System and method for improved surgical workflow development

• US 7,371,068 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2004
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker European Operations Holdings, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Stern, Gregory David, Kienzle, Thomas C., Lea, Jon Thomas, Lloyd, Charles Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saadat; Cameron
• Application Number:
  US10/896,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 434/262, 715/751
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/901 Method of manufacturing prosthetic device

Abstract

A system and method for an improved surgical workflow development includes creating and editing a modifiable module used to direct a medical procedure through a sequence of images and functions included in the module. A plurality of users may review and/or evaluate the module to determine what, if any, edits to the module are required. Evaluations of the module may include a research evaluation, a cadaver evaluation or a clinical evaluation. A scripting tool may be used to create or edit the module, where the scripting tool includes a computer programming software application. The module may be stored on a computer-readable memory accessible by a plurality of computers and/or display devices connected to a network. In this way, the system and method provide for rapid dynamic development of surgical workflows contained in modules.

Claims

1. An improved surgical workflow development method including:

storing at least one module, said module including a sequence of images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions for directing one or more steps in a medical procedure;

editing said module to create a modified module by at least one of adding, removing and modifying at least one of said images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions; and

dynamically modifying said modified module based on user feedback;

wherein said editing employs a scripting tool, wherein said module includes a tag indicating whether said module is approved for clinical use.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said storing, editing and dynamically modifying steps occurs by at least one user accessing at least one of said module and said modified module through a network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said network is the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing step includes storing said module on a computer readable memory.

5. The method of claim 1, further including loading at least one of said module and said modified module on a display device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said dynamically modifying step includes at least one user modifying said modified module based on at least a user preference.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said editing step occurs during the performance of said medical procedure.

8. The method of claim 1, further including verifying an editorial level of a user to prevent unauthorized modification of said module.

9. An improved surgical workflow development system including:

a module including a sequence of images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions for directing one or more steps in a medical procedure;

a modified module created by editing said module by at least one of adding, removing and modifying at least one of said images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions; and

at least one user dynamically modifying said modified module based on user feedback;

wherein said editing employs a scripting tool, wherein said module includes a tag indicating whether said module is approved for clinical use.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said user modifies said modified module by accessing at least one of said module and said modified module through a network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said network is the Internet.

12. The system of claim 9, further including a computer readable memory for storing at least one of said module and said modified module.

13. The system of claim 9, further including a display device for loading at least one of said module and said modified module.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said user modifies said modified module based on at least a user preference.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein said modified module is modified during the performance of said medical procedure.

16. An improved surgical workflow development distribution and updating method including:

creating a module that includes a sequence of computer-readable images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions for directing a medical procedure;

communicating said module through a network to a plurality of evaluation groups;

editing said module to create a module update by at least one of adding, removing and modifying at least one of said images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions, wherein said editing can occur concurrently by at least two of said plurality of evaluation groups; and

communicating said module update through said network to at least one of said plurality of evaluation groups;

wherein said editing employs a scripting tool, wherein said module includes a tag indicating whether said module is approved for clinical use.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least one of said communicating steps includes at least one of said evaluation groups having a permission to receive at least one of said module and said module update.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said network includes the Internet.

19. The method of claim 16, further including loading at least one of said module and said module update on a display device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said module update includes at least one of an error correction and an improvement.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said plurality of evaluation groups includes a vendor group.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein said plurality of evaluation groups includes a cadaver evaluation platform and at least one of a research evaluation platform and a clinical evaluation platform.

23. An improved surgical workflow development method including:

storing at least one module, said module including a sequence of images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions for directing one or more steps in a medical procedure;

editing said module to create a modified module by at least one of adding, removing and modifying at least one of said images, videos, audio messages, text, modules, and/or functions; and

dynamically modifying said modified module based on user feedback;

wherein said editing employs a scripting tool, wherein said editing step includes adding a tag to said module indicating that said module is no longer approved for clinical use.