Remote Patient Alarm System via Signal Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current healthcare systems face challenges in efficiently monitoring and responding to abnormal operational conditions of treatment devices, leading to delayed attention to patients, increased noise levels from local alarms, potential patient complications, and decreased patient satisfaction due to the lack of centralized alert systems.

Innovation Solution

A patient and health condition monitoring system that includes sensors in treatment devices to detect anomalies, a condition monitor to generate alert signals, and a patient care controller to analyze these signals and automatically transmit them to suitable healthcare professionals via various communication protocols, including IP, cellular, Bluetooth, and PAN, triggering visual, auditory, or haptic alarms on their devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If local alarms are used to notify healthcare professionals of device malfunctions, then patient safety is improved through immediate notification, but noise pollution increases and patient satisfaction decreases due to disturbances

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient safetyVSAvoidnoise pollution

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The alarm notification function is extracted from the local treatment device and transferred to remote healthcare professionals' mobile devices. The condition monitor generates alert signals that are transmitted via communication networks to notify professionals remotely, eliminating the need for loud local alarms while maintaining timely notification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

A communication network serves as an intermediary between the treatment device and healthcare professionals. The system uses communication monitors and networks to transmit alert signals, replacing direct local acoustic alarms with indirect electronic communication that delivers notifications without creating noise pollution in the patient environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If centralized alert systems are implemented to reduce local noise, then noise pollution decreases and patient satisfaction improves, but response time may be delayed due to remote notification

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise pollutionVSAvoidresponse time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Healthcare professionals' mobile communication devices serve multiple functions: they are used for regular communication and now also for receiving alarm notifications. This multi-functionality allows the system to use existing ubiquitous devices for dual purposes without adding dedicated alarm devices that would increase complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes a feedback loop where alert signals are transmitted to healthcare professionals who can acknowledge and respond to notifications. The condition monitor and communication network enable continuous monitoring and responsive communication, ensuring that while notification is remote, the feedback mechanism maintains timely response through direct professional engagement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If manual monitoring and alerting procedures are used, then system complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases due to delayed detection and response to abnormal conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidresponse efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The treatment device performs self-monitoring through integrated sensors that detect operational parameters and identify abnormal conditions automatically. The device generates alert signals autonomously when thresholds are exceeded, eliminating the need for manual monitoring by healthcare professionals while maintaining high response efficiency through automated anomaly detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection and classification of abnormal conditions before human intervention is needed. Sensors continuously monitor device operation and pre-identify potential issues by comparing readings against expected ranges, generating alert signals in advance of actual problems, thereby improving response efficiency without requiring complex manual monitoring systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Loss of time

If automated alert transmission systems are implemented, then response time improves and patient care quality increases, but device complexity and implementation cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse timeVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses existing multi-functional communication devices and networks that healthcare professionals already possess and utilize. By leveraging these universal devices for alarm notification purposes, the system achieves automated alert transmission without adding dedicated complex infrastructure, thereby improving response time while minimizing increases in overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10121559B2Health condition alarm system

Publication Date: 2018.11.06 MA RICHARD

AI summary

A patient and health condition monitoring system comprising:a treatment device;a condition monitor;a patient care controller, the patient care controller comprising:a signal receiver;a healthcare professional database;a processing element coupled to the healthcare professional database; andan alarm generator.