Medical support system

• US 20030110059A1
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Thompson, John Robert, Lustig, Michael Robert, Janas, John J. III
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A medical support system and method for performing at least one medical support process relating to diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition and that includes or employs medical records relating to patients and medical support databases including medical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition. A medical support process includes one or more process phases, which may include a data phase, a diagnostic phase and a therapy/treatment recommendation phase. Each process phase includes one or more process operations wherein each of the process operations of a process phase includes one or more process forms providing interfaces between a user and the process operations. Each process form includes fields for passing user inputs to the process operations and for displaying the results of the process operations to the user and the support processes are responsive to user inputs, the medical records and the guidelines to execute an interactive dialogue between the medical support process and the user to provide guidance to the user in performing the medical support process according to the guidelines and dependent upon the user inputs and the medical record.

Claims

1. A medical support system including a memory for storing at least one medical support process relating to diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition, a processor responsive to the medical support process and to user inputs for performing the medical support process, an input device for user inputs relating to the medical support process and an output device for displaying the results of the medical support process to a user, comprising:

at least one medical record relating to a patient;

at least one medical support database including medical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the medical condition; and

a medical support process including at least one process phase each process phase including one or more process operations;

each of the process operations of a process phase including;

at least one process form providing an interface between a user and the process operations of the process phase, each process form including fields for passing user inputs to the process operations and for displaying the results of the process operations to the user; and

at least one support process responsive to user inputs, the medical record and the guidelines for performing the process operations, wherein;

the support processes execute an interactive dialogue between the medical support process and the user to provide guidance to the user in performing the medical support process according to the guidelines and dependent upon the user inputs and the medical record.

2. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein a medical support process includes:

a data phase for entering new information and reviewing historical information pertaining to the medical condition of the patient for the purposes of the medical support process; and

an assessment phase for evaluation of the patient'"'"'s present medical condition based upon the information from the data phase and the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the medical condition.

3. The medical support system of claim 2, wherein a medical support process further includes:

a recommendations phase including process operations and guidelines to assist the user in determining a course of treatment for the patient.

4. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein the process form fields include fields for the display and entry of data, text, prompts, messages and user decision options.

5. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein the process form fields include process fields containing process calls invoking corresponding support processes upon corresponding user inputs to the process fields.

6. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein the support operations include first support processes for invoking second support processes dependent upon user inputs.

7. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein the support processes include support processes for displaying a next process form.

8. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein the support processes include support processes for modifying the information displayed in a present process form.

9. The medical support system of claim 1, wherein the medical support databases reside within the support processes.

10. The medical support system of claim 1, further comprising a dialect translator for translating between medical terms displayed to and entered by a user and corresponding equivalent but different medical terms employed in the support operations.

11. In a medical support system including an input device for user inputs relating to a medical process and an output device for displaying the results of the medical process to a user, a memory for storing the medical process and medical data, and a processor operating under control of the medical process and the user inputs, a method for providing support for a medical practitioner performing a medical process relating to diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition, comprising the steps of:

storing at least one medical record relating to a patient;

storing at least one medical support database including medical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the medical condition; and

performing a medical support process including at least one process phase;

each process phase including one or more process operations;

each of the process operations of a process phase including;

at least one process form providing an interface between a user and the process operations of the process phase, each process form including fields for passing user inputs to the process operations and for displaying the results of the process operations to the user; and

at least one support process responsive to user inputs, the medical record and the guidelines for performing the process operations, wherein

the support processes execute an interactive dialogue between the medical support process and the user to provide guidance to the user in performing the medical support process according to the guidelines and dependent upon the user inputs and the medical record.

12. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein a medical support process includes:

a data phase for entering new information and reviewing historical information pertaining to the medical condition of the patient for the purposes of the medical support process; and

an assessment phase for evaluation of the patient present medical condition based upon the information from the data phase and the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the medical condition.

13. The method of claim 12 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein a medical support process further includes:

a recommendations phase including process operations and guidelines to assist the user in determining a course of treatment for the patient.

14. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein the process form fields include fields for the display and entry of data, text, prompts, messages and user decision options.

15. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein the process form fields include process fields containing process calls invoking corresponding support processes upon corresponding user inputs to the process fields.

16. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein the support operations include first support processes for invoking second support processes dependent upon user inputs.

17. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein the support processes include support processes for displaying a next process form.

18. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein the support processes include support processes for modifying the information displayed in a present process form.

19. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, wherein the medical support databases reside within the support processes.

20. The method of claim 11 for providing support for a medical practitioner performing the medical process, further comprising the step of translating between medical terms displayed to and entered by a user and corresponding equivalent but different medical terms employed in the support operations.