PATIENT POINT-OF-CARE GARMENT

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a point-of-care garment configured for providing more efficient, effective, and accurate care to patients. Embodiments may include a point-of-care garment that includes an image sensing apparatus disposed proximate a cuff of a sleeve of the garment and at least one storage pocket, where each of the at least one storage pocket including identifying indicia. The point-of-care garment may further include a display disposed on a sleeve of the garment. The garment may further include a communications apparatus including a microphone and a speaker. The image sensing apparatus may be a barcode scanning apparatus. The identifying indicia of example embodiments may include a removable tag with at least one patient name, a barcode identifying a patient, or a patient location.

Description

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a garment to be worn by a nurse or care provider, and more particularly, to agarment that includes features to facilitate patient point-of-care service.

BACKGROUND

Patient care within hospitals and healthcare facilities has become more complex with the advent of greater understanding of patient conditions and a larger number of medications and treatment options available to treat the wide range of conditions of patients. As a result, the care of patients, even for the same condition, may vary considerably from patient to patient. It is important to ensure that each patient is receiving the proper care, treatment, and medications as prescribed by their physicians. Errors in care, such as incorrect medication, incorrect dosages, improper treatments, or the like, can result in harm to patients. As such, it is important for caregivers and nurses to ensure patients are properly cared for according to the treatment plans prescribed by their physicians.

To help ensure that the patient receives the appropriate medication and dose, medication carts including compartments assigned to an individual patient may be used to transport medication and dosages throughout a hospital or healthcare facility; however, such carts may be expensive and may be cumbersome to navigate through crowded hospitals. Additionally, patient rooms may not provide enough room for a medication cart to be placed bedside. Further, such medication carts may be left unattended while a nurse performs other necessary tasks during routine patient rounds. Leaving a cart unattended may leave the cart susceptible to medication tampering or theft or cart misplacement.

Generally, when a medication cart is not used, a nurse may transport medications for multiple patients in cups, on clipboards, in clothing pockets, or in hand. Transporting medications in these ways may allow medications to be dropped, forgotten, intermixed, or otherwise not reach the appropriate patients.

In addition to the foregoing, physical review of a patient and medical chart to ensure correct medication, dosage, diet, etc. may be error prone, particularly when physician instructions change or when a patient may be incorrectly identified. Particularly in cases where patient names or diagnoses may be similar, confusion between patients and their respective medications may be more likely.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a point-of-care garment configured for providing more efficient, effective, and accurate care to patients. Embodiments of the present invention may include a garment that includes an image sensing apparatus disposed proximate a cuff of a sleeve of the garment, a communications apparatus configured to wirelessly communicate with a network, and at least one storage pocket(s), where each of the at least one storage pocket includes identifying indicia. The point-of-care garment may further include a display disposed on a sleeve of the garment. The communications apparatus may include a microphone and a speaker. The image sensing apparatus may be a barcode scanning apparatus or a biometric scanning apparatus configured to detect biometric information such as a retina, iris, fingerprint, facial recognition, hand geometry, etc. The identifying indicia of example embodiments may include a removable tag with at least one patient name, a barcode identifying a patient, or a patient location. Further, the identifying indicia may include a biometric identifier of a person (e.g., a fingerprint).

Garments according to example embodiments of the present invention may include a display disposed proximate each of the at least one storage pocket where the identifying indicia of each of the at least one storage pockets is presented on the secondary display. The communications apparatus may include a transmitter and a receiver. The microphone and the speaker may be integrally attached to the garment, where a housing including the transmitter and the receiver may be removable from the garment. Garments according to embodiments of the present invention may include a battery which may be removably received within the garment and embodiments may include an identification tag configured to track a location of the garment. The image sensing apparatus may include a light source and the image sensing apparatus may be configured to detect a biometric identifier.

