Patient Bed Safety Protocol Control via RTLS
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Solution Overview
Problem
Healthcare facilities without a nurse call system or with systems not configured to receive bed status data from patient beds face challenges in monitoring and alerting caregivers to undesirable bed conditions, leading to a need for patient beds with customizable safety protocol control capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A patient bed system equipped with a real-time locating system (RTLS) and electronic medical records (EMR) computer, featuring a graphical user interface (GUI) and bed control circuitry that enables and disables safety protocols based on caregiver presence, allowing for customizable monitoring and alerting of bed conditions, including falls risk, pulmonary, and skin protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bed status monitoring is implemented without a nurse call system, then patient safety monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity increases due to need for RTLS and EMR integration
Solution Approach 1:
The patient bed is designed to perform multiple functions: it monitors bed status conditions, detects caregiver presence via RTLS, retrieves patient information from EMR, and generates alerts. This multi-functionality consolidates what would traditionally require separate systems (nurse call system, RTLS, EMR integration) into a single bed unit, improving patient safety monitoring capability while managing system complexity through integration rather than proliferation of separate devices
Solution Approach 2:
The bed control circuitry autonomously performs monitoring, detection, and alert generation without requiring continuous intervention from a centralized nurse call system. The bed self-manages its monitoring functions, making decisions about when to alert based on real-time conditions and caregiver presence detection, thereby reducing dependency on complex external systems
2Reliability
If comprehensive bed status monitoring is implemented, then patient safety is improved, but energy consumption increases due to continuous monitoring operations
Solution Approach 1:
The bed control circuitry monitors bed status conditions periodically rather than continuously, adjusting the monitoring intensity based on real-time conditions. When caregiver presence is detected via RTLS, monitoring is suspended to conserve energy. When caregiver presence is not detected and bed status conditions change, the system becomes more active in generating alerts. This periodic, condition-based monitoring maintains patient safety while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system dynamically adjusts its operation based on real-time conditions, specifically caregiver presence detected by RTLS. The system transitions between active monitoring modes and suspended modes, allowing it to conserve energy when caregivers are present while maintaining vigilant monitoring when caregivers are absent. This dynamic adaptation ensures patient safety is maintained without the need for constant high-energy monitoring operations
3Use of energy by moving object
If alert generation is suspended when caregiver is present, then energy consumption is reduced, but response time to undesirable bed conditions may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors bed status conditions even when caregiver presence is detected, maintaining readiness to respond immediately if conditions worsen. The monitoring function remains active but alert generation is suspended, allowing the system to detect changes in bed status without immediately generating alerts. This preliminary continuous monitoring ensures that when a caregiver leaves or conditions deteriorate, the system can respond quickly without the delay of having to activate monitoring first
Data Source
AI summary
A patient bed is provided in a healthcare facility having a network including a real time locating system (RTLS) and an electronic medical records (EMR) computer. The patient bed includes bed control circuitry that is configured to receive at least one protocol messages from the EMR computer and, in response to the at least one protocol message, enables at least one bed safety protocol in which at least one bed condition is monitored by the bed control circuitry. The bed control circuitry generates an alert in response to the at least one bed condition being in an undesirable state and no caregiver being present in the patient room as determined by the RTLS and communicated to the bed circuitry. The bed control circuitry suspends monitoring the at least one bed condition in response to the RTLS indicating to the bed control circuitry that at least one caregiver is present in the patient room.