Patient support apparatus system with event logging

Abstract

A patient support apparatus may include a support surface, a control panel, a transceiver, and a controller. The control panel receives a first command to carry out a first function. The transceiver receives a second command to carry out the first function from a portable electronic device. The controller generates a log indicating if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the first command or in response to receipt of the second command. The patient support apparatus may also receive a command from a remote computer to perform the first function, and the controller records in the log the source of that command. A server software application may also, or alternatively be included, that logs not only actions taken in response to commands, but also the source of the commands, the person initiating the commands, the pathways of the commands, and / or other information.

Description

PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS SYSTEM WITH EVENT LOGGINGBACKGROUND

[0001] The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, recliners, or the like, which include a plurality of controllable components

[0002] Existing hospital beds often include a plurality of controls for controlling different components of the patient support apparatus. Such controls are typically positioned on one or more control panels of the patient support apparatus. Some patient support apparatuses may also include the ability to have one or more of their functions remotely controlled. Thus, some patient support apparatuses may have one or more of their functions activated by one or more control panels on the patient support apparatus or by one or more electronic devices that are positioned off-board the patient support apparatus.SUMMARY

[0003] According to various versions, the present disclosure provides an improved patient support apparatus and / or system that includes automatic logging of functions performed on a patient support apparatus, including not only an identity of the function performed, but also the device from which the command originated, the person performing the command, the communications pathway by which the command was delivered to the patient support apparatus, a timestamp, and / or other information. The patient support apparatus and / or a server may also, or alternatively, capture images regarding the function and store them in the log. The patient support apparatus and / or server may send previously captured images of the function’s performance to the patient support apparatus and / or a mobile device to provide the caregiver with image information indicating to the caregiver how the function was previously performed. The patient support apparatus and system of the present disclosure therefore provide improved logging capabilities, improved retrieval of logged information, and / or other efficiencies, as will be discussed in more detail below. These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent to a person skilled in the art in light of the accompanying drawings and following description.

[0004] According to a first version of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a control panel, a transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient thereon. The control panel is adapted to receive a first command to carry out a first function. The transceiver is adapted to communicate with a portable electronic device carried by a caregiver and to receive a second command to carry out the first function from the portable electronic device. The controller is adapted to generate a log of the first function being carried out, including log data indicating if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the first command or in response to receipt of the second command.

[0005] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the patient support apparatus includes a network transceiver adapted to receive a third command from a remote computer to carry out the first function. The controller is adapted to include in the log data indicating if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the third command.

[0006] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus includes a badge detector adapted to read a first ID of a badge worn by the caregiver, and the controller is adapted to include second data in the log. The second data includes the first ID if the first function was carried out in response to the first command, and the second data includes a second ID of the portable electronic device if the first function was carried out in response to the second command.

[0007] In some aspects, the controller includes a third ID of the remote computer if the first function was carried out in response to the third command

[0008] The first function, in some aspects, includes any one of the following: zeroing a scale system onboard the patient support apparatus; taking a weight reading of the patient using the scale system; adding or removing an object from a scale systemlog; activating or deactivating a brake of the patient support apparatus; arming or disarming an exit detection system; changing an inflation status of a mattress on the support surface; raising or lowering a height of the support surface; or changing an angular orientation of a portion of the support surface.

[0009] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus includes a second control panel adapted to receive a third command to carry out the first function, and the log data also indicates if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the third command

[0010] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to, in response to receiving the first or second command, retrieve an image showing at least a portion of the patient support apparatus, wherein the image was captured at a time when the first function was previously carried out.

[0011] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to automatically display the image on a display of the patient support apparatus

[0012] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to automatically transmit the image to the portable electronic device for display on a display of the portable electronic device.

[0013] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to automatically read the first ID of the badge in response to the control panel receiving the first command.

[0014] The transceiver, in some aspects, is a Bluetooth transceiver and the badge detector includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

[0015] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, includes a camera, and the controller is adapted to automatically capture of an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus while, or after, the first function is carried out.

[0016] The image data, in some aspects, includes image data indicating a manner in which the first function was carried out.

[0017] The function, in some aspects, includes adding or removing an object to or from the support surface, and the image data captures the addition or removal of the object from the support surface.

[0018] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to transmit a reminder message to the portable electronic device for display on a display of the portable electronic device. The reminder message is adapted to remind the caregiver to capture an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus after the first function has been carried out.

[0019] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network of a healthcare facility, and the controller is adapted to transmit the log to a server accessible through the local area network.

[0020] In some aspects, the log includes second data indicating a time at which the first function was carried out.

[0021] The control panel, in some aspects, includes a plurality of buttons and the first command is generated in response to pressing a particular one of the plurality of buttons.

[0022] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, includes a second transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the portable electronic device and the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to record the distance in the log.

[0023] In some aspects, the transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver and the second transceiver is an ultra-wideband transceiver

[0024] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to generate the log by transmitting the log data to a server

[0025] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to include in the log first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is received from the portable electronic device.

[0026] The first pathway data, in some aspects, includes an identity of any intermediate recipients of the second command as the second command is communicated from the remote computer to the patient support apparatus

[0027] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to include in the log second pathway data indicating a pathway by which the third command is received from the remote computer

[0028] The second pathway data, in some aspects, includes an identity of any intermediate recipients of the third command as the third command is communicated from the remote computer to the patient support apparatus.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a software application is provided that is embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and that is adapted to be executed by a server in communication with a patient support apparatus and a portable electronic device. The software application, when executed by the server, is adapted to cause the server to perform the following: (i) process received first data indicating that a first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a first command generated by a control panel of the patient support apparatus; (ii) process received second data indicating that the first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a second command generated by a portable electronic device; and (iii) generate a log for the patient support apparatus that includes the first data and the second data.

[0030] In other aspects of the present disclosure, the software application is adapted to cause the server to process received third data indicating that the first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a third command generated by a remote computer, and to include the third data in the log.

[0031] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to process received first ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver who activated the control panel to generate the first command, to process received second ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the portable electronic device, and to include the first ID data and the second ID data in the log.

[0032] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to cause the server to process received first ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver who activated the control panel to generate the first command, to process received second ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the portable electronic device, to process received third ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the remote computer, and to include the first ID data, the second ID data, and the third ID data in the log.

[0033] In some aspects, the first function includes at least one of the following: zeroing a scale system onboard the patient support apparatus; weighing the patient; adding or removing an object from the scale system; activating or deactivating a brake of the patient support apparatus; arming or disarming an exit detection system; changing an inflation status of a mattress on the support surface; raising or lowering a height of the support surface; or changing an angular orientation of a portion of the support surface.

[0034] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to cause the server to process received third data indicating that a first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a third command generated by a second and different control panel of the patient support apparatus, and to include the third data in the log.

[0035] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to perform the following: (i) in response to receiving the first data or the second data, retrieve an image showing at least a portion of the patient support apparatus, wherein the image was captured at a time when the first function previously carried out, and (ii) transmit the image to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the portable electronic device

[0036] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to transmit a reminder message to the portable electronic device for display on a display of the portable electronic device. The reminder message is adapted to remind the caregiver to capture an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus after the first function has been carried out.

[0037] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to include time data in the log indicating a time at which the first function was carried out

[0038] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to process received distance data indicating a distance between the portable electronic device and the patient support apparatus when the first command was issued, and to include the distance data in the log.

[0039] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to cause the server to record first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus, and to include the first pathway data in the log.

[0040] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to record first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus, to record second pathway data indicating a pathway by which the third command is communicated from the remote computer to the patient support apparatus, and to include the first pathway data and the second pathway data in the log.

[0041] In some aspects, the first data is received from the patient support apparatus and the second data is received from the portable electronic device.

[0042] In some aspects, both the first data and the second data are received from the patient support apparatus.

[0043] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to cause the server to transmit an image capturing command to a camera. The image capturing command causes the camera to capture an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus after the first function has been carried out.

[0044] The image capture command, in some aspects, is transmitted to the patient support apparatus and the camera is coupled to the patient support apparatus.

[0045] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to (i) process received third data indicating that a second function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a third command generated by the control panel of the patient support apparatus; (ii) process received fourth data indicating that the second function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a fourth command generated by the portable electronic device; and (iii) include the third and fourth data in the log.

[0046] In some aspects, the second function includes at least one of the following: zeroing a scale system onboard the patient support apparatus; weighing the patient; adding or removing an object from the scale system; activating or deactivating a brake of the patient support apparatus; arming or disarming an exit detection system; changing an inflation status of a mattress on the support surface; raising or lowering a height of the support surface; or changing an angular orientation of a portion of the support surface.

[0047] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to cause the server to (i) process received third ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver who activated the control panel to generate the third command; (ii) process received fourth ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the portable electronic device; and (iii) include the third ID data and the fourth ID data in the log

[0048] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to cause the server to (i) record first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus; (ii)record second pathway data indicating a pathway by which the fourth command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus; and (iii) include the first pathway data and the second pathway data in the log.

[0049] Before the various versions of the patient support apparatus, patient support apparatus system, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure are explained in detail herein, it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings The examples described herein are capable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including1' and "comprising" and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various examples. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the claims to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the claims any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according to a first version of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a litter frame and a pair of lift header assemblies of the patient support apparatus;

[0052] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base and a pair of lifts of the patient support apparatus;

[0053] FIG. 4 is a plan view of an illustrative first caregiver control panel of the patient support apparatus showing a menu screen on a display of the control panel;

[0054] FIG. 5 is an illustrative motion control screen that may be displayed on the display of the control panel of FIG. 4;

[0055] FIG. 6 is an illustrative scale control screen that may be displayed on the display of the control panel of FIG. 4;

[0056] FIG. 7 is an illustrative equipment weight log screen that may be displayed on the display of the control panel ofFIG. 4;

[0057] FIG. 8 is a plan view of an illustrative second caregiver control panel of the patient support apparatus;

[0058] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus, a mobile device, a location beacon, a healthcare facility local network, and a portion of the infrastructure that may be present in a healthcare facility;

[0059] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing several of the internal components of the patient support apparatus, location beacon, mobile electronic device, remote computer, and patient support apparatus server;

[0060] FIG. 11 is a diagram of several illustrative entries in an illustrative event log;

[0061] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating usage of a first feature of a mobile device app of the present disclosure at a first moment in time;

[0062] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the first feature of the mobile device app at a second moment in time;

[0063] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the first feature of the mobile device app at a third moment in time;

[0064] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the first feature of the mobile device app at a fourth moment in time;

[0065] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the first feature of the mobile device app at a sixth moment in time; and

[0066] FIG 17 is a diagram illustrating the first feature of the mobile device app at a seventh moment in timeDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0067] An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 according to a first version of the present disclosure is shown in FIG1. Although the particular form of patient support apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG 1 is a bed adapted for use in a hospital or othermedical setting, it will be understood that patient support apparatus 20 could, in different versions, be a cot, a stretcher, a recliner, a chair, or any other patient support structure that is used with patients in a healthcare facility.

[0068] In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having a plurality of wheels 24, a pair of lifts 26 supported on the base 22, a litter frame 28 supported on the lifts 26, and a support deck 30 supported on the litter frame 28 Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a footboard 32 and a plurality of side rails 34 Side rails 34 are all shown in a raised position in FIG 1 but are each individually movable to a lower position in which ingress into, and egress out of, patient support apparatus 20 is not obstructed by the lowered side rails 34.

[0069] Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. Lifts 26 may be hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators, electric actuators, or any other suitable device for raising and lowering litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. In the illustrated version, lifts 26 are operable independently so that the tilting of litter frame 28 with respect to base 22 can also be adjusted. That is, litter frame 28 includes a head end 36 and a foot end 38, each of whose height can be independently adjusted by the nearest lift 26. Patient support apparatus 20 is designed so that when an occupant lies thereon, his or her head will be positioned adjacent head end 36 and his or her feet will be positioned adjacent foot end 38.

[0070] Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30, footboard 32, and side rails 34. Support deck30 provides a support surface for a mattress (not shown in FIG. 1), such as, but not limited to, an air, fluid, or gel mattress. Alternatively, another type of soft cushion may be supported on support deck 30 so that a person may comfortably lie and / or sit thereon The top surface of the mattress or other cushion forms a support surface for the occupant.

[0071] Support deck 30 is made of a plurality of sections, some of which are pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes. In the version shown in FIG. 1, support deck 30 includes a head section 40, a seat section 42, a thigh section 44, and a foot section 46. Head section 40, which is also sometimes referred to as a Fowler section, is pivotable about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a generally horizontal orientation (not shown in FIG. 1) and a plurality of raised positions (one of which is shown in FIG. 1). Thigh section 44 and foot section 46 may also be pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes.

[0072] Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a plurality of control panels 48 that enable a user of patient support apparatus 20, such as a patient and / or an associated caregiver, to control one or more aspects of patient support apparatus 20. In the version shown in FIG. 1, patient support apparatus 20 includes a footboard control panel 48a, a pair of outer side rail control panels 48b (only one of which is visible), and a pair of inner side rail control panels 48c (only one of which is visible). Footboard control panel 48a and outer side rail control panels 48b are intended to be used by caregivers, or other authorized personnel, while inner side rail control panels 48c are intended to be used by the patient associated with patient support apparatus 20. Each of the control panels 48 includes a plurality of controls 126 (FIGS. 4-8), although each control panel 48 does not necessarily include the same set of controls 126 and / or functionality. FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a footboard control panel 48a with one example of a control screen displayed on a display 52 of the control panel 48a. It will be understood that other types of footboard control panels 48a may be used, and that the screens displayed on display 52 may vary during operation of the patient support apparatus 20 Controls 126 may be implemented as buttons, switches, dials, pressure sensors, capacitive sensors, icons on a display, such as touchscreen, and / or in other manners.

[0073] Among other functions, the controls of control panel 48a (not shown) allow a user to control one or more of the following: change a height of litter frame 28, raise or lower head section 40, activate and deactivate a brake for wheels 24, arm and disarm an exit detection system 56 (FIG 7), arm and disarm a multi-component monitoring system 128, control a scale system 130, access different menus, and perform other functions One or both of the inner siderail control panels 48c may also include at least one nurse call control that enables a patient to call a remotely located nurse (or other caregiver), and / or one or more controls forcontrolling one or more room devices positioned within the same room as the patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. TV, room light, reading light, etc.).