Embodiments of the present invention may include a method of operating a point-of-care garment including receiving identifying indicia from an image sensing apparatus disposed on a sleeve of the garment, providing for transmission of the identifying indicia to a network entity (e.g., a server, a database, etc.), receiving information related to the identifying indicia in response to providing for transmission of the identifying indicia, and providing for display of at least a portion of the information received on a display disposed on a sleeve of the garment. The information may also be communicated to the nurse via the speaker audibly. The identifying indicia may include a barcode identifying a patient. The information related to the identifying indicia may include at least one of a name of the patient, an image of the patient, a medication of the patient, or a birth date of the patient. Further, the identifying indicia may include a biometric identifier of a person (e.g., a fingerprint). The method may also include providing for transmission of a location of the garment within a building.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide a point-of-care garment including a sleeve with an image sensing apparatus, at least one storage pocket including identifying indicia, a communications apparatus, a processing unit, and a battery. The garment may further include a display disposed on the sleeve. The processing unit may be configured to receive patient identifying indicia from the image sensing apparatus and the display may be configured to present patient information in response to the processing unit receiving patient identifying indicia from the image sensing apparatus. The point-of-care garment of example embodiments may further include a communications apparatus configured for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly. The communications apparatus may include a microphone and a speaker, where the microphone and speaker may be configured to be removably attached to the garment. The battery may be configured to be removably received within the garment. The garment may further include a garment identification tag configured to provide a location of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a point-of-care garment according to an example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a processing unit for a point-of-care garment according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of workflow for using a point-of-care garment according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The terms top, bottom, side, up, down, upwards, downwards, vertical, horizontal, and the like as used below do not imply a required limitation in all embodiments of the present invention but rather are used herein to help describe relative direction or orientation in the example embodiments illustrated in the figures.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide a point-of-care garment to assist in the accurate and efficient administration of medication and treatment to a patient. While example embodiments are described herein as used within a healthcare facility to provide treatment to a patient, embodiments of the present invention may be used in other environments such as veterinary clinics, prisons, or any environment in which accurate distribution of medications or other articles to properly identified individuals may be required.

Patient safety within a healthcare environment is of paramount concern and the proper administration of medication and other treatments are instrumental in ensuring that patients are properly cared for. With rising healthcare costs, healthcare facilities must operate as efficiently as possible in order to maximize resource allocation, including the allocation of personnel resources. The efficient operation of healthcare employees, such as nurses, may require the employee to treat as many patients as possible within a defined period of time (e.g., a shift). However, requiring nurses to treat as many patients as possible during their shift may reduce the time that a nurse may spend with each patient and reduce the amount of time available to double and triple-check medications, dosages, treatments, and other services provided to a patient. As such, it may be desirable to provide an apparatus which can improve the efficiency of a nurse and increase the accuracy of the treatment provided to a patient.

An apparatus according to the present invention may include a point-of-care garment that is configured to be worn by a nurse as they make their rounds in a hospital or healthcare facility. The garment may include means for identifying a patient, means for reviewing patient information, means for identifying one or more medications to be provided to the patient, means for ensuring the proper medication is administered, and means for communicating information between hospital staff and/or a hospital information network.

While example embodiments of the apparatus described herein are described with respect to a nurse wearing the garment in a hospital environment, it is appreciated that example embodiments of the invention may be implemented in other environments where point-of-care or point-of-interaction between a garment wearer and a patient, person, or object, is located.

An apparatus according to the present invention may provide all of these features while being easy to implement into existing hospital and healthcare facilities and reducing costs to a healthcare facility by increasing efficiency, reducing the number of medicine carts that may be required by a facility, and increasing accuracy of medication distribution and administration.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a point-of-care garment according to example embodiments of the present invention. The garment may be a shirt or smock configured to be worn over the clothes of a wearer, such as over the scrubs of a nurse. The garment 10 may include a processing unit 20 configured to interface with and control various aspects of the garment including communications, user interface, etc. The garment 10 may further include an image sensing apparatus 30 disposed on a sleeve of the garment 10 configured to scan identification indicia from patients, medications, equipment, etc. The garment 10 may further include pockets 40 configured to hold medication or articles prescribed for specific patients.

The point-of-care garment 10 may also include communications apparatus which may include the ability to transmit and receive voice calls, such as with a phone or a radio. The communications apparatus may be part of the processing unit and may further include a microphone and/or speaker 50. The garment 10 may further include a primary display 60 disposed on a sleeve of the garment for viewing by a wearer of the garment. In some embodiments, the display 60 may include a flexible OLED display. Each of the pockets 40 of the garment may include identifying indicia 45 to identify the medication or patient assigned to the pocket 40. The identifying indicia may be a printed adhesive label adhered to a location proximate the pocket, a label inserted into a transparent pocket proximate the pocket 40, or a display located proximate the pocket. Each of these features will be described in detail below.

Certain ones of the aforementioned components may be removable from the garment 10 for purposes of washing the garment or replacing the components. Some components of the garment may be configured to be washable (machine, hand wash, dry clean, etc.) while others may be removable. The fabric of the garment 10 may be washable as would be desirable in a clean work environment such as a healthcare facility.

