Data processing and communication unit for recording patient data in therapy-free intervals

A patient data monitoring system for central monitoring of at least one vital parameter of at least one dialysis patient in a therapy-free interval, comprising:

• a central patient database for storing patient data of a patient which can be viewed at any time via a communication interface by at least one of physicians, hospital staff members or the patient;
• at least one measuring device carried along or kept at home by the patient in the therapy-free interval for measuring at least one vital parameter of the at least one patient;
• and
• a portable data processing and communication device carried along or kept at home by the at least one patient in the therapy-free interval which assigns a particular patient ID to each measured vital parameter obtained via a data connection from the at least one measuring device, automatically establishes a remote data connection to the central patient database and, once the remote data connection to the central patient database is established, automatically transmits a data set including the particular patient ID and the at least one measured vital parameter to the central patient database.

A method for central monitoring of at least one vital parameter of at least one dialysis patient in a dialysis-free interval comprising the steps of:

• a) establishing a connection between at least one sensor or measuring device for measuring at least one vital parameter to a data processing and communication device;
• b) measuring at least one vital parameter of the patient by the at least one sensor or measuring device in the dialysis-free interval;
• c) transmitting the measured value to the data processing and communication device;
• d) assigning a patient ID corresponding to the patient to each measured vital parameter on the data processing and communication device;
• e) checking and automatically setting up a remote data communication with a central patient database by the data processing and communication device;
• f) automatically transmitting a data set including the patient ID and the at least one measured vital parameter from the data processing and communication device to the central patient database, once the connection to the central patient database is set up;
• and
• g) storing the data set as patient data in the central patient database so that said data set can be viewed at any time by at least one of physicians, hospital staff members or the patient via a communication interface.