Computer-implemented system and method for tracking entity locations and generating histories from the locations

1. A computer-implemented system for obtaining entity location histories, comprising:

a tracker associated with identification data for an individual comprising one of a health care professional or a patient within a hospital and placed with the individual via an adhesive, a lanyard, a wrist or leg band, or a clip;

three or more reader systems that each receive location readings from the tracker in the hospital, wherein each reader system is positioned within the hospital; and

a server to obtain real time locations of the individual by performing the following:

receive the location readings and locate an overlapping interrogation zone comprising a region that is shared by reading ranges of the reader systems;

receive a query for information about the individual comprising an identifier for the tracker associated with the individual;

calculate the location of the tracker, comprising:

determine a signal strength of the tracker to each of the reader systems; and

determine coordinates YT and XT of the tracker based on a known location of each of the reader systems and the signal strengths to identify a precise location of the tracker within the overlapping region;

store the location with a time stamp and other locations of the tracker and time stamps obtained over time;

collect at least a portion of the locations from the central database for the tracker as a location history;

determine from the location history an event comprising one of:

an assessment that treatment provided by the individual is effective or not effective and whether a correct diagnosis was made by the individual; and

an inference that the individual has fallen or the individual used a hand cleaning station when the location of the tracker is near the hand cleaning station; and

trigger an alarm based on the determined event, wherein a recipient of the alarm addresses the event, in response to the query, to prevent detriment to health of the patient by recommending intervention of care of the patient by the health care professional to improve patient care.

2. A system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a path determination module to determine a path of the patient from the location history; and

a map module to map the path on a map.

3. A system according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a map showing a location of the patient via a symbol; and

a symbol module to change a size of the symbol based on an amount of time the patient has spent at the represented location.

4. A system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an accessibility module to associate with the tracker, at least one of areas of accessibility and restricted areas by the individual;

an area determination module to determine that the individual is located in a restricted area; and

an alarm sounded upon the determination that the individual is in the restricted area.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the location readings are obtained via one of RFID, ultrasound, Bluetooth, and infrared technology.

6. A system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a tracking module to track groups of patients;

a tag association module to associate the identification data of the patient with a category tag for the groups of patients to which the patient belongs;

a location comparison module to compare the location history of the patient with those groups of patients with the associated category tags; and

an analysis module to analyze actions determined from the location history of the patient in relation to actions associated with the groups of patients.

7. A computer-implemented method for obtaining patient location histories, comprising:

associating a tracker with identification data for an individual comprising a health care professional or a patient within a hospital, wherein the tracker is placed with the individual via an adhesive, a lanyard, a wrist or leg band, or a clip;

receiving a query for information about the individual comprising an identifier for the tracker associated with the individual;

determining a real time location of the tracker for the individual, comprising:

identifying three or more reader systems that receive location readings from the tracker in the hospital, wherein each reader system is positioned within the hospital;

locating an overlapping interrogation zone comprising a region that is shared by reading ranges of the reader systems; and

determining a location of the tracker, comprising:

determining a signal strength of the tracker to each of the reader systems;

determining coordinates YT and XT of the tracker based on a known location of each of the reader systems and the signal strengths to identify a precise location of the tracker within the overlapping region;

storing on a central database, the location with a time stamp and other locations of the tracker and time stamps obtained over time;

collecting via a server at least a portion of the locations from the central database for the tracker as a location history;

determining via the server from the location history, an event comprising one of:

an assessment that treatment provided by the individual is effective or not effective and whether a correct diagnosis was made by the individual; and

an inference that the individual has fallen or the individual used a hand cleaning station when the location of the tracker is near the hand cleaning station; and

triggering an alarm based on the determined event, wherein a recipient of the alarm addresses the event, in response to the query, to prevent detriment to health of the patient by recommending intervention of care of the patient by the health care professional to improve patient care.

8. A method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

determining a path of the patient from the location history; and

mapping the path on a map.

9. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising:

representing a location of the patient on the map with a symbol; and

changing a size of the symbol based on an amount of time the patient has spent at the represented location.

10. A method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

associating with the tracker, at least one of areas of accessibility and restricted areas by the individual;

determining that the individual is located in a restricted area; and

sounding an alarm upon the determination that the individual is in the restricted area.

11. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the location readings are obtained via one of RFID, ultrasound, Bluetooth, and infrared technology.

12. A method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

tracking groups of patients;

associating the identification data of the patient with a category tag for the groups of patients to which the patient belongs;

comparing the location history of the patient with those groups of patients with the associated category tags; and

analyzing actions determined from the location history of the patient in relation to actions associated with the groups of patients.

13. A method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

configuring nodes that obtain the location readings of the tracker, comprising:

determining a range of each of the nodes;

positioning the nodes within a designated area based on the determined range; and

verifying a configuration of the nodes, comprising:

obtaining readings of an active tag at various locations within the designated area;

determining whether the tag is read by three of the nodes at each of the locations; and

reconfiguring the nodes such that each location in the designated area is within the range of at least three of the nodes comprising moving at least one of the more than three nodes within the designated area when more than three nodes read the tag and adding at least one more node to the designated area when less than three nodes read the tag.

14. A system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

nodes that obtain the location readings of the tracker;

a range of each of the nodes, wherein the nodes are positioned within a designated area based on the determined range; and

an active tag to verify configuration of the nodes by obtaining readings of the active tag at various locations within the designated area, determining whether the tag is read by three of the nodes at each of the locations, and reconfiguring the nodes such that each location in the designated area is within the range of at least three of the nodes comprising moving at least one of the more than three nodes within the designated area when more than three nodes read the tag and adding at least one more node to the designated area when less than three nodes read the tag.