Healthcare management

• US 9,323,895 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balinski, Peter A., Musial, John G., Patil, Sandeep R., Shiraguppi, Riyazahamad M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tomaszewski, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/906,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A computer system obtains data from at least one sensor monitoring for health risk conditions, wherein a list of health risk conditions are pre-defined and stored in a server. The computer system determines that a health risk condition exists within an area based on the obtained data. The computer system determines a sanitization procedure for the health risk condition. The computer system initiates sanitization operations for the area according to the determined sanitization procedure.

Claims

1. A system for managing health risk conditions, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more sensors communicatively coupled to the one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable tangible storage media;

one or more motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning devices communicatively coupled to the one or more computer processors;

program instructions stored on the computer readable tangible storage media, which when executed by the one or more computer processors, perform the actions of;

obtaining data from at least one sensor, of the one or more sensors, monitoring for health risk conditions, wherein a list of health risk conditions are pre-defined and stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable tangible storage media;

obtaining patient history data from at least one sensor, of the one or more sensors, indicating a history of locations visited by a person;

determining that a health risk condition exists within an area based on the obtained data, wherein the area is a location visited by the person;

responsive to determining that the health risk condition exists, determining a sanitization procedure for the health risk condition;

initiating sanitization operations for the area according to the determined sanitization procedure by using a motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device of the one or more motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning devices; and

cleaning the area using the motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device, wherein the motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device responds to the health risk condition according to the data from the at least one sensor of the one or more sensors.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor monitors the area for health risk conditions based on perceived events occurring within the area.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor monitors a person for health risk conditions based on one or more perceived actions of the person, body functions of the person, paleness, jaundice, excessive sweating, temperature, heart rate, sneezing, coughing, weakness of breath, wheezing, air particulates, and vital signs of the person.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining the sanitization procedure for the health risk condition comprises:

determining severity of the health risk condition;

determining at least one cleaning agent effective against the health risk condition; and

based on the severity of the health risk condition, scheduling a cleaning of the area with the at least one cleaning agent.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said determining the sanitization procedure further comprises:

determining at least one surface type of the area;

wherein determining the at least one cleaning agent effective against the health risk condition is further based on the at least one surface type.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said initiating sanitization operations for the area according to the determined sanitization procedure comprises:

locating a motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device, of the one or more motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning devices, proximate to the area and capable of performing the sanitization procedure; and

electronically communicating to the motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device to begin at a scheduled time.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said initiating sanitization operations for the area according to the determined sanitization procedure comprises:

notifying staff of the health risk condition and the determined sanitization operation.

8. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable tangible storage media; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable tangible non-transitory storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to obtain data from at least one sensor monitoring for health risk conditions, wherein a list of health risk conditions are pre-defined;

program instructions to obtain patient history data from at least one sensor, of the one or more sensors, indicating a history of locations visited by a person;

program instructions to determine that a health risk condition exists within an area based on the obtained data, wherein the area is a location visited by the person;

program instruction to determine a sanitization procedure for the health risk condition;

program instructions to initiate sanitization operations for the area according to the determined sanitization procedure by using a motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device of one or more motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning devices communicatively coupled to the one or more computer processors; and

program instructions to clean the area using the motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device, wherein the program instructions to clean the area comprise program instructions for the motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device to respond to the health risk condition according to the data from the at least one sensor of the one or more sensors.

9. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor monitors one or both of:

the area for health risk conditions based on perceived events occurring within the area, and a person for health risk conditions based on one or more perceived actions of the person, body functions of the person, paleness, jaundice, excessive sweating, temperature, heart rate, sneezing, coughing, weakness of breath, wheezing, air particulates, and vital signs of the person.

10. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the program instructions to determine the sanitization procedure for the health risk condition comprise instructions to:

determine severity of the health risk condition;

determine at least one cleaning agent effective against the health risk condition; and

based on the severity of the health risk condition, schedule a cleaning of the area with the at least one cleaning agent.

11. The computer program product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the program instructions to initiate sanitization operations for the area according to the determined sanitization procedure comprise instructions to:

locate a motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device, of the one or more motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning devices, proximate to the area and capable of performing the sanitization procedure; and

electronically communicate to the motor-driven, mobile automated cleaning device to begin at a scheduled time.