Serial-to-Ethernet Converter Auto-Associates Medical Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical facilities face challenges in accurately associating mobile medical devices with patients due to the risk of incorrect data association, which can lead to patient injury, and existing solutions like RTLS beacon-based and computer-in-every-room approaches are costly and complex.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a serial-to-ethernet converter and a database to automatically associate mobile medical devices with patients by mapping network interface identifiers to room associations, eliminating the need for computers in every room and reducing infrastructure costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If mobile medical devices are deployed on carts to be wheeled from room to room, then the facility can purchase and maintain a smaller number of devices, but the risk of incorrectly associating devices with patients increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-association of mobile medical devices with patients through network interface identifier detection and database lookup. The device independently determines its location and associates itself with the correct patient without manual intervention, eliminating human error while maintaining device mobility and reducing overall device quantity needed.
2Measurement precision
If RTLS beacon-based systems are deployed to track medical devices, then device location can be determined, but infrastructure costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses network interface identifiers and a centralized database as intermediaries to establish device-location associations. Instead of deploying physical beacons and receivers throughout the facility, the solution leverages the existing network infrastructure and a central database to achieve accurate device tracking with minimal added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The network interface identifier system serves multiple functions: it identifies the device, determines its location, and enables patient association all through a single existing network component. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate tracking infrastructure like beacons and receivers.
3Reliability
If computers are deployed in every room to manage device associations, then accurate patient-device matching can be achieved, but infrastructure costs and setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the device association logic from individual room computers and consolidates it into a centralized database accessible through the network. This eliminates the need for computers in every room while maintaining accurate device-patient association through network-based identifier lookup.
Data Source
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AI summary
A procedure for automatically associating a mobile medical device with its current location is disclosed. The procedure allows automatic determination of the location of the mobile medical device without requiring either specialized location determination equipment or expensive computer equipment. A database of switch port to room associations created during a provisioning setup procedure is used when the mobile medical device connects to a network port after being brought into a patient room to associate the mobile medical device with the room and thereby the patient.