Patient support apparatuses with mobility assessment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025339092-A1
Application number	US-202519273446-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 18, 2025
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	Nov 6, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A patient support apparatus is provided, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, or the like, that includes a sensor adapted to detect movement of the occupant while the occupant is supported on the support apparatus. A controller monitors outputs from the sensor in response to a mobility assessment control being activated. After monitoring the outputs for a period of time, the controller generates a mobility score based on the outputs from the sensor. In some embodiments, the controller use outputs from the sensor to determine which region of a defined surface area the patient has moved to. The controller records these visited regions over a time period and uses them to generate the mobility assessment. The mobility assessment provides an objective measure of an important factor used in predicting a patient's risk of developing pressure ulcers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A patient support apparatus comprising:
a support surface adapted to support thereon an occupant of the patient support apparatus; a plurality of load cells adapted to support the support surface; a user interface having a mobility assessment control; and a controller adapted to perform a mobility assessment of the occupant in response to the mobility assessment control being activated, and to generate a mobility score based on outputs from the load cells over a predetermined time period, the controller adapted to perform the mobility assessment without requiring activation of a mobility assessment control in response to at least one of the following: (i) a changing of a work shift or a nurse assigned to the occupant, (ii) a passage of a predetermined amount of time; or (iii) an assignment of a new occupant to the patient support apparatus; wherein the controller is adapted to generate the mobility score by performing the following: (a) defining an area over which the occupant may move while supported on the support surface; (b) dividing the area into a plurality of regions; (c) determining a center of gravity of the occupant using outputs from the load cells; (d) determining which region the occupant's center of gravity is located in; and (e) determining a path of movement of the occupant's center of gravity as the occupant's center of gravity moves between regions during the predetermined time period; and (f) determining a total distance of the path of movement.

2 . The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine at least one of the following from the a count value of each of the plurality of visited regions the occupant's center of gravity visits and to use the count value to determine at least one of the following: (1) a concentration value of the visited regions; (2) a distribution value of the visited regions; (3) how many times the center of gravity of the occupant has moved more than a threshold number of regions; or (4) how many times the center of gravity of the occupant has moved to the same region.

3 . The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to display the mobility score on the user interface.

4 . The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a transceiver adapted to transmit the mobility score to a device off-board the patient support apparatus.

5 . The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to recommend an action based on a value of the mobility score, and the action is designed to reduce a possibility of the occupant developing pressure ulcers while supported on the support surface.

6 . The patient support apparatus of claim 5 wherein the action comprises recommending one or more of the following: (1) using a particular mattress on the support surface of the patient support apparatus; (2) turning the occupant at a particular time interval while on the support surface of the patient support apparatus; (3) inflating a mattress on the support surface to a particular level; and (4) using a pressure reducing device with the occupant while on the support surface.

7 . The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically forward the mobility score to a caregiver communication device after the predetermined time period has passed.

8 . The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to generate the mobility score by generating a record of the regions which the occupant's center of gravity has visited during the predetermined time period, and by determining a count value for each of the plurality of visited regions, the count value indicating how many times the occupant's center of gravity has visited the corresponding region during the predetermined time period.

9 . A patient support apparatus comprising:
a support surface adapted to support thereon an occupant of the patient support apparatus; a plurality of load cells adapted to support the support surface and adapted to detect movement of the occupant's center of gravity while the occupant is supported on the support surface, the movement being detected over an area subdivided into regions; and a controller adapted to use outputs from the load cells to determine which region of the area the occupant's center of gravity is located in, to generate a record of the regions which the occupant's center of gravity has visited over a time period, to determine a speed at which the occupant's center of gravity moves between the regions, to determine a count value for each of the visited regions wherein the count value indicates how many times the occupant's center of gravity has visited each region, and to determine from the count value at least one of the following: (1) a concentration value of at least a plurality of the visited regions; (2) a distribution value of at least a plurality of the visited regions; (3) how many times the center of gravity of the occupant has moved more than a threshold number of regions; or (4) how many times the center of gravity of the occupant has moved to the same region; wherein the controller is further adapted to generate a mobility score for the occupant based on the count value, the mobility score being automatically generated in response to at least one of the following: a changing of a work shift for a nurse assigned to the occupant; a passage of a predetermined amount of time; or an assignment of a new occupant to the patient support apparatus.

10 . The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine from the count value one or more clusters of the visited regions and to display the clusters.

11 . The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the occupant exits the patient support apparatus during the time period and to use data regarding the occupant's exit when generating the mobility score.

12 . The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to recommend at least one of the following actions if the mobility score meets a predetermined threshold: (1) using a particular mattress on the support surface of the patient support apparatus; (2) turning the occupant at a particular time interval while on the support surface of the patient support apparatus; (3) inflating a mattress on the support surface to a particular level; and (4) using a pressure reducing device with the occupant while on the support surface.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Lafleche Patrick
• Kostic Marko N
• Sukumaran Sujay
• Greenbank Jonathan Mark
• Thomas Madhu
• Seshadrinathan Manikantan

Classifications

• A61B5/6891

  Furniture · CPC title

• A61G7/05776

  with at least two groups of alternately inflated chambers · CPC title

• G16H50/30

  for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment · CPC title

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• A61B5/6892

  Mats · CPC title