Processing Unit

Embodiments of the present invention may be configured with a processing unit configured to receive and process information related to the point-of-care garment. The processing unit may be embodied as a mobile device, such as a mobile computer, a mobile phone, mobile communication device, portable digital assistant (PDA), or any such computing device capable of performing functions described herein. FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a processing unit 20. As illustrated in FIG. 2, in accordance with some example embodiments, the processing unit may include a processor 110, a memory 120, and a communications interface 130 for performing the various functions described herein. The processing unit, as described herein, may be embodied as, for example, circuitry, hardware elements (e.g., a suitably programmed processor, combinational logic circuit, and/or the like). The processing unit may be removably received by the garment, for example in a pocket as illustrated in FIG. 1. The processing unit may be adapted to “dock” within the pocket in order to interface with the various components of the garment 10. For example, in an example embodiment in which the processing unit comprises the hardware and/or software for providing communications capabilities, the microphone and/or speaker 50 may be connected to the processing unit by one or more wires. Docking the processing unit within a specifically configured pocket of the garment may provide a connection between the microphone/speaker 50 and the processing unit.

Processor 110 may, for example, be embodied as various means including one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digital signal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or more computers, various other processing elements including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), or some combination thereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single processor, in some embodiments processor 110 comprises a plurality of processors. The plurality of processors may be embodied on a single computing device or may be distributed across a plurality of computing devices collectively configured to function as processing unit 20. The plurality of processors may be in operative communication with each other and may be collectively configured to perform one or more functionalities of processing unit 20 as described herein. In an example embodiment, processor 110 is configured to execute instructions stored in memory 120 or otherwise accessible to processor 110. These instructions, when executed by processor 110, may cause processing unit 20 to perform one or more of the functionalities of processing unit 20 as described herein. As such, whether configured by hardware, firmware/software methods, or by a combination thereof, processor 110 may comprise an entity capable of performing operations according to embodiments of the present invention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when processor 110 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, processor 110 may comprise specifically configured hardware for conducting one or more operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when processor 110 is embodied as an executor of instructions, such as may be stored in memory 120, the instructions may specifically configure processor 110 to perform one or more algorithms and operations described herein.

Memory 120 may comprise, for example, volatile, non-volatile memory, or some combination thereof. Although illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single memory, memory 120 may comprise a plurality of memories. The plurality of memories may be embodied on a single computing device or distributed across a plurality of computing devices. In various embodiments, memory 120 may comprise, for example, a hard disk, random access memory, cache memory, flash memory, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM), an optical disc, circuitry configured to store information, or some combination thereof. Memory 120 may be configured to store information, data, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling processing unit 20 to carry out various functions in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention. For example, in at least some embodiments, memory 120 is configured to buffer input data for processing by processor 110. Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments, memory 120 is configured to store program instructions for execution by processor 110. Memory 120 may store information in the form of static and/or dynamic information. This stored information may be stored and/or used by processing unit 20 during the course of performing its functionalities.

Communication interface 130 may be embodied as any device or means embodied in circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprising computer readable program instructions stored on a computer readable medium (e.g., memory 120) and executed by a processing device (e.g., processor 110), or a combination thereof that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/to another device, such as, for example, a second processing unit 20 and/or the like. In at least one embodiment, communication interface 130 is at least partially embodied as or otherwise controlled by processor 110. In this regard, communication interface 130 may be in communication with processor 110, such as via a bus. Communication interface 130 may include, for example, an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, network interface card and/or supporting hardware and/or firmware/software for enabling communications with another computing device. Communication interface 130 may be configured to receive and/or transmit data using any protocol that may be used for communications between computing devices. Communication interface 130 may additionally be in communication with the memory 120, user interface 140 and/or any other component of processing unit 20, such as via a bus. The communications interface may be configured for wireless communication between the processing unit 20 and a network 150, such as the network of a healthcare facility. The wireless communication may be implemented by any known wireless communication protocol.

User interface 140 may be in communication with processor 110 to receive an indication of a user input and/or to provide an audible, visual, mechanical, or other output to a user. As such, user interface 140 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen display, a microphone, a speaker, and/or other input/output mechanisms. User interface 140 may be in communication with the memory 120, communications interface 130, and/or any other component(s), such as via a bus. The user interface, while depicted as part of the processing unit 20, may include remote devices such as a display, a touch-screen display, a microphone, a keypad, a camera, an image sensing apparatus, etc.

