Method and system for establishing network connection to a wearable eeg monitoring module

Abstract

A system and a method for providing a network connection for a computer device ( 21 ) to a wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) having a gateway to the Internet ( 16 ), and comprising a patient record server ( 25 ) accessible over the Internet, and providing an electronic patient medical database ( 26 ), each patient record including a unique identity for an associated wearable EEG monitoring module; a control server ( 19 ) providing an EEG module connection register ( 19 a ) including the unique identity of EEG monitoring modules associated with current connection information; and a network connection handling element ( 43 ) being adapted for detecting the presence of a wireless connection between the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) and the gateway, and for uploading current connection information to the control server ( 19 ). The control server ( 19 ) is adapted for updating the convection information in the EEG module connection register ( 19 a ) when receiving communicated Connection information, and for providing the current connection information to a computer device ( 21 ) upon request. The computer device ( 21 ) is adapted for establishing a direct connection to the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) based on the current Connection Information Requested from the control server ( 19 ). The invention further provides a wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) and a computer-readable storage medium.

1 . A method for providing a network connection to a wearable EEG monitoring module via the Internet, wherein said wearable EEG monitoring module is connected to the Internet via a gateway, and comprising the steps of:
 providing a plurality of patient records in a patient record server accessible over the Internet, each patient record including a unique identity for an associated wearable EEG monitoring module;   detecting the presence of a wireless connection between said wearable EEG monitoring module and said gateway;   communicating the current connection information to a control server;   providing, in said control server, an EEG module connection register containing said unique identity of wearable EEG monitoring modules and corresponding communicated current connection information;   requesting, from a computer device, said control server to provide the current connection information for said wearable EEG monitoring module by providing the associated unique identity; and   establishing, from said computer device, a direct connection to said wearable EEG monitoring module based on the current connection information retrieved from said control server.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an Internet enabled personal communication device and said wearable EEG monitoring module are connected for establishing a wireless connection, whereby the personal communication device becomes a gateway for said wearable EEG monitoring module to a patient record server over the Internet. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , and comprising retrieving, from said computer device, log data from said wearable EEG monitoring module via said gateway. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , and comprising automatically updating said EEG module connection register of the control server upon creation of new patient records in said patient record server. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , and comprising uploading current connection information to said control server upon detection of a new connection to the Internet. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , and comprising assigning in said EEG module connection register a unique identity to said wearable EEG monitoring module and mapping this unique identity to an IP address and a port number. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein a medical care professional is retrieving data from and adjusting settings of said wearable EEG monitoring module during a remote EEG surveillance session by means of a computer program running on said computer device, wherein the computer program retrieves identification of said wearable EEG monitoring module from the patient record server and retrieves the associated Connection information from the EEG module connection register administered by the control server. 
     
     
         8 . A system for performing the method according to  claim 1 , said system comprising:
 a patient record server ( 25 ) accessible over the Internet, and providing an electronic medical record database ( 26 ), each patient record including a unique identity for an associated wearable EEG monitoring module;   a control server ( 19 ) providing an EEG module connection register ( 19   a ) including said unique identity of EEG monitoring modules associated with current connection information;   a network connection handling element ( 43 ) being adapted for detecting the presence of a wireless connection between said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) and said gateway, and for uploading current connection information to said control server ( 19 ); and   wherein the control server ( 19 ) is adapted for updating the connection information in the EEG module connection register ( 19   a ) when receiving communicated connection information, and for providing the current connection information to a computer device ( 21 ) upon request; and   wherein said computer device ( 21 ) is adapted for establishing a direct connection to said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) based on the current connection information requested from said control server ( 19 ).   
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said network connection handling element ( 43 ) is contained in said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ). 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said network connection handling element ( 43 ) is contained in an Internet enabled personal communication device ( 13 ), and wherein said Internet enabled personal communication device ( 13 ) and said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) are provided with respective transceivers for establishing a short range wireless connection, whereby the personal communication device ( 13 ) becomes said gateway for said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) to the Internet ( 16 ). 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 10 , wherein said network connection handling element ( 43 ) is adapted for detecting the presence of said short range wireless connection to said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ), and for communicating said current connection information to said control server ( 19 ). 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the computer device ( 21 ) is adapted for retrieving log data from said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) using said gateway. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said patient record server ( 25 ) and said control server ( 19 ) are two separate entities. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said patient record server ( 25 ) automatically updates said EEG module connection register ( 19   a ) of the control server ( 19 ) upon creation of new patient records. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 10 , wherein said EEG module connection register each wearable EEG monitoring module present in the EEG module connection register ( 19   a ). 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said network connection handling element ( 43 ) is adapted for communicating said current connection information to said control server ( 19 ) upon detection of a new connection to the Internet ( 16 ). 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein said EEG Module Connection Register ( 19   a ) of the control server ( 19 ) is adapted to assigning in said EEG module connection register ( 19   a ) a unique identity to said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) and mapping this unique identity to an IP address and a port number. 
     
     
         18 . A non-transient computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed on an computer device ( 21 ) are adapted for manipulating a wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) during a remote ward round session, and for performing a method comprising the steps of:
 launching the remote ward round session application on the computer device ( 21 );   accessing from the remote ward round session application a patient record server ( 25 ) over the Internet for retrieving a patient record for the user of the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) to be manipulated, said patient record containing a unique identity of said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 );   retrieving connection information for said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) from the EEG module connection register ( 19   a ) administered by a control server ( 19 ); and   establishing a direct connection for programming said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) based on the connection information retrieved from said control server ( 19 ).   
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 18 , wherein the connection information retrieval and the direct connection establishment is provided automatically from a surveillance session application once the patient record has been accessed. 
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage medium according to  claim 18 , wherein the manipulation of the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) comprises retrieving data from and/or adjusting settings of said wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) during the remote ward round session under control of a medical professional. 
     
     
         21 . A wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) having a unique identity and being adapted to be connected to a computer device ( 21 ) via the Internet ( 16 ), and comprising a network connection handling element ( 43 ) being adapted to detecting the presence of a wireless connection between the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) and a gateway to the Internet ( 16 ), and to communicating a current connection information for the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ) to a control server ( 19 ), whereby the computer device ( 21 ) is adapted to request the current connection information from said control server ( 19 ) based on the unique identity of the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ), and for establishing a direct connection to the wearable EEG monitoring module ( 1 ).