Patient Support Apparatus Wireless Sensor Power and Data Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a challenge in hospital settings to balance the reduction of monitoring equipment obtrusiveness with the need to accurately identify and associate patient data with the correct patient support apparatus, particularly in environments where continuous data collection from sensors is required.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a patient support apparatus that wirelessly transfers power to sensors, determines their identity, receives and analyzes medical data, and transmits it to a health information system, ensuring proper association and alerting mechanisms for health conditions, while also updating the sensors as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless sensors are used to reduce obtrusiveness of monitoring equipment, then patient comfort is improved, but data association with correct patient support apparatus becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patient support apparatus serves as an intermediary device between the wireless sensors and the health information system. It receives data directly from sensors in proximity to the bed, maintains local association with the correct patient through the bed's unique identifier, and then transmits the associated data to the health information system, thereby solving the data association problem while keeping sensors unobtrusive
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional wired connections and physical identification mechanisms with wireless communication and electronic identification systems. The patient support apparatus uses wireless transceivers to communicate with sensors and electronic identifiers (barcodes, RFID tags) to identify patients and beds, eliminating the need for physical cable connections that would compromise patient comfort
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed for continuous monitoring, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patient support apparatus is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple different types of sensors (motion sensors, weight sensors, temperature sensors, etc.) through a common wireless communication interface and centralized processing system, thereby enabling continuous monitoring with multiple sensors while managing system complexity through standardization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensor functions and data processing capabilities into a single patient support apparatus unit. Instead of having separate monitoring systems for each sensor type, the apparatus integrates wireless communication, data reception, processing, and transmission functions into one centralized system that manages all sensors associated with a patient bed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances patient comfort by minimizing obtrusive monitoring equipment while ensuring accurate data association and timely alerts, improving patient care through efficient data management and integration with hospital information systems.
Implementation Method 1
wirelessly transferring, with the patient support apparatus, a supply of power to the wireless sensor to initiate operation of the wireless sensor
Data Source
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AI summary
A communication system for a patient support apparatus that is operable to inductively power sensors coupled to a patient to periodically gather data from the sensors. The communication system is operable to associate the sensor data with a patient and the patient support apparatus and transfer the associated data to a hospital information system.