpatient clinic, or industrial medical setting. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention can be attached to the wall structures in conventional hospitals, outpatient facilities, or industrial medical settings, and includes a frame that supports a series of modular compartments. These series of modular compartments accommodate medical equipment, power supplies, and user amenities, are located near the users, and are attached at positions optimal for access by medical staff. The present invention includes a novel design of modular compartments attached to the frame. These modular compartments enable noise reduction and have doors that cover hospital equipment. The doors protect users from nosocomial infections and eliminate the need for staff to protect confidential equipment from tampering by users. It should be noted that this device arranges all the necessary medical equipment and supplies at positions optimal for staff use while requiring only one-quarter of the space of a typical examination / treatment room. Due to its characteristics, hospitals and other medical facilities using this device can see twice as many users in the same space as a typical examination / treatment room while having all the functions for treating users.

[0006] In addition, the frames and compartments are easily relocatable to other parts of the facility, allowing the clinical environment to be quickly and inexpensively changed to accommodate changes in policies, technology, and provider characteristics. The frames and modular compartments are designed to connect to wall outlets for medical utilities, power, and communication between the utility sources and the present invention. Users of medical facilities often require medical equipment such as pressurized oxygen, suction, treated natural air, electricity, electrocardiogram monitoring, communication, and other devices, and the frames and compartments house these for the efficient treatment of the users. These utilities in conventional examination / treatment spaces are either mounted on the wall behind the user or extend along columns structurally mounted to the ceiling. In conventional examination / treatment spaces, the utility outlets are in inconvenient locations for caregivers and may be accidentally disconnected during routine procedures. Further, in the event of a life-threatening situation, the caregiver must struggle with the tubes and cables extending between the wall outlets and the user.

[0007] The present invention moves utility outlet connection points to a series of modular compartments. These compartments have doors (which may operate either power - driven or manually) for providing a plurality of utilities. The plurality of utilities include, but are not limited to, electrocardiogram, vacuum, oxygen, medical air, examination lights, gloves, commonly used medical supplies (such as bandages, tongue depressors), trash cans, etc., which are placed in positions where they will not be accidentally disconnected or where they will not interfere with emergency or daily procedures. Further, the shape of the compartments provides a novel way of attenuating the user's voice between adjacent users and amplifying the voice between the caregiver and the user by concentrating sound. The partition of the side walls between users is preferably a piezoelectric glass in a preferred configuration, and the side walls selectively become opaque or transparent depending on the electrical state of the glass, which can be controlled by a switch on the side wall, providing privacy for the users. In other configurations, the side walls may be rigid or there may be no side walls at all. In a preferred configuration, two poles are arranged on both sides of the open side of the frame to vertically support the frame and provide attachment points for equipment (I.V. pumps, computer terminal support arms) and equipment that may be envisioned in the future.

[0008] The frame has modular spaces for utilities, supplies, equipment, and user amenities. The frame, in a preferred configuration, can support nine compartments for utilities, consumables, user possessions, trash, and other consumables required for the utilities. Further, on the sidewalls, a retractable shelf for user possessions is provided in a preferred configuration for the user, along with lighting, a nurse call, 110v power, USB power, and control devices for entertainment / educational devices (TV, Internet, etc.). In other configurations, the number of equipment and utilities may vary according to the mission of the device (outpatient care, industrial medicine, infusion, etc.). In other configurations, any device that complies with the dimensional and connection constraints of the frame, for example, but not limited to, an IV pump, a user communication device, or any existing or future device or utility, etc., is permitted. All nine locations of the frame are movable, and the equipment and utilities can be rearranged to positions suitable for the use of a specific user. Since the frame has the function of connecting to additional frames, it is possible to efficiently arrange a series of frames in a space. Such arrangements include, in a preferred configuration, arranging them in a straight line, arranging them offset from each other, and arranging them radially to fit into an irregular space. Further, the minimum size is 5 feet in width and 7 feet 6 inches in depth, but by increasing the distance between the ribs of the frame, it can be adjusted to any dimension from 5 feet to 8 feet in width and from 7 feet 6 inches to 10 feet in depth.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 9

