Abstract:
A wearable cap designed to reduce medical errors by quickly, accurately, and reliably communicating essential information about its wearer, even when the wearer is incapacitated or otherwise unable to actively participate in communication.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is entitled to the benefit of, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/648,515 filed on May 17, 2012, which is included by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
     
    
     INTRODUCTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is a wearable cap designed to reduce medical errors by quickly, accurately, and reliably communicating essential information about its wearer, even when the wearer is incapacitated or otherwise unable to actively participate in communication. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In medicine, high priority information can be characterized as information that, if known, is immediately actionable to counter, prevent or avoid rapid decline or worsening of a patient&#39;s condition. It can also encompass information that, if not known or misinterpreted, has a high risk of causing rapid decline in a patient&#39;s condition. Patient drug allergies are a ubiquitous example of such high priority information, the inadequate propagation of which has plagued the medical profession since the inception of modern drug treatments. 
         [0004]    Allergies are a leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. Minimizing allergic reactions during a hospital stay is of significant concern. Adverse reactions to drugs can prolong hospital stays, and in severe cases, can result in life-threatening consequences. 
         [0005]    In-patient, round-the-clock care often requires coordination among dozens of medical professionals, including the accurate proliferation of each patient&#39;s high priority information. In emergent situations, those professionals are often required to make split-second decisions regarding patient care. Paradoxically, those patients most exposed to the risk of miscommunication (i.e., those typically requiring such intensive care) are those least likely to recover from severe complications resulting therefrom. 
         [0006]    Hospitals and professionals have struggled to innovate and adopt procedures and means to minimize the risk of error resulting from miscommunication. Communication of patients&#39; critical vulnerabilities has traditionally been by notation in a patient chart or (more modernly) by a wristband in some facilities. Research has shown that a significant percentage of patients with at least one allergy often had no written record of it in hospital documents. It has also been shown that less than half of patients with known allergies to medications were being correctly fitted with wristbands where wristbands were employed. Among hospitalized patients, two-to-three percent experience allergic drug reactions and one in every 2,700 suffers drug-induced anaphylaxis. Incidences of drug-related anaphylaxis from drug types are on the rise. 
         [0007]    Unfortunately, existing technologies and protocols to identify high priority patient information are insufficient. What is needed is a way to quickly, accurately, and reliably convey high priority information to medical professionals in order to minimize medical error and preventable injury. 
         [0008]    What is needed is an easy-to-deploy means to quickly and accurately convey critical patient information. This is especially true where information is needed about an individual who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to adequately participate in communication. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention discloses a medical information alert cap comprising an exterior surface and a means for displaying pertinent information on the exterior surface. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment, the cap can be made similarly to a non-woven bouffant disposable surgical cap. Typically, it is made from a fabric with high tensile strength and low elongations, like polypropylene spun bond (e.g., 10 g, 12 g, 14 g, 16 g, 18 g). It also typically has an elastic band. Such a cap is stretchable and comfortable and can accommodate a variety of head sizes and varying volumes of hair. Sizes could range to fit newborns, infants, children, and adults. The fabric can also be selected tor certain beneficial characteristics like being soft, light, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. 
         [0011]    In a preferred embodiment, the exterior of the cap is colored, and may also include patterns or symbols to enrich communication. The colors, patterns, and symbols can be matched to specific applications and locales. For example, a cap meant to convey critical medical treatment instructions could be solid red in the United States, whereas to convey similar information in Europe, it could be solid green. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, the elastic band can be printed with a context- or application-specific phrase (e.g., “Medication Alert”) to promote instant understanding by the viewer, even if the cap or its purpose was completely foreign to the viewer immediately prior. 
         [0013]    In the preferred embodiment, the exterior of the cap further comprises a surface on which one can write pertinent information or instructions. This is useful in situations where a caregiver learns critical information about an individual, where care of that individual is subsequently passed to a different caregiver who would benefit from that knowledge. The information written on the exterior surface may include a listing of the wearer&#39;s susceptibilities to injury or adverse reactions within treatment environments. As one example, the listing could enumerate the wearer&#39;s allergies to commonly used medications, or it could indicate whether the wearer was immunocompromised, so that caregivers would know to avoid prolonged exposure to areas where there might be an increased risk of infection. 
         [0014]    In another embodiment, the cap includes an area to which one or more labels could be attached (e.g., peel-and-stick types, hook-and-loop patches, etc.). Alternatively, labels could be inserted into and held in place by a transparent pocket. These labels would preferably include information about the wearer&#39;s susceptibility as described above. 
         [0015]    In another embodiment, either the cap or labels comprise machine-readable information, such as: encoded images (e.g., bar codes, quick response (QR) codes, etc.), means for electronically transmitting information (e.g., smart cards, radio frequency identification (RFID))-type tags, near field communication (NFC)-type tags, etc.), or other machine-readable mechanisms for referencing or encoding additional information. 
