WO2001091029A2

WO2001091029A2 - Apparatus and method for collecting patient data

Info

Publication number: WO2001091029A2
Application number: PCT/US2001/014382
Authority: WO
Inventors: Walter K. Moursund
Original assignee: Caducian, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-05-19
Filing date: 2001-05-04
Publication date: 2001-11-29
Also published as: AU2001261173A1; WO2001091029A3

Abstract

A communication system that includes a communication unit that enables acquisition of medical information concerning a person. The communication system also includes a device that enables uninterrupted transmission of the medical information via a secure communication link, and a server that is configured to receive the medical information from the communication unit via the secure communication link and that causes the medical information to be available for access by authorized parties of the communication system. Various aspects of the present invention may be realized through a method for sharing patient information during a medical situation. The method involves configuring a communication unit proximate a patient that is to be treated in a medical situation, gathering medical information concerning the patient with the communication unit, and transmitting the medical information to a central database via a secure communication link. The central database is accessible by authorized parties only.

Description

IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING PATIENT DATA

SPECIFICATION

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to communication systems, in particular to a communication system that collects, analyzes, transmits, and retrieves patient data securely on a real-time basis to and from a central repository, an electronic medical record, or web site.

2. Description of the Related Art

Contemporary emergency medical care procedures for an injured person (a patient) have adopted techniques wherein communications between a point of medical attention for the patient and medical facilities to which the patient will be transported are becoming especially valuable. The point of medical attention for the patient is diverse in that the emergency medical equipment may be available through an emergency helicopter, an ambulance or other emergency vehicle, or even a medical bag that is carried by an emergency medical technician (EMT) or other emergency medical provider. The medical facilities commonly include a hospital where an emergency room and an operating room may need to be prepared to serve the patient upon arrival.

Early communications from the point of medical attention to the medical facilities provide the medical facilities greater opportunity to prepare to assist the patient upon arrival at the medical facilities. Also, accurate and comprehensive communications are desirable. Another desirable aspect of the communications would be to supply the medical facilities with standard patient information from a source other than the patient or emergency medical attendants because the information may be overlooked, inaccurate, or otherwise unavailable due to the patient's state of consciousness or memory. Thus, early, accurate, and

/ comprehensive medical communications with the medical facilities allow better emergency medical services to be provided for the patient upon arrival at the medical facilities. Attempts have been made to improve the available communications, but due to the nature of a hospital's separate emergency and operating rooms, the communications still lack desirable attributes. For example, existing communication techniques include facsimile transmissions, audio transmissions via a radio, etc., where such information transmissions may be misplaced or incorrectly relayed to the involved parties.

Until the present invention, no electronic data flow existed between the point of medical attention, the emergency room, and the operating room. Electronic communications between these three locations allows each point of medical service to provide the best and fastest medical care to a patient. Further, existing monitors do not allow feeding electronic monitor data to any electronic medical record chart or electronic medical record database.

Many other problems and disadvantages of the prior art will become apparent to one skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with the present invention as described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the present invention may be realized through a communication system that includes a communication unit that enables acquisition of medical information concerning a person. The communication system also includes a device that enables transmission of the medical information via a secure communication link, and a server that is configured to receive the medical information from the communication unit via the secure communication link and that causes the medical information to be available for access by authorized parties ofthe communication system.

In certain embodiments, the secure communication link of the communication system includes a preliminary transmission unit where the medical information is amplified prior to transmission to the server, thereby enabling the communication unit to operate with minimum power supply requirements while still transmitting the medical information to the server. In some cases, the communication unit and the preliminary transmission unit comprise a network configured specifically for short range wireless communications. In other embodiments, the secure communication link of the communication system is a wireless communication link and the communication unit is mobile. Of note, in some cases the authorized parties supply medical information to the communication unit via the secure communication link, while in other embodiments, the communication unit comprises a plurality of monitors that are enabled to acquire vital statistics of the person and to convey that information to the radio communication device.

