Graphical interface for the management of sequential medical data

• US 8,826,173 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bay, Susanne, Gndel, Lutz, Thorn, Matthias, Khanafer, Labib, Krumtnger, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Roswell, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/152,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,303 Days
• Field of Search: 715/792, 715/804, 715/200, 715/232
• US Class Current: 715/792
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for generating on at least one display device a graphics display of data descriptors. The data descriptors, describing items of data, are arranged on an interactive timeline as interactive timeline elements along with interactive data elements. The interactive timeline elements and the interactive data elements allow retrieval of the items of data.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a plurality of data descriptors arranged on an interactive timeline comprising a plurality of interactive timeline elements associated with time points, comprising:

displaying one of the time points as one of the interactive timeline elements;

selecting one of the data descriptors associated with the displayed time point;

displaying the selected data descriptor in a template as one of interactive data elements;

selecting a further one of the data descriptors associated with the displayed time point;

displaying the further selected data descriptor,

wherein the data descriptors describe items of data having time stamps and the items of data is retrieved based on the interactive data elements,

wherein the steps of selecting comprises;

grouping the items of data based on the time stamps and a pre-defined rule prescribing a grouping relation between the data descriptors, and

aggregating the data descriptors describing same items of the grouped items of data as the further selected data descriptor,

wherein one of the same items of the grouped items of data is retrieved based on a further one of the interactive timeline elements and displayed as a further time point,

wherein the further displayed time point is suppressed if there are no same items of the grouped items of data,

wherein the same items of the grouped items of data are compared by a double viewer having two panes for showing the same items of the grouped items of data simultaneously,

wherein the further selected data descriptor is displayed in a further template, and

wherein the template and the further template are merged into a common display template for directing a medical practitioner to the common display template only.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displayed time point represents the time stamps of the same items of the grouped items of data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein one of the same items of the grouped items of data is retrieved based on a further one of the interactive timeline elements and displayed as a further time point, and

wherein the further displayed time point is:

arranged on the interactive timeline chronologically, and

visually associated with the further selected data descriptor.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the displayed time point is displayed visually separately from the interactive timeline in the template after retrieval.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3,

wherein the further displayed time point is displayed in the template if the further one of the interactive timeline elements is displayable in the template,

wherein a format of the template is adjusted if the further one of the interactive timeline elements is not displayable in the template, and

wherein the adjustment of the format comprises hiding one of the interactive time line elements or adding a scrolling element to the template.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an interactive time line event is received by interacting with one of the interactive timeline elements and one of the items of data associated with one of the time points is retrieved based on the interactive timeline event.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a time unit is received by adjusting a time resolution on the interactive timeline.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the items of data are items of medical data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data descriptors comprise metadata.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selected data descriptor is merged with the further selected data descriptor.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the data descriptors comprises a rank computed from the time stamp referring to a baseline study, a current study, or a prior study,

wherein the baseline study refers to a study acquired before a treatment,

wherein the current study refers to a study acquired most recently, and

wherein the prior study refers to a study acquired prior to the current study.

12. A computer readable medium executed in a computer for displaying a plurality of data descriptors arranged on an interactive timeline comprising a plurality of interactive timeline elements associated with time points, comprising:

a computer program that;

instructs a display of one of the time points as one of the interactive timeline elements;

selects one of the data descriptors associated with the displayed time point;

instructs a display of the selected data descriptor in a template as one of interactive data elements;

selects a further one of the data descriptors associated with the displayed time point; and

instructs a display of the further selected data descriptor,

wherein the data descriptors describe items of data having time stamps and the items of data is retrieved based on the interactive data elements,

wherein computer program further;

groups the items of data based on the time stamps and a pre-defined rule prescribing a grouping relation between the data descriptors, and

aggregates the data descriptors describing same items of the grouped items of data as the further selected data descriptor,

wherein one of the same items of the grouped items of data is retrieved based on a further one of the interactive timeline elements and displayed as a further time point, and

wherein the further displayed time point is suppressed if there are no same items of the grouped items of data,

wherein the same items of the grouped items of data are compared by a double viewer having two panes for showing the same items of the grouped items of data simultaneously,

wherein the further selected data descriptor is displayed in a further template, and

wherein the template and the further template are merged into a common display template for directing a medical practitioner to the common display template only.

13. A system for displaying a graphics display of a plurality of data descriptors, wherein the data descriptors describes items of data having time stamps and is arranged on an interactive timeline comprising a plurality of interactive timeline elements associated with time points, the system comprising:

a data interface module that groups the items of data based on the time stamps;

a data aggregator module that aggregates ones of the data descriptors describing same items of the grouped items of data;

a time graphics display device that displays one of the time points as one of the interactive timeline elements on the interactive timeline, the time point representing the time stamps of the same items of the grouped items of data; and

a data graphics display device that displays the aggregated data descriptors in a template as one of interactive data elements,

wherein one of the same items of the grouped items of data is retrieved based on a further one of the interactive timeline elements and displayed as a further time point, and

wherein the further displayed time point is suppressed if there are no same items of the grouped items of data,

wherein the same items of the grouped items of data are compared by a double viewer having two panes for showing the same items of the grouped items of data simultaneously,

wherein the further selected data descriptor is displayed in a further template, and

wherein the template and the further template are merged into a common display template for directing a medical practitioner to the common display template only.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a master graphics display device that associates the displayed time point with the displayed aggregated data descriptors.

15. The system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a user data interface that receives an adjustable time unit for adjusting a time resolution on the interactive timeline,

a navigation device that indicates an interactive time line event interacting with one of the interactive timeline elements, and

an application device that receives the interactive time line event for retrieving one of the items of data.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the navigation device is selected from the group consisting of:

a cursor, a pointer, and a touch screen.

17. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the items of data are selected from the group consisting of:

a patient identification, a patient'"'"'s body part, a type of examination, a name of study, a medical image, an indication, and a diagnosis.