Patient Bed Status Monitoring With Fowler Angle Lockout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern patient handling devices are complex, making it difficult to set and maintain desired states, notice alarms, and prevent the Fowler angle from being lowered past a prescribed position while allowing selective adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A patient handling device equipped with sensors and a controller that monitors and compares initial and current states, generates alarms for deviations, and includes a one-touch lockout mechanism to restrict the Fowler angle adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If advanced electronic devices and sensors are integrated into the patient handling device, then the functionality and patient care capability are enhanced, but the device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device automatically monitors sensor data and compares it against desired states without requiring manual configuration. The system self-adjusts by generating alarms when deviations occur, eliminating the need for complex manual setup and monitoring procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously acquires sensor signals, compares current sensor data with initial sensor data, and provides feedback through visual and audible alarms when substantial variations are detected, enabling automatic monitoring without complex user intervention.
2Reliability
If multiple sensors and monitoring functions are added to detect device state changes, then the alarm detection capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: it acquires sensor signals, stores initial sensor data, compares current data with initial data, generates alarms, and controls visual and audible indicators. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each monitoring task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the alarm detection, data comparison, and notification functions into a single integrated control system that processes sensor inputs and manages both visual and audible alarm outputs through unified logic.
3Reliability
If the fowler angle is restricted to prevent lowering past a prescribed position, then patient safety is improved, but the ease of operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The one-touch lockout button allows the patient to independently activate angle restrictions without requiring complex programming or assistance from healthcare providers. The system automatically locks the fowler at the prescribed angle when activated.
Solution Approach 2:
The lockout function is pre-configured to engage at a specific angular position. When the fowler reaches this predetermined angle and the lockout is activated, the system automatically prevents further lowering, eliminating the need for continuous monitoring or complex control during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient handling device includes a deck for supporting a patient support surface, a controller, and a user interface. The user interface is actuatable by a user to record a state of a plurality of conditions of the patient handling device. The controller is in communication with the user interface and operable to monitor the plurality of conditions and to generate a first unified indication when all the conditions remain unchanged from their recorded state, and to generate a second indication when any of the conditions change from their recorded state.