Medical environment communication system

Claim 2

A process for selectively and electronically composing and displaying for transmission messages at a communi­cation station in a communication system which includes screens containing reference data items, the process comprising the steps of: displaying the reference data items for selection by an operator; saving the reference data items selected by the operator; collecting a total message composed of operator-­selected items; and displaying the total message prior to transmission to another communication station in the communication system.

Claim 3

A process as in claim 1 wherein one of said screens includes a list of typical messages.

Claim 4

A process as in claim 1 wherein said total message is composed at least partially from text entered by the operator from a keyboard.

Claim 5

A process as in claim 1 wherein one of said screens includes a list of typical messages, said total message also including text entered by the operator from a keyboard.

Claim 6

The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein the messages are related to patients in a patient care facility, and including a screen containing a census of patients admitted to the facility.

Claim 7

The invention as set forth in claim 5 and further including a second screen containing a list of possible addresses to whom the message may be sent, the process further including the additional steps of: displaying the items from the second screen for selection of one or more of said second screen items by the operator; and saving the items selected by the operator from said second screen, said total message also including the items selected from said second screen.

Claim 8

The invention as set forth in claim 6 and further including a third screen stored in memory, said third screen containing a plurality of data items, the process further including the additional steps of: displaying the items from the third screen for selection of one or more of said third screen items by the operator; saving the items selected by the operator from the third screen, said total message also containing the items selected from the third screen.

Claim 9

The invention as set forth in claim 7 wherein the third screen contains a list of messages commonly communicated in the context stored in the memory.

Claim 10

The invention as set forth in claim 8 and further including the steps of: displaying an input message screen for allowing the operator to input data other than the items on the screens; and saving the data input by the operator, said total message also containing the input from the operator.

Claim 11

The invention as set forth in claim 5 and further including the steps of: displaying an input message screen for allowing the operator to input data other than the items on the screens; and saving the data input by the operator, said total message also containing the data input by the operator.

Claim 12

The invention as set forth in claim 9 and further including a fourth screen containing items related to requests for services to be rendered, the process further including the steps of: displaying the items from the fourth screen for selection of one or more of said fourth screen items by the operator; and saving the items selected by the operator from the fourth screen, said total message also containing the items selected from the fourth screen.

Claim 13

The invention as set forth in claim 5, and further including keyboard input means by which the operator selection of items in said first screen is accomplished by means of a keyboard entry.

Claim 14

The invention as set forth in claim 5 wherein the communication stations include a display device, and further including an input means movable by the operator to select items from the first screen by positioning the input means in proximity to the items to be selected on the display device.

Claim 15

The invention as set forth in claim 13 wherein the input means is a light pen.

Claim 16

The invention as set forth in claim 11 and further including keyboard input means and movable input means, said keyboard input means being selectively operable to select items from the first, second, third and fourth screens, and input data on the input message screen, said movable input means also being operable to select items from the first, second, third and fourth screens.

Claim 17

The invention as set forth in claim 11 and further including the step of transmitting the total message to the selected addresses.

Claim 18

The invention as set forth in claim 16 and further including the step of printing the combined message at printers located at the selected addresses.

Claim 19

A computer program recorded on a medium, for use with other programs in a digital computer-based communica­tion system in a patient care facility including a plurality of operator terminals, which are used to transmit and receive displayed messages, said computer program including coded indicia selectively operable to effect a communication process comprising the steps of: displaying a list of possible message destination addresses for selection of one or more of said addresses by a terminal operator; saving any selected addresses; displaying a list of common messages, which messages are commonly communicated between terminals in the communication system, for selection of one or more of said common messages; saving any selected common messages; displaying a list of patient-oriented data fields for selection of one or more of said patient-related data fields; saving the selected patient-oriented data fields; and displaying all the selected addresses, patient data fields and common messages in a predetermined format to be selectively transmitted to another of the operator terminals.

Claim 20

A computer program recorded on a medium, for use with other programs in a digital computer-based communica­tion system in a patient care facility including a plurality of operator terminals, which are used to transmit and receive displayed messages, said computer program including coded indicia selectively operable to effect a communication process comprising the steps of: displaying a list of possible message destination addresses for selection of one or more of said addresses by a terminal operator; saving any selected addresses; displaying a list of common messages, which messages are commonly communicated between terminals in the communication system, for selection of one or more of said common messages; saving any selected common messages; displaying a list of patient-oriented data fields for selection of one or more of said patient-related data fields; saving the selected patient-oriented data fields; and displaying all the selected addresses, patient data fields and common messages in a predetermined format to be selectively transmitted to another of the operator terminals.

Claim 21

The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said screens contains data from existing files in the communication system.

Claim 22

The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said screens contains data from individually coded screen formats.