Patent Publication Number: US-2006014126-A1

Title: System for tutoring users of a medical apparatus on the operation of that medical apparatus

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to medical equipment and, more particularly, to a tutorial system that comprises a combination of a medical apparatus and a tutorial component for operating the apparatus.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Medical equipment ranges from simple to extremely complicated. Additionally, medical equipment is also used in a variety of environments, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and even a patient&#39;s personal home. With all the ranges in the complexity of medical equipment and environments that the equipment may be used, there is one common factor, that whoever uses the equipment must be educated on the proper operation of the equipment. Regardless of whether the complexity of the equipment, from complicated equipment such as ventilators, surgical equipment, or radiological equipment, to simpler equipment, such as, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines, portable oxygen tanks, or therapeutic mattresses such as low-air loss mattresses, or the skill level of the person using the equipment, from a doctor to a layperson assisting a patient at home, any persons operating medical equipment needs adequate training on the features of that specific equipment.  
      Most medical facilities operate around the clock, with the facility&#39;s personnel scheduled in multiple shifts throughout the day. The vendor of the medical equipment is often responsible for the initial training of the facility&#39;s personnel on the proper operation of the equipment. This training is often done at the time of installation. Since the vendor of the medical equipment often cannot be present at the medical facility for each shift, only those personnel who are able to be present at the time of installation are trained directly by the vendors. Adding to this training problem is the fact that certain shifts and certain medical facilities experience a high turnover in personnel and/or utilize temporary employees. Thus, a large amount of the training of personnel on these many types of medical equipment is dependant upon information being passed from the personnel on one shift to the personnel on another shift.  
      Training personnel on the proper operation of medical equipment is imperative and all personnel are at some point must be trained, either by the vendor companies or by their colleagues or superiors. In fact, medical equipment operation training is so important that most, if not all, state governments and medical bodies require training of everyone who is involved in operating medical equipment within the facility. Most states conduct compliance audits to ensure that everyone operating medical equipment in the facility is properly educated on the use of that equipment. Typically, the state will ask a facility to explain how the personnel were initially educated and the procedures for continuing education as well as new-hire education. Failure to pass these audits can have great economic impact on the medical facility, not only in potential fines imposed by the state, but also in the facilities insurance ratings and credibility in the community.  
      In addition to the medical personnel operating medical equipment, the patients themselves or a non-licensed person administering care to the patient may also operate the medical equipment. In these situations, the person operating the equipment is often trained informally by medical personnel, who were previously trained by the product manufacturer. With each step away from the original equipment manufacturer, it becomes more likely that details in the use of the equipment are missed or inaccurately explained.  
      Improper use of medical equipment may also result in damage to the equipment being, thereby making it necessary for a medical facility to replace medical equipment more often than it may have had to otherwise. Most medical facilities are on conservative spending budgets and it is financially draining to replace equipment that was damaged by the patients or the staff due to misuse or improper instruction.  
      But the most severe consequence in this lack of training on the proper use of medical equipment is the potential injury to a patient. Situations where the medical equipment malfunctions or the caregiver uses the equipment incorrectly require immediate attention.  
      Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a tutorial system that provides users of medical equipment with immediate and on the spot instructions on how to use the medical equipment. It would further be desirable to have a combination of a medical apparatus and a tutorial system that educates a user how to operate that particular apparatus.  
     SUMMARY  
      The present invention is directed to a system for providing instantaneous tutoring to a user of a medical apparatus how to operate the medical apparatus. The system includes the medical apparatus in combination with a tutorial component that provides instructions on use and operation of the medical apparatus. The system further includes an input instrument that a user activates to start receiving instructions. When the user has activated the input instrument, the instrument sends a signal to a processing agent which activates the instructions stored in data storage and causes the instructions to be broadcast through an output instrument.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       FIG. 1  is a simplified diagram of a tutorial system according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a simplified block diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of the external features of a tutorial component of a tutorial system according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a simplified block diagram illustrating one exemplary embodiment of the internal elements of a tutorial component according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating one example of a cycle of operation of a tutorial system in accordance with the exemplary embodiment.  
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an alternative cycle of operation of a tutorial system in accordance with the exemplary embodiment.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention describes a tutorial system that allows a user of a medical apparatus to receive instantaneous instruction on the use and operation of that medical apparatus.  
