Method and system for providing timely performance evaluations to students or trainees

• US 20060229913A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Earle
• Original Assignee: David Earle
• Inventors: Earle, David B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,878,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A method and system for providing performance evaluations, on a timely basis, to students or trainees, is provided. In one contemplated embodiment, the inventive method and system are used in health care training programs to form an information feedback loop whereby clinical and simulated clinical performance evaluations are inputted, or gathered and stored, and then made available to the health care practitioner and to his/her educator(s) throughout the health care training program thereby increasing the effectiveness of the training program by allowing the program to be continuously tailored to address the needs of the health care practitioner.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for providing timely performance evaluations to health care practitioners, which method comprises:

(a) providing at least one computer station operable by trained educators for inputting their evaluations of a health care practitioner'"'"'s performance of a health care or medical procedure and further operable by the health care practitioner, as well as, the trained educators and other educators, for viewing the inputted evaluations;

(b) further providing at least one computer and at least one computer database accessible by the computer(s) for storing information including the trained educator evaluations, wherein the computer comprises memory means and one or more computer programs stored therein suitable for the management and manipulation of the information that is directed into or out of the computer database and/or stored therein;

(c) arranging for the health care practitioner to perform a health care or medical procedure under a trained educator'"'"'s direct supervision;

(d) evaluating each practitioner'"'"'s performance and upon completion of each health care or medical procedure, entering the trained educator'"'"'s evaluation of the practitioner'"'"'s performance at the computer station and storing the evaluation in the computer database such that the evaluation is accessible by the practitioner;

(e) for each such practitioner, generating and displaying reports showing the practitioner'"'"'s performance trends over time; and

optionally,

(f) for each group or team of such practitioners, generating and displaying reports showing the practitioner group or team'"'"'s performance trends over time.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1, which further comprises:

providing a communications link between the computer(s) and one or more simulation tools or devices used by the practitioners;

arranging for practitioners to use the one or more simulation devices;

importing results from the one or more simulation devices used by the practitioners into the computer(s) and storing same in the computer database(s), such that the results are accessible by the practitioners, the trained educators and other educators; and

using the results from the one or more simulation devices to guide practitioner education.

3. A computer-based method for providing timely operative skills or operative performance evaluations to surgical residents, which method comprises:

(a) providing at least one computer station operable by trained surgeons for inputting their evaluations of the operative performance of surgical residents and further operable by surgical residents, as well as, the trained surgeons and other educators, for viewing the inputted evaluations;

(b) further providing at least one computer and at least one computer database accessible by the computer(s) for storing information including the trained surgeon evaluations, wherein the computer comprises memory means and one or more computer programs stored therein suitable for the management and manipulation of the information that is directed into or out of the computer database and/or stored therein;

(c) arranging for surgical residents to perform surgical procedures on patients under a trained surgeon'"'"'s direct supervision;

(d) evaluating each surgical resident'"'"'s operative performance during each such surgical procedure and upon completion of each procedure, entering the trained surgeon'"'"'s evaluation of the resident'"'"'s operative performance at the computer station and storing the evaluation in the computer database such that the evaluation is accessible by the surgical resident;

(e) for each such surgical resident, generating and displaying reports showing the resident'"'"'s performance trends over time; and

optionally,

(f) for each group or team of such surgical residents, generating and displaying reports showing the resident group or team'"'"'s performance trends over time.

4. The computer-based method of claim 3, which further comprises:

providing a communications link between the computer(s) and one or more surgical simulation tools or devices used by the surgical residents;

arranging for surgical residents to use the one or more surgical simulation devices;

importing results from the one or more surgical simulation devices used by the surgical residents into the computer(s) and storing same in the computer database(s), such that the results are accessible by the residents, the trained surgeons and other educators; and

using the results from the one or more surgical simulation devices to guide resident education and training during subsequent resident-assisted surgical procedures.

5. The computer-based method of claim 3, which further comprises:

(a) providing a communications link between the computer(s) and a hospital database containing patient information; and

for each surgical procedure scheduled to be performed in an operating room,

(b) entering into the computer station a patient identifier which identifies the patient on which the scheduled surgical procedure is to be performed; and

if the patient identifier entered into the computer station matches an identifier for that patient stored in the hospital database,

(c) checking the scheduled surgical procedure against the surgical procedure for that patient that is stored in the hospital database; and

if the scheduled surgical procedure for the patient matches the surgical procedure for that patient stored in the hospital database,

(d) performing the surgical procedure on the patient.

6. The computer-based method of claim 5, wherein for each patient on which a resident-assisted surgical procedure has been performed in the operating room, and using the patient identifier, said method further comprising:

collecting from the hospital database clinical parameters such as operating room time, case cost, length of stay, and complications;

storing this information in the computer database; and

generating and displaying reports assessing the operating room'"'"'s efficiency and safety.

7. A system for providing timely performance evaluations to health care practitioners, which system comprises:

(a) at least one computer station operable by trained educators for inputting their evaluations of a health care practitioner'"'"'s performance of a health care or medical procedure and further operable by the health care practitioners, as well as, the trained educators and other educators, for viewing the inputted evaluations; and

(b) at least one computer and a computer database accessible by the computer for storing information including trained educator evaluations, wherein the computer comprises memory means and one or more computer programs stored therein suitable for the management and manipulation of the information that is directed into or out of the computer database and/or stored therein.

8. The system of claim 7, which further comprises:

one or more simulation devices; and

a communications link between the computer(s) and the one or more simulation devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more simulation devices are selected from the group of computer simulations or virtual reality, video simulations, simulations using models, and combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the system comprises a plurality of computer stations.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is an Intranet-based system.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one computer is a server computer that acts as a gateway for Internet access.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the server computer(s) is adapted to support a website that allows for remote access to the server computer(s) and the computer database.

14. A system for providing timely operative performance evaluations to surgical residents, which system comprises:

(a) at least one computer station operable by trained surgeons for inputting their evaluations of the operative performance of surgical residents and further operable by surgical residents, as well as, the trained surgeons and other educators, for viewing the inputted evaluations; and

(b) at least one computer and a computer database accessible by the computer for storing information including surgeon evaluations, wherein the computer comprises memory means and one or more computer programs stored therein suitable for the management and manipulation of the information that is directed into or out of the computer database and/or stored therein.

15. The system of claim 14, which further comprises:

one or more surgical simulation devices; and

a communications link between the computer(s) and the one or more surgical simulation devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more surgical simulation devices are selected from the group of computer simulations or virtual reality, video simulations, simulations using models, and combinations thereof.

17. The system of claim 14, which further comprises a communications link between the computer(s) and a hospital database containing patient information.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the system comprises a plurality of computer stations.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the system is an Intranet-based system.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one computer is a server computer that acts as a gateway for Internet access.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the server computer(s) is adapted to support a website that allows for remote access to the server computer(s) and the computer database.