Multifunctional Nurse Call Cable for Mobile Device Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional nurse call systems in hospitals face challenges with patients' mobile device charging due to inconvenient outlet locations and non-NFPA 99-compliant chargers, which can spread disease and incur maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional nurse call cable that connects a patient's mobile device to a host device, providing power and initiating nurse calls, while allowing data communication and controlling room equipment through a mobile app, ensuring NFPA 99 compliance and reducing the need for hospital-provided devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional chargers are used for mobile devices in hospitals, then mobile devices can be charged, but disease transmission increases and NFPA 99 compliance is violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable, single-use charging cables or connectors that are discarded after one patient's use, eliminating the need to clean and sanitize reusable chargers. This disposable approach ensures NFPA 99 compliance by preventing cross-contamination between patients while maintaining the ability to charge mobile devices throughout the hospital stay.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging function is extracted from traditional hospital bedside outlets and integrated into the nurse call system infrastructure. The nurse call host device or cable provides charging capability directly at the patient's location without requiring separate charging outlets, thereby eliminating the need for non-compliant chargers while maintaining charging accessibility.
2Ease of operation
If hospital-provided devices are used for patient communication and entertainment, then communication needs are met, but maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nurse call system is transformed into a multi-functional platform that combines traditional nurse calling with mobile device charging, communication, and entertainment controls. Patients use their own mobile devices for communication and room control, while the hospital's nurse call infrastructure provides the technical support, eliminating the need for separate hospital-provided entertainment devices and reducing maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Patients use their own mobile devices for communication and entertainment purposes rather than relying on hospital-provided equipment. The hospital infrastructure supports this self-service model by providing charging capabilities and connectivity through the nurse call system, shifting device ownership and maintenance responsibility to patients while maintaining communication functionality.
3Ease of operation
If bedside outlets are installed for mobile device charging, then charging convenience is improved, but disease transmission risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nurse call cable or host device serves as an intermediary charging solution between the hospital's electrical infrastructure and the patient's mobile device. This intermediary approach provides charging convenience at the bedside without requiring traditional outlets that need frequent cleaning and sanitization, as the nurse call system components are either disposable or easily sterilized according to NFPA 99 standards.
Data Source
AI summary
A nurse call system includes: a host device; and a multifunctional nurse call cable, comprising a nurse call button. The host device includes an interface for the multifunctional nurse call cable. The multifunctional nurse call cable is configured to be connected to the host device and a patient's mobile device, and is further configured to provide power from the host device to the patient's mobile device. The multifunctional nurse call is further configured to initiate a nurse call to a nurse station via the host device in response to the nurse call button being pressed.