Medical support system

• US 8,301,465 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Janas, John J. III, Thompson, John Robert, Lustig, Michael Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): RANGREJ, SHEETAL
• Application Number:
  US13/324,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A medical support system and method for performing at least one medical support process relating to diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition and that includes or employs medical records relating to patients and medical support databases including medical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of a medical condition. A medical support process includes one or more process phases. Each process phase includes one or more process operations wherein each of the process operations of a process phase includes one or more process forms providing interfaces between a user and the process operations. The medical records and the guidelines are to execute an interactive dialogue between the medical support process and the user to provide guidance to the user in performing the medical support process according to the guidelines and dependent upon the user inputs and the medical record.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to provide support for a medical practitioner performing at least one of diagnosis and treatment of a patient'"'"'s medical condition, the method comprising:

selecting a patient condition for management based on at least one evidence-based clinical practice guideline;

reviewing, using a processor, evidence-based studies and clinical practice guidelines to form a starting point for medical support with respect to the selected patient condition;

reviewing an existing workflow for the selected patient condition;

creating, using a processor, a modified workflow, associated decision support and one or more outcome study metrics based on the reviewed evidence-based studies and clinical practice guidelines and the existing workflow;

developing, using a processor, a guideline-assisted medical support process based on the modified workflow, associated decision support and one or more outcome study metrics to address the selected patient condition; and

providing, using a processor, the guideline-assisted medical support process to a user for usage and review;

providing, using a processor, an interactive dialogue between the guideline-assisted medical support process and the medical practitioner to provide guidance to the user, based on the identified recommendation, in performing the guideline-assisted medical support process according to the guidelines and dependent upon input from the user, the patient'"'"'s medical record, and the medical guidelines;

accepting an override of the guidance provided to the user; and

receiving and translating, using a bi-directional dialect translator, between preferred dialect medical terms entered by the user and corresponding equivalent but different standard medical terms employed in a plurality of data sources, and, conversely, bi-directionally translating the standard medical terms employed by the plurality of data sources into the preferred dialect medical terms originally entered and used by the medical practitioner for display to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein review further comprises a continuous review of the guideline-assisted medical support process based at least in part on information from one or more users of the guideline-assisted medical support process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein guidelines and recommendations included in the guideline-assisted medical support process are reviewed from available sources and changes incorporated into the guideline-assisted medical support process.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically reviewing and modifying the guideline-assisted medical support process.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a series of if-then-else recommendations to refine the guideline-assisted medical support process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein developing a guideline-assisted medical support process further comprises:

developing a shell medical support process;

selecting decision support prompts to assist in the guideline-assisted medical support process and incorporating into the shell medical support process;

evaluating and testing the shell medical support process with incorporated decision support prompts to form the guideline-assisted medical support process.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a plurality of data sources, using a processor, to retrieve a patient'"'"'s medical record and medical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions according to medical professional guidelines;

and

automatically identifying, using a processor, a recommendation of at least one of a diagnosis and a treatment for the patient, utilizing data from the patient'"'"'s medical record and medical guidelines, in support of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting, via the interactive dialogue, input from the user upon an override of the guidance by the medical practitioner, the requested input including a reason for the override of the guidance.

9. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed, instruct a processor to implement a method to provide support for a medical practitioner performing at least one of diagnosis and treatment of a patient'"'"'s medical condition, the method comprising:

selecting a patient condition for management based on at least one evidence-based clinical practice guideline;

reviewing evidence-based studies and clinical practice guidelines to form a starting point for medical support with respect to the selected patient condition;

reviewing an existing workflow for the selected patient condition;

creating a modified workflow, associated decision support and one or more outcome study metrics based on the

reviewed evidence-based studies and clinical practice guidelines and the existing workflow;

developing a guideline-assisted medical support process based on the modified workflow, associated decision support and one or more outcome study metrics to address the selected patient condition; and

providing the guideline-assisted medical support process to a user for usage and review;

providing an interactive dialogue between the guideline-assisted medical support process and the medical practitioner to provide guidance to the user, based on the identified recommendation, in performing the guideline-assisted medical support process according to the guidelines and dependent upon input from the user, the patient'"'"'s medical record, and the medical guidelines;

accepting an override of the guidance provided to the user; and

receiving and translating, using a bi-directional dialect translator, between preferred dialect medical terms entered by the user and corresponding equivalent but different standard medical terms employed in a plurality of data sources, and, conversely, bi-directionally translating the standard medical terms employed by the plurality of data sources into the preferred dialect medical terms originally entered and used by the medical practitioner for display to the user.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein review further comprises a continuous review of the guideline-assisted medical support process based at least in part on information from one or more users of the guideline-assisted medical support process.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein guidelines and recommendations included in the guideline-assisted medical support process are reviewed from available sources and changes incorporated into the guideline-assisted medical support process.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising periodically reviewing and modifying the guideline-assisted medical support process.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising providing a series of if-then-else recommendations to refine the guideline-assisted medical support process.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein developing a guideline-assisted medical support process further comprises:

developing a shell medical support process;

selecting decision support prompts to assist in the guideline-assisted medical support process and incorporating into the shell medical support process;

evaluating and testing the shell medical support process with incorporated decision support prompts to form the guideline-assisted medical support process.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising accessing a plurality of data sources to retrieve a patient'"'"'s medical record and medical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions according to medical professional guidelines;

and

automatically identifying a recommendation of at least one of a diagnosis and a treatment for the patient, utilizing data from the patient'"'"'s medical record and medical guidelines, in support of the user.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising requesting, via the interactive dialogue, input from the user upon an override of the guidance by the medical practitioner, the requested input including a reason for the override of the guidance.