Patient Support Exit Detection With Motion-Adaptive Sensitivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds and stretchers, suffer from false alerts and the inability to prevent patients from exiting without detection when the exit detection system is armed, necessitating a solution that minimizes false alerts and ensures patient exit detection.
Innovation Solution
The patient support apparatus includes an exit detection system that transitions to a less sensitive mode during user-initiated changes, allowing for a transition period with adjustable sensitivity thresholds and optional retry or cancel options, and switches to a motion mode when components are moving, thereby reducing false alerts and enabling safe patient movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the exit detection system operates in a sensitive mode to detect patient exit, then patient exit detection reliability is improved, but false alerts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its sensitivity level based on the operational state. When motion is detected in the patient support apparatus, the system automatically transitions from a first sensitivity level to a second sensitivity level, making the exit detection thresholds adaptive rather than fixed. This allows the system to be more tolerant of movement during active operations while maintaining strict monitoring when the apparatus is stationary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection parameters (sensitivity levels and thresholds) based on the operational context. By monitoring whether the patient support apparatus is in motion or stationary, the system adjusts the sensitivity level and corresponding thresholds for exit detection, thereby optimizing the balance between detecting actual exits and avoiding false alerts during normal operations.
2Device complexity
If the exit detection system uses fixed sensitivity thresholds, then system simplicity is maintained, but inability to prevent patient exit without detection occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic sensitivity adjustment based on motion detection. When the patient support apparatus is detected to be in motion, the system automatically switches to a second sensitivity level with adjusted thresholds. This dynamic behavior enhances reliability without requiring complex manual configuration or multiple fixed-mode systems.
3Measurement precision
If the exit detection system maintains high sensitivity during component movement, then patient exit detection accuracy is improved, but false alerts based on movement increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts sensitivity based on the motion state of the patient support apparatus. When motion is detected, the system transitions to a second sensitivity level with modified thresholds that are more tolerant of movement. This allows the system to maintain high detection accuracy for patient exits while reducing false alerts caused by apparatus movement during operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection parameters including sensitivity level and thresholds are changed based on the operational context. By detecting whether the apparatus is in motion and accordingly adjusting the sensitivity level, the system optimizes the balance between detection accuracy and false alert reduction during different operational phases.
Data Source
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AI summary
A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, etc., for supporting a patient includes an exit detection system with multiple user-selectable modes of operation that each have different sensitivity levels for triggering an exit alert. The exit detection system also includes one or more non-user selectable modes of operation that are automatically implemented in response to a triggering action. For example, a transition mode may be automatically implemented when the user attempts to switch from a first user-selectable mode to a different user selectable mode, or a motion mode may be automatically implemented when movement of one or more components of the patient support apparatus occurs. In the transition mode, the exit detection system may use a least restrictive sensitivity level. In the motion mode, the exit detection system may inhibit exit alerts and/or change the criteria for issuing the exit alert.