Bed status information system for hospital beds

An information system for monitoring patient care, the system comprising:

• at least one patient bed including a patient support surface carried by a bed frame for supporting a patient, the bed further comprising a plurality of patient care operational elements coupled to one of the bed frame and the support surface, each operational element operable to have at least one monitorable condition;
• a bed condition input signal generator coupled to an operational element for monitoring a condition of one of the bed frame and support surface and generating an input signal indicative of the status of said monitored condition;
• an interface board including a processor associated with the patient bed, the interface board electrically coupled to said input signal generator for receiving said bed condition input signal and processing said input signal to create bed condition messages to be sent over a datalink;
• a processing station remote from the bed and coupled with said interface board by a datalink for receiving said bed condition messages and processing said messages, said station including at least one indication device for indicating, in a humanly perceptible form, the status of the patient bed monitored condition as contained in the bed condition messages, such that the status of various patient bed conditions is indicated to attending personnel at a location remote from the bed.

A patient bed for patient care, the bed comprising:

• a bed frame;
• a patient support surface carried by the frame for supporting a patient;
• a plurality of patient care operational elements, each of the elements coupled to one of the bed frame and the support surface, each of the elements operable to have at least one monitorable condition;
• an input signal generator coupled to at least one element for monitoring said element monitorable condition and generating an input signal indicative of the status of said monitorable condition;
• and
• an interface board including a processor associated with the patient bed, the interface board electrically coupled to said input signal generator for receiving said input signals, the interface board operable to process said input signals for creating bed condition data messages to be sent over a datalink to a processing station remote from the bed, such that the status of a patient bed is indicated to attending personnel at a location remote from the bed.