[0074] Footboard control panel 48a is implemented in the version shown in FIG 1 as a control panel having a lid(flipped down in FIG 1) underneath which is positioned a plurality of controls 126 As with all of the controls 126 of the various control panels 48, the controls 126 of control panel 48a may be implemented as buttons, dials, switches, touchscreen icons, or other devices Any of control panels 48a-c may also include display 52 (FIG 4) for displaying information regarding patient support apparatus 20 and / or for displaying controls 126 thereon. The display 52 is a touchscreen in some versions of patient support apparatus 20.

[0075] In some versions, footboard control panel 48a may take on the form of the footboard control panel 54a disclosed in commonly assigned PCT patent application serial number PCT / US2021 / 32426 filed May 14, 2021 , by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference Additionally, or alternatively, patient control panel 48c may take on the form of the patient control panel 54c disclosed in the aforementioned PCT patent application. Other types of footboard control panels 48a-c may, of course, be implemented.

[0076] Outer siderail control panels 48b may include any or all of the controls found on footboard control panel 48a, or a subset of those controls. Outer siderail control panel 48b may also, or alternatively, include one or more controls that are not found on footboard control panel 48a. Indeed, in some versions of patient support apparatus 20, footboard control panel 48a may be omitted and all of its functions performed by one or more of the outer siderail control panels 48b. One example of an outer siderail control panel 48b is shown in FIG. 8 and will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0077] In addition to controls for controlling the movement of various portions of patient support apparatus 20, patient control panels 48c may include controls for communicating with a television 86, a room light 88 and / or a reading light 90 (FIG. 9), and / or other controls. Examples of such additional controls are shown in FIG. 7 of commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 18 / 561,457 filed by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. on May 24, 2022, and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND HEADWALL UNIT SYNCING, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such additional controls may include controls for turning the TV volume up / down, turning the TV channel up / down, turning the TV power on / off, turning the reading light on / off, and turning the room light on / off.

[0078] FIG. 2 illustrates in greater detail litter frame 28 separated from lifts 26 and base 22. Litter frame 28 is also shown in FIG. 2 with support deck 30 removed. Litter frame 28 is supported by two lift header assemblies 50 A first one of the lift header assemblies 50 is coupled to a top 53 (FIG. 3) of a first one of the lifts 26, and a second one of the lift header assemblies 50 is coupled to the top 53 of the second one of the lifts 26. Each lift header assembly 50 includes a pair of feree sensors 54, which will be described herein as being load cells, but it will be understood that force sensors 54 may be other types of force sensors besides load cells. The illustrated version of patient support apparatus 20 includes a total of four load cells 54, although it will be understood by those skilled in the art that different numbers of load cells may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Load cells 54 are configured to support litter frame 28. More specifically, load cells 54 are configured such that they provide complete and exclusive mechanical support for litter frame 28 and all of the components that are supported on litter frame 28 (e.g. support deck 30, footboard 32, side rails 34, etc ) Because of this construction, load cells 54 are adapted to detect the weight of not only those components of patient support apparatus 20 that are supported by litter frame 28 (including litter frame 28 itself), but also any objects or persons who are wholly or partially being supported by support deck 30

[0079] The mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, may be nearly the same as the mechanical construction of the Model 3002 S3 bed manufactured and sold by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This mechanical construction is described in greater detail in the Stryker Maintenance Manual for the MedSurg Bed, Model 3002 S3, published in 2010 by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference It will be understood by those skilled in the art that patient support apparatus 20 can be designed with other types of mechanical constructions, such as, but not limited to, those described in commonly assigned, U S Pat No 7,690,59 issued to Lemire et al., and entitled HOSPITAL BED; commonly assigned U.S. Pat Publication No. 2007 / 0163045 filed by Becker et al. and entitled PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION, ONE-TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ON ALARM CONFIGURATION; and / or commonly assigned, U.S. Patent No. 10,130,536 to Roussy et al., entitled PATIENT SUPPORT USABLE WITH BARIATRIC PATIENTS, the complete disclosures of all of which are also hereby incorporated herein by reference. The mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may also take on forms different from what is disclosed in the aforementioned references.

[0080] Load cells 54 are part of an exit detection system 56 (FIG. 10) that, when armed, issues an alert when the patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Exit detection system 56 is adapted to be armed via control panel 48a and / or one or both of outer siderail control panels 48b. After being armed, exit detection system 56 determines when an occupant of patient support apparatus 20 has left, or is likely to leave, patient support apparatus 20, and issues an alert and / or notification to appropriate personnel so that proper steps can be taken in response to the occupant’s departure (or imminent departure) in a timely fashion. In at least one version, exit detection system 56 monitors the center of gravity of the patient using the system and method disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 5,276,432 issued to Travis and entitled PATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISM FOR HOSPITAL BED, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In other versions, exit detection system 56 determines if the occupant is about to exit, or already has exited, from patient support apparatus 20 by determining a distribution of the weights detected by each load cell 54 and comparing the detected weight distribution to one or more thresholds. In such versions, the center of gravity may or may not be explicitly calculated.

[0081] Other manners for functioning as an exit detection system are also possible. These include, but are not limited to, any of the manners disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: U.S. patent application serial number 14 / 873,734 filed October 2, 2015, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH MOTION MONITORING; U.S patent publication 2016 / 0022218 filed March 13, 2014, by inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH PATIENT INFORMATION SENSORS; and U.S. patent application serial number 15 / 266,575 filed September 15, 2016, by inventors Anuj Sidhu et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH EXIT DETECTION SYSTEMS , the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further, in some versions, load cells 54 may be part of both an exit detection system and a scale system that measures the weight of a patient supported on support deck 30. The outputs from the load cells 54 are processed, in some versions, in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 428,834 filed December 1, 2016, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOAD CELLS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0082] Regardless of how implemented, patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to communicate an alert when the exit detection system is armed and detects that a patient is about to, or has, exited One manner in which the alert is communicated to a conventional nurse call system 68 is shown in FIG 9 In the particular example shown in FIG 9, patient support apparatus 20 communicates with a nurse call system 68, and vice versa, through a communication link 58 that is established between patient support apparatus 20 and a conventional nurse call wall outlet 60. Communication link 58 may be a wireless communication link or itmay be a wired link (i.e., a cable). In addition to forwarding an exit detection alert over communication link 58 from patient support apparatus 20 to nurse call system 68, communication link 58 may be used for communicating a variety of other information.

[0083] One example of such information are the audio signals of the patient and a remotely positioned nurse. That is, a patient onboard patient support apparatus 20 is able to communicate with a remotely positioned nurse by speaking into a microphone 132 onboard patient support apparatus 20, and patient support apparatus 20 forwards these audio signals to a remotely positioned nurse by transmitting them over communication link 58 to wall outlet 60, which is in communication with nurse call system 68. Similarly, a remotely positioned nurse is able to speak into a microphone coupled to the nurse call system 68 and have his / her voice signals forwarded to wall outlet 60, which are then transmitted over communication link 58 to a speaker (not shown) onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[0084] FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a caregiver control panel 48a. Control panel 48a is configured to display a plurality of different screens on display 52. In the example shown in FIG. 4, display 52 is displaying a menu screen 180. Surrounding display 52 are a plurality of navigation controls 126a-f that, when activated, cause the display 52 to display different screens thereon. More specifically, when a user presses navigation control 126a, control panel 48a displays an exit detection control screen on display 52 that includes one or more icons that, when touched, control exit detection system 56 (FIG. 10). The exit detection system 56 is as adapted to issue an alert when a patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Exit detection system 56 may include any of the same features and functions as, and / or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the exit detection system disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application 62 / 889,254 filed August 20, 2019, by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE EXIT DETECTION ZONES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference Other types of exit detection systems may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[0085] When a user presses navigation control 126b (FIG 4), control panel 48 displays a monitoring control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the onboard multi-component monitoring system 128 (FIG. 10) built into patient support apparatus 20. The onboard monitoring system 128 alerts the caregiver through a unified indicator, such as a light or a plurality of lights controlled in a unified manner, when any one or more of multiple components on patient support apparatus 20 are in an undesired state, and uses a unified indicator to indicate when all of the multiple components are in their respective desired states. Stated alternatively, monitoring system 128, when armed, monitors a plurality of conditions of patient support apparatus 20 (such as, but not limited to, any one or more of the following: brake status, siderail position, litter frame height, exit detection system 56, A / C cord status, nurse call cable status, etc.) and issues an alert if any one of those conditions are in an undesired state. Further details of one type of monitoring system 128 that may be built into patient support apparatus 20 are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 864,638 filed June 21, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH CAREGIVER REMINDERS, as well as commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16 / 721,133 filed December 19, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH MOTION CUSTOMIZATION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other types of monitoring systems may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[0086] When a user presses navigation control 126c, control panel 48a displays a scale control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control scale system 130 (FIG 10) of patient support apparatus 20 Such a scale system 130 may include any of the same features and functions as, and / or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the scale systems disclosed in commonly assigned U S patent application 62 / 889,254 filed August 20, 2019, by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE EXIT DETECTION ZONES, and U.S. patentapplication serial number 62 / 885,954 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH EQUIPMENT WEIGHT LOG, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The scale system may utilize the same force sensors and / or other components that are utilized by the exit detection system 56, or it may utilize one or more different sensors and / or other components Other scale systems besides those mentioned above in the '254 and ‘954 applications may alternatively be included within patient support apparatus 20

[0087] When a user presses navigation control 126d, control panel 48 displays a motion control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the movement of various components of patient support apparatus 20, such as, but not limited to, the height of litter frame 28 and the pivoting of head section 40. In some versions, the motion control screen displayed on display 52 in response to pressing control 126d may be the same as, or similar to, the position control screen 216 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 885,953 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH TOUCHSCREEN, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In at least one version, display 52 is configured to display the motion control screen 190 of FIG. 5 in response to activation of navigation control 126d Other types of motion control screens may be included on patient support apparatus 20.

[0088] When a user presses navigation control 126e, control panel 48a displays a motion lock control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control one or more motion lockout functions of patient support apparatus 20. Such motion lockout functions typically include the ability for a caregiver to use control panel 48a to lock out one or more of the motion controls of the patient control panels 54c such that the patient is not able to use those controls on control panels 54c to control the movement of one or more components of patient support apparatus 20. The motion lockout screen may include any of the features and functions as, and / or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the motion lockout features, functions, and constructions disclosed in commonly assigned U S. patent application serial number 16 / 721,133 filed December 19, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH MOTION CUSTOMIZATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of motion lockouts may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[0089] When a user presses on navigation control 126f, control panel 48a displays a menu screen, such as the menu screen 180 of FIG. 4. Menu screen 180 includes a plurality of menu icons that, when touched, bring up one or more additional screens for controlling and / or viewing one or more other aspects of patient support apparatus 20. In the example shown in FIG. 4, menu screen 180 includes a first set of patient support apparatus icons 184 and a second set of mattress icons 186. Patient support apparatus icons 184 are adapted to control various aspects of patient support apparatus 20, while mattress icons 186 are adapted to control various aspects of a mattress (not shown) positioned on patient support apparatus 20.

[0090] The patient support apparatus icons 184 include a scale control icon 182a, an exit detection icon 182b, a multicomponent monitoring system icon 182c, a lock control icon 182d, a history icon 182e, a night light icon 182f, a settings icon 182g, a service icon 182h, and a help icon 182i. The mattress control icons 186 include a pressure control icon 182j, a turn icon 182k, and a pulmonary icon 1821. The scale control icon 182a, exit detection icon 182b, multi-component monitoring system icon 182c, lock control icon 182d, and settings icon 182g are duplicates of the non-touchscreen controls 126c, 126a, 126b, 126e, and 126f, respectively That is, pressing on any of these icons causes control panel 48a to display the same screens that are displayed in response to touching on any of these controls

[0091] The history icon 182e, when touched, causes control panel 48a to display a history screen (not shown) which includes historical information on the operation or maintenance of the patient support apparatus 20. The night light icon 182f, whentouched, causes control panel 48a to display a night light screen (not shown) which includes control inputs for a night light of the patient support apparatus 20. The service icon 182h, when touched, causes control panel 48a to display a service screen (not shown) which includes information on service topics such as how to perform or request maintenance on the patient support apparatus 20 The help icon 182i, when touched, causes control panel 48a to display a help screen (not shown) which includes information on help topics such as the use, operation, and functions of the patient support apparatus 20

[0092] The pressure icon 182j, when touched, causes control panel 48a to display a pressure redistribution therapy control screen (not shown) which includes control inputs for operating a mattress in a pressure redistribution mode. The turn assist icon 182k, when touched, causes control panel 48a to display a turn assist control screen (not shown) which includes control inputs for controlling a turn assist therapy function of the mattress to turn or rotate a patient supported on the mattress laterally to one side for a period of time to help reposition the patient, such as to prevent bed sores. The lateral rotation icon 1821, when touched, causes control panel 48a to display a lateral rotation control screen (not shown) which includes control inputs for controlling a lateral rotation therapy function of the mattress to rotate a patient supported on the mattress side to side in an effort to reduce pulmonary complications of immobility

[0093] In addition to, or in lieu of, any of the icons 182 of menu screen 180, control panel 48 may also, or alternatively include, one or icons or other controls that display information regarding one or more devices that are currently associated with patient support apparatus 20, diagnostic and / or service information for patient support apparatus 20, configuration settings, location information, and other settings and / or information. In at least one version, utilization of a navigation control 126 and / or utilization of an icon 182 may allow a user to view prior event data that was stored in a log, and / or to add information to the event log. The event log records information relating to one or more functions of patient support apparatus 20.

[0094] For all of the navigation controls 126a-f and menu icons 182 (FIG. 4), screens other than the ones specifically mentioned above may be displayed on display 52 in other versions of patient support apparatus 20 in response to a user pressing these controls. Thus, it will be understood that the specific screens mentioned above are merely representative of the types of screens that are displayable on display 52 in response to a user pressing on one or more of navigation controls 126a-f and / or icons 182. It will also be understood that, although navigation controls 126a-f have all been illustrated in the accompanying drawings as dedicated controls that are positioned adjacent display 52, any one or more of these controls 126a-f could alternatively be touchscreen controls or icons 182 that are displayed at one or more locations on display 52. Still further, although controls 126a-f have been shown herein as buttons, it will be understood that any of controls 126a-f could also, or alternatively, be switches, dials, or other types of non-button controls. Additionally, patient support apparatus 20 may be modified to include additional, fewer, and / or different navigation controls and / or icons from the navigation controls 126a-f and / or icons 182 shown in FIG. 4.

