Administering A Patient In A Hospital

• US 20120116793A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barber-Mingo, Cynthia E., Jones, Angela Richards, Lyle, Ruthie D.
• Application Number:
  US12/942,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116793A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for administering a patient in a hospital. Embodiments include identifying, by a room optimizer module, upon the patient checking into the hospital, a set of patient attributes, each patient attribute describing an aspect of the health of the patient; selecting, by the room optimizer module, an optimized room for the patient in dependence upon the patient attributes and a set of room attributes of a plurality of rooms available, and indicating, by the room optimizer module, the selection of the optimized room to a hospital administrator.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for administering a patient in a hospital, the method comprising:

identifying, by a room optimizer module, upon the patient checking into the hospital, a set of patient attributes, each patient attribute describing an aspect of the health of the patient;

in dependence upon the patient attributes and a set of room attributes of a plurality of available rooms, selecting, by the room optimizer module, an optimized room for the patient; and

indicating, by the room optimizer module, the selection of the optimized room to a hospital administrator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting an optimized room for a patient includes:

establishing, by the room optimizer module, a room profile for the patient, wherein the room profile indicates desired room attributes that correspond to the patient attributes;

wherein the optimized room for the patient is the room that has the greatest number of desired room attributes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the room optimizer module, environmental changes in the optimized room;

determining, by the room optimizer module, whether the environmental changes in the optimized room conflict with the room profile;

if the environmental changes in the optimized room conflict with the room profile, notifying one of the patient, a visitor and a hospital administrator of the environmental change.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the optimized room based on the patient attributes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying environmental changes in the optimized room further comprises receiving from a sensor an identification of an object potentially entering the optimized room.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the patient attributes indicates an allergy of the patient.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising developing a treatment schedule in dependence upon the patient attributes and the room attributes of the optimized room.

8. Apparatus for administering a patient in a hospital, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

identify, by a room optimizer module, upon the patient checking into the hospital, a set of patient attributes, each patient attribute describing an aspect of the health of the patient;

in dependence upon the patient attributes and a set of room attributes of a plurality of available rooms, select, by the room optimizer module, an optimized room for the patient; and

indicate, by the room optimizer module, the selection of the optimized room to a hospital administrator.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to select an optimized room for a patient includes:

computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to establish, by the room optimizer module, a room profile for the patient, wherein the room profile indicates desired room attributes that correspond to the patient attributes;

wherein the optimized room for the patient is the room that has the greatest number of desired room attributes.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

identify, by the room optimizer module, environmental changes in the optimized room;

determine, by the room optimizer module, whether the environmental changes in the optimized room conflict with the room profile;

if the environmental changes in the optimized room conflict with the room profile, notify one of the patient, a visitor and a hospital administrator of the environmental change.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to configure the optimized room based on the patient attributes.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to identify environmental changes in the optimized room further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to receive from a sensor an identification of an object potentially entering the optimized room.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the patient attributes indicates an allergy of the patient.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to develop a treatment schedule in dependence upon the patient attributes and the room attributes of the optimized room.

15. A computer program product for administering a patient in a hospital, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed cause the computer to:

identify, by a room optimizer module, upon the patient checking into the hospital, a set of patient attributes, each patient attribute describing an aspect of the health of the patient;

in dependence upon the patient attributes and a set of room attributes of a plurality of available rooms, select, by the room optimizer module, an optimized room for the patient; and

indicate, by the room optimizer module, the selection of the optimized room to a hospital administrator.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein selecting an optimized room for a patient includes:

computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to establish, by the room optimizer module, a room profile for the patient, wherein the room profile indicates desired room attributes that correspond to the patient attributes;

wherein the optimized room for the patient is the room that has the greatest number of desired room attributes.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

identify, by the room optimizer module, environmental changes in the optimized room;

determine, by the room optimizer module, whether the environmental changes in the optimized room conflict with the room profile;

if the environmental changes in the optimized room conflict with the room profile, notify one of the patient, a visitor and a hospital administrator of the environmental change.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to configure the optimized room based on the patient attributes.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to identify environmental changes in the optimized room further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to receive from a sensor an identification of an object potentially entering the optimized room.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein at least one of the patient attributes indicates an allergy of the patient.