A microcomputer-based software interface for automatic acquisition of fetal monitoring data

At University Hospital, interfaces are being designed to link-stand-alone patient care devices to Hospital Information System (HIS). The objective is to have an integrated HIS comprising of data from bedside patient monitors and from stand-alone devices such as infusion pumps, fetal monitors, and pulse oximeters. Interfaces are implemented with standard hardware and software design tools. The feasibility of designing a general purpose interface hardware based on a common microprocessor has been demonstrated for an IMED model 960 infusion pump. The present paper describes the implementation of the software component of the interface using standard microcomputer software packages. The device of choice was the Corometrics model 115 fetal monitor for implementing the software because it is used extensively at University Hospital and has built-in data communication hardware. The Corometrics model 115 fetal monitor was interfaced to an IBM Personal Computer (PC) model XT. Data acquired from the fetal monitor was used to provide data tables and graphs. The feasibility of designing and implementing a software interface capable of acquiring and processing data received from a stand-alone device (fetal monitor) was demonstrated. A description of the important aspects of the interface software design is presented in this paper. This design will eventually be part of the HIS. A brief discussion about the design modifications necessary to acquire data from multiple devices simultaneously is also included.