Devices using serial connections

[Felix Ortiz]

We have been approached by the clinical applications group with a request to move data from a bedside monitor (ballon pump in this case) to the CIS.  The balloon pump connects via rs232.  

I have been researching DIGI devices.  They make 1/2/4 port “device servers” that put the serial info on the TCPIP network.

Does anyone have any advice or experience with making a connection like this?

The pumps are mobile across the unit.  We would in theory hard-wire room location into the device servers, so using the location of the messages from the device, data could be indexed back to the patient.

Topic

[Terry Kellum]

Wow!  While it’s probably not your call, I’ve got alarm bells going off in my head when you speak of using a patient location to index data to a particular patient.  From a medical informatics standpoint, I would highly discourage use of location as a link to a patient.  There are many horror stories that start out with “Well he likes to look out the window, and I just want to sleep, so we decided that it would be better if we swapped beds…..”, or, “Well, the vacuum pump in that room is broken, and I really meant to update the system but……”.

Location should NEVER be used to identify a patient…..

[Felix Ortiz]

I agree, but until devices become MPI aware any data they send must be tied to something.

Of course, one day the device might be attached, and MPI # of some type input into the system.  Clinical people love data entry! and they are really accruate too. 😀  😀  😀

We are looking into 3rd party solutions.

[Author]

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