Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
  • A61B5/0002—Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H40/00—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
  • G16H40/60—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices
  • G16H40/67—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices for remote operation
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H80/00—ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N7/00—Television systems
  • H04N7/18—Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a modular terminal for home medical service.
• the invention finds a particularly advantageous application in all fields of home medical service, whether it is home support, home nursing care or home hospitalization, and, more generally, all means which allow patients residing in their usual living environment to benefit from medical benefits. This is particularly the case when a person has decided to stay at home or to return there after having undergone an intervention but while needing to stay in contact with a medical or paramedical service. This need for a relationship is generally temporary, both in terms of frequency and duration.
• n ° 00 03367 a medical home tele-assistance system for a patient comprising a patient station, or terminal, grouping together a certain number of equipment making it possible to perform the functions of assistance in the patient's home.
• This terminal is in connection with a caregiver, or remote home medical service center, located in a hospital or independent service and able to receive information from the patient's terminal and to send control orders to equipment installed in the patient's home. .
• the home medical service terminal known from the state of the art has drawbacks of two types.
• a single terminal centralizes a large number of functionalities of a very varied nature, it is rare that all the possibilities are used at 100%, generating a high investment / service ratio.
• one wishes to follow developments in the equipment installed in the patient one realizes that, on this type of terminal, adaptation requires often heavy structural modifications, as well as fixed assets and significant costs.
• the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to propose a terminal which could always be adapted to the requested home medical services, and which could also evolve according to the needs of the service, all at a minimum cost.
• the solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the present invention, in a modular terminal for home medical service, remarkable in that it comprises a basic module, installed in the home of a patient, equipped with a telephone connection with a remote home medical service center, said basic module being able to receive at least one additional module dedicated to at least one functionality of home medical service, and to exchange information with said remote center via the telephone link.
• the principle of modularity which is at the origin of the design of the terminal, object of the invention, allows the basic module, by the addition of suitably chosen complementary modules, to be always adapted to the required service.
• each additional module can be developed and modified according to the evolution of techniques, independently of the basic module, thus ensuring the modular terminal according to the invention great flexibility of adaptation.
• the modularity of the service terminal according to the invention has the following advantages:
• said basic module is a remote assistance module comprising means for receiving images and sound from said center via the telephone line and means for transmitting to the remote image and sound center from the patient's home via the telephone line.
• the basic module provides at the lowest cost an exclusively videotelephony tele-assistance service allowing the practitioner located at the remote center to enter into oral communication with the patient and to receive visual information. concerning the patient and his environment.
• said transmission means consist of a camera controlled remotely from the remote center, and a microphone.
• the transfer of these functions is made possible by the fact that almost all patients have a television set in their home.
• the basic tele-assistance module thus simplified then serves as an interface between the telephone network and the television set, the reception of images and sound taking place on the patient's television set by the SCART socket.
• the module no longer manages its own means of transmission, namely shooting and sound recording.
• a more advanced version of the terminal of the invention consists in that it further comprises an additional remote surveillance module connected to said remote assistance module, said remote surveillance module comprising means for controlling control devices. assistance and / or biomedical sensors.
• the modular terminal according to the invention allows the nursing staff of the remote center to monitor a patient at home by managing assistive devices or biomedical sensors, or both.
• the type of material used is adapted to the patient's pathology and will be prescribed by the practitioner. It is this same practitioner who will also prescribe the device and sensor management programs.
• the modular nature of the terminal of the invention can, in general, be even more easily obtained by self-identification of an element of the terminal with the element to which it connects, located just upstream in the modular chain.
• This self-identification is preferably carried out permanently at all times, and not only when the upstream element is energized.
• the element under consideration is energized by simple connection to the upstream element, then it identifies itself automatically with the latter so as to set up the reserves necessary for the operation of the first element.
• the power-up is carried out directly by the sector, self-identification with the upstream element then taking place.
• said assistance devices and / or said biomedical sensors comprise means of permanent self-identification with the remote surveillance module
• the remote surveillance module comprises means permanent self-identification with the remote assistance module with the establishment in the remote assistance module of functional reserves necessary for the operation of the remote surveillance module.
• the remote surveillance module also includes means for triggering alarms intended for the remote center. This arrangement makes it possible to alert the nursing staff of the remote center in the event, for example, of a failure of one of the monitored elements, device or sensor, or of movement of a data item relative to a set point or program.