The communication unit of the communication system may also include a microphone that is configured to receive audible information from parties that are assisting the person receiving medical attention. In this case, the communication unit combines the audible information with the medical information concerning the person. The communication unit may also be configured to acquire medical information concerning the person from an electronic device in the person's possession or from physical manifestations in the person. In certain embodiments, the authorized parties of the communication system include the following: operating room personnel, emergency room personnel, and the person's health provider personnel. The communication unit may also be configured to acquire medical information concerning the person from a patient database external to the communication unit. Various aspects of the present invention may also be realized through a wireless communication system for transmitting and receiving medical care information concerning a person. The wireless communication system includes a monitor unit that is configured to monitor vital statistics of a person and to gather data concerning the person's physical state. Also included is a wireless communication device coupled to the monitor unit that at least transmits the data that is gathered concerning the person to a central location that is accessible to authorized parties.

In one embodiment, the medical care information of the wireless communication system is received through the wireless communication device from a patient database that is external to the mobile unit. The mobile unit may also include a transducer that receives medical treatment information concerning the person during an initial patient treatment period or an imaging device to capture images of the patient. In other embodiments, the central location may be a patient database and the data that is gathered may be compiled in a treatment database that is accessible electronically via a communications network.

Various aspects of the present invention may be realized through a method for sharing patient information during a medical situation. The method involves configuring a communication unit proximate a patient that is to be treated in a medical situation, gathering medical information concerning the patient with the communication unit, and transmitting the medical information to a central database, often via a secure communication link. The central database is accessible by authorized parties only.

Gathering of the medical information may involve many factors. For example, gathering the medical information may include compiling clinical care information via at least one monitor that is coupled to the communication unit, compiling audio indications from a medical technician regarding medical treatment that is provided to the patient, acquiring patient information electronically from a source that stores medical information concerning the patient's medical history, etc. Of course, the medical information may be transmitted in real time and may include image indications such as video or photographs that reflect the patients condition.

Still further aspects of the present invention may be realized with a data collection device having a monitor unit that gathers medical data concerning at least one physical condition of a person, and at least one electronic medical record database that compiles the data that is gathered by the monitor unit such that a communication protocol may be used to transmit the gathered data from the monitor unit to the at least one electronic medical record database. The monitor unit may have at least one monitor that monitors the least one physical condition of the person, may be mobile, may include at least one peripheral to obtain additional medical information concerning the person, may be configured to broadcast certain medical information to an operator ofthe data collection device, or may include other aspects as becomes apparent to one skilled in the art after reading the present disclosure.

Other aspects ofthe present invention will become apparent with further reference to the drawings and specification which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description ofthe drawings is considered in conjunction with the following drawings.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary emergency medical treatment system according to principles ofthe present invention.

Fig. 2 is another exemplary embodiment of an emergency medical treatment system that operates according to principles ofthe present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary monitor unit that may be implemented in the emergency medical treatment system of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of another exemplary monitor unit that may be implemented in an emergency medical treatment system that operates according to principles ofthe present invention.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary monitor system that provides for the gathering of medical information from a person and transmits the information to a central database where the information is made to be accessible via secure links.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary emergency medical treatment system 100 according to principles of the present invention. The emergency medical treatment system 100 includes an emergency vehicle 102 such as an ambulance, helicopter, etc. A monitor unit 104 is illustrated wherein an emergency medical provider is able to monitor certain vital statistics of an injured person or patient. The monitor unit 104 includes different types of equipment for monitoring various vital statistics of a person. For example, the monitor unit 104 could be an electrocardiogram (EKG), a blood pressure device, or other devices for measuring the vital statistics and physical condition of a person that has been injured.

The monitor unit 104 also includes the ability to transmit data regarding the statistics of the patient via wireless transmission to appropriate parties. Although the monitor unit 104 may transmit data directly to a telephone company 108, the emergency vehicle 102 is equipped to transmit the data that is compiled at the monitor unit 104 to the telephone company 108. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the emergency vehicle 102 includes a monitor unit 106 to compile information that it receives from the monitor unit 104. The wireless arrangement between the monitor unit 104 and the emergency vehicle 102 may be a wireless network 120 that uses short range radio technology such as Bluetooth technology or another short range technology as those skilled in the art are familiar. The radio transmissions from the emergency vehicle 102 are supported with larger power supplies so that the monitor unit 106 is not required to be in the immediate vicinity of the telephone company 108. The radio transmissions from the emergency vehicle 102 are typically an uninterruptable transmission and via a secure communication link. As understood by those skilled in the art and viewing the present disclosure, the monitor unit 104 may be a mobile and carried by an EMT, or, on the other hand, may be stationary and located in a permanent or semi-permanent location.