[0095] Turning to FIG. 5, an illustrative motion control screen 190 is shown displayed on display 52. Control panel 48a may display motion control screen 190 on display 52 in response to a user activating control 126d and / or by touching on a corresponding motion control icon displayed on display 52. Motion control screen 190 includes a control 126g for raising head section 40 of support deck 30, a control 126h for lowering head section 40 of support deck 30, a control 1261 for raising a knee section of support deck 30 (e.g. the joint between foot and thigh sections 46 and 44), a control 126j for lowering the knee section of support deck 30, a control 126k for raising litter frame 28 (via lifts 26), a control 1261 for lowering litter frame 28, a control 126m for moving support deck 30 to a Fowler’s position, a control 126n for moving support deck 30 to a flat position, a control 126o for moving litter frame 28 and support deck 30 to a Trendelenburg position, and a control 126p for moving litter frame 28 and support deck 30 to a reverse Trendelenburg position Other controls may be included on control screen 190 and / or one or more of the controls shown on screen 190 may be omitted, in different versions of patient support apparatus 20.

[0096] FIG. 6 illustrates an illustrative scale control screen 200 that may be displayed on display 52 of control panel48a. Control panel 48a may display scale control screen 200 on display 52 in response to a user activating control 126c and / or touching icon 182a (FIG. 4). Scale control screen 200 includes a patient weight indicator 202, a gal n / loss indicator 204, a weight log icon 206, an object number 208, a weight log total weight indicator 210, a zero control 212, a save weight control 214, and a scale history control 216 Patient weight indicator 202 indicates the currently measured patient weight, which is determined by subtracting the weight of any objects in the weight log from the current total weight on force sensors 54 (after the force sensors have been zeroed) Gain / loss indicator 204 indicates the total patient weight loss or gain since the patient’s weight was last saved by the user. A controller 100 (FIG. 10) of patient support apparatus 20 is configured to store in a memory of patient support apparatus 20 each of the patient weight readings that a caregiver saves for a particular patient. The gain / loss indicator displays the difference between the current patient weight and the last saved patient weight reading in the memory.

[0097] Log icon 206 is an icon that corresponds to the weight log that the controller 100 may maintain of all of the nonpatient objects that may be added to the litter frame 28 of patient support apparatus 20. If the user presses on weight log icon 206, controller 100 may be configured to display another screen that provides more information about the weight log, such as a screen like any of those shown in FIGS 8-11, 13, 15, and / or 16 of commonly assigned U.S. patent publication 2024 / 0299226 entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH AUTOMATIC SCALE FUNCITONALITY, which was published on September 12, 2024, and filed by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al. and assigned to Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0098] Object number 208 (FIG. 6) indicates the number of non-patient objects that are currently in the weight log.Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the weight log currently has three non-patient objects recorded therein that are positioned on litter frame 28 (or that are otherwise causing their weight to be detected by scale system 130). Total log weight indicator 210 indicates the total weight of the non-patient objects currently stored in the weight log. Thus, in the example of FIG 6, the three objects stored in the weight log have a total cumulative weight of 3.5kg, as indicated by indicator 210. Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 6, controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20, when calculating the weight of the patient, will automatically subtract 3.5 kilograms from the gross weight reading of scale system 130 because 3.5 kilograms of that weight is due to objects, rather than due to the patient.

[0099] If the user presses on the save weight control 214 (FIG. 6), controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 is configured to store the currently measured patient weight (as indicated by indicator 202) within a memory of patient support apparatus 20. That stored patient weight is then used as a baseline for future patient weight readings when controller 100 computes the value to be shown by the gain / loss indicator 1204. In other words, when the user presses the save weight control 214, controller 100 zeroes the gain / loss indicator 204. In the example of FIG. 6, after the user presses the save weight control 214, controller 100 changes gain / loss indicator 204 to zero and thereafter only show non-zero values if the patient’s weight deviates from 105.5kg.

[0100] If the user presses on zero control 212 (FIG. 6), controller 100 is configured to zero (i.e tare) the scale system130. That is, in response to control 212 being activated by a user, controller 100 takes a snapshot of the current total weight readings recorded by force sensors 54 and considers that weight value to be equal to the empty weight of patient support apparatus 20 (i.e. the weight on the scale system when no patient is present and no objects intended to be included in the weight log are present) Typically, a caregiver uses control 212 to zero the scale system when the patient is absent, but a mattress, a pillow, bedding, and other standard items (if any) are present on the patient support apparatus 20 In this manner, the weight of the mattress, pillow, bedding, etc , as well as the structural weight of the support deck 30 and litter frame 28, are zeroed out In someversions, after the user has zeroed the scale system using control 212, controller 100 is configured to erase any items that were stored in the weight log.

[0101] Scale control screen 200 also includes a scale history control 216. When a user presses on control 216, controller 100 is configured to display a different screen that graphically shows a history of the patient’s weight readings The graph may have time on the X-axis and the patient’s weight on the Y-axis The patient weight history screen gives the caregiver a visual overview of the fluctuations in the patient’s weight while they were assigned to that particular patient support apparatus 20 In some versions, scale history control 216 is displayed in a first color (and / or with a first configuration) when there is data contained within the scale history, and in a second color (and / or with a second configuration) when there is no data contained within the scale history.

[0102] FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a weight log screen 220 that may be displayed on display 52 of control panel48a. In some versions, control panel 48a may display weight log screen 220 in response to a user activating (e.g. pressing on) weight log icon 206 of FIG. 6, or by pressing on, or otherwise activating, one or more other controls. However navigated to, equipment weight log screen 220 includes a non-patient weight log indicator 222 comprising a numeric value representing the total weight of equipment and / or other non-patient items added to the weight log, as determined by the scale system 130, and a log number indicator 224 comprising a numeric value representing the total number of items in the weight log. Non-patient weight log indicator 222 is the same as total log weight indicator 210 of FIG. 6, and log number indicator 224 is the same as object indicator 208 (also of FIG. 6).

[0103] Weight log screen 220 (FIG. 7) may be used by a caregiver, or other user, to manually add or remove equipment weight or other non-patient weight to and / or from the weight log. Weight log screen 220 includes an instruction message 226, a save weight control 228, a reset control 230, and a return control 232. The instruction message 226 includes information helping the user to manually add or remove items from the weight log. In the example shown in FIG. 7, there is currently no weight in the weight log and message 226 indicates to the user to “add or remove now” one item at a time. Thus, if a user wishes to add an item to the weight log, he or she adds an object to patient support apparatus 20 (anywhere that its weight will be detected by scale system 130) and scale system 130 detects this added weight. After the weight has been detected, the user presses on save weight control 228, and controller 100 adds the weight of the just-added object to the weight log. If the user wishes to add another object to the weight log, he or she repeats this process one item at a time. The user wishes to remove an object from the weight log, he or she simply removes the object, waits for scale system 130 to detect this weight removal, and then presses the save weight control 228. Alternatively, if the user wishes to remove all items from the weigh log, he or she can press on the reset control 230

[0104] Weight log screen 220 may also include a graphic 234 accompanying the instruction message 226 that provides the user with a visual indication of the necessary steps needed to log equipment or other non-patient weight. In the version illustrated in FIG. 7, the graphic 234 shows a weight being added to the patient support apparatus 20, with a patient on the patient support apparatus 20. Other graphics 234 are possible, including static or animated graphics. Audible instructions can also be issued from a speaker associate with the control panel 48a, or positioned elsewhere on patient support apparatus 20.

[0105] Turning to FIG. 8, an illustrative caregiver control panel 48b that may be positioned on an outer face of a siderail34, or elsewhere, is shown. In the version shown in FIG. 1, patient support apparatus 20 includes two caregiver control panels 48b (as well as two patient control panels 48c), each with a plurality of controls 126. Caregiver control panel 48b includes an angle indicator 70, a flat configuration control 126q, an examination position control 126r, a Trendelenburg control 126s, a reverse Trendelenburg control 126t, a vascular position control 126u, a knee up control 126v, a knee down control 126w, a Fowler up control 126x, a Fowler down control 126y, a height up control 126z, a height down control 126aa, and a CPR control 126bb Control panel48b also includes a knee lockout control 126cc, a Fowler lockout control 126dd, and a height lockout control 126ee. Caregiver control panel 48b further includes a knee lockout indicator 196a, a Fowler lockout indicator 196b, and a height lockout indicator 196c.

[0106] Each caregiver control panel 48b is in electrical communication with controller 100. When a caregiver presses on examination control 126r, controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG 10) is configured to automatically control the movement of the powered actuators of lifts 26 to bring frame 28 and support deck 30 to a predefined examination position Although the predefined positions of the litter frame 28 and support deck 30 may vary for a given examination position, in at least one embodiment, controller 100 is configured to move the support deck 30 and litter frame 28 to flat orientations, and to raise the height of the litter frame 28 to its maximum extent (or to a different height that makes it easy for a caregiver to exam the patient while he / she is positioned on patient support apparatus 20)

[0107] When a caregiver presses on Trendelenburg control 126s, controller 100 is configured to automatically control the movement of lifts 26 so as to bring litter frame 28 to a conventional Trendelenburg position. In the Trendelenburg position, the litter frame 28 is tilted so that head end 36 is positioned lower than foot end 38. The Fowler section and / or knee section of support deck 30 may be flat or raised while in the Trendelenburg position. When a caregiver presses on reverse Trendelenburg control 126t, controller 100 is configured to automatically control the movement of lifts 26 so as to bring litter frame 28 to a conventional reverse Trendelenburg position. In the reverse Trendelenburg position, the litter frame 28 is tilted so that foot end 38 is positioned lower than head end 36. The Fowler section and / or knee section of support deck 30 may be flat or raised while in the reverse Trendelenburg position.

[0108] When a caregiver presses on vascular control 126u, controller 100 is configured to automatically control the movement of lifts 26 and its corresponding powered actuators so as to bring litter frame 28 and deck 30 to a vascular position. In the vascular position, the Fowler section 40 and knee section (i.e. the joint between thigh and foot sections 44 and 46) of patient support deck 30 are lowered to a flat orientation (zero degree angle with the main plane of the support deck 30) and lifts 26 are controlled so as to lower head end 36 lower than foot end 38. The vascular position is similar to the Trendelenburg position except that it also flattens the Fowler section and knee sections. Also, the angle of litter frame 28 when in the vascular position may be the same as, or different from, the angle of litter frame 28 when it is in the Trendelenburg position.

[0109] When a caregiver presses on knee up control 126v or knee down control 126w, controller 100 is configured to raise or lower, respectively, the knee section of support deck 30 by activating a knee actuator. When a caregiver presses on Fowler up control 126x or Fowler down control 126y, controller 100 is configured to raise or lower, respectively, the Fowler section or support deck 30 by activating a Fowler actuator. When a caregiver presses on height up control 126z or height down control 126aa, controller 100 is configured to raise or lower, respectively, the height of litter frame 28 by activating lifts 26. When a caregiver presses on CPR control 126bb, controller 100 is configured to flatten support deck 30 (i e. bring all of sections 40, 42, 44, and 46 into a common plane), deflate the mattress on patient support apparatus 20, and bring the height of litter frame 28 to a height suitable for performing CPR on the patient.

[0110] When a caregiver presses on knee lockout control 126cc, controller 100 locks out (i.e. disables) the up and down knee controls (not shown) on the patient control panels 48c, thereby preventing the patient from using a control panel 48c to change the height of the knee section of patient support apparatus 20. When a caregiver presses on Fowler lockout control 126dd, controller 100 locks out (i e disables) the up and down Fowler controls (not shown) on the patient control panels 48c, thereby preventing the patient from using a control panel 48c to change the angular orientation of Fowler section 40 When a caregiver presses on height lockout control 126ee, controller 100 locks out (i e disables) the up and down height controls (not shown) on the patient control panels 48c, thereby preventing the patient from using a control panel 48c to change the height of litter frame 28.

[0111] Lockout indicators 196a-c (FIG. 8) are illuminated when corresponding controls 126 on the patient control panels48c have been locked out. For example, knee lockout indicator 196a is illuminated when the knee up or knee down controls (not shown) on the patient control panels 48c are locked out. Fowler lockout indicator 196b is illuminated when the Fowler controls on the patient control panels 48c are locked out Height lockout indicator 196c is illuminated when the height controls on patient control panels 48c are locked out

[0112] It will be understood that the locking out of a control serves to disable that control on the patient’s control panel48c. The locking out of a control does not disable the corresponding control on caregiver control panel 48a or 48b, in at least some versions of patient support apparatus 20. In other versions, controller 100 may be configured to lock out a control 126 both on the patient control panels 44c and the two siderail caregiver control panels 44b, but not lock out the corresponding control on footboard control panel 48a. Other arrangements of what controls are locked out on what control panels 48 may also, or alternatively, be implemented.

[0113] FIG. 9 illustrates additional details of a typical healthcare facility 64. As shown therein, healthcare facility 64 includes a room 102 having a plurality of walls 66, one or more mobile device 150, a nurse call system 68, one or more nurses’ stations 134, a local area network 74, one or more wireless access points 76, a patient support apparatus server 78, one or more remote computers 148, one or more additional servers, and one or more network appliances 80 that couple LAN 74 to the internet 82, thereby enabling server 78 and other applications / servers on LAN 74 to communicate with computers outside of healthcare facility 64, such as, but not limited to, a geographically remote server 84. Wall outlet 60 is typically electrically coupled by one or more conductors 92 to one or more room devices, such as a television 86, a room light 88, and / or a reading light 90.

[0114] It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that the healthcare facility infrastructure shown in FIG. 9 may vary widely from healthcare facility to healthcare facility. For example, local area network 74 may include other and / or additional servers installed thereon, and room 102, in some healthcare facilities 64, may be semi-private room having multiple patient support apparatuses 20 and multiple wall outlets 60. Still other variations are possible. It will therefore be understood that the particular healthcare facility infrastructure shown in FIG. 9 is merely illustrative, and that patient support apparatus 20 is constructed to be communicatively coupled to healthcare facility communication infrastructures which are arranged differently from that of FIG. 9.

[0115] In a typical healthcare facility, local area network 74 will have access to additional servers, such as an EMR server 62, an Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) server 178, a badge server 176, and / or a caregiver assignment server 174. The ADT server 178, which may be a conventional server, stores patient information, including the identity of patients and the corresponding rooms and / or bays within rooms to which the patients are assigned. The patient’s names are entered into the ADT server 178 by one or more healthcare facility staff whenever a patient checks into the healthcare facility and the patient is assigned to a particular room within the healthcare facility. If and / or when a patient is transferred to a different room and / or discharged from the healthcare facility, the staff of the healthcare facility update the ADT server 178. The ADT server 178 therefore maintains an up- to-date set of data that correlates patient names with their assigned rooms. The ADT server 178 server may be a conventional server marketed by Cerner Corporation of North Kansas City, Missouri; EPIC Systems of Madison, Wisconsin; Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois; and / or by other companies. Still other types of ADT servers 178 may, of course, be used In some embodiments, the ADT server 178 and / or a portion of its functions may be integrated into, or combined with, those of EMR server 62

[0116] EMR server 62 (FIG 9) stores the medical records of individual patients Such patient records identify a patient by name and the medical information associated with that patient Such medical information may include all of the medical information generated from the patient’s current stay in the healthcare facility as well as medical information from previous visits. Itwill be understood that the term “EMR server,” as used herein, also includes Electronic Health Records servers, or EHR servers for short, and that the present disclosure does not distinguish between electronic medical records and electronic health records. EMR server 62 may be a conventional server marketed by Cerner Corporation of North Kansas City, Missouri; EPIC Systems of Madison, Wisconsin; Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc of Chicago, Illinois; and / or by other companies Still other types of EMR servers 62 may, of course, be used

[0117] Caregiver assignment server 174 (FIG 9) stores data that matches caregivers to specific rooms and / or bays within the healthcare facility. Caregiver assignment server 174 stores information regarding shift changes, personnel, and the general assignments of caregivers who are employed by the healthcare facility. In some caregiver assignment servers 174, caregivers are assigned to specific patients, rather than to specific rooms, in which case server 174 may correlate caregivers to individual patients rather than rooms Still further, some conventional nurse call systems may be configured to carry out the functions of caregiver assignment server 174, in which case caregiver assignment server 174 may be replaced by and / or supplemented with a nurse call system server.

[0118] Badge server 176 (FIG. 9) is configured to manage communications between, and keep track of the location of, badges that are typically worn by patients or healthcare workers, such as caregivers, service technicians, cleaning personnel, transportation assistants, etc. Such badges are one form of the mobile devices 150 discussed in greater detail herein. Such mobile device 150 may take on other devices, such as cell phone, portable laptops, Computers-on-Wheels (CoWs), etc. Badge server 176 typically maintains data that correlates badge IDs with individual healthcare workers. Each badge includes a unique ID (e.g. ID 162 of FIG. 10) that distinguishes that badge from other badges . When a healthcare provider arrives at a healthcare facility, he or she typically grabs a badge from a common collection of badges and wears it for the duration of his or her work shift (and returns it to the general collection after his / her shift). In some badge servers176, in order for server 176 to know that a particular badge is assigned to a particular healthcare worker, the worker has to manually associate the particular badge they chose to wear that day with their name (or some other worker ID). This manual association may involve scanning the badge on a badge reader in communication with server 176, typing information (such as the badge ID and / or the worker’s ID) into a computer coupled to server 176, entering information into the badge (if it is a badge that allows data entry), performing other actions, and / or a combination of these steps.

[0119] The badges may be badges of the type sold or marketed by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, under the names Vocera Badge, Vocera Smartbadge, and / or Vocera Minibadge. Other types of badges may also, or alternatively, be used. Such badges include the ability to transmit voice communications of healthcare workers to other badges and / or other locations within a healthcare facility. Some of the badges may also include text messaging abilities, alarm notifications, and other functions.

[0120] As is shown in FIG. 9, patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to be communicatively coupled to the wall outlet60 on wall 66 by way of communication link 58 that may be wired or wireless. In some healthcare facilities, rooms 102 may also include a wireless location beacon 94 that provides location information to patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile devices 150. In some versions of location beacon 94, location beacon 94 may act as a communication intermediary between patient support apparatus 20 and wall outlet 60. In such situations, patient support apparatus 20 may wirelessly and bidirectionally communicate with location beacon 94, and location beacon 94 may be coupled to wall outlet 60 by way of a cable, thereby allowing bidirectional communication between location beacon 94 and wall outlet 60.

[0121] Wall outlet 60 is coupled to one or more conventional conductors 92 that electrically couple the wall outlet 60 to nurse call system 68 and to one or more other devices, such as television 86, room light 88, and / or reading light 90 Conductors 92 are typically located behind walls 66 and not visible In some healthcare facilities, conductors 92 may first couple to a room interface board that includes one or more electrical connections electrically coupling the room interface board to television 86 and / or nurse callsystem 68. Still other communicative arrangements for coupling wall outlet 60 to nurse call system 68 and television 86 and lights 88, 90 are possible.

[0122] Communication link 58 (FIG. 9) enables patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with nurse call system 68, television 86, and the room / readings lights 88, 90 (if any) A patient supported on patient support apparatus 20 who activates a nurse call control on patient support apparatus 20 causes a signal to be conveyed via communication link 58 to the nurse call system 68, which then sends a notification to one or more remotely located nurses (e g nurses at one of the nurses’ stations 134) If the patient uses a TV control (not shown) positioned on one of the patient control panels 48c to change a channel or change the volume of television 86, the control conveys a signal along link 58 to the wall outlet 60, and the signal is thereafter passed from outlet 60 to television 86. Similarly, if the patient uses a room light or reading light control on one of the control panels 48, he or she is able to turn on or off the room light 88 and reading light 90.

[0123] Location beacon 94 (FIG. 9) is adapted to communicate wirelessly with a nearby patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 in a manner that allows the location of the patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 within the healthcare facility to be determined A transceiver of location beacon 94 sends a location code, a unique identifier, or other location information, to patient support apparatus 20 that indicates the location of location beacon 94 within the healthcare facility. In some versions, the transceiver may be a short-range transceiver (e.g., an IR transceiver) that emits a short range signal containing an identifier that is unique to that particular wireless location beacon and that can only be detected by a patient support apparatus 20 and / or a mobile device 150 when the patient support apparatus 20 and / or the mobile device 150 is positioned in close proximity to location beacon 94. In other versions, the transceiver may be an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver that ranges with the patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 in order to determine the distance therebetween.

[0124] Patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 may forward the location signal it receives from location beacon 94 to an off-board server, such as server 78 and / or remote server 84, which may contain data correlating the location code (or other unique identifiers or location information) of each location beacon 94 to their location within the healthcare facility. This data is generated during a survey of the location beacons 94 when they are initially installed within the healthcare facility 64. Server 78 is therefore able to determine the location of each patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 within the healthcare facility whenever the patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 is positioned within communication range of a location beacon 94. Further explanation of one manner in which the transceivers of location beacon 94 and the transceivers of patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 may operate are provided in the following commonly assigned U S. patent applications: serial number 16 / 215,911 filed December 11, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; serial number 16 / 217,203 filed December 12, 2018, by inventor Alexander Bodurka, and entitled SMART HOSPITAL HEADWALL SYSTEM; and serial number 16 / 193,150 filed November 16, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOCATION / MOVEMENT DETECTION, the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0125] In some versions, location beacon 94 may also include any of the components and / or functionality of the headwall units 76 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16 / 215,911 filed December 11, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference Alternatively, or additionally, location beacon 94 may include any and / or all of the same functionality as, and / or components of, the headwall interface 38 disclosed in commonly assigned U S patent publication 2016 / 0038361 published February 11, 2016, entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, and filed by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al., the complete disclosure of which is also incorporated hereinby reference. Still further, location beacon 94 and / or patient support apparatus 20 may include any of the functionality and / or components of the headwall units 140, 140a and / or patient support apparatuses 20, 20a, and / or 20b disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 833,943 filed April 15, 2019, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH NURSE CALL AUDIO MANAGEMENT, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference

[0126] FIG 10 illustrates further details of the internal components of patient support apparatus 20, of a mobile device150, of a location beacon 94, and of a remote computer 148. Patient support apparatus 20, in addition to including control panels 48, exit detection system 56, monitoring system 128, scale system 130, controller 100, and microphone 132, may also include a nurse call interface 72, a Bluetooth transceiver 112, a network transceiver 118, one or more sensors 120, a memory 144, a brake 122, one or more cameras 124, and, in some versions, one or more ultra-wideband transceivers 136. It will be understood that patient support apparatus 20 may include different components from those shown in FIG. 10, including additional components, as well as fewer components than those shown. It will also be understood that, although FIG. 10 only shows a single control panel 48, patient support apparatus 20 may include multiple control panels 48, including any one or more of the control panels 48a-c disclosed herein.

[0127] Nurse call interface 72 is adapted to either electrically couple to wall outlet 60 via a cable or to wirelessly connect to location beacon 94 (which in turn may be electrically coupled to wall outlet 60 via a cable). When coupled to outlet 60 via a cable, the cable is connected to a cable port 110 of nurse call interface 72. Signals between patient support apparatus 20 and wall outlet 60 are then transmitted back and forth over the cable. When wirelessly coupled to location beacon 94, signals are transmitted from Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 to a Bluetooth transceiver onboard location beacon 94. The location beacon 94 then forwards, as appropriate, corresponding signals to wall outlet 60 via a cable connection between location beacon 94 and wall outlet 60. In turn, signals received from wall outlet 60 are passed by the cable to location beacon 94 and, as appropriate, are forwarded to patient support apparatus 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver onboard location beacon 94.

[0128] Some versions of location beacon 94 may omit a cable connection to wall outlet 60. In such versions, patient support apparatus 20 may receive location information from location beacon 94 and communicate with nurse call system 68 (and TV 86, etc.) via a cable coupled between cable port 110 and wall outlet 60. That is, in some versions of location beacon 94, location beacon 94 may simply provide location information to patient support apparatus 20 (and / or mobile device 150) and not act as a communication intermediary between wall outlet 60 and the patient support apparatus 20 (or mobile device 150).

[0129] One or more cameras 124, when included on patient support apparatus 20, may be positioned at different locations on patient support apparatus 20 such that their fields of view are capable of capturing images of one or more events of the type described further herein. Such events include, but are not limited to, zeroing scale system 130, weighing a patient, adding or removing items from the weight log, and / or performing other actions related to patient support apparatus 20 and / or the patient thereon Camera 124 is adapted to record images under the control of controller 100, as will be discussed in greater detail below. Camera(s) 124 may include any of the same functions, components, mountings, placement, or other features of the cameras 64 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 18 / 572,669 filed December 20, 2023, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT VIDEO MONITORING SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0130] Healthcare facility 64 may also, or additionally, include one or more standalone cameras 124 that are not positioned on, or otherwise physically coupled to, patient support apparatuses 20 In such healthcare facilities, the standalone camera(s) 124 are adapted to be able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 and / or server 78 and / or 84 Suchcommunications may take place using Bluetooth transceiver 112, UWB transceiver(s) 136, network transceiver 118, and / or by other means.

[0131] Controller 110 of patient support apparatus 20 uses Bluetooth transceiver 112 to communicate with anotherBluetooth transceiver 142 (FIG 10) onboard location beacon 94 and / or a Bluetooth transceiver 156 onboard mobile device 150 In some versions, controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 automatically pairs Bluetooth transceiver 112 with another Bluetooth device (e g location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150) if the device is positioned within a defined proximity to patient support apparatus 20. This proximity may be determined automatically through the one or more ultra-wideband (UWB) transceivers 136 onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[0132] Bluetooth transceivers 112 and 142 may be used by patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacon 94 to transmit audio signals therebetween, such as, but not limited to, the audio signals used to convey the voice signals of the patient and the remotely positioned nurse. Such audio signals may also include the audio signals from television 86 and / or a radio or other entertainment device positioned in the room 102. Bluetooth transceivers 112 and 142 may also be used to transmit other data, such as, but not limited to, status data regarding the status of patient support apparatus 20, one or more messages indicating an exit detection alert has been issued, and / or other data. In some versions, location beacon 94 and patient support apparatus 20 are configured to exchange audio signals therebetween in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 833,943 filed April 15, 2019, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH NURSE CALL AUDIO MANAGEMENT, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0133] Network transceiver 118 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 10) is a wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with one or more wireless access points 76 of the healthcare facility’s local area network 74. In some versions, transceiver 118 may be a WiFi transceiver adapted to transmit and receive wireless electrical signals using any of the various WiFi protocols (IEEE 802.11b, 801.11 g, 802 11 n, 802.11ac, etc ). In other versions, network transceiver 118 may be a transceiver adapted to communicate using any of the frequencies, protocols, and / or standards disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 430,500 filed December 6, 2016, by inventor Michael Hayes and entitled NETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In still other versions, transceiver 118 may be a wired transceiver that communicates with network 74 over a wired network, such as an Ethernet cable or the like. Regardless of whether transceiver 118 is a wired or wireless transceiver, it enables controller 100 to communicate with one or more servers on the healthcare facility’s computer network 74, such as, but not limited to, patient support apparatus server 78, electronic medical records server 62, badge server 176, caregiver assignment server 174, ADT server 178, and / or remote server 84.

[0134] Controller 100 uses network transceiver 118 to send messages to server 78 (and / or server 84) indicating the status of patient support apparatus 20 and / or information about one or more events that have taken place, or that are taking place with respect to patient support apparatus 20 and / or the patient assigned thereto. That is, controller 100 may use network transceiver 118 to communicate an event log 172 to server 78 and / or 84, or it may use network transceiver 118 to communicate log information to server 78 and / or 84 so that server 78 and / or 84 may create and update an event log 172 associated with each patient support apparatus 20. The contents of the event log 172 are described in further detail below.