• the invention provides in particular that the remote assistance module constantly checks for the presence of an available line on the telephone link, and that the emission of alarms has priority over the telephone link. In this sense, it is preferable that the telephone link has a line permanently available for the transmission of alarms to the remote center.
• the terminal of the invention includes an additional remote consultation module capable of receiving medical diagnostic tools and means for recording data supplied by said tools.
• the remote consultation module is connected to the remote assistance module and comprises means of permanent self-identification with the remote assistance module with installation in the remote assistance module of reserves necessary for the operation of the remote consultation module.
• the remote consultation module is connected to the remote surveillance module and includes means of permanent self-identification with the remote surveillance module with the establishment in the remote assistance module of functional reserves necessary for the operation of the remote consultation module.
• the remote assistance module includes means for assisting nursing staff at the patient's home.
• said assistance means include a scanner head, electronic messaging, data entry means, photographic shooting means.
• Figure 1 is a diagram of a modular home medical service terminal according to the invention.
• Figure 1 a modular terminal installed in a patient wishing to benefit from the services of a home medical service, such as nursing or any other medical assistance function.
• This terminal is connected to a remote center, not shown in FIG. 1, located in a hospital environment for example, and allowing a practitioner responsible for the remote monitoring of the patient at home to exchange information or data with various materials equipping said terminal.
• the modular terminal of FIG. 1 comprises a basic module 100 equipped with a telephone link 1 and which, in general, is capable of receiving at least one additional module dedicated to at least one functionality of home medical service. , and to exchange information with the remote center via telephone link 1.
• said additional module can be a remote monitoring module 200, a remote consultation module 300, or even a module 400 for assisting nursing staff in the patient's home.
• the basic module 100 is a remote assistance module whose essential function is to offer an audio-visual communication service between the practitioner located in the center patient and patient at home.
• the remote monitoring module 100 comprises means for receiving images and sound from the remote center via the telephone link 1, these means possibly being the monitor 111 and a speaker 112 of a connected personal computer 110 to the telephone link 1 and the central unit of which contains the memories and the programs necessary for the operation of the module 100.
• the practitioner receives images and sound from the patient's home by means of transmission which are, in particular, a camera 121 remotely controlled and a microphone 122.
• the remote assistance function is ensured at minimal cost since it is performed by a basic module 100 strictly dedicated to this function, without the presence of equipment intended for other functions that would be unused in this case.
• the remote assistance module 100 in which said reception means consist of a television set 113.
• the images and the sound are received from the central unit 110 of the module 100 by the scart socket of the television.
• the central unit 110 only has to manage on its own that the camera 121 and the microphone 122.
• a certain number of improvements can be provided as a means of signaling, for example by overlay on the reception means, a call coming from the distant center, or even the presence of a radio-frequency device to initiate or accept a telephone call coming from remote center and end it.
• the basic module 100 can receive an additional module 200, called remote monitoring module, making it possible to monitor a patient remotely by managing means of controlling medical devices 210 or biomedical sensors 220.
• This control is carried out for example by a radio-frequency link with the remote surveillance module 200, that is to say wireless.
• oxygen concentrators for oxygen therapy and parenteral nutrition pumps there may be mentioned oxygen concentrators for oxygen therapy and parenteral nutrition pumps, and, as bio-medical sensors 220, electro-cardiogram recorders, spirometers, cardiac scales, tensiometers, etc. .
• the installation of the remote monitoring module 200 is done simply by connection to the basic module 100. As soon as the connection is made, the module 200 is automatically powered. At this time, the remote monitoring module 200 self-identifies with the basic module 100 with the establishment of functional reserves necessary for the operation of the module 200. Similarly, the devices 210 and the bio-medical sensors 220 s '' self-identify with the remote monitoring module 200 when they are switched on.
• the management program for the remote assistance module 200 is loaded either by the operator in charge of the installation by means of floppy disks or CD-ROMs prepared by authorized personnel, or by download from the remote center. Once the entire terminal is operational, the module 200 manages the data from the devices 210 or the sensors 220 independently.
• the management program makes it possible to remotely modify the operating points of the assistance devices, to read remotely and download data to the remote center through the basic module, to retrieve the data, manage it and compare it with set points, and generate alarms, in the sense that the program verifies the state of the remote monitoring module, devices and sensors transparently and in the event of a fault triggers an alarm towards the remote center.
• the alarm criteria are: too great a variation of a value compared to a set point, the detection of a failure of an assistance device or a sensor, a failure of the remote monitoring module itself, in this case it is the basic module which issues the alarm to the remote center.
