Hospital-based integrated medical computer system for processing medical and patient information using specialized functional modules

• US 6,272,481 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahamed, Syed Vickar, Lawrence, Victor Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, George B.
• Application Number:
  US09/152,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 706/10
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data

Abstract

A hospital-based integrated medical computer system for processing medical and patient information and for evolving medical knowledge, diagnoses and prognoses is disclosed. The system includes a medical processor including a memory and a plurality of medical data banks connected thereto. The medical processor and the medical data banks are designed to work in tandem for executing a plurality of instructions and/or obtaining information. A plurality of separate processor hardware modules are operatively connected to the medical processor. The modules include a communication module, at least one switching module, an administrative module and a knowledge module. There is also hardware, firmware and software in the processor hardware modules to enable the modules to perform at least the following functions: for the communication module, to control data communication between the other modules, the memory and the medical processor, so that they effectively communicate with one another; for the switching module(s), to select and switch between the various medical data banks for solving a particular problem; for the administrative module, to perform housekeeping functions, including multi-tasking control with resource allocation, real-time multi-tasking and scheduling of tasks; and, for the knowledge module, to operate knowledge processing functions and to store information in the medical data banks. General patient databases, physician access point units, patient access point units, and service facilities are connected to the medical data banks and medical processor via several buses. In an alternative integrated medical computer system, a plurality of processors are included with their own memories and modules and are linked together to establish a processor net unit. This system is contemplated for use in a campus environment where several buildings comprise the hospital or where several hospitals are interlinked via an integrated services digital network (ISDN).

Claims

1. A hospital-based integrated medical computer system for processing medical and patient information involving a plurality of tasks and allocation of a plurality of medical resources and for generating medical knowledge, diagnoses and prognoses as a solution to an input specified medical problem, the hospital-based integrated medical computer system comprising:

a macrocomputer comprising;

a network of medical data banks having memory for storing medical information and a processor for executing instructions; and

a microcomputer comprising;

at least one processor, including a memory for storing medical information and connected via a data bus to the network of medical data banks of the macrocomputer, the at least one processor further including a plurality of separate processor hardware modules operatively connected to said memory of the at least one processor, said modules including a communication module, at least one switching module, an administrative module and a knowledge module; and

hardware, firmware and software operatively connected by a data bus in said processor hardware modules to enable the modules to perform at least the following functions;

(i.) for the communication module, to control data communications between the other modules, the main memory and said at least one processor, so that they effectively communicate with one another and to receive the input medical problem;

(ii.) for said at least one switching module, to select and switch between selected information required by a process for solving a particular problem;

(iii.) for the administrative module, to perform housekeeping functions, including multi-tasking control to allocate the medical resources, and real-time multi-tasking and scheduling of the tasks; and

(iv.) for the knowledge module, to operate knowledge processing functions on the medical and patient information to generate a medical problem instruction for generating the solution and to store the medical and patient information in said medical data banks; and

wherein at least one of the medical data banks of the macrocomputer and the processor of the microcomputer are configured to receiver the medical problem instruction for execution of macroscopic and microscopic functions in the respective memory thereof to macroscopically and microscopically generate the solution to the medical problem.

2. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 wherein the processor further includes a general patient database connected to at least one of said memory and said processor hardware modules for the processor hardware modules to perform the respective functions using general patient information stored in the general patient database.

3. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 wherein the processor further includes a plurality of physician-based, remotely located physician access point units connected to said processor for operating the processor from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus.

4. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 wherein said medical data banks include a plurality of subareas of knowledge, and said knowledge module includes a plurality of subprocesses, and said communication module has software to further control communication between the subareas of the medical data banks and the knowledge module and to control the subprocesses as they pertain to an input medical problem and to systematically organize inputs and outputs of the subprocesses to execute the medical instruction to generate a medical knowledge diagnosis as the solution for the input medical problem.

5. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 4 wherein the software for the communication module selects and collates subprocesses of the knowledge module and the data from the medical data banks toward solving a particular medical query.

6. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 wherein at least one additional processor is connected to said memory and said modules to provide additional processing of the medical and patient information.

7. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 further including a plurality of remotely located patient access point units connected to said processor for operating the processor from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus by patients for predetermined purposes.

8. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 further including:

a plurality of testing facilities; and

a services facilities unit connected to the testing facilities and the processor by the data bus and including an input/output device to receive and send output and input information and commands from said processor to provide patient and patient-related testing results from the plurality of testing facilities to a user.

9. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 1 wherein the processor is connected to at least a second identical processor to be a plurality of processors with memories and with a plurality of sets of said modules and said plurality of processors are linked together to establish a processor net.

10. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 9 further including a plurality of general patient databases, each of said plurality of general patient databases being connected to at least one of said plurality of processors for the processor hardware modules of each respective processor to perform the respective functions using general patient information stored in the general patient databases.

11. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 9 further including a plurality of physicians based, remotely located physician access point units connected to said processors for operating the processor from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus.

12. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 9 further including a plurality of remotely located patient access point units connected to said processors for operating from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus by patients for predetermined purposes.

13. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 9 further including a plurality of services facilities units connected to the processor to receive and send output and input information and commands from said processors to provide patient and patient-related testing results to user.

14. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 9 further including a plurality of separate integrated services digital networks connected to said processor net for providing digital communications thereupon for supporting separate medically related functions.

15. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said integrated services digital networks includes a drug and device vendor net for providing drug and medical device information to the processor.

16. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said integrated services digital networks includes a service facilities net for accessing service facilities connected to the processor.

17. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said integrated services digital networks includes a medical knowledge net for accessing medical knowledge banks connected to the processor.

18. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said integrated services digital networks includes an initial patient screening net for accessing initial patient screening facilities connected to the processor.

19. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said integrated services digital networks includes a physical access net connected to the processor.

20. The hospital-based integrated medical computer system of claim 14 wherein at least one of said integrated services digital networks includes a plurality of general patient databases for the processor hardware modules of each respective processor to perform the respective functions using general patient information stored in the general patient databases and retrieved using the at least one integrated services digital network .

21. A method of operating a hospital-based integrated medical computer system for processing medical and patient information involving a plurality of tasks and allocation of a plurality of medical resources and for generating medical knowledge, diagnoses and prognoses as solutions to an input medical problem, the method comprising the steps of:

storing medical information in a macrocomputer having a network of medical data banks having memory;

operating at least one processor of a microcomputer, which includes a memory for storing medical information, the at least one processor connected to the network of medical data banks and a plurality of separate processor hardware modules operatively connected to said memory of the at least one processor, said modules including a communication module, at least one switching module, an administrative module and a knowledge module;

operating hardware, firmware and software operatively connected by a data bus in said processor hardware modules to perform at least the following functions;

(i.) for the communication module, controlling data communications between the other modules, the main memory and said at least one processor, so that they effectively communicate with one another;

(ii.) for said at least one switching module, selecting and switching between selected information as required by a process for solving a particular problem;

(iii.) for the administrative module, performing housekeeping functions, including multi-tasking control to allocate the medical resources, and real-time multi-tasking and scheduling of the tasks; and

(iv.) for the knowledge module, operating knowledge processing functions on the medical and patient information to generate a medical problem instruction for generating the solution and to store the medical and patient information in said medical data banks;

receiving the medical problem instruction in at least one of the medical data banks and the processor;

executing the medical problem instruction in the respective memory thereof of the at least one of the medical data banks, ad the processor by respectively executing macroscopic and microscopic functions; and

macroscopically and microscopically generating the solution to the medical problem.

22. The method of claim 21 further including the step of storing medical and patient information in a general patient database connected to at least one of said memory and said processor hardware modules.

23. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:

providing a plurality of physician-based, remotely located physician access point units connected to said processor for; and

operating the processor from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus.

24. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:

providing medical data banks including a plurality of subareas of knowledge, and said knowledge module includes a plurality of subprocesses, and said communication module has software;

controlling control communication between the subareas of the medical data banks and the knowledge module and to control the subprocesses as they pertain to a particular medical problem;

systematically organizing inputs and outputs of the subprocesses; and

executing the medical instruction to generate a medical knowledge diagnosis as the solution for the input medical problem.

25. The method of claim 24 further including the steps of:

controlling the software for the communication module to select and collate subprocesses of the knowledge module and the data from the medical data banks; and

solving a particular medical query.

26. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:

providing a plurality of remotely located patient access point units connected to said processor; and

operating the processor from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus by patients for predetermined purposes.

27. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:

providing a services facilities unit to receive and send output and input information and commands from said processor; and

providing patient and patient-related testing results to a user for accessing service facilities connected to the processor.

28. The method of claim 21 further including the steps of:

providing at least a second identical processor connected to form a plurality of processors with memories and with a plurality of sets of said modules; and

operating and linking together said plurality of processors to establish a processor net.

29. The method of claim 28 further including the steps of:

providing a plurality of remotely located patient access point units connected to said processors; and

operating the processor from remote sources using the processor hardware modules connected to the processor by the data bus by patients for predetermined purposes.

30. The method of claim 29 further including the steps of:

providing individual patient identification cards to patient users;

providing predetermined individual patient information to patient users;

operating the processor to receive input from said patent identification cards and said patient users; and

outputting the individual patient information from the processor to said patient users.

31. The method of claim 29 further including the steps of:

arranging the patient access point units in a hierarchy; and

operating the processor to direct patient users to alternative patient access point units up or down the aforesaid hierarchy when the processor receives preselected types and levels of input data.