Documentation of protocol orders

• US 8,224,671 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nedblake, Ginger H., Hoffman, Mark A., Power, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rines, David
• Application Number:
  US11/967,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 705 7- 10
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• 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: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Computerized methods and systems for creating and documenting protocol orders in a molecular diagnostic laboratory environment are provided. Utilizing the methods and systems described herein, protocol statements may require values to be entered in association therewith prior to permitting access to subsequent protocol orders. Accordingly, more accurate test runs and, consequently, more accurate test results, may be achieved. Additionally, as values associated with protocol statements are electronically captured, in accordance with embodiments hereof, such values may be searched to evaluate trends or identify protocol orders and/or results that may be affected by a later discovered error or the like.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for documenting process-related information, the method comprising:

receiving user-defined input specifying one or more process-related data elements as being associated with at least one result to be reported that is derived from at least one patient specimen, wherein the user-defined input allows the at least one result derived from the at least one patient specimen to be reported absent the one or more process-related data elements upon receiving user input to override the prevention thereof;

receiving user-defined input identifying a predefined value threshold for a value of each of the one or more process-related data elements;

receiving an indication that the at least one patient specimen has been collected;

receiving an indication of the at least one result that is to be derived from the at least one patient specimen;

determining one or more process-related data elements associated with the at least one result to be derived from the at least one patient specimen, wherein the one or more process-related data elements represent steps documented with respect to the at least one specimen subsequent to receiving the indication of the at least one result that is to be derived from the at least one patient specimen and prior to deriving the at least one result;

receiving documentation of a first value for a first process-related data element of the one or more process-related data elements;

determining whether the first value for the first process-related data element is valid based on a sequence of values for the one or more process-related data elements, wherein determining whether the first value for the first process-related data element is valid based on the sequence of values for the one or more process-related data elements includes;

determining whether the sequence of values for the one or more process-related data elements includes at least one initial value for at least one of the one or more process-related data elements to receive prior to the first value;

determining whether the initial value for at least one of the one or more process-related data elements has been received; and

upon determining that the initial value for at least one of the one or more process-related data elements has not been received, presenting an invalid sequence notification indicating that the first value is invalid due to the absence of the initial value; and

determining whether the value for each of the one or more process-related data elements has been received,

wherein upon determining that the value for each of the one or more process-related data elements has been received, reporting the at least one result.

2. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein upon determining that the value for the one or more process-related data elements has not been received, the method further comprises determining whether reporting of the at least one result is permitted absent the value for the one or more process-related data elements, wherein reporting of the at least one result is permitted upon identifying that user input to override the prevention thereof has been received.

3. The one or more computer storage media of claim 2, wherein upon determining that the reporting of the at least one result is not permitted absent the value for the one or more process-related data elements, the method further comprises generating a notification indicating that the value for the one or more process-related data elements is absent.

4. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising presenting a user interface having at least one field for receiving input of the one or more process-related data elements, wherein determining whether the one or more process-related data elements has been received comprises determining whether the one or more process-related data elements has been input into the at least one field.

5. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing at least one of the one or more process-related data elements and the at least one result in association with an electronic record associated with the patient from whom the specimen has been collected.

6. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

storing the user-defined process-related data elements in association with an indication of the at least one result; and

accessing the stored user-defined process-related data elements upon receiving the indication of the at least one result that is to be derived from the at least one patient specimen.

7. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein determining whether the value for the one or more required process-related data elements has been received includes determining whether a received value for the at least one of the one or more process-related data elements satisfies the predefined value threshold, and wherein the predefined value threshold includes a minimum value, a maximum value, a value range, or a combination thereof.

8. The one or more computer storage media of claim 7, wherein upon determining that the received value for the at least one of the one or more process-related data elements does not satisfy the predefined value threshold, the method further comprises generating a first notification indicating that the value for the at least one of the one or more process-related data elements failed to satisfy the predefined value threshold.

9. The one or more computer storage media of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining if the collected patient specimen is to be utilized to derive at least one additional result, wherein the collected patient specimen is to be utilized to derive at least one additional result upon identifying a user input that indicates the collected patient specimen is to be utilized to derive at least one additional result, and

wherein upon determining that the collected patient specimen is to be utilized to derive at least one additional result, based upon the user input thereof, the method further comprises determining if the at least one additional result is affected by the value for the at least one of the one or more process-related data elements that failed to satisfy the predefined value threshold.

10. The one or more computer storage media of claim 9, wherein upon determining that the at least one additional result is affected by the value for the at least one of the one or more process-related data elements that failed to satisfy the predefined value threshold, the method further comprises generating a second notification indicating the at least one of the process-related data elements for which the value failed to satisfy the predefined value threshold and the at least one additional result that is affected.

11. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for documenting process-related information, the method comprising:

receiving user-defined input specifying one or more process-related data elements as being associated with at least one result to be reported that is derived from at least one patient specimen;

receiving an indication that the at least one patient specimen has been collected;

receiving an indication of the at least one result that is to be derived from the at least one patient specimen;

determining one or more process-related data elements associated with the at least one result to be derived from the at least one patient specimen, wherein the one or more process-related data elements represent steps documented with respect to the at least one specimen subsequent to receiving the indication of the at least one result that is to be derived from the at least one patient specimen and prior to deriving the at least one result;

validating the one or more process-related data elements based on;

receiving a value for each of the one or more process-related data elements required to report the at least one result;

determining that the received values satisfy a predefined value threshold; and

determining that a sequence of received values for the one or more process-related data elements is valid based on a predefined sequence of values for the one or more process-related data elements, wherein determining whether the first value for the first process-related data element is valid based on the predefined sequence of values for the one or more process-related data elements includes;

determining whether the predefined sequence of values for the one or more process-related data elements includes at least one initial value for at least one of the one or more process-related data elements to receive prior to the received values;

determining whether the initial value for at least one of the one or more process-related data elements has been received; and

upon determining that the initial value for at least one of the one or more process-related data elements has not been received, presenting an invalid sequence notification indicating that the first value is invalid due to the absence of the initial value; and

upon validating the one or more process-related data elements, reporting the at least one result.