• the D channel normally dedicated to signals may be used as the line reserved for the transmission of alarms.
• an alarm automatically unlocks the means 121, 122 for transmitting images and sound from the patient's home. The practitioner then has access to all the information and data he needs to establish a diagnosis.
• the remote assistance module 200 includes a buffer memory capable of recording data after an alarm is triggered.
• FIG. 1 also shows the presence in the terminal of an additional remote consultation module 300 intended to receive tools 310 of medical diagnosis, stethoscope or thermometer for example, and record data supplied by these tools.
• This module 300 is to give a doctor, by implementing different functionalities, the possibility of gaining an intimate conviction.
• the list of functionalities cannot be exhaustive because it essentially depends on the pathology of the patient, the doctor, the availability of integrated tools allowing to perform a given function.
• connection between the various diagnostic tools 310 and the remote consultation module 300 is carried out by radio frequency, except for the photographing function.
• the remote consultation module 300 can be installed in several configurations in the modular terminal of FIG. 1.
• the remote consultation module 300 is connected to the remote assistance module 100 and self-identifies with the remote assistance module with establishment in the remote assistance module 100 of functional reserves necessary for operation of the remote consultation module 300.
• the remote consultation module 300 is connected to the remote surveillance module 200 and self-identifies with the remote surveillance module with the establishment in the remote assistance module 100 of the functional reserves necessary for operation of the remote consultation module 300.
• said teleconsultation module 300 is autonomous with recording of the data supplied by the medical diagnostic tools 310.
• this remote consultation module 300 is not necessarily intended to remain permanently with the patient, but rather to be installed there punctually by nursing personnel at the request of the practitioner, it is advantageous to provide that the remote consultation module 300 provided with diagnostic tools 310 is portable, in a suitcase for example.
• Several operating modes can be envisaged for the remote consultation module 300, namely:
• the data supplied by the medical diagnostic tools 310 are transmitted in direct reading mode, by taking images and transfer to the remote center,
• the transmission of the data supplied by the medical diagnostic tools 310 is carried out in indirect reading mode, by taking images, viewing on the remote assistance module 100 and transfer to the remote center
• the data transmission is carried out in direct data acquisition mode, by input and transfer to the remote center, the data transmission is carried out in indirect data acquisition mode, by recording on a consultation terminal 320 for reading at the remote center.
• This consultation terminal is for example a portable device of the personal assistant type.
• a module 400 for assisting nursing staff in the patient's home This module makes it possible to modify the basic module 100 to incorporate functions which are useful for the activity of nursing staff and, more particularly, for nurses who travel at home.
• Electronic messaging intended to write messages for other people who go to the patient, be it the home medical service personnel or the attending physician, or write a message to transfer it to the remote center or to another modular home service terminal.
• Electronic messaging also makes it possible to read messages coming from the remote center intended for nursing staff passing by at home, the attending physician, or the patient himself.
• Another function concerns photographic shooting.
• the nursing staff at home disengages the remote control of the camera 121, frames the aiming on the patient or any other object, records the photo and transmits it to the distant center.
• the module 400 is also used for data entry carried out in writing to transfer to the remote center, either information which will be entered in the patient's file, or information (memo) to prepare the next home visit.
• the help module 400 includes a head
• the 410 scanner allowing the copying of documents (prescriptions, analysis results, etc.) with viewing before transfer to the remote center.
• the taking of photographs can be controlled from the basic module 100 with viewing of the photograph on the screen 111 before transfer to the remote center and the patient file.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Primary Health Care (AREA)
• Biophysics (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Surgery (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Measuring And Recording Apparatus For Diagnosis (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Medical Treatment And Welfare Office Work (AREA)
• Closed-Circuit Television Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8854649

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (11)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 2000
  • 2000-09-25 FR FR0012179A patent/FR2814629B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-09-20 JP JP2002529027A patent/JP2004508914A/ja active Pending
  • 2001-09-20 AU AU2001293911A patent/AU2001293911A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-09-20 EP EP01974380A patent/EP1325631A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-09-20 IL IL15507501A patent/IL155075A0/xx unknown
  • 2001-09-20 CA CA002423690A patent/CA2423690A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-09-20 WO PCT/FR2001/002915 patent/WO2002025947A1/fr active Application Filing
• 2003
  • 2003-03-25 US US10/396,885 patent/US20040019503A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events