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire device assembly, including a support frame 1, its connections 15 to the walls, floor, and ceiling, modular compartments 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and a lift door covering compartment 3. Compartment 3 is arranged to provide optimal height and size for physiological monitors, a sharps container for nurses, supplies used in combination with physiological monitors, pressurized medical gases such as oxygen, vacuum, and medical air, a retractable examination light, and equipment such as a 110v power supply for these devices. All compartments 3 have manual or electric lift doors, providing safety and protection from infectious diseases. Compartment 4 includes a sub-drawer 11 for general medical supplies such as bandages, tape, scissors, a lockable drawer for controlled drugs, and three sub-drawers 10 for three sizes of gloves. Compartments 5 and 6 are for backup medical supplies and future devices not yet invented, and also have tilt-down lockable hinged doors. Compartment 7 is for storing users' possessions such as clothing, computers, and mobile devices, and has 110V and USB power supplies. Compartment 8 is for non-infectious waste, and compartment 9 is for infectious waste. Both are protected from users by tilt-down hinged doors. Piezoelectric privacy glass 13 is on each side of frame 1, there is a typical modular compartment 2 for housing supplies and equipment and is easily cleanable, there are vertical and horizontal stability supports 14, there is lighting 12 controlled by a touchpad or a tilt-out computer tablet 18, and the touchpad or computer tablet 18 also displays entertainment programs for users such as educational materials and movies. Since current tablets also incorporate a selfie camera and network functions, the same tablet 18 can be used for communication with translators and other medical providers. There is a pull-out table 17 for placing users' possessions such as beverages, mobile devices, small items like keys and wallets, power outlets (110v, USB), an emergency call button, and a network connector 16 for staff devices.To prevent the spread of nosocomial infections to staff and users, the antimicrobial surface 19, which is specially treated, can be realized by using commercially available materials such as copper infused metals, by using a laser etching pattern of high-density plastic, or by using near-ultraviolet light that illuminates the surface and areas with a lot of contact 19. The width of the device is determined by the space required to properly position the reclining chair / examination chair and the caregiver for examination or treatment, and is set to a minimum of 5 feet to a maximum of 8 feet 25 inches. The depth is determined by ensuring sufficient space so that the reclining chair / examination chair can be fully extended horizontally and the visual privacy of the user can be ensured by closing the cubicle curtain, and is in the range of 7 feet 6 inches to 10 feet. The size range is achieved by the filler panels 41 attached to each side of the frame to fit the size at completion.

[0011] Figure 2 is a side view showing the user-facing surface 23 in the device (the support frame is omitted for clarity), illustrating that sound waves emanate from the caregiver 21, reflect towards the user 20, and the sound from the caregiver is effectively concentrated on the user to improve clarity, and the walls, floor, and ceiling are indicated by reference numeral 24.

[0012] Figure 3 shows how the sound from the user 20 is reflected towards the floor, attenuating the propagation of sound 22 among the users.

[0013] Figures 4, 5, and 6 are examples of alternative embodiments showing different methods for achieving the desired reflection of acoustic energy 22 from the user 20.

[0014] Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of the side wall 13 depicting the housing for the pivot-out computer tablets 18, 30, and 31, and the computer tablets 18, 30, and 31 are rotatable in the "X" and "Y" directions to adjust to an angle suitable for the user.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of frame 1, showing the basic structural system, with a series of ribs 37 separated by struts 38 connected by machine screws 40 with L-shaped brackets 39. Filler panels 41 are used to facilitate the ability of the frame to conform to the various finished widths of existing and new equipment. As shown in FIG. 1, modular compartments are inserted between the ribs to accommodate various medical utilities and equipment along with user amenities.

[0016] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a typical connection at the intersection of structural ribs and struts screwed together with an L-shaped clip mechanism using 37, 38, 39, 40.

[0017] Although the foregoing description contains considerable detail, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but rather as illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention. For example, the illustrated acoustic energy functions may take various different forms as in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Alternative methods of attachment to existing buildings and processing platforms may take various forms to achieve the same purpose. The physical shape of the frame may vary to accommodate various medical platforms and building materials. Such changes do not materially alter the essence of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims rather than by the specific examples provided.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0018] 1 Frame 2 Representative modular compartment using highly cleanable / seamless and easily cleanable materials. 3 Modular compartment slide-up door for electrocardiogram and medical device compartments 4 Modular compartment door for storing medical supplies and gloves 5 Modular compartment door for compartment medical supplies 6-module type compartment door for medical supplies 7-module type compartment door for user's belongings 8-module type compartment door for waste 9-module type compartment door for device electronics 10-container for gloves 11-tilt-down type medical supply storage 12-lighting controlled by 18, 30 and 31 13-piezoelectric electrochromic glass that can be switched from transparent to opaque for visual and acoustic privacy 14-support pole 15-attachments to the floor, ceiling, and wall for stabilization 16-110V, USB power outlet 17-retractable user table 18-lighting control equipment 19-infection prevention aspect 20-user of the reclining chair 21-caregiver 22-reflected sound waves 23-surface of the frame that reflects sound 24-floor, ceiling, and wall of the environment 25-width range of the device 26-depth range of the device 27-cubicle curtain and ceiling track designed to provide visual privacy 28-4-110V, 4-USB power outlet 29-swivel pivot for adjusting computer tablets 30, 31 in the X and Y axes to the user's viewing angle 30-metal security container for protecting computer tablet 31 from theft and damage 32-DC power supply for computer tablets 30, 31 placed in 33 33-side panel for mounting 16, 17, 18, 28, 29, 30, and 31 34-AC / DC power supply from wall power to 16 placed in 33 AC / DC power supply from the 35 wall power supply to 28 which is input to 33 36 Metal support marion for fixing the side wall 13 to the frame 1 37 Support rib 38 Horizontal strut 39 L-shaped bracket fixed to 37 and 39 with machine screws (40) 40 Machine screws used to connect 37, 38 and 39 41 Filler piece for adjusting the size