As noted above, the processing unit 20 may be “docked” within a pocket of the point-of-care garment where the processing unit interfaces with wired connections to components of the point-of-care garment such as the display 60, the image sensing apparatus 30, the microphone/speaker 50, etc. The removability of the processing unit may allow the garment to be washed or cleaned without requiring the processing unit to be impervious to water or heat. Further, the processing unit 20 may be configured with a battery which may require periodic charging. The removability of the processing unit may permit the processing unit to be docked or plugged into a charging station between uses of the point-of-care garment. The processing unit 20 may be interchangeable such that if a battery of a point-of-care garment is low, the processing unit 20 including a battery may be swapped out for another processing unit. Optionally, the battery may be separately removable from the processing unit such that replacement of the battery may be independent of the processing unit. Further, docking of the processing unit in a charging station may also dock or connect the processing unit with a server, such as a server of a healthcare facility network. Connecting the processing unit with a network may permit software and firmware updates to be performed and may allow information databases, if stored within the processing unit (e.g., on memory 120) to be updated.

Image Sensing Apparatus

Embodiments of the present invention may be configured with an image sensing apparatus 30, as illustrated in FIG. 1, configured to sense or read patient identifying indicia. The image sensing apparatus may be configured to read a barcode, such as with a barcode reader, and use the barcode to identify a patient within a healthcare facility information network or database. Optionally, the image sensing apparatus may be configured to capture an image that may then be deciphered by a processing apparatus, such as processing unit 20 or a remote processing unit, such as a network server.

An image sensing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention may include a conventional laser barcode scanning device or may include a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera or similar passive image-gathering technology. The image sensing apparatus may further include an illuminating element to illuminate the identifying indicia for capture. Such an illuminating element may provide visible or invisible wavelengths of light to promote indicia recognition. The image sensing apparatus may be disposed on a sleeve of the garment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and may be sewn or otherwise attached to the sleeve. The position of the image sensing apparatus 30 may be such that a wearer of the garment 10 may simply position the sleeve of the garment proximate an image to be scanned (such as a barcode) and the image sensing apparatus 30 may capture the image. The image sensing apparatus 30 may be encased in a substantially water impervious enclosure such that apparatus 30 may be washed with the garment without harm to the image sensing apparatus 30. The garment may include wiring disposed within the garment, for example, woven into the fabric of the garment or positioned between fabric layers of the garment, to connect the image sensing apparatus 30 to the processing unit 20. The image sensing apparatus may provide an image to the processing unit 20 where the image may be deciphered, for example, by processor 110, to obtain the necessary identifying indicia from the image.

The image sensing apparatus may be configured to scan an image in response to an input, such as the press of a button, where the button may be disposed proximate the image sensing apparatus 30, on the processing unit 20, or otherwise disposed in an accessible position on the garment. Optionally, the image sensing apparatus may be configured to scan an image in response to a particular motion of the image sensing apparatus 30. For example, if the image sensing apparatus is moved to a particular angle or encounters a predefined motion, as sensed by a sensor such as an accelerometer, the image sensing device may capture an image or be configured to scan for identifying indicia.

The image sensed by the image sensing apparatus 30 may include identifying indicia such as a barcode, as noted above. The barcode may be linear or one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a high-capacity color barcode, or any such identifying indicia. The indicia may be associated with a patient, a patient location (e.g., a room), a medication, a medical supply or any such person, object, or location that may require identity verification. Upon sensing the image to obtain the identifying indicia, the image may be received by the processing unit 20. Optionally, the image sensing apparatus may be configured with hardware and/or software configured to interpret the image to provide the processing unit with the identification from the indicia rather than simply providing an image to the processing unit.

An image scanning apparatus according to example embodiments may further be configured to detect biometric identifiers, such as a retina, iris, facial recognition, hand geometry, etc. Such biometric identification may allow identification of a patient without requiring a patient identifying tag, such as a barcode bracelet, to be worn by the patient.

The processing unit may use the identification to reference a database of people (e.g., patients within a healthcare facility), a database of medications, a database of medical supplies, or the like. The referenced database may provide information based upon the identification. For example, in an embodiment in which a patient wrist band including a barcode is scanned, the processing unit may use the identification from the wrist band to reference a database of patients. The database may include a photograph of the patient, date-of-birth, medical condition, list of medications, procedure schedule, medical records, etc. The processing unit may then provide for display of information related to the identification. The information displayed may include a picture of a patient for confirmation of the patient's identity, information regarding the patient such as a preferred name, allergies, possible drug interactions, etc. In an example embodiment in which a medication is scanned by the image sensing apparatus, the information presented on a display may include an image of the medication (e.g., a pill with identifying marks or colors), the dosage, any possible drug interactions, and medication warnings (e.g., to take a medication with food).

