Patent ID: 8266349

Claim:
A patient monitor system, comprising: a plurality of docking stations, each docking station associated with a respective patient monitoring location; a portable patient monitor configured to be selectively coupled with and selectively decoupled from the respective docking stations as a user transports the portable patient monitor among the patient monitoring locations, the portable patient monitor comprising: a patient data acquisition unit for receiving patient data signals from one or more sensors attached to a patient; and a processor for processing the patient data signals, the processor configured to: detect a coupling of the portable patient monitor to a first docking station of the plurality of docking stations, the first docking station being associated with a first patient monitor location; in response to a predetermined condition, prompt the user to select one or more first default configuration settings associated with the first patient monitor location; and in response to a first user selection, load the selected one or more first default configuration settings into the portable patient monitor, wherein the predetermined condition comprises a determination by the processor that the first patient monitor location is a first non-transient hospital ward, wherein the processor is further configured to: detect a coupling of the portable patient monitor to a second docking station of the plurality of docking stations, the second docking station being associated with a second patient monitor location; determine that the second patient monitor location is a transient hospital ward where the patient is expected to remain for a relatively short period of time as compared to that spent in the first patient monitor location; and in response to the determination of the transient hospital ward, maintain a current set of configuration settings in disregard to one or more second default settings, if any, associated with the second patient monitor location, and wherein the processor is further configured to: detect a coupling of the portable patient monitor to a third docking station of the plurality of docking stations, the third docking station being associated with a third patient monitor location; determine that the third patient monitor location is a second non-transient hospital ward; in response to the determination that the third patient monitor location is the second non-transient hospital ward, prompt the user to select one or more third default configuration settings associated with the third patient monitor location; and in response to a second user selection, load the selected one or more third default configuration settings into the portable patient monitor.