[0135] Memory 144 may be comprised of any one or more of the following: non-volatile flash memory, Random AccessMemory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), a mechanical hard drive, a solid-state hard drive, etc Memory 144 may contain not only the instructions followed by controller 100 and the data used for carrying out those instructions, but also a unique patient support apparatus ID 104 and, in some versions, an event log 172.

[0136] Brake 122 (FIG. 10) is adapted to, when activated, prevent the rolling movement of one or more of the wheels24 of patient support apparatus 20. In many versions of patient support apparatus 20, brake 122 includes a powered actuator for activating and deactivating the brake 122, either in addition to, or in lieu of, a mechanical structure (e.g. a pedal) that a user may utilize to manually activate and deactivate brake 122 In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, one or more camera 124 may be positioned to have fields of view that capture the status of brake 122 (i e on / off), such as by capturing an image of a control panel 48 that visually shows the current status of brake 122, by capturing an image of a brake pedal that visually shows the brake status, and / or by capturing another type of image that visually shows the status of brake 122. Patient support apparatus 20 may also include a sensor 120 that detects what state brake 122 is in: activated (i.e., braked) or inactivated (i.e., unbraked). The brake sensor 120 forwards this information to controller 100.

[0137] Sensors 124 may also include a plurality of siderail sensors that detect the current position of each siderail 34.That is, each siderail sensor 120 detects whether a corresponding siderail 34 is currently in a raised position or a lowered position. The siderail sensors 120 report the state of the siderails 34 to controller 100. In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, each siderail 34 is only manually movable between the raised and lowered positions by a person physically manipulating the siderail 34. In other versions of patient support apparatus 20, one or more of the siderails 34 may also, or alternatively, include a powered actuator adapted to raise or lower the siderail 34 without requiring a person to manually manipulate the siderail. In any of these versions, the position of the siderail (raised or lowered) is detected by a corresponding sensor 120 and reported to controller 100.

[0138] UWB transceiver(s) 136 are adapted to range with corresponding UWB transceivers onboard location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150. Each UWB transceiver 136 is positioned at a known location on patient support apparatus 20. This known location information is stored in memory 144 and / or elsewhere, and may be defined with respect to any suitable frame of reference that is common to patient support apparatus 20. The known location information may include the spatial relationship between UWB transceivers 136 and / or any other components of patient support apparatus 20. For example, in some versions, the known location information includes the spatial relationship not only between UWB transceivers 136, but also the spatial relationships between UWB transceivers 136 and one or more of the following: the head end 36 of patient support apparatus 20, the foot end 38 of patient support apparatus 20, the sides of patient support apparatus 20, a reference point defined on patient support apparatus 20, the floor, and / or other components and / or landmarks of patient support apparatus 20.

[0139] In some versions, patient support apparatus 20 includes four UWB transceivers 136, each of which are positioned generally adjacent one of the four corners of patient support apparatus 20. In some such versions, the four UWB transceiver 136 are attached to, or positioned near, the four corners of litter frame 28. In other versions, the four UWB transceivers 136 are attached to, or positioned near, the four corners of base 22. In some versions, each of the four UWB transceivers 136 are attached to the corners of support deck 30. Still other locations of the UWB transceivers 136, as well as different numbers of the UWB transceivers 136, may be incorporated into patient support apparatus 20. In those versions of patient support apparatus 20 where one or more of the UWB transceivers 136 are coupled to components of patient support apparatus 20 that are movable (e.g. litter frame 28, which can have its height and orientation changed; or support deck 30 that can have its sections, such as head section 40, pivoted), sensors are included within patient support apparatus 20 that communicate the current position of the movable component to controller 100 so that controller 100 is able to determine the current positions of the UWB transceivers 136 and use those positions when determining the current location of location beacon 94 and / or a mobile device 150

[0140] FIG 10 also illustrates several internal components of location beacon 94 These components include a controller 138, a UWB transceiver 140, a Bluetooth transceiver 142 and a unique location ID 146 UWB transceiver 140 is configured to range with UWB transceiver(s) 136 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or one or more UWB transceivers of mobiledevice 150. Bluetooth transceiver 142 is configured to communicate with Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or with a Bluetooth transceiver of a mobile device 150.

[0141] Controller 138 communicates with transceivers 140 and 142, as well as with additional electronics that may be present on location beacon 94 The additional electronics may include any of the electronics disclosed in any of the following commonly assigned patent applications, and wireless location beacon 94 may be configured to perform any of the functions disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: serial number 16 / 215,911 filed December 11, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; serial number 16 / 217,203 filed December 12, 2018, by inventor Alexander Bodurka, and entitled SMART HOSPITAL HEADWALL SYSTEM; and serial number 16 / 193,150 filed November 16, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOCATION / MOVEMENT DETECTION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0142] When location beacon 94 is adapted to communicate with wall outlet 60, it may include additional electronics and / or components beyond those shown in FIG. 10, such as, but not limited to, any of the electronics and / or components of the headwall modules 144, 144a disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent publication 2023 / 0110653 published April 13, 2023, and filed by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0143] FIG. 10 also illustrates several internal components of a mobile device 150. As was noted, mobile device may be a conventional smartphone, tablet computer, badge, or other electronic device that includes a non-conventional software application 170 that is adapted to be executed by a controller 152 onboard the mobile device 150 Alternatively, mobile device 150 may be a non-conventional electronic device that includes either software application 170 stored therein, or that otherwise carries out the functionality of software application 170, as will be discussed in greater detail below Mobile device 150 may also include fewer components, or additional components, from what is shown in FIG. 10.

[0144] When implemented as a badge, mobile devices 150 may include the ability to transmit voice communications of healthcare workers to other badges and / or other locations within a healthcare facility. Some of the badges may also include text messaging abilities, alarm notifications, and other functions. Such badges may also include one or more ultra-wideband transceivers 154 and / or tags that communicate with ultra-wideband transceivers 136 onboard patient support apparatus 20 and / or built into location beacon 94. That is, patient support apparatus 20 and / or locator beacons 94 may be configured to repetitively determine the location of any of the badges 150 that are positioned within range of its ultra-wideband transceivers and determine whether the badge 150 is positioned within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20, within a threshold distance of a location beacon 94, within a particular room, and / or at another location.

[0145] Mobile device 150, in addition to controller 152, software app 170, and one or more UWB transceivers 154, may also include a Bluetooth transceiver 156, a control panel 160 having one or more controls 158 and a display 166, a unique identifier 162, and a network transceiver 164. UWB transceiver 154 is configured to communicate with UWB transceiver(s) 136 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or UWB transceiver(s) 140 of location beacons 94. Bluetooth transceiver 156 is adapted to communicate with Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or with Bluetooth transceiver 142 of location beacon 94. Controls 158 may be part of the control panel 160, may be separate from control panel 160, or may be a combination of the two. Such controls 158 may include buttons, switches, dials, pressure sensors, icons on a touchscreen, etc

[0146] Control panel 160 of mobile device 150 (FIG 10) includes a display 166, which may be a touchscreen, a conventional LCD screen, or another type of display Unique identifier 162 of mobile device 150 may refer to a MAC address or other unique identifier that allows one mobile device 150 to be distinguished from another mobile device 150. Unique identifier 162allows BT communications and / or UWB communications with mobile device 150 to be separated from other BT or UWB communications that may be going on with other mobile devices 150 that are positioned in the area. That is, patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacon 94 may utilize unique identifier 162 to send messages to a specific mobile device 150 and to know which specific mobile device 150 they may be receiving messages from

[0147] Software application 170 is adapted to instruct controller 152 to carry out one or more functions with respect to patient support apparatus 20 These functions include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the functions that may be implemented on patient support apparatus 20 using any one or more of the control panels 48a-c, as discussed previously. As several non-limiting examples, software application 170 is adapted to allow a user of mobile device 150 to set the brake of any of the patient support apparatuses 20 in the healthcare facility, to zero scale system 130, to add / or remove objects from the weight log, to control a mattress onboard the patient support apparatus 20, to control the exit detection system 56, to control the monitoring system 128, and / or to carry out any of the functions implemented by any of the controls shown in FIGS. 4-8 Software application 170 is further adapted to display the status of various components of patient support apparatus 20 on display 166, such as, but not limited to, exit detection system 56, scale system 130, monitoring system 128, brake 122, siderails 34, litter frame 28, support deck 30, and / or other components. Software application 170 is also adapted to implement the automatic Bluetooth pairing between transceiver 156 and 112 (and / or 142), and the communications between UWB transceiver 154 and UWB transceiver(s) 136 (and / or 140), as was previously discussed.

[0148] In some healthcare facilities 64, one or more remote computers 148 may be included that include a non- conventional software application 96 adapted to be executed by a controller 98 of the remote computer. The remote computer 148 may be a conventional desktop computer, tablet computer, laptop, or other type of computer, and the controller 98 may include a conventional microcontroller and / or other conventional electronics (e.g graphic processors, coprocessors, etc.) The remote computer 148 includes one or more controls 108, such as a conventional mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, keypad, or other type of control used for controlling a computer. The remote computer 148 also includes a unique ID 114, which may be a MAC address, an IP address, an identifier assigned by the healthcare facility 64, a combination of these and other identifiers, and / or still other identifiers.

[0149] Software application 96, like software application 170, is adapted to instruct controller 98 to carry out one or more functions with respect to patient support apparatus 20. These functions include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the functions that may be implemented on patient support apparatus 20 using any one or more of the control panels 48a-c, as discussed previously. As several non-limiting examples, software application 96 is adapted to allow a user of remote computer 148 to remotely set the brake of any of the patient support apparatuses 20 in the healthcare facility, to zero scale system 130, to add / or remove objects from the weight log, to control a mattress onboard the patient support apparatus 20, to control the exit detection system 56, to control the monitoring system 128, and / or to carry out any of the functions implemented by any of the controls shown in FIGS. 4-8. Software application 96 is further adapted to display the status of various components of patient support apparatus 20 on a display (not shown) associated with remote computer 148, such as, but not limited to, exit detection system 56, scale system 130, monitoring system 128, brake 122, siderails 34, litter frame 28, support deck 30, and / or other components

[0150] Remote computer 148 communicates with each patient support apparatus 20 through a network transceiver 106.Network transceiver 106, as with network transceiver 164 of mobile device 150, may be a WiFi transceiver adapted to transmit and receive wireless electrical signals using any of the various WiFi protocols (IEEE 802 11b, 801 11g, 802 11 n, 802 11ac, etc ) In other versions, network transceiver 106 (and / or network transceiver 164) may be a wired transceiver that communicates with network 74 over a wired network, such as an Ethernet cable or the like Regardless of whether transceiver 106 (and / or 164) is awired or wireless transceiver, it enables controller 98 (and / or 152) to communicate with one or more servers on the healthcare facility’s computer network 74, such as, but not limited to, patient support apparatus server 78, electronic medical records server 62, badge server 176, caregiver assignment server 174, ADT server 178, and / or remote server 84. In some versions, messages between remote computer 148 and one or more patient support apparatuses 20 are first routed to patient support apparatus server 78 (and / or remote server 84), which then forwards the messages to the appropriate recipient Thus, patient support apparatus server 78, in some instances, acts as a communication intermediary between patient support apparatuses 20 and one or more remote computers 148. In some situations, patient support apparatus server 78 may also act as a communication intermediary between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20, although mobile devices 150 may also, or alternatively, communicate directly with one or more patient support apparatuses 20 using their Bluetooth transceiver 156 and / or their UWB transceivers 154.

[0151] In the example shown in FIG 9, a first remote computer 148a is connected to local area network 74 by a wireless connection (e.g. WiFi), while a second remote computer 148b is connected to network 74 by a wire. A third remote computer 148c is coupled to remote server 84 which, in turn, is coupled over the Internet 82 to network 74. The third remote computer 148c may be coupled to the third remote computer 148c by wired or wireless communication. It can therefore be seen from FIG. 9 that remote computers 148 may be positioned in a variety of different locations and yet still communicate with, and control aspects of, one or more patient support apparatuses 20.

[0152] Controller 152 of mobile device 150, as well as controllers 100 and 138, may take on a variety of different forms.For example, each of these controllers 100, 138, and / or 152 may be implemented as conventional microcontrollers. However, these controllers may be modified to use a variety of other types of circuits— either alone or in combination with one or more microcontrollers— such as, but not limited to, any one or more microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, and / or other hardware, software, or firmware that is capable of carrying out the functions described herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whether combined into a single unitor distributed across multiple units. The instructions followed by controllers 100, 138, and / or 152 (e.g. software app 170 for mobile device 150) when carrying out the functions described herein, as well as the data necessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in a corresponding memory that is accessible to that particular controller (e.g. memory 144 for controller 100). In some versions, controllers 100, 138, and / or 152 may include and / or work with a microcontroller that is integrated into, or associated with, the UWB transceiver(s) aboard that particular device (e.g. UWB transceivers 136, 140, and 154), and that microcontroller may act as a location engine, either alone or in combination with controller 100, 138, and / or 152, for determining the locations of the other UWB transceivers with which it is in communication.

[0153] Controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 utilizes UWB transceivers 136 to determine the relative position of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to one or more nearby locator beacons 94 and one or more mobile devices 150. In some versions, patient support apparatus 20 may also use UWB transceiver 136 to determine the relative position of other objects to patient support apparatus 20, such as one or more medical devices, or other types of devices. If patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within range of a location beacon 94, its UWB transceivers 136 communicate with the UWB transceiver 140 positioned on that location beacon 94, and the transceivers 136 and 140 exchange signals that enable them to determine the distances between themselves This distance-determining exchange of signals is often referred to as ranging This distance determination may be done for each UWB transceiver 136 positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20 (or for as many as is necessary in order to determine an accurate position of location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150 relative to patient support apparatus 20)

[0154] In some versions, the UWB transceivers 136, 140, and / or 154 may also be configured to determine an angular relationship between themselves. The distance (and angle information) in at least some versions is calculated by UWB transceiver 136 and / or controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20. In other versions, one or more of location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150 may also, or alternatively, calculate the distance (and angle information) and forward the results of this calculation to patient support apparatus 20 (either via a UWB transceiver or BT transceiver) or server 78 In either situation, patient support apparatus controller 100 is informed of the distances (and, in some versions, as noted, the angle information) between its UWB transceivers 136 and those onboard a nearby device (e.g., 94 or 150). These distances and orientations are then used to determine if the mobile device 150 and / or location beacon 94 are to be associated with the patient support apparatus 20 or not. This determination is based upon the mobile device 150 and / or location beacon 94 being within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus 20 (such as a constant distance that defines a spherical shape or within a non-spherical volume of space). As will be discussed in greater detail below, when a mobile device is associated with patient support apparatus 20, the mobile device 150 is allowed by the patient support apparatus 20 to remotely control one or more functions of the patient support apparatus 20, as well as, in some versions, to make or cause changes to the event log discussed in greater detail herein.

