Patient position detection for patient support apparatus

• Main Authors: LACHENBRUCH, CHARLES A, RECEVEUR, TIMOTHY JOSEPH, WILLIAMSON, RACHEL L, ZERHUSEN, ROBERT MARK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 07.05.2014
• Subjects: BEDS; CALCULATING; CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; COFFEE MILLS; COMPUTING; COUNTING; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; FUNERAL DEVICES; FURNITURE; HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING ORPROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTEDFOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; PHYSICS; SOFAS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL; TRANSPORT OR ACCOMODATION FOR PATIENTS

A patient support apparatus (10) includes a patient support surface (22) to support a patient. The patient support surface has at least one air bladder that is inflated and/or deflated to achieve a turn assist function and/or a therapy function of the patient support surface (22). A graphical user interface (GUI) (142) is configured to receive user inputs from a caregiver to initiate the turn assist or therapy functions. The patient support apparatus (10) has control circuitry (98) coupled to the GUI (142). The GUI (142) is controlled by the control circuitry (98) to display information indicating that the patient is improperly positioned on the patient support surface (22) for either the turn assist function or the therapy function. Alternatively or additionally, the control circuitry (98) indicates that the patient is improperly positioned for raising a head section of a bed frame (20).