Flat-Panel Corridor Displays for Contextual Patient Status
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hospital communication systems rely heavily on color-coded corridor lights that are inefficient in conveying complex patient and facility information, requiring extensive training and are not adaptable to the vast amount of data available in modern healthcare environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing corridor display units with flat panel displays that generate contextual annunciation images, incorporating textual and graphical components, and are networked with electronic medical records and caregiver call systems to provide comprehensive patient and facility data in a language-independent manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If color-coded corridor lights are used to communicate patient information, then the system is simple and requires minimal training, but the system cannot convey complex patient and facility information effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual icons and graphical representations to copy and translate complex data into intuitive visual symbols that caregivers can understand quickly, replacing the need for complex text-based systems while maintaining simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from one-dimensional color coding to two-dimensional graphical interfaces with icons, images, and visual arrangements that convey multiple types of information simultaneously, enabling complex data presentation without increasing operational complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If color-coded corridor lights are used for patient status communication, then installation and training are straightforward, but the system is not adaptable to modern healthcare data volumes and types
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the fundamental parameters of information representation from color codes to diverse visual elements including icons, images, and graphical layouts, enabling adaptation to various data types while maintaining ease of understanding through consistent visual language
Solution Approach 2:
The corridor display system serves multiple functions simultaneously - displaying patient status, facility information, priority levels, and navigation cues all through a unified visual interface, making the system adaptable to diverse healthcare data without requiring separate systems for each data type
3Loss of information
If traditional corridor lights are used, then the device structure is simple, but the information presentation is insufficient for comprehensive patient and facility data
Solution Approach 1:
The display system segments information into distinct visual categories using separate icons and graphical elements for patient status, facility conditions, priority levels, and location information, allowing comprehensive data presentation while organizing complexity into manageable visual sections
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines multiple types of visual information - text, icons, images, and graphical elements - into a composite display interface that presents comprehensive information in an integrated manner, preventing information loss while managing complexity through unified presentation
Data Source
AI summary
A corridor display unit is configured for mounting to a surface of a corridor in a hospital or health care facility. The corridor display unit includes one or more flat panel displays and a mounting frame that outlines and encloses the flat panel display. To annunciate information about patient status or location status to caregivers, the flat panel display can display an annunciation image rendered from image files that may include a textual component and a graphical component. The annunciation image may also include real-time data and prerecorded data about the patient status or the location status.