A new intelligent bed care system for hospital and home patients.
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Date
2005-08-22
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Abstract
An intelligent bed care system has been developed for monitoring patient movements and behavior in the hospital and at home in order to prevent injuries from falls a major problem in health care facilities Falls as well as patient activity immediately preceding falls i e exiting the bed are especially dangerous when infusion extubation also occurs This new system detects in bed infusion fluid leaks bleeding due to infusion tube pullout and urine resulting from incontinence It employs stainless steel tape and wire noncontacting electrodes several linear integrated circuits and a low power 8 bit single chip microcomputer The electrodes are installed between the bed mattress and sheet to record changes in an always present alternating current AC voltage which is induced on the patient s body by electrostatic coupling from a 100 V 60 Hz alternating current power line around the bed The microcomputer uses changes in the induced alternating current voltage to detect the patient s movements before and after leaving the bed as well as any fluid leakage The microcomputer alerts the nursing station via the nurse call system or personal handy phone PHS that the patient is in an active state has a dangerous posture on the bed is contaminating the sheet due to leaking bleeding or incontinence or is out of bed