Upon reception of the data at the telephone company 108, the information is transmitted onto a network 110 such as the Internet. The information is compiled into a patient database 118 that is accessible by numerous parties. For example, interested parties may be a health insurance provider 112, an emergency room 114, an operating room 116, a doctor's office 117, etc. The monitor unit 104 is equipped to receive medical information directly from the patient at the site of medical treatment as well as medical information concerning the patient through other means. For example, the monitor unit 104 may receive information from the patient data base 1 18 as the information is transmitted through the secured communication link of the system, from an electronic device such as a "SmartCard" that the patient may be carrying, or from another reliable transmission avenue.

Fig. 2 is another exemplary embodiment of an emergency medical treatment system 200 that operates according to principles of the present invention. The emergency medical treatment system 200 includes a monitor unit 201 and is illustrated with a server 202 that communicates directly with the monitor unit 201 via a wireless network. A server 202 is configured to receive radio communications from the monitor unit 201 and to receive patient information. The patient information is compiled in a patient database 204 where the information is accessible by an emergency room 206, an operating room 208, etc. In this manner, parties that were previously unable to share patient medical information without inconvenient communication methods such a telephone calls, facsimile transmissions, hand delivery, etc., are able to communicate quickly, efficiently, and accurately. This improved communication provides improved circumstances for patient treatment.

Typically, the radio communications from the monitor unit 201 to the server 202 are performed via a secure network and communications with the patient database 204 may operate using a secure sockets layer (SSL) protocol, or other secure system protocol which allows access by authorized parties only.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary monitor unit 300 that may be implemented in the emergency medical treatment system 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the monitor unit 300 includes a first monitor 302, such as an EKG, a second monitor 304, such as a blood pressure device, a third monitor 306, and a fourth monitor 308 which may communicate with an electronic storage device 310. The electronic storage device 310 is coupled to a radio 312 where the data that is collected may be transmitted from the monitor unit 300 to appropriate parties. For example, the data may be transmitted to a patient database where it is then accessible by authorized parties via a secure network. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of another exemplary monitor unit 400 that may be used in an emergency medical treatment system that operates according to principles of the present invention. The monitor unit 400 includes a first monitor 402 and a second monitor 404. The monitors 402 and 404 are specialized monitors which combine the monitoring that is performed by the multiple monitors illustrated in Fig. 3. The monitors 402 and 404 pass medical information to a data collection device 406. The data collection device 406 may provide the medical information to an EMT via a display 408, a speaker 409, or other transducer. The display 408 and speaker 409 provide an EMT with the ability to view the medical information that is collected at the data collection device 406 as well as medical information from sources that are located externally to the monitor unit 400 such as information on a Smart Card or in a patient database.

A voice recorder 410 may be included with the data collection device 406 so that medical information may be entered into the data collection device 406 without having to pass through the monitors 402 and 404. For example, if a patient is being monitored by the monitors 402 and 404, an emergency medical technician may present the patient with certain medications, such as morphine. The monitor 402 may reflect a drop in certain vital statistic information of the patient when the morphine is given. For this reason, the voice recorder 410 is provided so that when the emergency medical technician presents the morphine to the patient, the emergency medical technician may speak into the voice recorder 410 to indicate that morphine is now being given to the patient. In this way the data collection device 406 combines the voice information from the emergency medical technician with the monitoring of the vital statistics so that when the data is viewed as a whole, the reason for a drop in a certain vital statistic of a patient may be correlated with actions that are taken by the emergency medical technician.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art and viewing the present disclosure, the problem of data flow between an operating room and an emergency room and the initial point of medical attention has been solved using the devices of the present invention. In this way, an emergency medical technician may arrive at the scene of an accident and quickly obtain crucial medical information regarding an injured person at the medical emergency site.

