US 5,838,223 A · Patient/nurse call system

Abstract

A patient/nurse call system for a hospital includes patient stations capable of generating hospital calls and a remote master station which prioritizes and stores the calls. Hall units outside patient rooms identify the rooms from which the calls originate and the type of call. Each patient station allows selective retrieval and display of unanswered calls, and the system further permits audio interconnection between any two of the stations. Nurse-worn badges transmit pulse-coded infrared signals which are received by receivers at the patient stations and in response, the systems generates identity and location signals which are stored at the master station. The nurse location and identity information may also be retrieved and displayed at any patient station. Receipt of a nurse's infrared signal at a room station automatically cancels a patient call originating from the room and display thereof by the respective hall unit, while actuating a display to indicate nurse presence. By using the nurse call button, the patient can establish telephonic communications between the patient station and a wireless telephone being carried by a remotely located nurse.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A patient/nurse call system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters adapted to be carried by hospital personnel, each transmitter periodically transmitting an identification signal unique to that transmitter;
a plurality of patient locations, each of the plurality of patient locations being associated with a patient and including
a microprocessor,
a receiver for receiving the identification signals from the plurality of transmitters, and
a microphone and speaker for audio communications;
a master station location remote from the patient locations, the master station location having
a microprocessor, and
a microphone and speaker for audio communications;
a first PBX operatively connected between the microprocessor at the master station location and each of the microprocessors at the plurality of patient locations for providing all data communications between any of the plurality of patient locations and the master station location and further providing all audio communications between the plurality of patient locations and the master station location;
a telephone;
and
a second PBX connected between the telephone and the first PBX for providing a data and voice communications link between the telephone and the master station location and the plurality of patient locations.

9 more elements

A method of providing voice and data communications between a staff person and a patient in a hospital comprising the steps of:

(a) actuating a nontelephonic unit to initiate a call from the patient to a first staff person associated with the patient;
(b) detecting the call with a first microprocessor located with the patient;
(c) passing the call from the first microprocessor to a first PBX;
(d) passing the call from the first PBX to a second microprocessor at a master station associated with the patient;
(e) identifying in response to the call, a first staff person associated with the patient;
(f) initiating a telephone call from the second microprocessor at the master station through the first PBX and through a hospital PBX to a telephone associated with the first staff person;
(g) detecting the telephone being answered;
(h) transmitting a message from the second microprocessor at the master station, through the first PBX and through a hospital PBX to the telephone, the message identifying the patient and characteristics associated with the call;
(i) transmitting a reply initiated by the first staff person using the telephone, through the hospital PBX and the first PBX and back to the second microprocessor at the master station;
and
(j) initiating a subsequent action by second microprocessor at the master station in response to the reply.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Patient/nurse call system

Life of this patent

Patient/nurse call system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16