[0155] In some versions, transceivers 136, 140, and / or 154 are implemented as any of the Trimension™ ultra-wideband modules available from NXP Semiconductors of Austin, Texas. These modules include, but are not limited to, the Trimension™ UWB modules ASMOP1 BOON 1 , ASMOP1 CO0R1 , and / or the ASMOP1 CO0A1 , that utilize any of the following chips: the NXP SR150, SR100T, SR040, NCJ29D5, and / or the OL23DO chips. Modules manufactured and / or marketed by other companies may also be used, including, but not limited to, the Decawave DWM1000, DWM10001C, DWM3000 modules (available from Decawave of Dublin, Ireland); the Nordic TSG5162 SiP module (available from Tsingoal Technology of Beijing, China); and / or the UWB hub, wand, and / or sensors available from Zebra technologies of Lincolnshire, Illinois. Still other types of UWB modules may be used to implement transceivers 136, 140, and / or 154.

[0156] Further details regarding the manner in which the distances between patient support apparatus 20, mobile devices 150, and / or location beacons 94 may be determined are disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: PCT application serial number PCT / US2023 / 026440 filed June 28, 2023, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION; PCT application serial number PCT / US2023 / 026462 filed June 28, 2023, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION; PCT application serial number PCT / US2023 / 026418 filed June 28, 2023, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION; US application serial number 63 / 565,946 filed March 15, 2024, by inventor Kyle Thomas and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION, the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other manners of determining the proximity of mobile devices 150, location beacons 94, and patient support apparatuses 20 relative to each other may also or alternatively be used, including, but not limited to, Bluetooth communications, conventional WiFi and access point 76 triangulation, conventional Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), and / or still other methods.

[0157] In some versions, software application 170 is configured to instruct mobile device 150 to automatically pair itsBluetooth transceiver 156 with the Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 in response to the movement of mobile device 150 within the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20 In such versions, software application 170 repetitively monitors its proximity to patient support apparatus 20 using UWB transceiver 154 That is, UWB transceiver 154 automatically and repetitively attempts to range with nearby UWB transceivers When mobile device 150 is within communication range of UWB transceiver 136 of patient support apparatus 20, software application 170 instructs UWB transceiver 154 to range with the UWB transceiver(s) 136 ofpatient support apparatus 20 to determine the distance therebetween. When mobile device 150 moves within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20 (as defined by software application 170), software application 170 instructs controller 152 to exchange Bluetooth credentials with patient support apparatus 20 using UWB communication. Once these credentials have been exchanged using UWB, Bluetooth pairing is established between transceivers 112 and 156, thereby enabling the communication of any of the aforementioned information between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20 Because this exchange of Bluetooth credentials occurs automatically in response to mobile device 150 moving within proximity of patient support apparatus 20, and because the UWB communication between patient support apparatus 20 and mobile device 150 also happen automatically, it is not necessary for a user of mobile device 150 to take any manual actions to establish communication between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20.

[0158] Because a user of mobile device 150 does not have to take any manual action to establish communication between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20, a user likewise does not have to take any manual action to ensure that one or more event logging screens, or other screens relating to patient support apparatus 20, are displayed on display 166 that correspond to the correct patient and / or patient support apparatus 20. In other words, as the user moves throughout the healthcare facility and comes within a threshold distance of different patient support apparatuses 20, software application 170 will automatically establish communication with whichever patient support apparatus 20 is within the threshold distance and thereafter display one or more screens relating to that particular patient support apparatus 20 and / or the patient assigned to that particular patient support apparatus 20. Controller 100 may automatically determine information about the patient assigned to its corresponding patient support apparatus 20 by communicating with any of the servers on local network 74, such as ADT server 178, EMR server 62, caregiver assignment server 174, badge server 176, patient support apparatus server 78 and / or 84, and / or still other servers. This information may then be shared automatically with mobile device 150 after mobile device 150 has paired with the patient support apparatus 20.

[0159] As a consequence, if a caregiver moves to a first room with a first patient on a first patient support apparatus 20, software application 170 will instruct controller 152 to display a first screen that may be specific to the first patient and / or the first patient support apparatus 20. If the caregiver thereafter moves to a second room with a second patient assigned to a second patient support apparatus 20, software application 170 will instruct controller 152 to display a second screen that may be specific to the second patient and / or the second patient support apparatus. In some situations the first and second screens may be generic, and thus the same, while in other situations, the first and second screens may be different and contain information and / or controls that are specific to the particular patient support apparatus 20 the mobile device 150 is paired with and / or the particular patient assigned to that particular patient support apparatus 20.

[0160] FIG. 11 illustrates one example of the types of data that may be stored in an event log 172 generated by, and / or maintained by, controller 100 and / or one of servers 78 and / or 84. As shown in FIG. 11, event log 172 includes a plurality of events 238 for which a plurality of data items are stored, such as an event / function 240, a location 242, a command source 244, a person 246, a time 248, and a pathway 250. Each event 238 corresponds to a row in the event log 172 of FIG. 11. Event item 240 identifies the type of event. In the example shown in FIG. 11, several sample events 240 are illustrated, including a scale zeroing (event 238a) an addition of 2 kilograms to a weight log (event 238b), and a brake activation (event 238c).

[0161] Also included in the sample event log 172 of FIG 11 is the location item 242, which indicates the location at which the corresponding event 238 took place In the example shown therein, event 238a took place in room 403, event 238b took place in room 400, and event 238c took place in room 401 Controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 determines the location for each event using, in at least one version, information from location beacon 94. That is, whichever location beacon 94 patientsupport apparatus 20 is associated with at the time of the event is used by controller 100 and / or patient support apparatus server 78 to determine the event’s location. In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 and / or patient support apparatus server 78 or 84 may determine the location of the event using additional or other means, such as conventional WiFi and access point 76 triangulation, a conventional Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) incorporated into the healthcare facility, and / or still other means Although location item 242 in the example of FIG 11 illustrates the location as a room, it will be understood that other types of location information may additionally, or alternatively, be stored in event log 172, such as, but not limited to, a particular bay in a room, non-room locations (e.g. hallways), wings, departments, floors, etc

[0162] The command source item 244 of event log 172 (FIG. 11) identifies where the command originated from that was used to carry out the particular event 238. That is, it identifies the specific device (patient support apparatus 20, mobile device 150, and / or remote computer 148) whose control was activated in order to carry out the function. For example, if a user zeroes the scale system using a footboard control panel 48a, then controller 100 records the scale zeroing event as having originated from footboard control panel 48a. If, on the other hand, the user uses a mobile device 150 to zero the scale system 130 (using software application 170 and the controls 158 of mobile device 150), then controller 100 stores in log item 244 that the source of the command to zero the scale system 130 originated from a mobile device 150. Similarly, if the user uses a remote computer 148 to zero the scale system 130 (using software application 96 and the controls 108 of the remote computer 148), then controller 100 stores in the log item 244 that the source of the command to zero the scale system 130 originated from a remote computer 148.

[0163] For those devices that include more than one control panel, such as patient support apparatus 20, event log 172 also stores information identifying the specific control panel 48 from which the command originated to carry out the particular event / function. Thus, when a caregiver records a patient weight reading using, for example, a left siderail control panel 48b, controller 100 will record in command source item 244 of event log 172 information identifying the left siderail control panel 48b. If the caregiver uses a different control panel 48 to carry out the patient weight recording, controller 100 will record this different control panel 48 in the source item 244 of event log 172.

[0164] The person item 246 of event log 172 (FIG. 11) identifies the person who initiated the command that carried out the particular event 238. The identity of the person may be determined in a variety of manners If the person who initiated the command (e.g. pressed a control to zero the scale system 130) was a caregiver who is wearing a badge when they activated a particular control on one of the control panels 48 of patient support apparatus 20, BT transceiver 112 and / or UWB transceiver 136 will automatically communicate with the badge, read the badge ID 162, and use that badge ID 162 to determine the person associated with that badge. Determining who is associated with a particular badge is carried out by controller 100 inquiring with badge server 176 as to the identity of the person associated with the badge having the specific badge ID 162. Alternatively, or additionally, controller 100 may communicate with patient support apparatus server 78 and patient support apparatus server 78 may inquire from badge server 176 who the specific person is who is associated with a particular badge ID 162.

[0165] If the person who initiated the command is not wearing a badge, but initiated the command from a non-badge mobile device 150, such as a cell phone or the like, controller 100 may determine who that person is in a similar manner using mobile device ID 162. That is, if the person who initiated the command (e.g. pressed a control to zero the scale system 130) was a caregiver carrying a cell phone on which software application 170 was installed and they either activated a particular control on one of the control panels 48 of patient support apparatus 20 or utilized a control 158 on the their cell phone (mobile device 150) to initiate the command, BT transceiver 112 and / or UWB transceiver 136 will automatically communicate with the cell phone (mobile device 150), read the cell phone ID 162, and use that cell phone ID 162 to determine the person associated with that cell phoneDetermining who is associated with a particular mobile device 150, such as a cell phone, is carried out by controller 100 inquiringwith caregiver assignment server 174 and / or another server of local network 74 that correlates mobile device IDs 162 to specific individuals. Alternatively, or additionally, controller 100 may communicate with patient support apparatus server 78 and patient support apparatus server 78 may inquire from one or more of the servers of local network 74 to determine which individual is associated with a specific cell phone, or other type of mobile device 150

[0166] If the person who initiated the command (e g pressed a control to zero the scale system 130) used a remote computer 148 to do so, the software application 96 of the remote computer 148 will send remote computer ID 114 in a message to controller 100 (and / or patient support apparatus server 78). The message containing ID 114 may be the same message in which the command to patient support apparatus 20 is included, or it may be a different message. In either case, controller 100 and / or patient support apparatus server 78 will receive ID 114 from whichever remote computer is used to control a function of patient support apparatus 20. This ID 114 may then be used to determine a particular individual by consulting one or more of the servers on network 74 that correlate specific remote computers 148 to specific individuals. In situations where the remote computer 148 may not be assigned to a specific individual, such as remote computer 148 at a nurse’s station that is intended to be used by multiple nurses, controller 100 may populate person item 246 of log 172 with general information, such as, for example, “nurses’ station X,” where “nurses’ station X” refers to a specific nurses’ station within the healthcare facility.

[0167] In some situations, software application 96 may require a user to log in with user credentials (e.g username and password) before he or she is able to use software application 96 to remote control one or more aspects of patient support apparatus 20. In such situations, the person item 246 of event log 172 may be determined from the login credentials entered by the user of the remote computer 148. Still other manners for determining the person associated with carrying out a function of patient support apparatus 20 may be utilized.

[0168] Time item 248 of event log 172 (FIG. 11) is a timestamp that is added to each event 238 when the event occurs, or when the event is completed. In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus 20 may include a clock (not shown) and / or calendar that controller 100 uses to time stamp the events 238 in event log 172. In such situations, patient support apparatus 20 may determine the current time and / or date in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 10,816,937 issued October 27, 2020, to inventors Anuj K. Sidhu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH CLOCKS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other manners of determining the time and / or date may also, or alternatively, be used.

[0169] Pathway item 250 of event log 172 (FIG. 11) indicates the communications pathway of the command that was used to initiate the event 238. If the command was initiated by a user pressing one or more controls of any of the control panels 48 onboard patient support apparatus 20, the pathway item 250 may be left blank, or populated as “not applicable,” such as shown for event 238b in FIG. 11. However, in some versions of patient support apparatus 20, the internal pathway of the command from a control panel 48 to controller 100 may be recorded. For example, event log 172 may include a pathway entry 2556 that reads as follows: side-rail button over SPI to CAN to controller 100, where a siderail control panel 48 is connected to a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) that then transmits the message from the control panel to controller 100 over a Controller Area Network (CAN). Other types of internal pathway information may also, or alternatively, be recorded.

[0170] If a command was initiated from a device other than patient support apparatus 20 itself, such as a mobile device150 or a remote computer 148, controller 100 is adapted to record in event log 172 the communication pathway that the command from that device followed when traveling from that device to patient support apparatus 20 This pathway may include identifying information for each of the communication hops the commands travels over to get to patient support apparatus 20

[0171] In the event example 238a shown in FIG. 11, the command to zero the scale originated from a mobile device 150 and was communicated directly from the mobile device 150 to patient support apparatus 20. Thus, event log 172 includes the phrase “BT direct from mobile device” in the pathway item 250. In the event example 238c shown in FIG. 11, the command to activate the brake originated from a remote computer 148 and was communicated to a first access point (“access point ?” in this example), to a particular server, such as patient support apparatus server 78 (referred to as “server X” in this example), and from that particular server to another access point (“access point 6” in this example), which then wirelessly forwarded it directly to the patient support apparatus 20. If the command to activate the brake followed a different pathway, such as through different access points, through different servers, through different network hops, and / or through different routers, repeaters, and / or other network appliances, this pathway information would all be recorded in event log 172

[0172] Although event log 172 has been primarily described herein as being generated and updated by controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20, it will be understood that event log 172 may also, or additionally, and either partially or wholly, be generated and / or updated by patient support apparatus server 78 Patient support apparatus server 78 includes a software application 256 that is adapted to be executed by one or more processors of the server 78. Software application 256 may instruct server 78 to store a copy of log 172, regardless of whether log 172 is generated and / or updated by controller 100 and / or software application 256. When software application 256 stores log 172, software application 256 is configured to store separate logs 172 for each patient support apparatus 20 and to allow a user to access, search, sort, print, send, and view the contents of the logs 172 for each patient support apparatus 20. In some versions, software application 256 may communicate any of the information of log 172 to one or more mobile devices 150 for display thereon.