The emergency technician will not have to be concerned with how the information that is available only at the accident site is transmitted to the hospital but will only need to focus on a monitor unit, such as the monitor units 104, 300, 400, or 500, and how the monitor unit is associated with the patient because the monitor unit is configured to transmit information to the site where the victim will be sent. The medical information on the patient is obtainable via the mobile unit 100 and information regarding the patient is also available for access by the emergency medical technician so that certain information such as allergies and current medications are available to the emergency medical technician to make decisions concerning proper treatment ofthe patient.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary monitor system 500 that provides for the gathering of medical information from a person using a monitor unit 502 and transmits the information to a central database 504 where the information is made to be accessible via secure links. The monitor unit 502 transmits electronic medical information to the central database 504 via a network 506 such as the Internet, a local area network (LAN), etc. Once the medical information is compiled into the central database 504, it may be accessed via secure links as illustrated by an SSL browser 508 and a wireless (remote) browser 510. In this manner, access to the data in the central database may be limited to those parties that have access via secure links.

The monitor unit 502 may include multiple components such as monitor data circuitry 520, encrypt data circuitry 522, wireless protocol circuitry 524, smart card circuitry 526, a speaker 528, a microphone (mic) 530, a camera (video or otherwise) 531, etc. Of course additional components may be included in the monitor unit 502, but the illustrated components appear sufficient to illustrate the principles according to the present invention. The monitor data circuitry 520 is circuitry that allows vital statistics information of a person to be gathered. Regardless of which vital statistics are being monitored, the monitor data circuitry 520 configures the data into a common electronic data format and feeds the data to the encrypt data circuitry 522.

The encrypt data circuitry 522 encrypts the electronic data that is fed to it and passes the data to the wireless protocol circuitry 524 where the data is prepared for transmission onto the network 506. As understood by those skilled in art, the monitor unit 502 requires certain other components such as a power supply. The size of the power supply that is necessary for the required power that is to be available is governed by the specifications of the power supply itself and determines, for example, whether the monitor unit 502 is to be easily carried by an EMT, placed in an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or helicopter, or stationed with a hospital, emergency room, or other structurally reinforced location.

Medical information may also be gathered at the mobile unit 502 through the smart card circuitry 526. In the event that the person to be treated has a smart card in their possession, the smart card may be inserted into the monitor unit 502 where information critical to medical treatment of the person is gleaned from the smart card. Of course, other devices are contemplated for gathering medical information regarding a person, and a smart card is only exemplary.

As illustrated, the mic 530 is available to receive comments from the EMT that is treating the injured person. The audible instructions from the EMT may be combined with the electronic medical data in a manner that allows the medical information to be enhanced. For example, the audible signals may be converted to text electronically via voice recognition hardware and software and made available for printing with the other medical information that is obtained through the monitor unit 502. On the other hand, the audible signals that are captured by the mic 530 may be saved in WAV or AVI format and broadcast as and audible signal to match the original audible signal that was given to the monitor unit 502. The mic 530 or other transducer represents one additional source of medical information that is to be combined with the monitor unit 502.

The speaker 528 is an example of one method to present certain patient information directly to the person that is using the monitor unit 502. When the monitoring of vital statistics of a person has commenced, external information regarding the person could be available that should be presented to the person using the monitor unit 502 so that proper care decisions may be made concerning the person may being treated. For example, an audible signal may be sent through the speaker 528 that indicates to the EMT that the person being treated is allergic to penicillin, is a diabetic, etc. This information could also be presented to the EMT via a display such as the display 408. Of course, other methods of informing the EMT could be incorporated into the monitor unit 502 and the current disclosure is exemplary ofthe other embodiments that are possible.

