METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING PERFORMANCE BASED SLEEP PATIENT CARE PROTOCOLS

• US 20140095181A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Akbay, Kunter Seref, Cleary, Daniel Joseph, Johnson, Christopher Donald
• Application Number:
  US13/630,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095181A1
• 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 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• 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 non-transitory computer readable media for automated workflow management for sleep quality are presented. A subject in a resting state is monitored using one or more sensors for acquiring one or more physiological parameters. A phase of sleep of the subject at a specific time using the physiological parameters is detected and inferred. Further, a recuperative benefit of the detected sleep phase is estimated. Additionally, it is determined is if an activity in a patient care workflow scheduled proximate to the specific time hinders sleep of the subject. The patient care workflow is then automatically reconfigured if scheduled activity hinders patient sleep, if the determined recuperative benefits exceed a designated threshold and/or if a proposed reconfiguration satisfies one or more designated criteria accounting for both restorative benefits to the patient and objectives of competing care delivery activities for both a given patient and a department.

Claims

1. A method for automated workflow management, comprising:

monitoring a subject in a resting state using one or more sensors for acquiring one or more physiological parameters;

detecting a phase of sleep of the subject at a specific time using the physiological parameters;

estimating a recuperative benefit of the sleep phase for the subject;

determining if an activity in a patient care workflow scheduled proximate to the specific time hinders sleep of the subject; and

automatically reconfiguring the patient care workflow if scheduled activity hinders sleep of the subject, if the determined recuperative benefits exceed a designated threshold, if a proposed reconfiguration satisfies one or more designated criteria, or combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the patient care workflow comprises rescheduling the scheduled activity based on the one or more designated criteria, wherein the designated criteria comprises a detected ambient condition, nature of the scheduled activity, projected availability of a resource associated with the scheduled activity, interdependencies associated with the resource, user input, determined patient care workflows, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein rescheduling the scheduled activity comprises assigning a designated weighted value to one or more of the designated criteria for reconfiguring the patient care workflow in view of a state of the subject, user input, preference of the subject, the determined patient care workflows, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the patient care workflow comprises rescheduling the scheduled activity without disrupting workflow for one or more other patients, care providers, utilization of resources, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the patient care workflow comprises rescheduling the scheduled activity so as to achieve designated objectives, wherein the objectives comprise one or more of improving sleep quality, optimal utilization of resources, reduced schedule risk, minimal impact on patient care workflows of one or more other patients and reduced operational costs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources comprise equipment, care providers, patient care area, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the reconfigured patient care workflow to one or more care providers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the physiological information comprises non-invasively monitoring a subject in a resting state using one or more range-controlled radars.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological information comprises heartbeat, respiration, pressure, volume, blood oxygenation, limb motion, or combinations thereof, corresponding to the patient.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise one or more of a range controlled radar optical sensor system, a thermal sensor system, a magnetic sensor system, a radio-frequency system, an infrared sensor system, or combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring external parameters, wherein the external parameters comprise light exposure, sound level, temperature, vibration, occupancy of patient area, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the patient care workflow comprises rescheduling the scheduled activity if patient in in REM sleep phase.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein reconfiguring the patient care workflow comprises automatically controlling the ambient conditions corresponding to the subject.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the sleep phase of the subject comprises:

determining one or more patterns in the acquired physiological information;

matching the determined patterns corresponding to the physiological information to one or more stored patterns corresponding to known sleep phases.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing a learning loop in one or more of a real-time mode and an offline mode for identifying one or more patterns showing a correlation between scheduled patient care activities, sleep of the subject, recovery of the subject, or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing a ratio of a utility function, corresponding to one or more of departmental care delivery objectives and care protocol execution, and a cumulative recuperative benefit of the sleep of the subject as indicator of an optimization, clinical performance, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the computed ratio is a Donald Ratio and the computed ratio is used for sleep management of the subject, performing aggregated sleep management on a departmental level for unit performance tradeoff.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an audio output, a visual output, an alert message, or combinations thereof, upon determining that a scheduled activity hinders patient sleep.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an audio output, a visual output, an alert message, or combinations thereof, upon reconfiguring the patient care workflow.

20. A system for automated workflow management, comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to monitor one or more physiological parameters corresponding to a subject;

a reasoning engine operatively coupled to one or more of the sensors, wherein the reasoning engine is configured to;

detect a phase of sleep of the subject at a specific time using the physiological parameters;

estimate a recuperative benefit of the sleep phase for the subject;

determine if an activity in a patient care workflow scheduled proximal the specific time hinders sleep of the subject; and

automatically reconfigure the patient care workflow if scheduled activity hinders sleep of the subject, if the determined recuperative benefits exceed a designated threshold, if a proposed reconfiguration satisfies one or more designated criteria, or combinations thereof.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a reporting system coupled to the reasoning engine, wherein the reasoning engine configures the reporting system to generate an audio output, a visual output, an alert message, or combinations thereof, upon reconfiguring the patient care workflow.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise one or more range-controlled radars configured to transmit a radar signal and receive a reflected radar signal for acquiring one or more physiological parameters corresponding to the subject in a resting state;

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the reasoning engine is configured to control one or more of an ambient temperature, humidity, vibration and sound level workflow if scheduled activity hinders sleep of the subject, the determined recuperative benefits exceed a designated threshold and if a proposed reconfiguration satisfies one or more designated criteria.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method for automated workflow management, comprising:

monitoring a subject in a resting state using one or more sensors for acquiring corresponding physiological information;

detecting a phase of sleep of the subject at a specific time using the physiological information;

estimating a recuperative benefit of the sleep phase for the subject;

determining if an activity in a patient care workflow scheduled proximal the specific time hinders sleep of the subject; and

automatically reconfiguring the patient care workflow if scheduled activity hinders sleep of the subject, if the determined recuperative benefits exceed a designated threshold, if a proposed reconfiguration satisfies one or more designated criteria, or combinations thereof.