[0173] Although not shown in FIG. 11, controller 100 and / or patient support apparatus server 78 are configured to additionally store photos in event log 172. Such photos may be taken by camera(s) 124 of patient support apparatus 20, a camera incorporated into mobile device 150, one or more standalone cameras in communication with patient support apparatus 20, and / or still other cameras. Such photos are intended to capture the state of one or more components of patient support apparatus 20 during and / or after a particular function has been implemented (i.e. an event has taken place) so that subsequent viewers of the images can determine information about the event. For example, if scale system 130 is being zeroed, the one or more photos associated with that event will desirably capture images of all of support deck 30 so that a viewer of the images can determine what items were positioned on support deck 30 at the time of the zeroing of the scale system 130. This allows a viewer of the image to determine if the scale system 130 was zeroed properly and / or what items, if any, were included, or not included in the zeroing process (and thus zeroed out of the weight readings from scale system 130).

[0174] As another example, if the event is the activation of a brake 122 on patient support apparatus 20, the photo will capture some portion of the patient support apparatus 20 that indicates the state of the brake, thereby providing visual confirmation of the brake’s activation. The visual evidence for the brake activation may include a photo of an indicator on patient support apparatus 20 that indicates brake status and / or it may include a photo of a brake pedal, or other structure, which shows the current state of the brake.

[0175] As yet another example, if the event is the lateral rotation of a patient through the selective inflation and deflation of sections of a mattress, which force the patient to rotate on his or her back, the photos included in event log 172 will desirably capture the patient’s orientation and position on the mattress at different stages of the lateral rotation therapy More specifically, the photos will desirably capture the patient on the mattress at different moments in time corresponding to different rotations of the patient (e g a first photo when the patient has been rotated rightwardly, a second photo when the patient has been rotated leftwardly, etc.)

[0176] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 is adapted to automatically instruct camera 124, or another camera, to capture one or more images during and / or after an event takes place. In this manner, a user does not need to manually take any photos for populating event log 172. In other versions, controller 100 may alternatively, or additionally, generate a reminder message to a user reminding them to manually take one or more photos using a camera, such as a camera built into mobile device 150 The reminder message may be transmitted to a display 52 onboard patient support apparatus 20 and / or to mobile device 150 for display on display 166 When mobile device 150 is a conventional cell phone, application software 170 is configured to transmit any photos taken using the cell phone’s camera of patient support apparatus 20 to patient support apparatus 20 and / or patient support apparatus server 78, the recipient of which includes the photos in the corresponding event 238 of the log 172.

[0177] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 utilizes a listing 116 stored in memory 144 that defines what events are to be recorded in event log 172 and what events, if any, that are not to be recorded in event log 172. Controller 100 consults this listing 116 in response to the activation of any controls onboard patient support apparatus 20, or in response to any commands received from an off-board device (e.g. a mobile device 150 and / or a remote computer 148). If the activated control or command is for a function that is on the listing 116, controller 100 makes sure to record the execution of the function on the event log 172.

[0178] The listing 116 may include, in some versions, a sub-listing that identifies a specific set of events that are to be documented in the event log 172 with one or more photos. That is, the listing 116 may include a first subset of events that do not need to be documented with a photo and a second subset of events that should be documented with a photo. Whenever a control onboard patient support apparatus 20 is activated, or a command is received from a mobile device 150 or remote computer 148, controller 100 consults listing 116 to see if the corresponding function is part of the photo subset or part of the non-photo subset of listing 116. If it is part of the photo subset, controller 100 issues a reminder for the caregiver to document the function with one or more photos. If the function is not part of the photo subset, controller 100 does not issue a reminder for the caregiver to document the function with one or more photos The reminder may include a message displayed on display 52 and, if a mobile device 150 is positioned close enough to patient support apparatus 20 to be associated therewith, a message sent to that mobile device 150 for display on display 166.

[0179] It will be understood that the listing 116 may be customized for individual patient support apparatuses 20, specific locations within the healthcare facility 64, for specific patients, or types of patients (e.g. patients with specific diagnoses), and / or in other manners. In some versions, the customization of the listing 116 may be carried out through controls on one of control panels 48a or b. Alternatively, or additionally, the customization may take place using a mobile device 150 and its corresponding software app 170, which, upon completing the customization of listing 116, forwards the results to controller 100. Still further, the customization may take place using a remote computer 148 and its corresponding software app 96 which, also upon completing the customization of listing 116, forwards the results to controller 100.

[0180] It will also be understood that listing 116 may be maintained at patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84, in which case controller 100 consults either or both of these servers 78, 84 in response to the activation of a control onboard patient support apparatus 20 or the receipt of any commands from an off-board device (e.g. a mobile device 150 and / or a remote computer 148) This consultation informs controller 100 what functions are to be included in event log 172, as well as what functions recorded in event log 172 need to be documented with one or more photos

[0181] In addition to consulting listing 116 to see what functions are to be logged in event log 172 (with or without photos), controller 100 also consults listing 116 to determine whether to automatically retrieve prior photos from event log 172 thatrelate to the function currently being undertaken. That is, in response to the activation of a control onboard patient support apparatus or the receipt of a command from mobile device 150 or remote computer 148, controller 100 first determines what function is being is being activated or commanded. It then proceeds to consult listing 116 to see if that particular function is to be included in event log 172 and, if so, whether it needs to be documented with photos or not Still further, if the function is one that needs to be documented with photos, controller 100 automatically consults event log 172 and retrieves from it one or more photos taken during the last time that particular function was performed on patient support apparatus

[0182] Once this photo (or photos) is retrieved, controller 100 automatically displays the retrieved photo(s) on a display associated with whatever device the command originated from. In other words, if a user activates a control onboard patient support apparatus 20 for performing a function that needs photo documentation in event log 172 (according to listing 116), controller 100 automatically retrieves the photo(s) from event log 172 from the immediately previously time that that particular function was performed on patient support apparatus 20 and displays them on the display 52 of patient support apparatus 20 If the user activates a function of patient support apparatus 20 by sending a command from a mobile device 150, controller 100 automatically retrieves the photo(s) from event log 172 from the immediately previously time that that particular function was performed on patient support apparatus 20 and transmits them to mobile device 150, in response to which software application 170 is configured to cause them to be displayed on display 166. Similarly, if the user activates a function of patient support apparatus 20 by sending a command from a remote computer 148, controller 100 automatically retrieves the photo(s) from event log 172 from the immediately previously time that that particular function was performed on patient support apparatus 20 and transmits them to the remote computer 148, in response to which software application 96 is configured to cause them to be displayed on display 166.

[0183] It will be understood that the photos from the most recent time a particular function was performed are automatically retrieved regardless of where the current command to perform that particular function originates. In other words, suppose the function to be implemented currently is activating the brake on patient support apparatus 20, and that the last time the brake 122 was activated two hours ago. Support further that listing 116 specifies that activating brake 122 is a function that is to be documented in event log 172 with one or more photos. In such a case, regardless of whether the command to activate brake 122 comes from a control panel 48 of patient support apparatus 20, a mobile device 150, or a remote computer 148, controller 100 will automatically retrieve the photo(s) from event log from when the brake was last activated two hours ago. And this is true regardless of where the command from two hours ago to activate the brake originated. Consequently, regardless of where a command to preform a function originates, controller 100 will automatically retrieve photos from the most recent time that that particular function was implemented, regardless of both the source of the command for that most recent implementation of the function and the source of the current command for implementing that function.

[0184] It will also be understood that the weight log previously described herein is a different log than event log 172.The weight log described previously herein is a log that lists non-patient items (and their weight) that have been added to or removed from a patient support apparatus 20. The purpose of this weight lot is to keep track of what non-patient weight may be present on patient support apparatus 20 that wasn’t fared out during the scale zeroing process, thereby allowing an accurate weight of the patient to be taken. Although this weight log is not the same as the event log 172, changes made to this weight log are a function that may be recorded in event log 172 (if such changes are included on listing 116). Thus, event log 172 is a broader log that logs a multiplicity of events, unlike the weight log that only logs non-patient weight changes in the scale system Event log 172 may, though, include within it manual changes that are made to the weight log, as well as any other function that may be carried out on patient support apparatus 20

[0185] By way of illustration, the functions that may be included within event log 172 include, but are not limited to, any of the following functions: zeroing scale system 130; taking a weight reading of the patient using scale system 130; adding or removing an object from the weight log of scale system 130; activating or deactivating brake 122; arming or disarming exit detection system 56; changing an inflation status of a mattress positioned on the support deck 30; raising or lowering a height of the litter frame 28 and / or support deck 30; changing an angular orientation of one or more of the sections of support deck 30 (e g head section 40, seat section 42, thigh section 44, and / or foot section 46); performing a mattress therapy function on the patient; plugging in a power cord of the patient support apparatus 20 to an electrical outlet; and still other functions

[0186] The operation of controller 100 in response to a user carrying out a function (through the activation of one or more controls onboard patient support 20, through the use of a mobile device 150, or through the use of a remote computer 148) can be better understood with respect to the specific example illustrated in FIGS. 12-17. FIGS. 12-17 illustrate an example of the operation of controller 100 and a mobile device 150 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, a user (“Alice”) of a mobile device 150 initiates the zeroing of a scale system of patient support apparatus 20. This may be done in a variety of manners, including pressing on control 212 (FIG. 6) of patient support apparatus 20, or by pressing on a zeroing control onboard mobile device 150. Regardless of how the command to zero the scale system 130 is initiated, controller 100 proceeds to consult listing 116 to see if the scale zeroing function is a function to be included within event log 172, as well as whether it is a function to document with one or more photos.

[0187] In this particular example (FIG. 12), the scale zeroing process is not only a function to be documented in event log 172, but also a function for which a photo should be captured. Accordingly, controller 100 issues a reminder message 260 to a first caregiver (“Alice”) to remind them to take a photo In the example shown in FIG. 11, the reminder message is sent by controller 100 to mobile device 150 and software application 170 instructs controller 152 of mobile device 150 to display the reminder message 260 on display 166. As is also shown in FIG 12, the patient support apparatus 20 at the time of the scale zeroing (e.g. 5:00PM) does not contain a patient on it, but does contain a pillow 262 and some bedding 264.

[0188] In response to the reminder message 260, the first caregiver uses his or her mobile device 150 to take a picture of patient support apparatus 20 while the scale system 130 is being zeroed (or immediately thereafter). The first caregiver may use either a camera that is built into mobile device 150, or another camera that is positioned in the room. As was also explained, in some versions of patient support apparatus 20, a camera 124 is coupled to patient support apparatus 20 and controller 100 automatically uses the camera 124 to capture one or more images of patient support apparatus 20 while, or after, the scale system 130 is zeroed. In such versions, it is not necessary for the controller to send the reminder message 260 to mobile device 150, although such a message, or a similar message, may still be sent as a reminder for the first caregiver to confirm that controller 100 has automatically captured an image and / or to verify that the captured image was accurate

[0189] After capturing the image for the scale zeroing event (FIG. 12), controller 100 and / or patient support apparatus server 78 (and / or remote server 78) updates the event log 172 with the scale zeroing event. This updating includes adding the photo(s) captured, as well as additional information, such as that illustrated in the event log 172 (FIG. 11) to event log 172.

[0190] At a later moment in time (e.g. 5:10 PM; FIG. 13), the first caregiver (“Alice”) may take a patient weight reading, which in this case is another event that is to be recorded automatically in event log 172. Controller 100 may send a second reminder message 266 to the first caregiver’s mobile device 150 reminding them to take a picture of the patient support apparatus 20 while, or after, they have taken the patient’s weight reading This photo is then stored in the event log 172

[0191] At a subsequent moment in time (e g 10:00PM; FIG 14), a second caregiver ("Bob”) may notice that the patient’s weight has changed by more than a threshold (which may be shown by gain / loss indicator 204; FIG. 6). In response toseeing this weight change, the second caregiver may decide to take another patient weight reading. In this situation, either in response to the second caregiver activating a control for taking a second weight reading, or in response to manual steps taken by the second caregiver using controls 158 of their mobile device (or controls on patient support apparatus 20), controller 100 sends to the mobile device 150 of the second caregiver the image that was captured when the first caregiver (“Alice”) recorded the patient’s weight at 5:10PM (Controller 100 may also send another reminder to the mobile device 150 of the second caregiver to capture the patient weight reading with a photo )

[0192] In any event, whether the photo taken at 5:10 PM by the first caregiver is manually retrieved by the second caregiver, or automatically retrieved by controller 100 and / or controller 152, the picture is displayed on display 166 of the second caregiver’s mobile device 150. This is illustrated in FIG. 15. From this picture, the second caregiver can visually see that pump 268 was not on patient support apparatus 20 when the patient’s weight was taken at 5:10PM (FIG. 13). This visual comparison is illustrated in FIG. 16 and occurs at 10:05 PM. In light of this comparison, the second caregiver will conclude that the pump 268 either needs to be removed from patient support apparatus 20 during the second patient weight reading (in order for the second patient weight reading to be accurate), or the pump 268 needs to be included (or have already been included) in the weight log of non-patient weight items, in which case the pump 268 can remain on the patient support apparatus 20 and controller 100 will automatically subtract its known weight from the gross patient weight reading to thereby achieve an accurate second patient weight reading

[0193] Accordingly, the second caregiver should consult the weight log to see if the pump 268 was included in the weight log. In this particular example, the pump 268 was not included in the weight log, so the caregiver goes through the process of manually adding the pump 268 to the weight log. This may be accomplished in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7 and the accompanying description. This act of adding pump 268 to the weight log is also recorded in the event log 172 (and may prompt the automatic display of an image of patient support apparatus 20 that was captured the last time the weight log was changed). Once pump 268 has been added to the weight log, controller 100 knows the weight of the pump and will subtract it automatically from the gross weight sensed by scale system 130. Accordingly, after adding pump 268 to the weight log, the second caregiver can take a second patient weight reading, such as illustrated in FIG. 17.