         [0016]    The label or other writing surface is preferably located on the portion of the cap nearest to the wearer&#39;s face (i.e., on or near the front). This helps facilitate transmission of the information to the caregiver. Additional areas on the exterior surface of the cap (e.g., on or near the top or sides) could also be used for more detailed or lower-priority information. 
         [0017]    Consider the following emergent example: An emergency medical technician (EMT) learns that her trauma patient is fatally allergic to a certain treatment commonly used in treating similar injuries. In transit to the hospital, the EMT is able to stabilize the patient, but not before the patient loses consciousness and is unable to communicate further. Upon reaching the hospital, the EMT often has mere seconds to convey relevant information to emergency hospital staff. Without the invention, this is often done orally. If the EMT omits the allergy condition, or if receiving staff doesn&#39;t hear, misunderstands, or forgets about the condition, the information is lost, and the patient is at greater risk. 
         [0018]    With the invention, the EMT would fit her patient with a medical information alert cap during transit. She would write on the cap the treatment to which the patient was allergic and the severity of the allergy. Not only would this free up precious seconds for additional oral communication during handoff, the information would persist in the absence of the EMT with no degradation due to loss or miscommunication. 
         [0019]    Consider the following non-emergent example: A patient in long-term care is under the supervision of an experienced nurse with a deep understanding of that patient. That nurse may be periodically unavailable because of shift changes or vacation time. During those absences, less-informed medical professionals may overlook or not completely appreciate that patient&#39;s vulnerabilities, risking harm or error. 
         [0020]    Using the invention, medical professionals will be less likely to make ill-informed decisions, as the most critical information remains physically and conspicuously associated with the patient, instead of leaving with the experienced caregiver or being hidden from view. 
         [0021]    In both emergent and non-emergent situations, attention to the patient is often directed to that patient&#39;s face and head. Evaluation of any number of conditions involves direct examination of a patient&#39;s pupils, facial color, speech, eye movements, responsiveness to questions, etc. A means to persistently capture and prominently display critical information about a patient on a part of the body that is universally subject to significant attention by medical professionals mitigates the risk of medical error resulting from degradation or loss of patient-specific critical information. The invention provides these means. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information alert cap embodiment with a printed elastic band, a transparent pocket, and a label insert or attachment with a symbol and writing. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information alert cap embodiment with a printed elastic band and a blank label attachment with a symbol and writing. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 3 &amp; 3A  depict oblique frontal views of medical information alert cap embodiments with colored exterior surfaces, printed elastic bands, and blank label attachments with symbols. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 4 ,  4 A,  5  &amp;  5 A depict oblique frontal views of medical information alert cap embodiments with exterior surfaces covered with symbols, and label attachments with symbols. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 6 &amp; 6A  depict oblique frontal views of medical information alert cap embodiments with label attachments with machine readable encoded images. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    The following describes preferred embodiments. However, embodiments of the invention are not limited to those embodiments. Therefore, the description that follows is for purpose of illustration and not limitation. 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information alert cap  1  comprising an exterior surface  2 , an elastic band  3 , and a means for displaying information on the exterior surface  2  that further comprises a transparent pocket  4  capable of receiving one or more inserts or labels  5 . The elastic band  3  further comprises printing  10 . The insert or label  5  further comprises priority information  6  and one or more symbols  7 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information alert cap  1  comprising an exterior surface  2 , an elastic band  3 , and a means for displaying information on the exterior surface  2  that further comprises an area  8  to which one or more or labels  5  containing priority information  6  may be attached. The elastic band  3  further comprises printing  10 . The label  5  further comprises priority information  6  and one or more symbols  7 . 
         [0030]    Each of  FIGS. 3 &amp; 3A  depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information alert cap  1  comprising an exterior surface  2 , an elastic band  3 , and a means for displaying information on the exterior surface  2  that further comprises an area  8  to which one or more or labels  5  may be attached. The cap  1  can further comprise a radio frequency identification (RFID)-type tag  13 . The exterior surface  2  further comprises a color  9 . The elastic band  3  can further comprise printing  10 . The label  5  can further comprise one or more symbols  7  and an RFID-type tag  13 . 
         [0031]    Each of  FIGS. 4 ,  4 A,  5  &amp;  5 A depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information. alert cap  1  comprising an exterior surface  2 , an elastic band  3 , and a means for displaying information on the exterior surface  2  that further comprises an area  8  to which one or more or labels  5  may be attached. The exterior surface  2  further comprises one or more symbols  11 . The elastic band  3  can further comprise printing  10 . The label  5  can further comprise priority information  6  and one or more symbols  7 . 
         [0032]    Each of  FIGS. 6 &amp; 6A  depicts an oblique frontal view of the medical information alert cap  1  comprising an exterior surface  2 , an elastic band  3 , and a means for displaying information on the exterior surface  2  that further comprises an area  8  to which one or more or labels  5  may be attached. The elastic band  3  can further comprise printing  10 . The label  5  further comprises priority information  6 , one or more symbols  7 , and a machine readable encoded image  12 . The label  5  can further comprise.