The central database 504 of the illustrated embodiment includes various components such as a collocation (co-lo) site server 532, crypto software/hardware 534, and databases 536 and 538. The co-lo site server 532 provides high speed access to the central database 504 and could be replaced with other hardware that enables access to the patient information. The crypto software/hardware 534 enables decryption or encryption of data that is sent or received at the central database 504. The databases 536 and 538 store information such as patient history information, current patient treatment information, electronic medical record information, patient insurance information, patient location information, patient transportation information, etc. Of course, this illustrated embodiment is exemplary only and is offered to enable those skilled in the art to understand at least one embodiment according to the principles ofthe present invention.

Of note, the monitor unit 502 may feed monitor data to an electronic medical record database (EMR) such as EMR 540, EMR 542, or EMR 544. As illustrated, the monitor data may be fed directly from the monitor unit 502 to the EMR 540, from the monitor unit 502 through the network 506 and to the EMR 542, from the monitor unit 502 through the network 506 and the central database 504 to the EMR 544, or from the monitor unit 502 through some other equivalent path. Regardless of the path, the monitor data is transmitted via a secure non-stop protocol or the like.

Some of the factors that influence the choice of the path for the monitor data include considerations such as the location of the monitor unit 502. For example, if the monitor unit 502 is located within a hospital, a preferred transmission path may be from the monitor unit 502 directly to the EMR 540. Of course, depending on the environment, whether the monitor unit 502 is immobile in a hospital, mobile in an ambulance, or otherwise, the preferred transmission path may be different than illustrated but appropriate for the use. The communication media over which the protocol is transmitted may be any communication link familiar to those skilled in the art such as fiber pipes, broadband pipes, wireless, or the like.

Because the above detailed description is exemplary, when "one embodiment" is described, it is an exemplary embodiment. Accordingly, the use of the word "one" in this context is not intended to indicate that one and only one embodiment may have a described feature. Rather, many other embodiments may, and often do, have the described feature of the exemplary "one embodiment." As used above, when the invention is described in the context of one embodiment, that one embodiment is one of many possible embodiments of the invention. Notwithstanding the above caveat regarding the use of the words "one embodiment" in the detailed description, it will be understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim element is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such limitation is present or intended. For example, in the claims below, when a claim element is described as having "one" feature, it is intended that that element be limited to one and only one of the feature described. Furthermore, when a claim element is described in the claims below as including or comprising "a" feature, it is not intended that the element be limited to one and only one of the feature described. Rather, for example, the claim including "a" feature reads upon an apparatus or method including one or more of the feature in question. That is, because the apparatus or method in question includes a feature, the claim reads on the apparatus or method regardless of whether the apparatus or method includes another such similar feature. This use of the word "a" as a nonlimiting, introductory article to a feature of a claim is adopted herein as being identical to the interpretation adopted by many courts in the past, notwithstanding any anomalous or precedential case law to the contrary that may be found. Similarly, when a claim element is described in the claims below as including or comprising an aforementioned feature (e.g., "the" feature), it is intended that that element not be limited to one and only one of the feature described. Furthermore, the use of introductory phrases such as "at least one" and "one or more" in the claims should not be construed to imply that the introduction of another claim element by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an." The same holds true for the use of definite articles.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, based upon the teachings herein, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the invention claimed herein. Consequently, the appended claims encompass within their scope all such changes, modifications, etc. as are within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. The above description is not intended to present an exhaustive list of embodiments of the invention. Unless expressly stated otherwise, each example presented herein is a nonlimiting or nonexclusive example, whether or not the terms nonlimiting, nonexclusive or similar terms are contemporaneously expressed with each example. Although an attempt has been made to outline some exemplary embodiments and exemplary variations thereto, other embodiments and/or variations are within the scope ofthe invention as defined in the claims below.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising: a communication unit that enables acquisition of medical information concerning a person; a device that enables transmission of the medical information via a secure communication link; and a server that is configured to receive the medical information from the communication unit via the secure communication link and that causes the medical information to be available for access by authorized parties of the communication system.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the secure communication link includes a preliminary transmission unit where the medical information is amplified prior to transmission to the server, thereby enabling the communication unit to operate with minimum power supply requirements while still transmitting the medical information to the server.

3. The communication system of claim 2 wherein the communication unit and the preliminary transmission unit comprise a network configured specifically for short range wireless communications.

4. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the secure communication link is a wireless communication link and the communication unit is mobile.

5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the authorized parties supply medical information to the communication unit via the secure communication link.

6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication unit comprises a plurality of monitors that are enabled to acquire vital statistics of the person and to convey that information to the radio communication device.

7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication unit comprises a microphone that is configured to receive audible information from parties that are assisting the person receiving medical attention, the communication unit combining the audible information with the medical information concerning the person.

044880.0004 AUSTIN 230010 vl 15

8 The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication unit is configured to acquire medical information concerning the person from an electronic device in the person's possession.

9. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication unit acquires medical information from physical manifestations in the person.

10. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the authorized parties of the communication system include the following: operating room personnel, emergency room personnel, and the person's health provider personnel.

11. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication unit is configured to acquire medical information concerning the person from a patient database external to the communication unit.

12. A wireless communication system for transmitting and receiving medical care information concerning a person, the wireless communication system comprising: a mobile unit that is configured to monitor vital statistics of a person and to gather data concerning the person's physical state; and a wireless communication device coupled to the mobile unit that at least transmits the data that is gathered concerning the person to a central location that is accessible to authorized parties.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 12 wherein the medical care information is received through the wireless communication device from a patient database that is external to the mobile unit.

14. The wireless communication system of claim 12 wherein the mobile unit includes a transducer that receives medical treatment information concerning the person during an initial patient treatment period.

15. The wireless communication system of claim 12 wherein the mobile unit includes an imaging device.

16. The wireless communication system of claim 12 wherein the central location comprises a patient database.

17. The wireless communication system of claim 12 wherein the data that is gathered is compiled in a treatment database that is accessible electronically via a communications network.

18. A method for sharing patient information during a medical situation, the method comprising:

configuring a communication unit proximate a patient that is to be treated in a medical situation; gathering medical information concerning the patient with the communication unit; and transmitting the medical information to a central database, the central database being accessible by authorized parties only.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said gathering of the medical information comprises compiling clinical care information via at least one monitor that is coupled to the communication unit.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said gathering of the medical information comprises compiling audio indications from a medical technician regarding medical treatment that is provided to the patient.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said gathering of the medical information comprises acquiring patient information electronically from a source that stores medical information concerning the patient's medical history.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the medical information is transmitted to the central database in real time.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein said gathering medical information concerning the patient comprises compiling image indications from the physical presence ofthe patient.

24. A data collection device comprising: a monitor unit that gathers medical data concerning at least one physical condition of a person; and at least one electronic medical record database that compiles the data that is gathered by the monitor unit such that a communication protocol may be used to transmit the gathered data from the monitor unit to the at least one electronic medical record database.

25. The data collection device of claim 24 wherein the monitor unit has at least one monitor that monitors the least one physical condition ofthe person.

26. The data collection device of claim 24 wherein the monitor unit is mobile.

27. The data collection device of claim 24 wherein the monitor unit is stationary.

28. The data collection device of claim 24 wherein the gathered data is securely transmitted from the monitor unit to the at least one electronic medical record database.

29. The data collection device of claim 24 wherein the monitor unit includes at least one peripheral to obtain additional medical information concerning the person.

30. The data collection device of claim 24 wherein the monitor unit is configured to broadcast certain medical information to an operator ofthe data collection device.

31. A method for sharing patient information during a medical situation, the method comprising: configuring a communication unit proximate a patient that is to be treated in a medical situation; gathering medical information concerning the patient with the communication unit; and transmitting the medical information via a secure communication link, the medical information being accessible by authorized parties only.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said gathering of the medical information comprises compiling clinical care information via at least one monitor that is coupled to the communication unit.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein said gathering of the medical information comprises compiling audio indications from a medical technician regarding medical treatment that is provided to the patient.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein said gathering of the medical information comprises acquiring patient information electronically from a source that stores medical information concerning the patient's medical history.

35. The method of claim 31 wherein the medical information is transmitted in real time.

36. The method of claim 31 wherein said gathering medical information concerning the patient comprises compiling image indications from the physical presence ofthe patient.