Infection control management and workflow system

• US 7,908,153 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Scherpbier, Harm Jacob, Koetter, Laura
• Primary Examiner(s): GILLIGAN, CHRISTOPHER L
• Application Number:
  US11/956,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• 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 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A system identifies multiple medical conditions, observations, and laboratory test results using active sensors and predetermined rules to identify infected patients. An infection control and workflow management system includes a repository of worker information identifying healthcare workers for performing infection control tasks as well as worker associated communication data for use in informing healthcare workers of infection control tasks to be performed. A detection processor automatically detects infection in patients from multiple different sources including from at least one of, (a) a medical record evaluated upon admission of a patient to a hospital and (b) a laboratory test result. A workflow processor uses the worker information for automatically communicating a message to inform a healthcare worker of a task to be performed to initiate infection control tasks using communication data in response to detection of an infected patient.

Claims

1. An infection control and workflow management system, comprising:

a repository including worker information identifying healthcare workers for performing infection control tasks as well as worker associated communication data for use in informing healthcare workers of infection control tasks to be performed;

at least one processing device comprising,

a detection processor for automatically detecting infection in patients from data in at least one of, (a) a patient medical record accessed upon admission of a patient to a hospital and (b) a laboratory test result; and

a workflow processor including

an event monitor for identifying events comprising detection of infection, using data from a hospital information system, said workflow processor

using said worker information for automatically communicating a message to inform a healthcare worker of a task to be performed to initiate infection control tasks of an infection control process using communication data in response to at least one of, the detection of an infected patient and the identified event and

automatically tracking different concurrent infection control processes for corresponding different patients and determining steps to be executed next by at least one of said healthcare workers.

2. A system according to claim 1, including

a repository including data identifying clinicians, rooms and equipment potentially infected as a result of infection of said patient wherein

said infection control tasks include patient isolation procedures and

said detection processor automatically detects infection in patients from patient medical record data by searching the medical record for a history of infections.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said detection processor automatically detects infection in patients from data provided by an infection detection sensor located in a hospital.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said message informing said healthcare worker of said task to be performed to initiate infection control tasks comprises a message for adding a task to a worker task list and including

a repository including data identifying clinicians, rooms and equipment potentially infected as a result of infection of said patient and

said workflow processor communicates a message to inform a healthcare worker of a task to be performed to initiate isolation of one or more of said clinicians, rooms and equipment.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said workflow processor automatically communicates a plurality of messages to inform a corresponding plurality of healthcare workers of tasks to be performed to initiate infection control in response to detection of an infected patient.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein

said plurality of messages comprise messages adding tasks to worker task lists prompting workers to initiate infection control in response to detection of an infected patient.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein

said plurality of healthcare workers comprise at least one of, (a) a nurse, (b) a physician, (c) a central supplies manager, (d) an infection control coordinator and (e) a cleaning and disinfection worker.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein

said workflow processor executes in response to predetermined process definitions to determine tasks to add to a worker task list and manage processes responsive to events comprising detection of infection in a patient based on,

a) said record accessed upon admission of said patient to said hospital and

(b) said laboratory test result.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said workflow processor includes an event monitor for substantially continuously monitoring for events comprising an infection test result identifying a predetermined particular type of infection.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein

said workflow processor tracks different concurrent infection control processes for corresponding different patients and steps to be executed next in response to a process definition.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said workflow processor automatically communicates a message to add workers to implement infection control tasks in response to detection of an infected patient.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said detection processor automatically detects an indication a patient is not infected in response to a laboratory test result and

said workflow processor automatically communicates a message to inform a healthcare worker infection control procedures for a patient may be terminated in response to detection of said indication said patient is not infected.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said detection processor automatically detects infection from data indicating patient medical conditions and clinical observations.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said repository includes data identifying clinicians, rooms and equipment potentially infected as a result of infection of said patient and

said workflow processor communicates a message to inform a healthcare worker of a task to be performed to initiate isolation of one or more of said clinicians, rooms and equipment.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein

said repository includes data identifying locations of rooms and equipment and

said workflow processor communicates a message to inform a healthcare worker of said locations.

16. An infection control and workflow management system, comprising:

a repository including worker information identifying healthcare workers for performing infection control tasks as well as worker associated communication data for use in informing healthcare workers of infection control tasks to be performed;

at least one processing device comprising,

a detection processor for automatically detecting patient infection events comprising (a) generation of a record indicating patient infection upon admission of a patient to a hospital and (b) receiving a laboratory test result indicating patient infection; and

a workflow processor for automatically executing in response to predetermined process definitions to determine infection control tasks and using said worker information for communicating messages to add determined infection control tasks to worker task lists, said workflow processor substantially continuously monitoring for events comprising an infection test result identifying a predetermined particular type of infection and including

an event monitor for identifying events comprising detection of infection, using data from a hospital information system and

using said worker information for automatically communicating a message to inform a healthcare worker of a task to be performed to initiate infection control tasks of an infection control process using communication data in response to at least one of, the detection of an infected patient and the identified event and

automatically tracking different concurrent infection control processes for corresponding different patients and determining steps to be executed next by at least one of said healthcare workers.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said workflow processor manages infection control processes responsive to said events.

18. A system according to claim 16, including

an event monitor for detecting occurrence of said events based on received event associated data from a healthcare information system.

19. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said workflow processor executes in response to predetermined process definitions determining a sequence of process steps including two or more of, (a) start, (b) wait, (c) decision and (d) task allocation steps.

20. A system according to claim 16, wherein

said workflow processor executes in response to a predetermined process definition determining a sequence of process steps to add, a task to a worker task list and to remove a task from a worker task list.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein

said workflow task processor executes in response to a predetermined process definition determining a sequence of process steps to modify a task on a worker task list.

22. An infection control and workflow management system, comprising:

a repository including worker information identifying healthcare workers for performing infection control tasks as well as worker associated communication data for use in informing healthcare workers of infection control tasks to be performed;

at least one processing device comprising,

a detection processor for automatically detecting infection in patients from data in (a) a patient medical record and (b) a laboratory test result; and

a workflow processor for using said worker information for automatically communicating a message to add a task to a worker task list, said task being to implement an infection control procedure, using communication data in response to detection of an infected patient, said workflow processor substantially continuously monitoring for events comprising an infection test result identifying a predetermined particular type of infection and including

an event monitor for identifying events comprising detection of infection, using data from a hospital information system and

using said worker information for automatically communicating a message to inform a healthcare worker of a task to be performed to initiate infection control tasks of an infection control process using communication data in response to at least one of, the detection of an infected patient and the identified event and

automatically tracking different concurrent infection control processes for corresponding different patients and determining steps to be executed next by at least one of said healthcare workers.

23. A system according to claim 22, including

a repository including data identifying clinicians, rooms and equipment potentially infected as a result of infection of said patient wherein

said detection processor automatically detects infection in patients from a record generated upon admission of a patient to a hospital and

and said infection control procedure includes a patient isolation procedure.

24. A system according to claim 23, wherein

said detection processor automatically detects infection in patients from data from an infection detection sensor located in a hospital.