Patient monitoring systems with goal indicators

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to patient monitors designed to display goal indicators showing progress toward achieving patient monitoring goals. The goal indicators may be displayed on a main monitoring screen of the patient monitors, allowing caretakers to easily evaluate how effective they have been in managing the patient's condition. According to certain embodiments, the goal indicators may display a numerical value indicating the percentage of time that a physiological parameter was within predetermined goal limits. The patient monitors further may include user interfaces that enable a clinician to adjust parameters of the goal indicators, such as the goal limits and/or the goal time frame.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A patient monitor, comprising:
 a medical device interface suitable for operable connection to a sensor;   a display configured to display patient physiological data based on input received from the sensor and configured to display a goal indicator indicative of a percentage of time that the physiological data was within predetermined goal limits during a goal time frame; and   a processor configured to analyze the patient physiological data to determine the percentage of time that the patient physiological data was within the predetermined goal limits over the goal time frame, to compare the percentage of time to a goal threshold for a minimum percentage of time that the physiological data was within the predetermined goal limits during the goal time frame, to trigger a goal alarm based on the comparison if the percentage of time is below the goal threshold, and to cause the display to display the patient physiological data and the goal indicator.   
     
     
         2 . The patient monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the patient physiological data comprises SpO 2  data or pulse rate data. 
     
     
         3 . The patient monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the goal indicator comprises a graphical symbol representing which physiological parameter is analyzed over the goal time frame. 
     
     
         4 . The patient monitor of  claim 3 , wherein the physiological parameter comprises a pulse rate, and wherein the graphical symbol comprises a heart symbol. 
     
     
         5 . The patient monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the goal indicator comprises a fill level representing the percentage of time that the physiological data was within the predetermined goal limits. 
     
     
         6 . The patient monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the goal indicator comprises a numerical value that indicates the percentage of time that the physiological data was within the predetermined goal limits during the goal time frame. 
     
     
         7 . The patient monitor of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to analyze the patient physiological data to identify excursion events where the patient physiological data is outside of the predetermined goal limits and to determine the percentage of time that the physiological data was within predetermined goal limits during the goal time frame based at least in part upon a summation of a duration for each identified excursion event. 
     
     
         8 . The patient monitor of  claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the majority of the excursion events are above or below the predetermined goal limits, and wherein the goal indicator comprises a non-numerical graphical indicator that indicates whether the majority of the excursion events during the goal time frame were above or below the predetermined goal limits. 
     
     
         9 . A patient monitor, comprising:
 a medical device interface suitable for operable connection to a sensor;   a display configured to display a physiological parameter based on input received from the sensor and configured to display a goal indicator indicative of a percentage of time that the physiological parameter was within predetermined goal limits during a goal time frame, wherein the goal indicator comprises a bar graph comprising:
 a first region corresponding to percentages of time between a first percentage and a second percentage; 
 a second region corresponding to percentages of time between the second percentage and a third percentage; and 
 a third region corresponding to percentages of time between the third percentage and a fourth percentage; and 
   a processor configured to:
 analyze the physiological parameter to determine the percentage of time that the physiological parameter was within the predetermined goal limits during the goal time frame; 
 cause the display to display the physiological parameter and the goal indicator; 
 determine whether the percentage of time corresponds to the first region, the second region, or the third region; and 
 cause the display to fill at least one of the first region, the second region, or the third region based the determination. 
   
     
     
         10 . The patient monitor of  claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the display to fill the first region with a first color based on a determination that the percentage of time corresponds to the first region. 
     
     
         11 . The patient monitor of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the display to fill the first region and the second region with a second color based on a determination that the percentage of time corresponds to the second region. 
     
     
         12 . The patient monitor of  claim 9 , wherein the second percentage is greater than the first percentage, the third percentage is greater than the second percentage, and the fourth percentage is greater than the third percentage. 
     
     
         13 . The patient monitor of  claim 9 , wherein the physiological parameter comprises oxygen saturation. 
     
     
         14 . The patient monitor of  claim 9 , wherein the predetermined goal limits comprise an upper limit, or a lower limit, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The patient monitor of  claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to compare the percentage of time to a goal threshold for a minimum percentage of time that the physiological parameter was within the predetermined goal limits during the goal time frame and to trigger a goal alarm based on the comparison if the percentage of time is below the goal threshold. 
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 determining, via a patient monitor, a physiological parameter based on data received from a physiological sensor;   comparing, via the patient monitor, the physiological parameter to one or more goal limits to identify excursion events where the physiological parameter is outside of the one or more goal limits;   calculating, via the patient monitor, based on the excursion events and a goal time frame, a percentage of time that the physiological parameter was within the goal limits;   providing, via the patient monitor, a goal alarm indication based at least in part on a determination that the percentage of time that the physiological parameter was within the goal limits over the goal time frame is less than a goal threshold; and   displaying the percentage of time on a patient monitor.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising:
 comparing, via the patient monitor, the physiological parameter to one or more alarm limits; and   providing, via the patient monitor, an alarm indication based at least in part on a determination that the physiological parameter violates at least one of the one or more alarm limits;   wherein the goal alarm indication is provided independently of the alarm indication.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more goal limits comprise a lower goal limit and an upper goal limit and the one or more alarm limits comprise a lower alarm limit and an upper alarm limit, and wherein the lower goal limit is greater than the lower alarm limit and the upper goal limit is less than the upper alarm limit. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein comparing the physiological parameter to one or more goal limits comprises determining whether the physiological parameter is greater than an upper goal limit and determining whether the physiological parameter is less than a lower goal limit. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising displaying a graphical indicator indicative of the percentage of time on the patient monitor.