Design and implementation of hospital nursing call system based on DTMF

The hospital nursing call system is an essential component of modern hospitals' efforts to achieve informatization and modern management, effectively enhancing the hospital's image, strengthening institutional management, and ensuring service quality.    Currently, most hospital nursing call systems use pulse code modulation for wired transmission, which can lead to waveform distortion and instability.    Some systems utilize wireless technology, but signal interference from external sources can cause transmission errors, and the cost is relatively high.    Based on Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) technology, the hospital nursing call system can effectively combine the advantages of both wired and wireless systems while overcoming their shortcomings.

It analyzes and compares four common types of nursing call systems, proposing and constructing an architecture for a DTMF-based hospital nursing call system.    The system's hardware and software development and design work are completed: utilizing wired communication technology with DTMF signals, the system features fast transmission speed, accuracy, and ease of use.

Through encoding, transmission, and decoding techniques, the system ensures long-distance data transmission and strong anti-interference capabilities, avoiding the instability associated with wired paging system transmissions.    With the AT89C52 microcontroller as its core, the system employs peripheral circuits such as signal transmission chips, signal reception chips, voice broadcasting chips, light-emitting diodes, digital tube displays, and corresponding control programs.    It achieves functions such as individual and group calls, display, call prompts, inquiries, broadcasting, intercom, and setting and deleting nursing levels via telephone dialing.

The system architecture consists of several key components:

- Patient Call Stations: Installed at patient bedside, these stations allow patients to initiate calls for assistance by pressing buttons corresponding to predefined functions.
- Central Control Unit: Receives DTMF signals from patient call stations and processes them based on predefined algorithms.   It coordinates communication between patients and nursing staff.
- Nurse Terminals: Handheld devices carried by nursing staff to receive and respond to patient calls.   They provide real-time notifications and enable nurses to prioritize and manage patient requests efficiently.
- DTMF Decoder: Decodes DTMF signals received from patient call stations and converts them into actionable commands for the central control unit.
- Communication Infrastructure: Utilizes wired connections to ensure reliable transmission of DTMF signals within the hospital environment.

The hospital nursing call system offers the following functionality:

- Individual and Group Calls: Patients can initiate individual calls for assistance or group calls to summon multiple nursing staff simultaneously.
- Priority Handling: The system prioritizes calls based on predefined criteria, ensuring that urgent requests receive immediate attention.
- Call Logging and Reporting: Records details of each call, including timestamp, patient information, and response time, for monitoring and analysis purposes.
- Integration with Hospital Information Systems: Interfaces with hospital information systems to retrieve patient data and update call status accordingly.
- Remote Monitoring: Enables remote monitoring of call activity and system status for administrators and supervisors.

The implementation of the hospital nursing call system involves the following steps:

- Hardware Selection: Select appropriate hardware components, including patient call stations, central control unit, nurse terminals, and DTMF decoders, based on system requirements and specifications.
- Software Development: Develop software algorithms for call processing, prioritization, logging, and integration with hospital information systems.   Implement user interfaces for nurse terminals and central control unit.
- Integration and Testing: Integrate hardware and software components, conduct rigorous testing to ensure functionality, reliability, and compliance with regulatory standards.
- Deployment and Training: Deploy the system in hospital wards and provide training to nursing staff on system operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance.