Patent Description:
In recent years, team nursing in which a plurality of healthcare workers work together to provide nursing care for one patient has been widely adopted. A nurse call system for supporting such team nursing has been proposed. An example of such nurse call system is disclosed in Patent Literature <NUM>.

A nurse call system described in Patent Literature <NUM> includes:.

<CIT> and <CIT> relate to nurse call systems and <CIT> discloses a nursing care information processing system using position information.

However, in the nurse call system described in Patent Literature <NUM>, the chat room is created only for in-charge nurses who are pre-set to be in charge of the care of the patient. Therefore, even when the in-charge nurses are at locations distant from the location where the patient is at while a nurse who is not the in-charge nurse is at a location close to the location where the patient is at, the nurse who is not in charge of the patient but is at a location close to the location where the patient is at is not invited to the chat room while the in-charge nurses, who are at locations distant from the location where the patient is at, need to respond to the invitation. In other words, with the nurse call system described in Patent Literature <NUM>, work efficiency of team nursing cannot be sufficiently improved.

A nurse call system according to an example embodiment includes:.

Work efficiency of team nursing can be improved by a nurse call system according to an example embodiment.

Hereinbelow, an example embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. <FIG> shows a block diagram of a nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment. In the example shown in <FIG>, the nurse call system <NUM> is utilized in a facility consisting of two separate buildings, a first hospital ward <NUM> and a second hospital ward <NUM>. Note that in the actual nurse call system <NUM>, nurse call master units (e.g. nurse call main devices), nurse call slave units, and mobile terminals may be employed by a number greater than those in the example shown in <FIG>. Further, in the example shown in <FIG>, a nurse call main device is installed for each hospital ward, but the system may be configured with one nurse call main device installed for shared-use by multiple hospital wards or multiple floors.

In the example shown in <FIG>, a central server <NUM> is employed for equipment of shared-use by the first hospital ward <NUM> and the second hospital ward <NUM>. The central server <NUM> includes a voice server <NUM> and a chat server <NUM>. Further, the first hospital ward <NUM> is equipped with a nurse call main device <NUM>, an access point <NUM>, a mobile terminal <NUM>, and a mobile terminal <NUM>. The second hospital ward <NUM> is equipped with a nurse call main device <NUM>, an access point <NUM>, a nurse call slave unit <NUM>, and a mobile terminal <NUM>.

The nurse call slave unit <NUM> is provided for patient-use. To be more specific, the nurse call slave unit <NUM> is installed so as to be attached to the bed used by the patient. That is, the nurse call slave unit <NUM> is installed at a fixed location. Further, the location information of the nurse call slave unit <NUM> is registered in the nurse call main device and the private branch exchange at the time of installation of the nurse call slave unit <NUM>. The nurse call slave unit <NUM> originates a nurse call, for instance, when a patient presses a button. The nurse call main devices <NUM> and <NUM> have the nurse call slave unit <NUM> and the access points <NUM> and <NUM> connected thereto. In the example shown in <FIG>, the nurse call main device <NUM> has the access point <NUM> connected thereto, and the nurse call main device <NUM> has the nurse call slave unit <NUM> and the access point <NUM> connected thereto.

The mobile terminals <NUM> and <NUM> and the potable terminal <NUM> are terminals carried by the healthcare workers. As the mobile terminal, a terminal capable of running a software such as an on-premises PHS (personal handy-phone system), a mobile information terminal, a tablet terminal, and the like can be utilized. The access points <NUM> and <NUM> relay communication between the mobile terminals and the aforementioned nurse call main devices. The access points <NUM> and <NUM> function as a master unit of the wireless LAN when the terminals that belong to the access points are terminals such as a mobile phone or the like. The access points <NUM> and <NUM> function as a radio base station when the terminals that belong to the access points are PHSs or the like. Further, the mobile terminals are connected to the nurse call main device via the access points. In the example shown in <FIG>, the mobile terminals <NUM> and <NUM> are connected to the nurse call main device <NUM> via the access point <NUM>. Further, the mobile terminal <NUM> is connected to the nurse call main device <NUM> via the access point <NUM>. Here, the access points and the mobile terminals perform communication utilizing a radio signal. Note that in the example shown in <FIG>, the mobile terminal <NUM> is allocated to Nurse A, the mobile terminal <NUM> is allocated to Nurse B, and the mobile terminal <NUM> is allocated to Nurse X. Further, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, it is assumed that the corresponding relationship between the nurses and the mobile terminals allocated to the nurses is held in the voice server <NUM>.

The voice server <NUM> is, for example, a PBX (Private Branch eXchange). The voice server <NUM> has the nurse call main devices <NUM> and <NUM> connected thereto, the nurse call main devices being installed within the facility by a plural number, and is configured to control communication between the nurse call slave unit <NUM> and the mobile terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. In response to a call originated from the nurse call slave unit <NUM>, the chat server <NUM> generates a chat room to be delivered to the mobile terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Here, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, the voice server <NUM> has first to third information. The first information is information indicating corresponding relationship between the mobile terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and healthcare workers (e.g. Nurse A, Nurse B, and Nurse X). The second information is information indicating corresponding relationship between the patient and in-charge healthcare workers who are in charge of the patient among the nurses (e.g. in-charge nurses). The third information is information indicating location information of the nurse call slave unit <NUM> and the mobile terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Since the nurse call slave unit <NUM> is installed at a fixed location, the location information of the nurse call slave unit <NUM> is registered as the third information at the time of installation of the nurse call slave unit <NUM>. Further, the location information of the mobile terminals includes at least one of the location information of the mobile terminals acquired using a location information acquisition function (e.g. the GPS (Global Positioning System)) built-in in the mobile terminals and the location information of the access points to which the mobile terminals belong. Note that since the access points are installed at fixed locations, the location information of the access points is registered as the third information at the time of installation of the access points.