The database or databases referenced by the processing unit may be located remotely from the point-of-care garment such that the point-of-care garment may transmit the identification to a network in order to receive information related to the identified person or object in return. Optionally, the database or databases may be stored within memory device 120 such that the processing unit may reference the memory 120 to obtain information related to the identified person or object. In an embodiment in which the database is stored within the processing unit 20, the database or databases may be updated periodically (e.g., daily, hourly, etc.) by a network either wirelessly or via wired connection when the processing unit may be docked for charging as described above.

Patient Specific Pockets

Medication carts are often used to transport medication doses within a healthcare facility from a central or decentralized medication storage location to a patient. However, as noted above, these carts may have certain limitations, which may cause a nurse to, instead, transport medications in cups, on his/her clipboard, in his/her clothing pocket, etc. In one embodiment, the patient-specific pockets of the point-of-care garment can be used to replace those medication transport means.

As it is critical that patients receive the proper medication and dosage, identification of patient specific pockets of the garment may be desirable. Reserving a single pocket for a single patient may help to ensure medications are not inadvertently mixed or given to the incorrect patient. Identification of each of these pockets may further assist a nurse to verify that the appropriate patient is receiving the appropriate medication. Each of the patient specific pockets 40 may be adapted to receive identifying indicia 45 to be displayed proximate the pocket, such as on a flap closure of the pocket as illustrated in FIG. 1. The identifying indicia 45 may be printed on an adhesive label which may be affixed to the pocket 40. In such an embodiment, the pocket may be configured with a surface that may receive a removable adhesive label. The surface may permit the adhesive label to be removed once the medication from the pocket is dispensed. In another example embodiment, the pocket 40 may be configured with a transparent pocket adapted to receive a printed label therein, where the identifying indicia of the label may be visible through the transparent pocket.

In another example embodiment of the invention, each patient-specific pocket 40 may be configured with a secondary display configured to provide for display of patient and/or medication identifying indicia. In such an example embodiment, a nurse may load each pocket by scanning identifying indicia of a prescription using the image sensing apparatus 30 (thereby identifying the patient and the medication), scanning identifying indicia of a medication from the prescription (thereby allowing the processing unit to confirm the medication is correct and that the medication from the prescription has been obtained), and inserting the medication into a pocket that is identified. The pocket may be identified by the display of the pocket or by the selection of a patient specific pocket by the nurse. The display of the patient-specific pocket 40 may then display the patient name, medication information, patient location, or any information which may be beneficial to ensure the proper medication reaches the appropriate patient.

Communications

As described above with respect to the processing unit 20, a point-of-care garment according to example embodiments of the present invention may provide communications capabilities between the processing unit 20 and a network, such as the network of a healthcare facility. Embodiments of the present invention may further include communications capabilities between point-of-care garments or between the point-of-care garment and any other communications apparatus (e.g., a cell phone, a land-line phone, etc.). A garment according to example embodiments may include a microphone and/or speaker 50. While the example embodiment of FIG. 1 depicts the microphone and speaker as a single unit, embodiments may include separate microphones and speakers. The microphone/speaker 50 may be in wired or wireless (e.g., Bluetooth®) communication with the processing unit 20.

The processing unit may be configured to provide communication via a wireless communications protocol. For example, the processing unit may be capable of operating in accordance with second-generation (2G) wireless communication protocols IS-136 (time division multiple access (TDMA)), GSM (global system for mobile communication), and IS-95 (code division multiple access (CDMA)), or with third-generation (3G) wireless communication protocols, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA2000, wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and time division-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), with 3.9G wireless communication protocol such as evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), with fourth-generation (4G) wireless communication protocols (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) or the like. As an alternative (or additionally), the processing unit 20 may be capable of operating in accordance with non-cellular communication mechanisms. For example, the processing unit 20 may be capable of communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN) or other communication networks.

As such, the processing unit may provide the garment wearer the ability to communicate with other point-of-care garment wearers or other healthcare facility personnel as necessary.

Example embodiments of the point-of-care garment may include user inputs, such as buttons disposed on the processing unit or otherwise in communication with the processing unit to initiate, conduct, or end a communication session. For example, a button may be disposed on a portion of the processing unit that is accessible when the processing unit is in a docking pocket of the point-of-care garment. In response to a press of the button, the wearer may be able to speak a voice command into the microphone/speaker 50 to instruct the processing unit to initiate a communication session (e.g., a phone call) with a particular individual or department within the healthcare facility. Optionally, a press of the button may initiate a call to an operator of the healthcare facility which may then direct the call as instructed by the wearer of the point-of-care garment.

