User-centric methodology for navigating through and accessing databases of medical information management system

• US 8,055,514 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Elsholz, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunham; Jason B
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALTSCHUL, AMBER L
• Application Number:
  US11/274,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20070022086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,184 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A contextually sensitive, user-centric database navigation and accessing software methodology controls navigation through and access to database domains of a medical (e.g., cardiovascular) image and information management system in accordance with the specific role of the user. Being user-centric, rather than patient-centric, the routine is operative to display to a user, upon logging on, a homepage that specifically pertains to the user'"'"'s area of responsibility, with the information being displayed containing a contextual list of options that are germane to the user'"'"'s workflow. This facilitates the ability of the user to rapidly navigate through and access one or more data domains specifically relevant to responsibilities and functions of the user, thereby improving the user'"'"'s efficiency and reducing the time to complete a task.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium comprising a user-centric application software routine which is executable on a system for storage and retrieval of medical information, and enables a user to navigate through and access data domains of said system, when said routine is executed on said system performs the acts of:

(a) storing, for a first class and a second class of users of said system, plurality of user task-based database navigation subroutines which, when executed by said users, is configured to display, on a workstation of said users, one or more database information screens through which said users may navigate through and gain access to one or more selected database domains of said system; and

(b) in response to a first user of said first class logging on to said system, displaying, on the workstation a first image-containing information elements associated with first tasks that may be carried out by the first class of the users;

(c) in response to a second user of said second class logging on to said system, displaying, on the workstation a second image-containing information elements associated with second tasks that may be carried out by the second class of the users, the first image-containing information elements being different from the second image-containing information elements;

wherein the first image-containing information elements have a first workflow to be followed by said first user, and wherein the second image-containing information elements have a second workflow to be followed by said second user in navigating through said one or more database domains, access to which is associated with executing a given task, the first workflow being different from the second workflow.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said system comprises a cardiovascular image and information management system.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said first class or said second class of the users include at least one of a physician, a holding area nurse, a clinician, a scheduler, an information technologist, a system administrator, a department administrator, a registry nurse, and a chief executive.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said first task or said second task includes at least one of scheduling, generating reports, statistics, broken study tools, patient locator/search tools, registries/research datapoints, system status monitoring, and audit logs.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said first and second image-containing information elements comprise a contextual list of image elements that specify said first and second tasks, respectively.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein, in response to first image-containing information elements displayed in act (b) being selected by said first user, causing execution of a respective one of said user task-based database navigation subroutines associated with the first class of the users, so as to enable said first user to navigate through one or more database domains, access to which is associated with executing a task carried out by the first class of the users.

7. A computer readable medium comprising a user-centric application software routine which is executable on a system for storage and retrieval of medical information, for enabling a first user, who belongs to a first class of a plurality of different classes of users of said system and a second user, who belongs to a second class of the plurality of the different classes of the users of said system, to navigate through said system, and to access data domains thereof that contain information that may be required by said first and second users to complete performance of first functions and second functions, respectively, when said routine is executed on said system performs the acts of:

(a) in response to said first user logging on to said system, displaying, on a workstation of said first user, user function-representative first information elements, associated with the first functions that may be carried out by the first class of users, the first information elements having an associated first workflow to be followed by said first user in the course of navigating through a first set of the data domains, access to which is associated with the performance of the first functions by said first user;

(b) in response to a first information element displayed in act (a) being selected by said first user, causing the execution of a first user-centric database navigation subroutine that is operative to enable said first user to navigate through the first set of the data domains, and access therefrom information required by said first user in the course of the performance of the first functions; and

(c) in response to a second user logging on to said system, displaying a second information element, and in response to selection by the second user of the second information element causing the execution of a second user-centric database navigation subroutine that is operative to enable said second user to navigate through a second set of the data domains, and access therefrom information required by said second user in the course of the performance of the second functions;

wherein the first image-containing information elements have a first workflow to be followed by said first user, and wherein the second image-containing information elements have a second workflow to be followed by said second user in navigating through the second set of the data domains; and

wherein the first image-containing information elements are different from the second image-containing information elements, and the first workflow is different from the second workflow.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said system comprises a cardiovascular image and information management system.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said first class or said second class include a physician, a holding area nurse, a clinician, a scheduler, an information technologist, a system administrator, a department administrator, a registry nurse, and a chief executive.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first functions or the second function includes scheduling, generating reports, statistics, broken study tools, patient locator/search tools, registries/research datapoints, system status monitoring, and audit logs.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said function-representative information elements comprise a contextual list of image elements that specify said first functions and said second functions, respectively.