System management of clinical procedures scheduling based on environmental thresholds

• US 9,105,071 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fletcher, James C., Botti, Derek W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Michelle L
• Application Number:
  US13/630,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• 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

An approach for scheduling clinical procedures based on defined environmental thresholds of medical units in healthcare facilities. In one embodiment, a computer system monitors environmental conditions of the medical unit in which clinical procedures will be performed utilizing a measurement system that includes an environmental device for monitoring the environmental conditions. The computer system further receives a schedule of the clinical procedures of the medical unit. The computer system further identifies environmental thresholds for the medical unit to be used for comparison against the environmental conditions of the medical unit. The computer system further compares environmental conditions to the environmental threshold to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated. In another embodiment, the computer system modifies the schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit responsive to the determination.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling clinical procedures within a computer system, within a bi-directional computing environment, based on environmental thresholds, the method comprising the steps of:

a clinical server system, monitoring environmental conditions of a medical unit in which a clinical procedure will be performed utilizing a unit measurement system that includes an environmental device for monitoring the environmental conditions, wherein the unit measurement system comprises environmental control and, wherein the environmental control is temperature control device of unit management system;

the clinical server system, receiving, via a clinical scheduling system, a schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit, wherein the scheduling system manages time, date or location of clinical procedures within one or more medical units of a facility;

the clinical server system identifying environmental thresholds defined in an environmental enterprise threshold unit of the clinical server system, for the medical units, via, an environmental sensor of an environmental measurement device, wherein identified environmental threshold is used for comparison against defined environmental threshold conditions for the medical unit;

the clinical server system comparing via a medical unit environmental analyzer, environmental conditions against the environmental threshold to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated, wherein the medical unit environmental analyzer queries the state of operations of the unit management system to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated by measured and monitored environmental conditions of the medical units; and

the clinical server system modifying the schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit based on the compared environmental threshold, responsive to the determination, wherein the scheduled clinical procedures are transferred to another medical unit, or conditions of the medical units are adjusted to meet the identified environmental thresholds of the medical units, if the environmental thresholds are violated of the medical unit are violated.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

determining if environmental conditions of the other medical unit violate the environmental threshold; and

transferring the scheduled clinical procedures to the other medical unit if the environmental conditions of the other medical unit do not violate the environmental threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein an environment analyzer of the computing system queries the state of operation of the building management system to determine if environmental thresholds are violated by measured environmental conditions of the medical unit based on environmental parameters stored in a repository.

4. A computer system for scheduling clinical procedures, within a bi-directional computing environment, based on environmental thresholds, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to monitor environmental conditions of a medical unit in which clinical procedures will be performed utilizing a measurement system that includes an environmental device for monitoring the environmental conditions, wherein the unit measurement system comprises environmental control and, wherein the environmental control is temperature control device of unit management system;

program instructions to receive via a clinical scheduling system, a schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit, wherein the scheduling system manages time, date or location of clinical procedures within one or more medical units of a facility;

program instructions to identify environmental thresholds defined in an environmental enterprise threshold unit of the clinical server system, for the medical units, via, an environmental sensor of an environmental measurement device, wherein identified environmental threshold is used for comparison against defined environmental threshold conditions for the medical unit;

program instructions to compare via a medical unit environmental analyzer, environmental conditions against the environmental threshold to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated, wherein the medical unit environmental analyzer queries the state of operations of the unit management system to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated by measured and monitored environmental conditions of the medical units; and

program instructions to modify the schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit based on the compared environmental threshold, responsive to the determination, wherein the scheduled clinical procedures are transferred to another medical unit, or conditions of the medical units are adjusted to meet the identified environmental thresholds of the medical units, if the environmental thresholds are violated of the medical unit are violated.

5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein program instructions to modify the schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit further comprise:

program instructions to trigger a scheduling system of a healthcare facility to transfer the scheduled clinical procedures to another medical unit.

6. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein an environment analyzer of the computing system queries the state of operation of the building management system to determine if environmental thresholds are violated by measured environmental conditions of the medical unit.

7. A program product for scheduling clinical procedures based on environmental thresholds, the program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to monitor environmental conditions of a medical unit in which clinical procedures will be performed utilizing a measurement system that includes an environmental device for monitoring the environmental conditions, wherein the unit measurement system comprises environmental control and, wherein the environmental control is temperature control device of unit management system;

program instructions to receive via a clinical scheduling system, a schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit, wherein the scheduling system manages time, date or location of clinical procedures within one or more medical units of a facility;

program instructions to identify environmental thresholds defined in an environmental enterprise threshold unit of the clinical server system, for the medical units, via, an environmental sensor of an environmental measurement device, wherein identified environmental threshold is used for comparison against defined environmental threshold conditions for the medical unit;

program instructions to compare via a medical unit environmental analyzer, environmental conditions against the environmental threshold to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated, wherein the medical unit environmental analyzer queries the state of operations of the unit management system to determine if the environmental thresholds are violated by measured and monitored environmental conditions of the medical units; and

program instructions to modify the schedule of clinical procedures of the medical unit based on the compared environmental threshold, responsive to the determination, wherein the scheduled clinical procedures are transferred to another medical unit, or conditions of the medical units are adjusted to meet the identified environmental thresholds of the medical units, if the environmental thresholds are violated of the medical unit are violated.

8. The program product according to claim 7 further comprising:

program instructions to determine if environmental conditions of the other medical units violates the environmental thresholds; and

program instructions to transfer the scheduled clinical procedures to the other medical units if it does not violate the environmental thresholds.