Patient support apparatus alert system

1. A system comprising:

a patient support apparatus having an adjustable height, and comprising a brake and a siderail;

a processor receiving at least two of the following signals: a first signal indicating a brake condition of the brake, a second signal indicating a siderail condition of the siderail, and a third signal indicating a height condition of the patient support apparatus;

a user input configured to allow a person to make a selection of any one or more of the brake, siderail and height conditions for monitoring, wherein the processor receives an input from the user input indicating the selection; and

a light, wherein the light has a first state when any of the at least one or more of the brake, siderail and height conditions of the selection indicate an alarm condition and wherein the light has a second state when all of those of the brake, siderail and height conditions of the selection indicate no alarm condition.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user input is also configured to allow the person to select a status of at least one of the brake, siderail and height conditions that is considered to correspond to the associated alarm condition.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the status comprises at least one of a siderail up status and a siderail down status.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light is spaced from the patient support apparatus.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the light is included as part of a dome light assembly.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user input is spaced from the patient support apparatus.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the user input is included as part of a computer.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the user input includes a display screen of the computer.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein any alarm conditions associated with the brake, siderail and height conditions of the selection are displayed on the display screen of the computer.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user input comprises a display screen.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first state of the light comprises an on state and the second state of the light comprises an off state.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first state comprises flashing the light so that the light periodically is in the on state.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one message is sent to a portable wireless communication device in response to the occurrence of the alarm condition associated with any of the brake, siderail and height conditions of the selection.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the portable wireless communication device comprises at least one of a pager, a wireless telephone handset, and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

15. A method comprising:

receiving from an input device a selection indicating any one or more conditions of a patient support apparatus to monitor, wherein the one or more conditions from which to select include brake set, patient support low, and siderail up;

causing a light to have a first status if all of the selected conditions are met;

causing the light to have a second status if any of the selected conditions are not met; and

receiving from the input device a modification of the selection.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first status includes the light being off.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second status includes the light being on.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the second status includes the light flashing such that the light is on periodically.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the patient support apparatus comprises a hospital bed.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising sending at least one message to a portable wireless communication device in response to any of the one or more conditions selected for monitoring not being met.