Methods and Systems for Preventing Unauthorized Access to Patient Information

• US 20110078595A1
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Bionics AG (Sonova Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Bionics LLC (Sonova Holding AG)
• Inventors: Calle, Guillermo A., Chapa, Fernando, Johnston, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

An exemplary method includes displaying a graphical user interface configured to include a patient list displayed therein, receiving user input representative of a search term comprising one or more characters selected to identify a particular patient included within a plurality of patients, dynamically updating the patient list in response to the received user input to only include a plurality of entries that contain the search term, each of the entries comprising patient information associated with a distinct one of the patients, and preventing one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries of the patient list from being displayed within the graphical user interface. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface configured to include a patient list displayed therein;

receiving user input representative of a search term comprising one or more characters selected to identify a particular patient included within a plurality of patients;

dynamically updating the patient list in response to the received user input to only include a plurality of entries that contain the search term, each of the entries comprising patient information associated with a distinct one of the patients; and

preventing one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries of the patient list from being displayed within the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional user input representative of an additional search term comprising one or more characters;

determining that only a single entry within the plurality of entries of the patient list contains both the search term and the additional search term; and

displaying the single entry within the graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying additional patient information associated with the particular patient in response to a user selection of the single entry.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the entries of the patient list within the graphical user interface;

wherein the preventing comprises displaying a password character in place of the one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a patient information grid within the graphical user interface, the patient information grid comprising a plurality of columns and rows; and

displaying each of the entries within a distinct row of the patient information grid.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one of the rows within the patient information grid comprises a filter row with one or more input fields, and wherein the receiving of the user input comprises receiving data input into one or more of the input fields.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient information included within each of the entries comprises at least a first and a last name of one of the plurality of patients.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the patient information within a storage facility.

9. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one computer-readable medium.

10. A method comprising:

maintaining data representative of patient information corresponding to a plurality of patients;

receiving user input representative of a search term comprising one or more characters selected to identify a particular patient included within the plurality of patients;

dynamically updating a patient list in response to the received user input to only include a plurality of entries that contain the search term, each of the entries comprising patient information associated with a distinct one of the patients;

displaying the entries of the patient list within a graphical user interface; and

preventing one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries of the patient list from being displayed within the graphical user interface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving additional user input representative of an additional search term comprising one or more characters;

determining that only a single entry within the plurality of entries of the patient list contains both the search term and the additional search term; and

displaying the single entry within the graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the preventing comprises displaying a password character in place of the one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a patient information grid within the graphical user interface, the patient information grid comprising a plurality of columns and rows; and

displaying each of the entries within a distinct row of the patient information grid.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one of the rows within the patient information grid comprises a filter row with one or more input fields, and wherein the receiving of the user input comprises receiving data input into one or more of the input fields.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the patient information included within each of the entries comprises at least a first and a last name of one of the plurality of patients.

16. The method of claim 10, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one computer-readable medium.

17. A system comprising:

a display facility configured to display a patient list within a graphical user interface;

a communication facility selectively and communicatively coupled to the display facility and configured to receive user input representative of a search term comprising one or more characters selected to identify a particular patient included within a plurality of patients; and

a privacy facility selectively and communicatively coupled to the display facility and to the communication facility and configured to

dynamically update the patient list in response to the received user input to only include a plurality of entries that contain the search term, each of the entries comprising patient information associated with a distinct one of the patients; and

prevent one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries of the patient list from being displayed within the graphical user interface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication facility is further configured to receive additional user input representative of an additional search term comprising one or more characters and wherein the privacy facility is further configured to:

determine that only a single entry within the plurality of entries of the patient list contains both the search term and the additional search term; and

direct the display facility to display the single entry within the graphical user interface.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the display facility is further configured to display the entries of the patient list within the graphical user interface, and wherein the privacy facility is configured to prevent the one or more non-search term characters from being displayed within the graphical user interface by directing the display facility to display a password character in place of the one or more non-search term characters contained within each of the entries.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the display facility is further configured to display each of the entries within a distinct row of a patient information grid.