Apparatus for supporting and monitoring a person

Abstract

A person-support structure includes a control system, an input configured to communicate a first input signal to the control system, and a sensor configured to sense a physiological characteristic of a person supported on the person-support structure. The sensor communicates a second input signal corresponding to the physiological characteristic to the control system. The control system calculates a condition score as a function of the first input signal and the physiological characteristic of the person and compares the condition score to a predetermined threshold. The control system scales at least one of the physiological characteristic of the person and the predetermined threshold as a function of the first input signal.

1 . A method of predicting the onset of an adverse condition, the method comprising
 receiving a first input signal from an input,   receiving a second input signal corresponding to a physiological characteristic of a person supported on a person-support structure,   calculating a condition score as a function of the first input signal on the physiological characteristic, and   alerting a caregiver if the condition score is greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein at least one of the physiological characteristic and the predetermined threshold is scaled as a function of the first input signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first input signal corresponds to at least one of a user input, person-support surface status information, a care facility characteristic, a history of a person, and the status of a bed frame. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first input signal comprises at least one of a fall risk assessment score and a pressure ulcer risk assessment score. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising configuring a person-support system as a function of the condition score. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the person-support system includes at least one of a bed frame and a person-support surface. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising controlling a fluid supply to a person-support surface as a function of the condition score. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first input signal includes information corresponding to a characteristic of a care facility. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the characteristic of the care facility includes at least one of a staffing level of the care facility, at least one of a date and a time of day, an amount of people in the care facility, a size of the care facility, a location of a caregiver within the care facility, a progress of a caregiver on their rounds, and an acuity of people in the care facility. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first input signal includes information corresponding to the history of a person. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the history of the person includes at least one of a preference of a person, a tendency of a person, an electronic medical record (EMR) of a person, a pressure ulcer risk assessment of a person, a medical history of a person, an allergy of a person, a medical condition of a person, a diagnosis of a person, a medication chart for a person, a caregiver assignment history for a person, and a habit of a person.