System and method for collecting, organizing and presenting research-oriented medical information

• US 7,512,541 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Children's Mercy Hospital
• Original Assignee: Children's Mercy Hospital
• Inventors: Tarrants, Marcy L., Stroup, Richard, Dennis, Pamela A., Lofland, Gary K., O'Brien, James E. Jr., Grist, Gary E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis; Alicia M
• Application Number:
  US11/340,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and computer program manages medical research study information and laboratory test result information. The program generates an interactive user interface with elements for setting up a study (702), managing study member information (704), managing patient information (706), receiving and displaying comments (708), and configuring data to be stored in a database associated with the research study (710). The program also receives medical event information from a user and laboratory test result information from a laboratory information system (20d), and generates a chart (934) that correlates the test results and the medical events. The program also receives a normal range pertaining to a test result from the laboratory information system (20d) and provides a normal range indicator (952) for the test result.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for organizing and presenting information relating to medical research studies, the computer program including:

a study setup code segment for presenting a user interface that receives new study information from a user and sets up the new study in a computer system, wherein the new study information includes study type, study status, enrollment status, IIRB information, a project description, project goals, inclusion criteria, and exclusion criteria;

a members code segment for adding members to a study, removing members from the study, and indicating a role for each member, wherein member roles are chosen from the group consisting of primary investigator, study coordinator, sub-investigator, and inactive;

a patients code segment for adding new patients to a study, presenting study patient information for review, removing patients from the study, and indicating a status of each patient, wherein each patient'"'"'s status is chosen from the group consisting of inactive, excluded, and expired, and wherein each patient is assigned an non-traceable patient identification number and identified by the identification number in study;

a study comments code segment for receiving comments from members of the study, storing the comments, editing the comments, and presenting the comments for review, wherein each comment is assigned a receiving date, a status, a responsible member, and a priority;

a study parameters code segment for configuring data to be stored in a database associated with the research study;

a view user studies code segment for determining a current program user presenting for review a list of all studies that the user is a member of, and presenting detailed information relating to a study selected by the user from the list of studies; and

a view all studies code segment for presenting for review a list of all studies maintained by the program and preventing the user from viewing detailed information relating to a study.

2. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises an events code segment for receiving event information from the user, wherein the event information includes a date of the event.

3. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 2, wherein the computer program further comprises a laboratory communications code segment for maintaining a communications link with a laboratory information system and for electronically receiving a laboratory test result from a laboratory information system, wherein the test result includes a date of the test and a value of the result.

4. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 2, wherein the computer program further comprises a chart code segment for creating a laboratory test results chart, wherein the chart includes a visual indication of the value of the test result and a visual indication of the date of the event relative to the date of the test.