Systems and methods for interruption workflow management

• US 8,719,046 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hawkins, Michael, Burt, Christopher, Lopez, Kenneth, Klotzer, Jason, Olivares, Andres, Lipetskaia, Natalia
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAN N
• Application Number:
  US12/323,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• 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

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for interruption workflow management in a clinical enterprise. Certain embodiments provide an interruption workflow management system for a clinical enterprise. The system includes a worklist including a plurality of patient indicators representing patients for which tasks are to be performed by a user. The system also includes a patient panel displaying patient information associated with a patient indicator selected from the worklist. The system further includes a patient indicator shelf holding one or more patient indicators from at least one of the worklist and the patient panel for later retrieval in response to user input. The patient indicator shelf facilitates restoration of a patient indicator from the patient indicator shelf to display in the patient panel in response to user input.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for interruption workflow management via a workstation in a clinical enterprise, said method comprising:

generating, using a processor, an electronic worklist displayed for a user via a user interface, the worklist including a plurality of patients and associated patient tasks to be performed by that user, each patient represented in the worklist using a graphical patient indicator, the patient indicator visually providing patient information including a) a summary of a patient record corresponding to the patient, b) at least one task to be performed by the user with respect to the patient, and c) a status of the patient via the graphical patient indicator;

retrieving and displaying, using the processor and upon user selection of a first patient indicator from in the worklist of patient indicators, patient information associated with the first patient indicator in a first area of the user interface in response to selection of the first patient indicator from the worklist, wherein the first area is configured to process data corresponding to the first patient indicator to retrieve the patient information associated with the first patient indicator and facilitate interaction by the user with the patient information while the first patient indicator is positioned in the first area, the patient information associated with the first patient indicator to be editable based on user input while the first patient indicator is positioned in the first area;

facilitating user interaction with respect to the patient information associated with the first patient indicator displayed in the first area of the user interface while the first patient indicator remains in the first area;

facilitating movement of the first patient indicator from the first area to a second area of the user interface for later retrieval in response to a second patient indicator being designated for the first area, wherein the second area saves and maintains a) a pendency of the patient information, b) a context of user review of the first patient indicator, and c) status information regarding user interaction with the patient information for the first patient indicator while user interaction with patient information associated with the second patient indicator is facilitated via the first area; and

restoring the first patient indicator from the second area to the first area in response to user input to position the first patient indicator back in the first area from the second area, wherein restoring includes restoring a) the patient information associated with the first patient indicator, b) the status of user interaction with the patient information, and c) a context of user review of the first patient indicator, saved while the first patient indicator was being held in the second area, for user interaction in the first area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first patient indicator comprises an electronic patient card.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning of the patient indicator in the first area triggers display of the patient information in a patient panel, a priors list, and a notes and reports area.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a second patient indicator from the worklist to be displayed in the first area while the first patient indicator is in the second area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving modified patient information for later retrieval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first patient indicator includes patient summary information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first patient indicator includes a patient urgency status indicator.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first patient indicator includes one or more icons indicating a source and access for patient exam information.

9. An interruption workflow management system for a clinical enterprise, said system comprising:

a processor and a memory including computer program instructions, the instructions, when executed by the processor, to implement a user interface including;

an electronic worklist displayed for a user via the user interface, the worklist including a plurality of graphical patient indicators representing patients for which tasks are to be performed by a user, each patient indicator visually providing patient information including a) a summary of a patient record corresponding to the patient, b) at least one task to be performed by the user with respect to the patient, and c) a status of the patient via the graphical patient indicator;

a first area displaying patient information associated with a first patient indicator selected from the worklist of patient indicators, the first area configured to process data corresponding to the first patient indicator to retrieve the patient information associated with the first patient indicator and facilitate interaction by the user with the patient information while the first patient indicator is positioned in the first area, the patient information associated with the first patient indicator to be editable based on user input while the first patient indicator is positioned in the first area; and

a second area holding one or more patient indicators from at least one of the worklist and the first area for later retrieval in response to user input, wherein the second area is to save and maintain a) pendency of the patient information, b) a context of user review of the first patient indicator, and c) status information regarding user interaction with the patient information for a first patient indicator while a second patient indicator with associated patient information is being examined in the first area, the second area to facilitate restoration of the first patient indicator from the second area to display in the first area in response to user input, wherein restoration includes restoring a) the patient information associated with the first patient indicator, b) the status of user interaction with the patient information, and c) a context of user review of the first patient indicator, saved while the first patient indicator was being held in the second area, for user interaction in the first area.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the patient indicator comprises an electronic patient card.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein positioning of the patient indicator in the first area triggers retrieval and display of the patient information in a patient panel, a priors list, and a notes and reports area.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein a second patient indicator is selected from the worklist to be displayed in the first area while the first patient indicator is stored in the second area.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the patient indicator includes patient summary information.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the patient indicator includes a patient urgency status indicator.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the patient indicator includes one or more icons indicating a source and access for patient exam information.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising a history of patient indicators previously examined within a predefined time period.

17. The system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of tools for manipulation of the patient information.

18. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having a set of instructions for execution on a computing machine, which, when executed, cause the computing machine to execute a method for interruption workflow management via a workstation in a clinical enterprise, said method comprising:

generating an electronic worklist displayed for a user via a user interface, the worklist including a plurality of patients and associated patient tasks to be performed by that user, each patient represented in the worklist using a graphical patient indicator, the patient indicator visually providing patient information including a) a summary of a patient record corresponding to the patient, b) at least one task to be performed by the user with respect to the patient, and c) a status of the patient via the graphical patient indicator;

retrieving and displaying, upon user selection of a first patient indicator from in the worklist of patient indicators, patient information associated with the first patient indicator in a first area of the user interface in response to selection of the first patient indicator from the worklist, wherein the first area is configured to process data corresponding to the first patient indicator to retrieve the patient information associated with the first patient indicator and facilitate interaction by the user with the patient information while the first patient indicator is positioned in the first area, the patient information associated with the first patient indicator to be editable based on user input while the first patient indicator is positioned in the first area;

facilitating user interaction with respect to the patient information associated with the first patient indicator displayed in the first area of the user interface while the first patient indicator remains in the first area;

facilitating movement of the first patient indicator from the first area to a second area of the user interface for later retrieval in response to a second patient indicator being designated for the first area, wherein the second area saves and maintains a) a pendency of the patient information, b) a context of user review of the first patient indicator, and c) status information regarding user interaction with the patient information for the first patient indicator while user interaction with patient information associated with the second patient indicator is facilitated via the first area; and

restoring the first patient indicator from the second area to the first area in response to user input to position the first patient indicator back in the first area from the second area, wherein restoring includes restoring a) the patient information associated with the first patient indicator, b) the status of user interaction with the patient information, and c) a context of user review of the first patient indicator, saved while the first patient indicator was being held in the second area, for user interaction in the first area.