Claims

1. In a compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station that can be arranged and attached within the building structure of a hospital, emergency department, infusion service, outpatient clinic, or industrial medical site, A frame assembly including a plurality of frame members, surfaces, poles, ribs, and struts assembled to cooperate, the frame assembly being detachably attached to the floor, wall, and ceiling of the building structure to structurally support and define a compact examination and treatment space having a forward rear wall portion protruding upward, the compact examination and treatment space being sufficient to receive a reclining examination chair for a user seeking treatment by on-site medical caregivers within the compact examination and treatment space, the frame assembly being movable as an assembled unit from a first location to a second location or being decomposable into parts for rearrangement to the second location and reassembly at the second location, a frame assembly; A plurality of modular compartments detachably inserted between the plurality of ribs and attachable to the frame assembly, forming a part of the forward rear wall portion protruding above the compact examination and treatment space for the reclining examination chair; comprising; The frame assembly and the plurality of modular compartments are provided with connection points for medical devices and medical utilities such that they are in a position easily accessible to on-site medical caregivers while treating a user seeking treatment within the compact examination and treatment space, providing storage space accessible for medical supplies and the user's personal amenities, The forward rear wall portion protruding above the compact examination and treatment space for the reclining examination chair is configured to reflect, concentrate, and attenuate acoustic energy within the compact examination and treatment space, a compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station.

2. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to Claim 1, wherein the medical device includes a physiological monitoring device.

3. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the frame assembly and the plurality of modular compartments include outlets for AC and DC power and Internet access.

4. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the medical utility is selected from the group consisting of pressurized oxygen, suction, and medical air.

5. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of modular compartments further comprises a door for controlling access to at least one of the group consisting of medical utilities, medical devices, medical supplies, and pharmaceuticals.

6. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, further comprising at least one sidewall partition, wherein the at least one sidewall partition supports control devices for medical devices and medical utilities selected from the group consisting of lighting, nurse call alerts, 110-volt power, DC power, USB power, television, and Internet.

7. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 6, wherein the at least one sidewall partition comprises piezoelectric glass.

8. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 6, wherein the at least one sidewall partition further comprises a retractable storage shelf.

9. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of modular compartments comprises a combination of a lift door and a tilt-down hinged door.

10. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the medical device comprises an infusion pump and a computer terminal support arm.

11. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the frame assembly can be assembled to define the compact treatment and examination space having dimensions in the range of 5 feet in width and 7 feet 6 inches in depth to 8 feet in width and 10 feet in depth.

12. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 11, further comprising at least one filler panel that protrudes upward and is curved forward and is used to conform to widths during various constructions of new or existing facilities.

13. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the reclining examination chair is arranged within the compact examination and treatment space, and the user can recline within the compact examination and treatment space to wait for or receive examination and treatment.

14. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ribs and the plurality of struts of the frame assembly engage and intersect to cooperate to support the plurality of modular compartments to achieve the desired dimensions, shape and acoustic properties of the compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station.

15. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of modular compartments are provided with a plurality of forward-facing doors and drawers, and the plurality of doors and drawers cooperate to form a series of surfaces angled to reflect acoustic energy to the same point in the space within the compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station.

16. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, comprising a material that is easily cleanable, smooth and durable and is selected from the group consisting of metal, wood products and plastics.

17. The compact medical treatment, examination and waiting station according to claim 1, further comprising a modular compartment for temporarily storing waste.