An automated patient care system and method for diagnosing and monitoring respiratory insufficiency is presented. A plurality of monitoring sets are stored into a database. Each monitoring set includes recorded measures, which each relate to patient information and contain medical device measures recorded on a substantially continuous basis or derived measures calculable therefrom. The monitoring sets are retrieved from the database. A set of indicator thresholds are defined. Each indicator threshold corresponds to a quantifiable physiological measure of a pathophysiology indicative of respiratory insufficiency. A respiratory insufficiency finding is diagnosed. A change in patient status is determined by comparing at least one recorded measure to at least one other recorded measure with both recorded measures relating to the same type of patient information. Each patient status change is compared to the indicator threshold corresponding to the same type of patient information as the recorded measures.
