HEALTHCARE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20060287906A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: McGillin, Madelyn
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• 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 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A system determines patient acuity information to identify required staff competencies to meet a workload and supports role based reporting, notification, and escalation when acuity nears or reaches a predetermined saturation threshold. A system predicts healthcare worker workload using an acquisition processor to acquire multiple data items associated with care requirements of a particular patient from multiple different sources. A data processor determines an acuity score of the particular patient by determining a single score comprising a combination of weighted individual score values derived from corresponding individual items of the multiple data items. A translation processor interprets determined acuity score to provide an estimated healthcare worker workload for meeting the care requirements of the particular patient by using predetermined translation data associating acuity score with corresponding healthcare worker workload.

Claims

1. A system for predicting healthcare worker workload, comprising:

an acquisition processor for acquiring a plurality of data items associated with care requirements of a particular patient from a plurality of different sources;

a data processor for determining an acuity score of said particular patient by determining a single score comprising a combination of weighted individual score values derived from corresponding individual items of said acquired plurality of data items; and

a translation processor for interpreting said determined acuity score to provide an estimated healthcare worker workload for meeting said care requirements of said particular patient by using predetermined translation data associating acuity score with corresponding healthcare worker workload.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said data processor determines change in acuity score of said particular patient by comparing said single score with a previously determined acuity score of said particular patient.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said translation processor compares said change in acuity score to a predetermined change threshold and initiates an action in response to said change in acuity score exceeding said threshold.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of data items derived from said plurality of different sources comprise at least two of, (a) patient medical parameters, (b) patient observations recorded by a healthcare worker, (c) test results for a patient, (d) data recorded in a patient treatment or care plan and (e) medication orders entered for administration to a patient.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said single score comprises a combination of weighted individual score values comprising weighted assessments of times involved in caring for a patient.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein

said assessments of times involved in caring for a patient comprise times associated with at least two of, (a) intervention, (b) routine care and (c) review of results.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said weighted individual score values are derived by weighting corresponding individual items of said acquired plurality of data items with a patient assessment time factor determined from medical characteristics of a patient.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of data items derived from said plurality of different sources comprise at least two patient medical parameters of, (a) a blood pressure parameter, (b) a ventilation parameter, (c) a vital sign parameter (d) a blood oxygen concentration representative parameter, (e) a spontaneous tidal volume parameter, (f) a respiratory rate parameter, (g) a positive end-expiratory pressure parameter, (h) a temperature, (i) a heart rate, (j) a cardiac output, (k) an infusion pump parameter associated with fluid delivery and (l) a drip medication related parameter.

11. A system according to claim 1, including

an alert generator for automatically initiating generation of an alert message to a supervisory healthcare worker in response to an estimated healthcare worker workload exceeding available worker resources.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said translation processor compares said estimated healthcare worker workload with available worker resources.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein

said available worker resources are determined based on a determination of an amount of work capable of being done by available workers, said amount of work capable of being done is derived based on one or more factors of, (a) an individual worker skill classification, (b) individual worker experience and (c) worker medical specialty.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said translation processor interprets said determined acuity score to provide an estimated nursing workload.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said data processor weights individual score values according to estimated importance in determining patient care requirements.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said acquisition processor acquires said individual score values derived from corresponding individual items of said acquired plurality of data items.

17. A system for predicting healthcare worker workload, comprising:

an acquisition processor for acquiring a plurality of data items associated with care requirements of plurality of patients from a plurality of different sources;

a data processor for determining a single acuity score of a plurality of patients by determining for individual patients, a single score comprising a combination of weighted individual score values derived from corresponding individual items of said acquired plurality of data items and combining said determined single scores for said plurality of patients to provide said single acuity score; and

a translation processor for interpreting said determined single acuity score to provide an estimated healthcare worker workload for meeting said care requirements of said plurality of patients by using predetermined translation data associating acuity score with corresponding healthcare worker workload.

8. A system according to claim 17, wherein

said weighted individual score values are derived by weighting corresponding individual items of said acquired plurality of data items with a patient assessment time factor determined from non-medical characteristics of a patient.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said medical and non-medical characteristics comprise at least two of, (a) whether the patient is hard of hearing, (b) blind, (c) disabled, (d) unconscious, (e) has a non-native language, (f) patient care preferences, (g) has dignitary status and (h) a physical disability.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein

said data processor combines said determined single scores for said plurality of patients to provide said single acuity score by determining at least one of, (a) a mean score, (b) an average score and (c) a score variance from a mean.

19. A system for predicting healthcare worker workload, comprising:

an acquisition processor for acquiring a plurality of data items indicating assessments of times involved in caring for a patient;

a data processor for determining an acuity score of a particular patient comprising a combination of weighted assessments of times involved in caring for a patient; and

a translation processor for interpreting said determined acuity score to provide an estimated healthcare worker workload for meeting said care requirements of said particular patient by using predetermined translation data associating acuity score with corresponding healthcare worker workload.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein

said weighted assessments of times involved in caring for a patient comprise individual assessments of times involved in caring for a patient weighted with a patient assessment time factor determined from medical, functional and personal characteristics of a patient.

21. A system for predicting healthcare worker workload, comprising:

an acquisition processor for acquiring a plurality of data items associated with care requirements of a particular patient from a plurality of different sources;

a data processor for determining a change in acuity score of said particular patient by comparing an acuity score with a previously determined acuity score of said particular patient, said acuity score comprising a combination of weighted individual score values derived from corresponding individual items of said acquired plurality of data items; and

a translation processor for comparing said change in acuity score to a predetermined change threshold and initiating an action in response to said change in acuity score exceeding said threshold.