Medical information visualization assistant system and method

• US 8,645,164 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (Indiana University)
• Original Assignee: Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (Indiana University)
• Inventors: Faiola, Anthony, Hillier, Simon C.
• Primary Examiner(s): PAULS, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US12/789,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20110004071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 715/700, 600/509, 713/186, 707/10
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof

Abstract

Methods, systems, devices and/or apparatus related to displaying and visualizing medical information for facilitating effective analysis by medical professionals. Example systems for displaying medical information related to a human subject may include a computer system, server system(s), data monitoring device(s), electronic medical record/interoperability tool, medical information database(s) and a medical information visualization tool having an interface, software and management database(s). Such system may simultaneously output at least two medical parameters (relating to near real-time medical information and historical medical information) to a display device using the medical information visualization tool.

Claims

1. A system for displaying medical information related to a human subject, comprising:

a computer system;

one or more server systems in communication with the computer system;

one or more data monitoring devices providing at least near real-time medical information to the computer system and/or the one or more server systems;

one or more electronic medical records in communication with the one or more server systems, each electronic medical record being configured to store historical medical information associated with the human subject;

a medical information interoperability tool in communication with the one or more electronic medical records, the medical information interoperability tool configured to translate and transmit real-time and/or historical medical information among the one or more data monitoring devices, one or more electronic medical records and the one or more server systems; and

a medical information visualization tool stored on the one or more server systems and accessible by the computer system, the medical information visualization tool being configured to display at least near real-time medical information from the data monitoring devices and historical medical information from at least one of the electronic medical records and/or the medical information interoperability tool, the at least near real-time and historical medical information including medical parameters related to at least one of clinical data and human subject-generated data;

wherein the medical information visualization tool includes a touch-screen operated scrubber tool that is configured to select a particular time on a timeline and to display the historical medical information on a graph having a dynamically adjustable time period, the displayed historical medical information including numeric values that are representative of the medical parameters, wherein a particular time on the timeline is selected by touching the scrubber tool on the touch-screen and sliding the scrubber tool along the timeline to a corresponding location representative of the particular time being selected;

wherein the medical information visualization tool is configured to simultaneously display at least two parameters of the historical medical information and the at least near real-time medical information, the historical medical information being displayed on the graph having a dynamically adjustable time period; and

wherein the medical information visualization tool is configured to allow a healthcare clinician to select and view a range of physiological data parameters for a patient over a select time period, the range of physiological data parameters being selectable and viewable from at least one customizable perspective selected from the group consisting of a clinician specific perspective, a patient specific perspective and a medical condition specific perspective.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical information visualization tool is configured to be dynamically adjustable such that the at least two parameters of historical and at least near real-time medical information may be displayed in a customizable order.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two parameters of historical medical information and at least near real-time medical information are displayed in a vertical orientation.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more data monitoring devices includes one or more health monitoring devices temporarily affixed to the human subject, the one or more health monitoring devices adapted to continuously and/or intermittently monitor the medical parameters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the graph represents a particular medical parameter during a predetermined recent time period;

and

wherein the medical information visualization tool is further configured to simultaneously display real-time medical information as a numeric value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical information visualization tool includes a time resolution controller configured to select a time period in which the medical information is to be displayed.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the time resolution controller is further configured to select a start time and an end time that defines the time period.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical information visualization tool includes an icon tool controller configured to display at least one icon near the historical medical information being displayed, the at least one icon being associated with at least one of a medical treatment, a medical procedure and a medical test;

and

wherein the at least one icon is displayed at an approximate time that the medical treatment, medical procedure and/or medical test was performed.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a messaging system in communication with the one or more electronic medical records, the messaging system configured to provide at least one of inter-clinician textual communications and clinician note taking.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a report generation tool configured to generate one or more reports to be displayed, printed and/or transmitted, wherein the one or more reports include at least two parameters of the historical medical information and the at least near real-time medical information, the historical medical information being displayed on the graph.

11. A method of displaying medical information related to a human subject, the method comprising:

gathering medical information associated with the human subject from one or more data monitoring devices, the medical information including at least two medical parameters related to at least one of clinical data and human subject-generated data;

storing the medical information in one or more electronic medical records;

simultaneously displaying the at least two medical parameters using a medical information visualization tool, the medical information visualization tool being configured to simultaneously display at least near real-time medical information and historical medical information from the one or more electronic medical records, the historical medical information being displayed based, at least in part, on a first time period;

modifying the first time period that the historical medical information is to be displayed to define a second time period; and

simultaneously displaying the at least two medical parameters using the medical information visualization tool, the historical medical information being displayed based, at least in part, on the second time period;

wherein the medical information visualization tool includes a touch-screen operated scrubber tool that is configured to select a particular time on a timeline and to display the historical medical information on a graph having a dynamically adjustable time period, the displayed historical medical information including numeric values that are representative of the at least two medical parameters, wherein a particular time on the timeline is selected by touching the scrubber tool on the touch-screen and sliding the scrubber tool along the timeline to a corresponding location representative of the particular time being selected; and

wherein the medical information visualization tool is configured to allow a healthcare clinician to select and view a range of physiological data parameters for a patient over a select time period, the range of physiological data parameters being selectable and viewable from at least one customizable perspective selected from the group consisting of a clinician specific perspective, a patient specific perspective and a medical condition specific perspective.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the gathering step and storing steps are performed at a predetermined time interval.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adjusting the display order of the at least two medical parameters to be displayed using the medical information visualization tool; and

simultaneously displaying the at least two medical parameters in the adjusted display order using the medical information visualization tool.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, the instructions configured to perform the steps of:

receiving medical information associated with the human subject from one or more data monitoring devices, the medical information including at least two medical parameters related to at least one of clinical data and human subject-generated data;

storing the medical information in one or more electronic medical records;

simultaneously outputting the at least two medical parameters to a display device using a medical information visualization tool, the medical information visualization tool being configured to simultaneously display at least near real-time medical information and historical medical information from the one or more electronic medical records, the historical medical information being displayed based, at least in part, on a first time period;

modifying the first time period that the historical medical information is to be displayed to define a second time period; and

simultaneously outputting the at least two medical parameters to the display device using the medical information visualization tool, the historical medical information being displayed based, at least in part, on the second time period;

wherein the medical information visualization tool includes a touch-screen operated scrubber tool that is configured to select a particular time on a timeline and to display the historical medical information on a graph having a dynamically adjustable time period, the displayed historical medical information including numeric values that are representative of the at least two medical parameters, wherein a particular time on the timeline is selected by touching the scrubber tool on the touch-screen and sliding the scrubber tool along the timeline to a corresponding location representative of the particular time being selected; and

wherein the medical information visualization tool is configured to allow a healthcare clinician to select and view a range of physiological data parameters for a patient over a select time period, the range of physiological data parameters being selectable and viewable from at least one customizable perspective selected from the group consisting of a clinician specific perspective, a patient specific perspective and a medical condition specific perspective.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the gathering step and storing steps are performed at a predetermined time interval.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further configured to perform the steps of:

adjusting the display order of the at least two medical parameters to be outputted using the medical information visualization tool; and

simultaneously outputting the at least two medical parameters in the adjusted display order to the display device using the medical information visualization tool.