Location-based management of healthcare environments

• US 10,565,352 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Eaton, Jr., James D., Compton, David L., Nelson, Justin, Cannon, Paul, Nolte, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Joseph D
• Application Number:
  US14/139,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20140114688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,248 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 340539
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing healthcare environments are provided. In embodiments, a real-time status of a clinical device, along with a location, is received. The location of the clinical device is obtained via a clinical device identifier that is tracked by a plurality of sensors in a healthcare environment. A clinical device may be identified as inappropriate for use and an alert presented to a clinician including the problem of the clinical device and the location thereof. A replacement clinical device may be located, using clinical identifiers, and presented to the clinician. Such monitoring and location awareness facilitates efficient responses to healthcare situations.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-storage media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform an improved method in a medical information computing system of accurately monitoring and managing healthcare environments to identify an alert in signals received from one or more identifiers in a sensor system communicating with a server through a computer network via a plurality of sensors and to generate a graphical user interface to display the alert utilizing location awareness in combination with electronic health records and electronic storage of clinical information the method comprising:

receiving, by the server configured to operate in a healthcare environment, through the computer network, patient clinical information from a patient'"'"'s electronic health record stored in a database;

the server receiving through the computer network, signals from the one or more identifiers associated with the patient via sensors in the sensor system and identifying from the signals a real-time clinical status of the patient including one or more vital signs of the patient, functionality information of one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and a real-time location of the patient from the signals, and wherein the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices at least indicates whether the one or more clinical devices are functioning and are appropriate for use;

immediately determining by the server that the alert is necessary based on the patient clinical information from the patient'"'"'s electronic health record and the identified real-time clinical status of the patient together with the included one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and the real-time location of the patient;

upon determining that the alert is necessary, the server generating an alert from the patient clinical information, the identified real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and the real-time location of the patient, the alert including a severity of the alert;

the server generating the graphical user interface automatically without user interaction which displays via a display of a computing device the alert including the identified real-time clinical status of the patient including the real-time location of the patient, and the severity of the alert simultaneously in both an alert area of the graphical user interface and a separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface such that the alert is visible in the alert area simultaneously with a graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, wherein a diagnosis and a visit reason are displayed in a list area of the graphical user interface simultaneously with the graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface and the alert in the alert area of the graphical user interface;

the server receiving an indication of user interaction with the displayed alert; and

upon receiving an indication of user interaction with the displayed alert, the server updating the graphical user interface to display via the display of a computing device additional details of the alert in an alert information area on the graphical user interface simultaneously with previously simultaneously but separately displayed diagnosis and visit reason in the list area of the graphical user interface, alert in alert area of the graphical user interface and alert in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, wherein the additional details of the alert includes a determined elapsed time indicating a duration since the alert was generated by the server based on a time of the alert, the identified real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient as well as patient clinical information and is visible simultaneously with the diagnosis and visit reason in the list area of the graphical user interface, the graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, and the alert in the alert area of the graphical user interface.

2. The computer-storage media of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a live video feed of a patient'"'"'s room in response to identifying that an alert is in effect for the patient.

3. The computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors utilize ultrasound technology, infrared technology, or radio frequency identification technology.

4. The computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the patient identifier is a patient wristband.

5. A method of accurately monitoring and managing healthcare environments to identify an alert in signals received from one or more identifiers in a sensor system communicating with a server via a plurality of sensors through a computer network and to generate a graphical user interface to display the alert utilizing location awareness in combination with electronic health records and electronic storage of clinical information the method comprising:

the server receiving through the computer network, patient clinical information from a patient'"'"'s electronic health record stored in a database;

the server receiving through the computer network, signals from the one or more identifiers associated with the patient and the server identifying a real-time clinical status of the patient including one or more vital signs of the patient, functionality information of one or more clinical devices associated with the patient and a real-time location of the patient from the signals, and wherein the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices at least indicates whether the one or more clinical devices are functioning and are appropriate for use;

immediately determining by the server that the alert is necessary based on the patient clinical information from the patient'"'"'s electronic health record and the real-time clinical status of the patient together with the included the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and the real-time location of the patient identified from the signals;

upon determining that the alert is necessary, the server generating an alert from the patient clinical information and the real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and the real-time location of the patient, the alert including a severity of the alert;

the server generating the graphical user interface automatically without user interaction which displays via a display of a computing device the alert including the real-time clinical status of the patient including the real-time location of the patient received from the one or more identifiers associated with the patient, and the severity of the alert simultaneously in both an alert area of the graphical user interface and a separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface such that the alert is visible in the alert area simultaneously with a graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, wherein a diagnosis and a visit reason are displayed in a list area of the graphical user interface simultaneously with the graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface and the alert in the alert area of the graphical user interface;

the server receiving an indication of user interaction with the displayed alert; and

upon receiving an indication of user interaction with the displayed alert, the server updating the graphical user interface to display via the display of a computing device additional details of the alert in an alert information area on the graphical user interface simultaneously with previously simultaneously but separately displayed diagnosis and visit reason in the list area of the graphical user interface, alert in alert area of the graphical user interface and alert in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, wherein the additional details of the alert includes a determined elapsed time indicating a duration since the alert was generated by the server based on a time of the alert, the real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, as well as patient clinical information and is visible simultaneously with the diagnosis and visit reason in the list area of the graphical user interface, the graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface and the alert in the alert area of the graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

presenting a live video feed of a patient'"'"'s room in response to identifying that an alert is in effect for the patient.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of sensors utilize ultrasound technology, infrared technology, or radio frequency identification technology.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the patient identifier is a patient wristband.

9. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more databases;

one or more output devices; and

computer storage memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which for accurately monitoring and managing healthcare environments to identify an alert in signals received from one or more identifiers in a sensor system communicating via a plurality of sensors through a computer network with a server and to generate a graphical user interface displaying the alert utilizing location awareness in combination with electronic health records and electronic storage of clinical information, when executed by at least one processor, configure the computer system to;

receive by the one or more processors patient clinical information from a patient'"'"'s electronic health record stored in a database;

receive by the one or more processors signals from the one or more identifiers associated with the patient and identify a real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and a real-time location of the patient from the signals, and wherein the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices at least indicates whether the one or more clinical devices are functioning and are appropriate for use;

immediately determine by the one or more processors that the alert is necessary based on the patient clinical information from the patient'"'"'s electronic health record and the real-time clinical status of the patient together with the included the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and the real-time location of the patient received from the plurality of sensors in the sensor system;

upon determining that the alert is necessary, generate by the one or more processors the alert from the patient clinical information and the real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient, and the real-time location of the patient, the alert including a severity of the alert;

generate by the one or more processors a graphical user interface automatically without user interaction which displays via at least one of the one or more output devices the alert simultaneously in both an alert area of the graphical user interface and a separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface such that the alert is visible in the alert area simultaneously with a graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient received from the one or more identifiers associated with the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, wherein a diagnosis and a visit reason are displayed in a list area of the graphical user interface simultaneously with the graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface and the alert in the alert area of the graphical user interface;

receive an indication of user interaction with the displayed alert; and

upon receiving an indication of user interaction with the displayed alert, update the graphical user interface to display via at least one of the one or more output devices additional details of the alert in an alert information area on the graphical user interface simultaneously with previously simultaneously but separately displayed diagnosis and visit reason in the list area of the graphical user interface, alert in alert area of the graphical user interface and alert in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface, wherein the additional details of the alert includes a determined elapsed time indicating a duration since the alert was generated by the server based on a time of the alert, the real-time clinical status of the patient including the one or more vital signs of the patient, the functionality information of the one or more clinical devices associated with the patient as well as patient clinical information and is visible simultaneously with the diagnosis and visit reason in the list area of the graphical user interface, the graphical illustration of the real-time location of the patient displayed within the blueprint of the facility in the separate blueprint area of the graphical user interface and the alert in the alert area of the graphical user interface.

10. The system of claim 9, further configured to:

present a live video feed of a patient'"'"'s room in response to identifying that an alert is in effect for the patient.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensors utilize ultrasound technology, infrared technology, or radio frequency identification technology.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the real-time clinical status of the patient further includes vital signs of the patient.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the patient identifier is a patient wristband.