System and method for reducing the prevalence of delirium in patients in an isolating healthcare environment
View Patent ↗A method of preventing, reducing, or mitigating hospital-acquired dementia of a patient in an isolating healthcare environment, such as an ICU, is disclosed. The method includes: providing a patient device enabling voice communication between the patient and persons associated with the patient, the patient device comprising a speaker for receiving voice communications, a microphone for playback of voice communication, a touchscreen having an area; the patient device programmed with a walkie-talkie app for voice communication between the patient and persons associated with the patient and configured to communicate with a server over the Internet via an encrypted data link, the persons having other devices programmed with the walkie-talkie app; the server programmed and configured to receive over the encrypted data link and store patient voice communications from the walkie-talkie app of the patient device and to transmit the patient voice communications to the walkie-talkie app of the other devices over the encrypted data link, and to receive over the encrypted data link and store other voice communications from the walkie-talkie app of the other devices and to transmit the other voice communications to the walkie-talkie app of the patient device over the encrypted data link, thereby enabling voice communication between the patient and the persons associated with the patient; the walkie-talkie app programmed and configured to operate on the patient device in a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes including an in-case mode in which most or all of the area of the touchscreen is a push-to-talk button; the patient device encased within an enclosure consisting of a flexible material having a raised tactile feature on a patient-facing side of the enclosure for assisting the patient in locating the push-to-talk button by touch; whereby the enabling of voice communication between the patient and persons associated with the patient being effective to prevent, reduce, or mitigate hospital-acquired dementia of the patient.
1 . A method of preventing, reducing, or mitigating hospital-acquired delirium of a patient in an isolating healthcare environment, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a patient device to the patient enabling voice communication between the patient and persons associated with the patient, the patient device comprising:
a speaker for playing voice communications;
a microphone for recording of voice communication;
at least one computer having at least one CPU and a memory;
at least one touch screen;
one or more sensors; and
software communicating over one of an encrypted channel and a nonencrypted channel (“Patient App”) to software running on a remote computer (“User App”);
wherein the patient device has a mode that, when actuated, causes the at least one touch screen to function as a single button;
wherein the Patient App and User App may be either a same software or a different software;
actuating the mode to disable the one or more sensors;
recording by the patient device, when the single button is actuated by the patient,
one or more voice messages;
sending the one or more voice messages to the User App;
determining, by the patient device, whether it has received one or more audio
messages, and
if so, playing back the one or more audio messages.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient device further comprises a specialized case and at least a portion of the specialized case is:
connected to one or more of a bed rail, an equipment stand, and an IV holder;
constructed of a flexible material;
sterilized prior to use; and
equipped with a transmissive material overlaying at least a portion of the at least one touch screen, wherein the transmissive material allows actuation of the at least one touch screen.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the specialized case has a port through which a charging cord is connected.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient device has a geolocation module that determines a geographic location of the patient device, and one or more functions of the patient device are altered based on the geographic location.