Further, the chat server <NUM> generates, based on the first to the third information, a chat room with the in-charge nurses who are in charge of a subject patient who originated a call using the nurse call slave unit <NUM> and a nearby healthcare worker assumed to be at a location closer to the subject patient than the in-charge nurses are (e.g. a nearby nurse) as users, and provides the chat room to the mobile terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> held by the in-charge nurses and the nearby nurse. Here, when the location relationship between the mobile terminals and the nurse call slave unit is determined based on the location information of the access points, the chat server <NUM> simply uses the locations of the access points to which the mobile terminals belong as the locations of the mobile terminals.

Note that in the example shown in <FIG>, Nurse A and Nurse B are the in-charge nurses who have corresponding relationship with the nurse call slave unit <NUM>, and Nurse X is the nearby nurse. Further, <FIG> shows a state in which at the timing when a call is originated from the nurse call slave unit <NUM>, the in-charge Nurses A and B are at a first hospital ward <NUM> that is different from a second hospital ward <NUM> where the patient is at, and in the case where the in-charge Nurses A and B cannot take prompt action in response to the call, the nearby Nurse X is requested to take care of the patient.

In the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, the access point <NUM> generates a chat room that includes as users the nearby Nurse X in addition to the in-charge Nurses A and B. By this configuration, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, improvement in the operating efficiency of team nursing is realized. Next, operation of the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment will be described hereinbelow.

<FIG> shows a flowchart describing operation of the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment. As shown in <FIG>, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, chat room generation processing is started when a call is originated from the nurse call slave unit <NUM> (Step S1). Then, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, the chat server <NUM> receives the first to the third information from the voice server <NUM> and performs processing of Steps S1 to S5. In Step S2, a nurse to be in charge of the patient who originated the nurse call (e.g. the subject patient) is searched from the first and the second information and the in-charge nurse is determined. In Step S3, a nurse who is at a location close to the bed of the subject patient who originated the nurse call is searched and determined as the nearby nurse.

In the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, the access points are installed at fixed locations, and the voice server <NUM> generates the third information by estimating each mobile terminal from the location of the access point with which each mobile terminal is performing communication. Further, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, the mobile terminal switch the access point with which it performs communication as the nurse moves. Then, the voice server <NUM> updates the third information every time the access point with which the mobile terminal performs communication is switched. Further, the third information includes location information of the nurse call slave unit. Further, in the exploring processing of Step S3, based on the aforementioned third information, the nearby nurse who is at a location close to the patient is determined in accordance with the location of the nurse call slave unit from which the nurse call was originated and the mobile terminal which is at a location close to the aforementioned nurse call slave unit. Note that the nearby nurse is a nurse who is at a location closer to the subject patient than the in-charge nurses are. Alternatively, the nearby nurse may select a nurse who is close to the subject patient locationwise.

Next, in Step S4, a chat room with the in-charge nurses and the nearby nurse as attendees is generated. Then, in Step S5, the chat room generated in Step S4 is provided to the mobile terminals <NUM> and <NUM> held by the in-charge nurses (e.g. nurses A and B in <FIG>) and the mobile terminal <NUM> held by the nearby nurse (e.g. nurse X in <FIG>).

As described above, in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment, even when the in-charge nurses are at locations distant from the location where the subject patient is at, they can request, through the chat room, the nearby nurse who is nearby the subject patient to provide care for the subject patient. By this configuration, it is possible to improve the efficiency of team nursing in the nurse call system <NUM> according to the first example embodiment.

Claim 1:
A nurse call system (<NUM>) comprising:
a nurse call slave unit (<NUM>) provided for patient-use;
a nurse call master unit (<NUM>, <NUM>) having the nurse call slave unit (<NUM>) connected thereto;
a mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) carried by a healthcare worker;
an access point (<NUM>,<NUM>) for relaying communications between the mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and the nurse call master unit (<NUM>, <NUM>);
a private branch exchange (<NUM>) having a plurality of the nurse call master unit (<NUM>, <NUM>) installed in a facility connected thereto and being configured to control communications between the nurse call slave unit (<NUM>) and the mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>); and
a chat server (<NUM>) configured to generate a chat room to be delivered to the mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) in response to a call originated from the nurse call slave unit (<NUM>), wherein
the private branch exchange (<NUM>) has first information indicating corresponding relationship between the mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) and the healthcare worker, second information indicating corresponding relationship between the patient and an in-charge healthcare worker who is in charge of the patient among the healthcare workers, and third information indicating location information of the nurse call slave unit (<NUM>) and the mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), and
the chat server (<NUM>) is configured to generate, based on the first and the third information, a chat room with the in-charge healthcare worker in charge of a subject patient who originated a call using the nurse call slave unit (<NUM>) and a nearby healthcare worker assumed to be at a location closer to the subject patient than the in-charge healthcare worker is as users, and to provide the chat room to each mobile terminal (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) held by the in-charge healthcare worker and the nearby healthcare worker.