[0194] In addition to taking the second weight reading shown in FIG. 17, the mobile device 150 will also display a reminder (not shown) to capture this patient weight recording event with one or more photos, which will be added to event log 172. The photo(s) will visually document that the patient’s weight reading taken at 10:15 PM was taken while the pump 268 was present on patient support apparatus 20. The photo(s) will also automatically be retrieved and shown the next time a caregiver (whether the second caregiver, the first caregiver, or some other caregiver) takes a patient weight reading. The caregiver will therefore be presented with a photo showing that pump 268 was present on patient support apparatus 20 during the second patient weight reading (10:15 PM). If the pump 268 is no longer present while the caregiver is taking the third patient weight reading, or there are any other discrepancies between the state of patient support apparatus 20 (as shown in the 10:15 PM photo(s)), the caregiver can account for those discrepancies prior to taking the third patient weight reading, thereby ensuring that the third patient reading is also accurate. This process then repeats for all future patient weight readings, thereby helping to ensure that caregivers take accurate patient weight readings.

[0195] It will be understood that, in some versions, controller 100, patient support apparatus server 78, and / or remote server 84 may be configured to blur out patients in the photos taken and stored in event log 172 for privacy purposes In addition to, or in lieu of, such blurring, other anonymizing techniques may be used, such as converting the patients to skeletal images, pixelating their faces or other identifying features, changing them to silhouettes, and / or other techniques.

[0196] It will also be understood that, in some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 may automatically retrieve from event log 172 a photo taken from another type of event, or multiple photos taken from multiple prior events. For example, when a caregiver wishes to take a patient’s weight reading, controller 100 may automatically retrieve not only a first photo taken when the patient’s weight was last recorded, but also a second photo taken when the weight log was last updated (or additional photos of all the times the weight log has been updated since last being cleared) Such retrieval of additional information more quickly allows the caregiver to not only see the state of patient support apparatus 20 when the patient’s weight was previously recorded, but also what non-patient items have been, or have not been, included in the weight log. This facilitates the caregiver’s task of taking accurate patient weight readings.

[0197] From the foregoing description, it can be seen that controller 100 is adapted to send reminder messages and prior photos to whichever mobile device 150 is positioned adjacent to the patient support apparatus 20 (and associated with patient support apparatus 20, as discussed above) when the user of that device initiates a function of patient support apparatus 20. Accordingly, a caregiver can move from a first patient support apparatus 20 and have one or more photos / reminders show up on his or her mobile device 150 that are specific to that first patient support apparatus 20, and then subsequently move to a second patient support apparatus 20 and have one or more photos / reminders show up on their same mobile device 150 that are specific to the second patient support apparatus 20.

[0198] Patient support apparatus server 78 is adapted to execute software application 256 (FIG. 10). When software application 256 is configured to maintain and update event log 172 (either in addition to, or separately from, controller 100), software application is adapted to process data received from a patient support apparatus 20, a mobile device 150, and / or a remote computer 148 indicating that a first function has been carried out, or is or is going to be carried out, on patient support apparatus 20. This message is sent to server 78 in response to a control on a control panel 48 being activated, a control 168 on mobile device 150 being activated, or a control 108 on a remote computer 148 being activated Server 78 processes this message by parsing the message content to determine what the specific function is that is being carried out, what device the message originated from, the person associated with the command to carry out the function, what communication pathway the command traveled along to get to patient support apparatus 20 (and / or any other of the event items 240-250 of FIG. 11). Under the execution of software application 256, server 78 then adds to event log 172 the information corresponding to this particular function.

[0199] At a later time, patient support apparatus server 78 may receive and process additional data for another function that is, has, or is about to be carried out with respect to patient support apparatus 20. Server 78 processes this additional data in the same manner it processes the previously received data.

[0200] Every time patient support apparatus server 78 receives a message indicating that a function of patient support apparatus 20 is being, has been, or is about to perform a function, patient support apparatus server 78 may also be configured to transmit the reminders discussed herein and the previously captured photos discussed herein. Such reminders and photos may be sent to patient support apparatus 20 for forwarding, as appropriate, to a mobile device 150 and / or a remote computer 148, or they may be sentfrom patient support apparatus server 78 to mobile device 150 and / or remote computers 148 without passing through patient support apparatus 20.

[0201] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 may be configured to record the distance between a mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20 at the moment a function is carried out, or at the moment a command to carry out a function is received from the mobile device 150 This distance is determined in any of the ways previously discussed This distance may then be recorded in event log 172, in at least some versions of patient support apparatus 20

[0202] It will also be understood that, although controller 100 has been primarily described as carrying out the event logging, it will be understood that patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84 may also, or alternatively, generate and / or update the event log 172, either in lieu of, or in addition to, controller 100. Still further, patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84 may be configured to carry out the process of checking listing 116 to see if a function should be recorded in event log 172 (and whether photos should be taken), to send out reminders to caregivers, and / or to carry out the process of automatically retrieving photos taken from the last time a particular function was performed When any one or more of these actions are undertaken by patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84, controller 100 sends the information relevant to an event entry to patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84, and patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84 server use this received information to populate and update the event log 172. Similarly, whenever patient support apparatus server 78 and / or remote server 84 check listing 116 to see if a particular function should be documented in event log 172, to send out a reminder, and / or to retrieve one or more photos from a previous performance of a particular function, these server(s) 78 and / or 84 send the corresponding information and / or previous photos to controller 100, to mobile device 150, and / or to remote computer 148. These devices then react in the same manners previously described herein.

[0203] The event logging process of the present disclosure, among other things, helps to track security vulnerabilities that may be present in a healthcare facility and / or patient support apparatus 20 by logging all commands, their pathway, the user associated with them, and other information This may help to reduce the time needed to find the root cause of any security vulnerability and to patch the vulnerability The event logging process of the present disclosure can also help hospitals in tracing back events that happened before any incident for deeper understanding of how that incident could have happened and actions that could be taken to improve hospital protocols to avoid future incidents.

[0204] Log entries 238 in event log 172, including images, may be used for post-event analysis to understand real usage of the patient support apparatus 20 and to improve overall performance of the patient support apparatus 20, thereby improving caregiver experience of the patient support apparatus 20. For example, if there are multiple control panels 48 having an electronic brake control (e.g. button) on a patient support apparatus, usage of each of the electronic brake controls can be analyzed to determine which control panel 48 is the most used and which one(s) are rarely used. Based on this analysis, the specific control panel 48 that is rarely used can be adjusted to dynamically hide that particular electronic brake control, thereby providing a leaner interface to the user. Also, the scenarios of when the electronic brake is being engaged or disengaged can be analyzed along with the pictures and the brake 122 could be subsequently automatically engaged or disengaged when a future scenario of a similar kind is detected. Such scenarios may involve, but are not limited to, scenarios in which the scale is zeroed, a patient is put on the patient support apparatus 20, or the like.

[0205] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the use of the term “transceiver" throughout this specification is not intended to be limited to devices in which a transmitter and receiver are necessarily within the same housing, or share some circuitry. Instead, the term “transceiver” is used broadly herein to refer to both structures in which circuitry is shared between the transmitter and receiver, and transmitter-receivers in which the transmitter and receiver do not share circuitry and / or a common housing. Thus, the term “transceiver” refers to any device having a transmitter component and a receiver component, regardless of whether the two components are a common entity, separate entities, or have some overlap in their structures

[0206] Various additional alterations and changes beyond those already mentioned herein can be made to the abovedescribed embodiments This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described embodiments may be replacedby alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon; a control panel adapted to receive a first command to carry out a first function; a transceiver adapted to communicate with a portable electronic device carried by a caregiver, the transceiver adapted to receive a second command to carry out the first function from the portable electronic device; and a controller in communication with the control panel and the transceiver, the controller adapted to generate a log of the first function being carried out, the log including log data indicating if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the first command or the second command.

2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a network transceiver adapted to receive a third command from a remote computer to carry out the first function, wherein the controller is in communication with the network transceiver and the log data also indicates if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the third command.

3. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further including a badge detector adapted to read a first ID of a badge worn by the caregiver, wherein the controller is further adapted to include second data in the log, the second data including the first ID if the first function was carried out in response to the first command, and the second data including a second ID of the portable electronic device if the first function was carried out in response to the second command.

4. The patient support apparatus of claim 2 further including a badge detector adapted to read a first ID of a badge worn by the caregiver, wherein the controller is further adapted to include second data in the log, the second data including the first ID if the first function was carried out in response to the first command, the second data including a second ID of the portable electronic device if the first function was carried out in response to the second command, and the second data including a third ID of the remote computer if the first function was carried out in response to the third command.

5. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically read the first ID of the badge in response to the control panel receiving the first command.

6. The patient support apparatus of claim 5 wherein the transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver and the badge detector includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

7. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first function includes at least one of the following: zeroing a scale system onboard the patient support apparatus; taking a weight reading of the patient using the scale system; adding or removing an object from a scale system log; activating or deactivating a brake of the patient support apparatus; arming or disarming an exit detection system; changing an inflation status of a mattress on the support surface; raising or lowering a height of the support surface; or changing an angular orientation of a portion of the support surface8. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further including a second control panel adapted to receive a third command to carry out the first function, wherein the controller is in communication with the second control panel and the log data also indicates if the first function was carried out in response to receipt of the third command.

9. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to, in response to receiving the first or second command, retrieve an image showing at least a portion of the patient support apparatus, wherein the image was captured at a time when the first function was previously carried out10 The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically display the image on a display of the patient support apparatus.

11. The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically transmit the image to the portable electronic device for display on a display of the portable electronic device.

12. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further including a camera, wherein the controller is adapted to automatically capture of an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus while, or after, the first function is carried out13 The patient support apparatus of claim 12 wherein the image includes image data indicating a manner in which the first function was carried out14. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to transmit a reminder message to the portable electronic device for display on a display of the portable electronic device, the reminder message adapted to remind the caregiver to capture an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus after the first function has been carried out.

15. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further including a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network of a healthcare facility, wherein the controller is further adapted to transmit the log to a server accessible through the local area network16. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the log further includes second data indicating a time at which the first function was carried out.

17. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control panel includes a plurality of buttons and the first command is generated in response to pressing a particular one of the plurality of buttons.

18. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further including a second transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the portable electronic device and the patient support apparatus, wherein the controller is further adapted to record the distance in the log.

19. The patient support apparatus of claim 18 wherein the transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver and the second transceiver is an ultra-wideband transceiver.

20. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to generate the log by transmitting the log data to a server.

21. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to include in the log first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is received from the portable electronic device.

22. The patient support apparatus of claim 21 wherein the first pathway data includes an identity of any intermediate recipients of the second command as the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus.

23. The patient support apparatus of claim 2 wherein the controller is further adapted to include in the log second pathway data indicating a pathway by which the third command is received from the remote computer.

24. The patient support apparatus of claim 23 wherein the second pathway data includes an identity of any intermediate recipients of the third command as the third command is communicated from the remote computer to the patient support apparatus.

25. A software application embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a server in communication with a patient support apparatus and a portable electronic device, the software application, when executed by the server, adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received first data indicating that a first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a first command generated by a control panel of the patient support apparatus;process received second data indicating that the first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a second command generated by a portable electronic device; and generate a log for the patient support apparatus, the log including the first data and the second data.26 The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received third data indicating that the first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a third command generated by a remote computer; and include the third data in the log.

27. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received first ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver who activated the control panel to generate the first command; process received second ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the portable electronic device; and include the first ID data and the second ID data in the log.

28. The software application of claim 26 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received first ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver who activated the control panel to generate the first command; process received second ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the portable electronic device; and process received third ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the remote computer; and include the first ID data, the second ID data, and the third ID data in the log.

29. The software application of claim 25 wherein the first function includes at least one of the following: zeroing a scale system onboard the patient support apparatus; weighing a patient; adding or removing an object from the scale system; activating or deactivating a brake of the patient support apparatus; arming or disarming an exit detection system; changing an inflation status of a mattress on the support surface; raising or lowering a height of the support surface; or changing an angular orientation of a portion of the support surface.

30. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received third data indicating that a first function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a third command generated by a second control panel of the patient support apparatus, the second control panel being different from the control panel; and include the third data in the log.

31. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: in response to receiving the first data or the second data, retrieve an image showing at least a portion of the patient support apparatus, wherein the image was captured at a time when the first function previously carried out; and transmit the image to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the portable electronic device32. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: transmit a reminder message to the portable electronic device for display on a display of the portable electronic device, the reminder message adapted to remind a caregiver to capture an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus after the first function has been carried out33 The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: include time data in the log indicating a time at which the first function was carried out.

34. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received distance data indicating a distance between the portable electronic device and the patient support apparatus when the first command was issued; and include the distance data in the log.

35. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: record first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus; and include the first pathway data in the log.

36. The software application of claim 26 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: record first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus; and record second pathway data indicating a pathway by which the third command is communicated from the remote computer to the patient support apparatus; and include the first pathway data and the second pathway data in the log.

37. The software application of claim 26 wherein the first data is received from the patient support apparatus and the second data is received from the portable electronic device.

38. The software application of claim 26 wherein both the first data and the second data are received from the patient support apparatus.

39. The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: transmit an image capturing command to a camera, the image capturing command causing the camera to capture an image of at least a portion of the patient support apparatus after the first function has been carried out.

40. The software application of claim 39 wherein the image capture command is transmitted to the patient support apparatus and the camera is coupled to the patient support apparatus.41 The software application of claim 25 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received third data indicating that a second function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a third command generated by the control panel of the patient support apparatus;process received fourth data indicating that the second function of the patient support apparatus was carried out in response to a fourth command generated by the portable electronic device; and include the third and fourth data in the log.42 The software application of claim 41 wherein the second function includes at least one of the following: zeroing a scale system onboard the patient support apparatus; weighing a patient; adding or removing an object from the scale system; activating or deactivating a brake of the patient support apparatus; arming or disarming an exit detection system; changing an inflation status of a mattress on the support surface; raising or lowering a height of the support surface; or changing an angular orientation of a portion of the support surface.

43. The software application of claim 41 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: process received third ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver who activated the control panel to generate the third command; process received fourth ID data indicating an identity of a caregiver associated with the portable electronic device; and include the third ID data and the fourth ID data in the log.

44. The software application of claim 43 wherein the software application is further adapted to cause the server to perform the following: record first pathway data indicating a pathway by which the second command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus; record second pathway data indicating a pathway by which the fourth command is communicated from the portable electronic device to the patient support apparatus; and include the first pathway data and the second pathway data in the log.

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