Protocol adjustment for medical imaging

• US 9,934,357 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Grodzki, David, Heismann, Bjrn
• Primary Examiner(s): Mistry, Oneal R
• Application Number:
  US14/936,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20160140293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

A method and a device for protocol adjustment for medical imaging, and a medical imaging device and a computer program product for carrying out the method, wherein the method includes providing a location-specific feature of an imaging device, ascertaining at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition from a comparison with at least one database, and creating at least one protocol adjusted to the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition. At least one of the providing, ascertaining, or creating occurs automatically.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting at least one protocol for medical imaging, the method comprising:

providing, by a location-determining unit, a physical location of an imaging device, wherein the imaging device is associated with a plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions, each location-dependent protocol boundary condition relating to a particular physical location of the imaging device;

ascertaining at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition of the plurality of location-dependent boundary conditions from a comparison of the provided physical location of the imaging device with at least one database, wherein the at least one database is (1) stored at least partially locally at the physical location of the imaging device, (2) provided at least partially by remote transmission, or (3) stored at least partially locally at the physical location of the imaging device and provided at least partially by remote transmission; and

creating at least one protocol adjusted to the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition,

wherein at least one of the providing, the ascertaining, or the creating occurs automatically.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining the physical location of the imaging device by a global positioning sensor (GPS) of the location-determining unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining the physical location from a stored address.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition is stored in the at least one database.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein stored in the at least one database is the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition, which results at least partially from specifications of at least one authority.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein stored in the at least one database is at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition that takes into account at least one patient insurance type.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protocol is adjusted by a user.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein stored in the at least one database is at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition having at least one limitation, wherein the at least one limitation limits the adjustment of the protocol by the user.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein stored in the at least one database is at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition that takes into account the specification of at least one user.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the user is a treating physician.

11. A device for adjusting at least one protocol for medical imaging, the device comprising:

at least one database in which a plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions is configured to be stored, wherein each location-dependent boundary condition relates to a particular physical location of an imaging device; and

an evaluation unit connected to the at least one database, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to receive the plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions and generate at least one protocol therefrom,

wherein the device is configured to provide a physical location of an imaging device, ascertain at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition of the plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions from a comparison of the physical location of the imaging device with at least one database having the plurality of location-dependent boundary conditions, and create at least one protocol adjusted to the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the device comprises a location-determining unit.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the device comprises a user interface.

14. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the device comprises a user interface.

15. A medical imaging device comprising:

an imaging device; and

a device for adjusting at least one protocol for medical imaging, the device comprising;

at least one database in which a plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions is configured to be stored, wherein each location-dependent boundary condition relates to a particular physical location of an imaging device; and

an evaluation unit connected to the at least one database, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to receive the plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions and generate at least one protocol therefrom,

wherein the device is configured to provide a physical location of an imaging device, ascertain at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition of the plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions from a comparison of the physical location of the imaging device with at least one database having the plurality of location-dependent boundary conditions, and create at least one protocol adjusted to the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition.

16. A device comprising:

a memory;

a computer program product having a program configured to be loaded directly into the memory of a programmable evaluation unit of the device for adjusting at least one protocol for medical imaging, wherein the program is run in the evaluation unit of the device for adjusting at least one protocol for medical imaging, the program configured to;

provide a physical location of an imaging device, wherein the imaging device is associated with a plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions, each location-dependent protocol boundary condition relating to a particular physical location of the imaging device;

ascertaining at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition of the plurality of location-dependent boundary conditions from a comparison of the provided physical location of the imaging device with at least one database; and

create at least one protocol adjusted to the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition.

17. A medical imaging device comprising:

an imaging device;

at least one database in which a plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions is configured to be stored, wherein each location-dependent boundary condition relates to a particular physical location of an imaging device;

an evaluation unit connected to the at least one database, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to receive the plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions and generate at least one protocol therefrom; and

a program evaluation unit having a computer program product comprising a program configured to be loaded directly into a memory of the programmable evaluation unit of the device, wherein the program is run in the evaluation unit of the device for generating the at least one protocol for the medical imaging,

wherein the medical imaging device, with the computer program product, is configured to;

(1) provide a physical location of the imaging device, (2) ascertain at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition of the plurality of location-dependent protocol boundary conditions from a comparison of the physical location of the imaging device with at least one database having the plurality of location-dependent boundary conditions, and (3) create at least one protocol adjusted to the at least one location-dependent protocol boundary condition.