      Exemplary Tutorial System  
      As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , exemplary tutorial system  100  includes medical apparatus  110 , tutorial component  120 , and user  130 . Many types of medical apparatus  10  may also be used in the present invention, including but not limited to therapeutic mattresses such as low air loss mattresses, oxygen tanks, patient transfer lifts, or defibrillators, ventilators, suction drainage devices, or continuous positive airway pressure devices. Tutorial component  120  may be incorporated within medical apparatus  110  such that they form one physical unit. Alternatively, medical apparatus  110  and tutorial component  120  may be physically separate units. User  130  of the tutorial system  100 , may be any person assisting the patient, such as trained medical personnel or non-medical caregivers, as well as the patient himself/herself.  
      Exemplary Tutorial Component  
       FIG. 2  is a simplified illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the external features of tutorial component  120 . External features of exemplary tutorial component  120  include input instrument  121 , control  122 , and output instrument  123 . Input instrument  121  is activated by user  130  to listen to, view, or otherwise receive instructions on the operation of medical apparatus  110 . Input instrument  121  may be a button, a switch, an infra-red signal receiver, or a touch-sensitive screen. Other variations of input instruments known to those of skill in the art may alternatively be used. Output instrument  123  broadcasts the instructions to user  130 . Output instrument  123  defines how the instructions are delivered to user  130 , and may be, but is not limited to, a speaker or a screen. Finally, Control  122  adjusts the output of the instructions. It may be used to adjust the volume, speed, or another feature of a tutorial session.  
       FIG. 3  is a simplified block diagram of the internal elements of tutorial component  120  suitable for carrying out exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Internally, tutorial component  120  includes at least processing agent  124  and data storage  125  interconnected via one or more busses shown collectively as a bus  128 .  
      Processing agent  124  can be a microcontroller, an embedded processor, or another similar device. For example, in an embodiment where tutorial component  120  is incorporated within medical apparatus  110 , the microcontroller used to operate medical apparatus  110  may also be used as processing agent  124  for tutorial component  120 .  
      Data storage  125  stores instructions  126  for operating medical apparatus  110  and, preferably, also stores logic  127  to manage instructions  126 . Instructions  126  may be stored in one or more of a variety of media types, such as a voice file or a video file.  
      Logic  127  causes instructions  126  to start playing at the beginning of an entire instructions file, or, if applicable, at the beginning of a segment of the instructions file, if the instructions are broken into segments. Logic  127  may be loaded into data storage  125  in the form of a software program, machine language instructions, or both, executable by processing agent  124 . Alternatively, logic  127  may be stored in processing agent  124 .  
      Exemplary Cycle of Operation of a Tutorial System  
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart depicting an embodiment of one cycle of operation of the tutorial system  100 . At step  200 , user  130  engages input instrument  121  of tutorial component  120 . After input instrument  121  is activated, a signal is sent to processing agent  124 , which in turn, activates instructions  126  stored in data storage  125 , as shown at steps  201  and  202 . Then at step  203 , tutorial component  120  broadcasts instructions  126  on the operation of medical apparatus  110  to user  130  through output instrument  123 .  
       FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative cycle of operation of the tutorial system  100 . In this embodiment, tutorial component  120  can be set up in a way that allows user  130  to skip between segments of instructions  126 . Thus, in the same manner as described above with reference to  FIG. 4 , user  130  of the tutorial component  120  engages input instrument  121 , as depicted at step  300 . The activation of input instrument  121  causes a signal to be sent to processing agent  124 , which in turn, engages instructions  126  stored in data storage  125 , as shown at steps  301  and  302 . If instructions  126  are already activated, then processing agent  124  causes instructions  126  to skip ahead to the next segment of instructions  126 , as at step  306  and broadcasts the next segment of instructions  126  through output instrument  123 , as depicted at step  205 . On the other hand, if instructions  126  are not already activated, processing agent  124  activates the first segment of instructions  126 , as shown at step  303 , and broadcasts instructions  126  to user  130  through output instrument  123 , as depicted at steps  204  and  205 , respectively.  
      While exemplary embodiments have been described, persons of skill in the art will appreciate that variations may be made without departure from the scope and spirit of the invention. It should be understood that this and other arrangements described herein are set forth for purposes of example only. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other arrangements and other elements can be used instead, and some elements may be omitted altogether. The true scope and spirit of the invention is defined by the appended claims, which may be interpreted in light of the foregoing.