Location Information

Example embodiments of point-of-care garments may further provide location information of the garment within a healthcare facility. The wireless communications capabilities of the processing unit of the point-of-care garment may provide location information by obtaining signal strength of known wireless communication beacons and using the relative strengths to ascertain location. For example, if a wireless communication beacon of a healthcare facility is located in a lab, but is not capable of broadcasting outside of the lab, a point-of-care garment with a processing unit in communication with said beacon may be able to positively identify that the garment is within the lab. Optionally, the point-of-care garment may include a radio frequency identification tag which may signal the location of the garment within a healthcare facility by broadcasting to location beacons throughout the facility or through other location mechanisms known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Workflow

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of the workflow of a nurse implementing an example embodiment of the point-of-care garment according to the present invention. A nurse may begin his/her shift donning the point-of-care garment and inserting a charged processing unit 20 into the docking pocket of the garment 10. The nurse may then obtain medications for patients that he/she will visit on his/her rounds. The nurse may obtain medications and pocket labels at a central or decentralized medication storage location at operation 300. The nurse may insert a medication corresponding to a specific label into a pocket, and attach the label including patient identifying indicia to the pocket at 310. The nurse may then begin rounds including visiting a patient. The nurse may scan a wristband of a patient to obtain the proper identification of the patient at 320 using an image sensing device 30 disposed on the sleeve of the garment. The nurse may then view information related to the patient on the display 60 on the sleeve of the garment at 330. The information may include information confirming the identity of the patient and/or the appropriate medication for the patient. The nurse may then retrieve medication for the patient from the pocket corresponding to the patient according to the label at 340. The medication may be confirmed as correct by scanning the medication using the image sensing device 30 at 350 and receiving a confirmatory tone or indication on the display 60.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. A point-of-care garment comprising:

an image sensing apparatus disposed on the garment;

a communications apparatus configured to wirelessly communicate with a network; and

at least one storage pocket, each of the at least one storage pocket comprising an identifying indicia.

2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a primary display disposed on a sleeve of the garment.

3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the communications apparatus comprises a microphone and a speaker.

4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the image sensing apparatus is disposed on a sleeve of the garment and comprises a barcode scanning apparatus.

5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the identifying indicia comprises a removable tag with at least one of a patient name, a barcode identifying a patient, or a patient location.

6. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a secondary display disposed proximate each of the at least one storage pocket wherein the identifying indicia of each of the at least one storage pockets is presented on a said display.

7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the communications apparatus includes a transmitter and a receiver.

8. The garment of claim 7, wherein the microphone and speaker are integrally attached to the garment, and wherein a housing comprising the transmitter and the receiver are removable from the garment.

9. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a battery, wherein the battery is removably received within the garment.

10. The garment of claim 1, further comprising an identification tag configured to track a location of the garment.

11. The garment of claim 1, wherein the image sensing apparatus comprises a light source.

12. The garment of claim 1, wherein the image sensing apparatus is configured to detect a biometric identifier.

13. A method of operating a point-of-care garment, comprising:

receiving identifying indicia from an image sensing apparatus disposed on the garment;

providing for transmission of the identifying indicia to a network entity;

receiving information related to the identifying indicia in response to providing for transmission of the identifying indicia; and

providing for display of at least a portion of the information received on a display disposed on a sleeve of the garment.

14. A point-of-care garment, comprising:

a sleeve comprising an image sensing apparatus;

at least one storage pocket comprising identifying indicia;

a communications apparatus;

a processing unit; and

a battery.

15. The point-of-care garment of claim 14, further comprising a display disposed on the sleeve.

16. The point-of-care garment of claim 15, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive patient identifying indicia from said image sensing apparatus and wherein the display is configured to present patient information in response to the processing unit receiving patient-identifying indicia from said image sensing apparatus.

17. The point-of-care garment of claim 14, further comprising a communications apparatus configured for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly.

18. The point-of-care garment of claim 14, wherein the communications apparatus comprises a microphone and a speaker, wherein the microphone and the speaker are configured to be non-removably attached to said garment.

19. The point-of-care garment of claim 14, wherein said battery is configured to be removably received within said garment.

20. The point-of-care garment of claim 14, further comprising a garment identification tag, wherein said garment identification tag is configured to provide a location of the garment.