Systems and methods for refining identification of clinical study candidates

• US 8,032,545 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Setimi, Philip D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIE, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US11/561,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/713
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for refining the identification of study candidates. In an embodiment, the method may include receiving a plurality of clinical conditions at a user interface. The conditions may generally be tied to codified terms in electronic medical patient records. The method may also include receiving parameters for tailoring a search of electronic medical data for the clinical conditions. For example, the parameters may weight the conditions and may include ranking the conditions, determining whether the conditions are mandatory for the pool, and determining a percentage deviation for numerical ranges. The method may also include executing an optimization function to create a pool according to the specified conditions and parameters. The method may also include displaying the pool in an order from the most optimal results to the least optimal results.

Claims

1. A method for searching codified electronic medical data to identify a pool of potential study candidates, said method comprising:

receiving a plurality of conditions at a user interface;

determining whether said condition is mandatory or optional;

receiving a plurality of parameters for tailoring a search of said codified electronic medical data, said parameters being used to assign a weight to said optional conditions; and

,

searching said codified electronic medical data to create said pool of identifiable candidates according to whether said condition is mandatory and rank said optional weighted conditions in order from optimal to less optimal said identifiable candidates according to said optional weighted conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the step of displaying said pool of candidates in order from the most optimal results to the least optimal results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditions correspond with codified terms of said codified electronic medical data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameters include ranking the conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameters include a designation of mandatory conditions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameters include determining a deviation for numerical ranges.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditions and parameters are based on a predetermined study type.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said parameters include determining a deviation for geographical ranges.

9. The method of claim 1, further including allowing a user to select a sub-set of said pool of candidates to retrieve contact information for said sub-set.

10. The method of claim 1, further including allowing a user to select a sub-set of said pool of candidates to retrieve electronic medical records for said sub-set.

11. A system for identifying a pool of potential study participants, said system comprising:

a user interface for allowing input of conditions and parameters, said condition is designated mandatory or optional;

said parameters being used to assign a weight to said optional conditions;

a data storage for storing codified electronic medical data; and

,

a computer unit for executing computer software to search said codified electronic medical data according to said designated mandatory conditions and weighted optional conditions and creating a pool of identifiable candidates and ranking in order from optimal to less optimal said identifiable candidates according to said optional weighted conditions.

12. The system of claim 11, further including a display unit for displaying said pool of candidates in order from the most optimal results to the least optimal results.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface facilitates inviting one or more of the pool of potential study participants to participate in a clinical study.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said user interface further includes an input for a predetermined study type.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said data storage includes a database of predetermined study types.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said each predetermined study type in said database is associated with a set of conditions and parameters.

17. A computer readable medium having a set of instructions for execution by a computer, said set of instructions comprising:

an input routine for receiving a plurality of conditions;

an identifying routine for identifying whether a specific condition is designated mandatory or optional;

a selection routine for selecting a condition that is designated mandatory;

a ranking routine for ranking said optional conditions; and

an assignment routine for optionally assigning an acceptable percentage or absolute integer deviation for said optional condition having a numerical ranges.

18. The set of instructions of claim 17, further including a search routine for searching codified electronic medical data to create a pool of candidates according to said conditions, said rank of said conditions, said designation as mandatory, and if present, a deviation for numerical ranges.

19. The set of instruction of claim 18, further including a display routine for displaying said pool of candidates in order from the most optimal results to the least optimal results.

20. The set of instructions of claim 18, further including a selection routine for selecting a sub-set of said pool of candidates to retrieve further information for said sub-set.