Computer system and method for accessing medical information over a network

• US 5,915,240 A
• Filed: 06/12/1997
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ronald S. Karpf
• Original Assignee: Ronald S. Karpf
• Inventors: Karpf, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAUDLE, PENNY L
• Application Number:
  US08/873,812
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/1, 395/200.33, 395/200.57
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

The invention is a Medical Lookup Reference computer system for accessing medical information over a network. The system partitions the functioning of the system between a client and server program in an optimal manner to assure synchronization of the master medical information databases on the servers with the local medical information database on the client, minimize the use of network resources, and allow new types of medical information to be easily included in the system. A server site on the network maintains a description of its medical information, as well as the most current and up-to-date medical reference information. The client program maintains a local database which is automatically synchronized over the network with revisions and new medical information, and provides a user with an interface to fully review the information in the database.

The system also uses a context-sensitive call facility so that users of the Medical Lookup Reference program can easily get further expert assistance about the medical topic. The call feature uses the network connection to establish a conversation between the user and a person at a help site specified by the type of medical information they are currently referencing. Once a connection is established, the system allows the user to engage in a conversation with the person at the help site, and a record of the conversation can be saved in a database for auditing purposes.

Claims

1. A computer system to look up and access medical information over a computer network comprising:

a client program referred to as a medLkUp-client;

a server program referred to as a medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client can establish and terminate a connection over the computer network to the medLkUp-server and send and receive data;

in which the medLkUp-server can establish and terminate a connection over the computer network to the medLkUp-client and send and receive data;

in which medical information is categorized according to the type of medical information, referred to as its medical type;

in which the medical information for each medical type can be organized in a hierarchical structure;

in which medical information is stored in a database, referred to as a medical dictionary;

in which for each medical type there is a central reference medical database accessible on a network database server, referred to as the medical dictionary central database;

in which for each medical type there is a medical type definition which describes the type of medical information contained in the medical dictionary, and where it is located;

wherein medLkUp-server contains a medical type definition of the type of medical information it stores, and a medical dictionary central database with the corresponding medical database;

wherein the medLkUp-server program can be started and stopped; and

wherein the medLkUp-server program responds to a request from a medLkUp-client for a medical type definition by (a) establishing the connection with the medLkUp-client, (b) retrieving the medical type definition, (c) sending the medical type definition to the medLkUp-client, and (d) terminating the connection.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the medLkUp-client contains a local database with the medical type definition for each different type of medical information it stores, and the medical dictionary for each different type of medical information it stores.

3. The system of claim 2;

in which the medLkUp-client has the means to specify the network location of a medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to request the medical type definition from a medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to receive a medical type definition from a medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to parse and store in its local database the medical type definition received from the medLkUp-server.

4. The system of claim 3 in which the medLkUp-client program has the means access a medical type definition from a medLkUp-server and store it in its local data by (a.) establishing a connection with the MedLkUp-server over the network (b.) requesting the medical type definition from the medLkUp-server (c.) receiving the medical type definition from the medLkup-server;

(e.) terminating the network connection (f.) parsing and, updating or appending the medical type definition in its local database.

5. The system of claim 2;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to request new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to receive new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to parse and store the new and revised medical information received from the medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to save the date on which the medical information was last updated in the local database.

6. The system of claim 5 in which the medLkUp-client program can update the medical information for a medical type in its local database by (a.) establishing a connection with the MedLkUp-server over the network (b.) retrieving the date from the local database on which the medical type was last updated in the local database (c.) requesting all new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server since the date on which the medical type was last updated in the local database (d.) receiving the information from the medLkUp-server;

(e.) terminating the network connection (f) parsing and updating or appending the medical information in the local database.

7. The system of claim 6 in which, whenever the MedLkUp-client program is started, it will automatically update the medical information for each type of medical information in its local database.

8. The system of claim 2;

in which the user of the medLkUp-client program has the means to build a search criteria, and execute the search criteria to retrieve items from the local database that meet the search criteria;

in which the user of the medLkUp-client program has the means to select the type of medical information that will be used in the search criteria;

in which the user of the medLkUp-client program has the means to enter a search term to be used in the search criteria;

in which the user has the means to cause the medLkUp-client program to search for all items in the medical dictionary that meet the search criteria;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to display the results of a search;

in which the medLkUp-client program has the means to access, select, display and otherwise use the medical information displayed as the result of a search.

9. A computer system to look up and access medical information over a computer network comprising:

a client program referred to as a medLkUp-client;

a server program referred to as a medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client can establish and terminate a connection over the computer network to the medLkUp-server and send and receive data;

in which the medLkUp-server can establish and terminate a connection over the computer network to the medLkUp-client and send and receive data;

in which medical information is categorized according to the type of medical information, referred to as its medical type;

in which the medical information for each medical type can be organized in a hierarchical structure;

in which medical information is stored in a database, referred to as a medical dictionary;

in which for each medical type there is a central reference medical database accessible on a network database server, referred to as the medical dictionary central database;

in which for each medical type there is a medical type definition which describes the type of medical information contained in the medical dictionary, and where it is located;

wherein medLkUp-server contains a medical type definition of the type of medical information it stores, and a medical dictionary central database with the corresponding medical database;

wherein the medLkUp-server program can be started and stopped; and

wherein the medLkUp-server program responds to a request from a medLkUp-client for new and revised medical information from the medical dictionary central database by (a) establishing the connection with the medLkUp-client, (b) parsing the message from the medLkUp-client to get the date to use in determining currency of the information, (c) retrieving all records from the medical dictionary central database that have been added or revised since that date, (d) sending the retrieved medical information to the medLkUp-client, and (e) terminating the connection.

10. A computer system to look up and access medical information over a computer network comprising:

a client program referred to as a medLkUp-client;

a server program referred to as a medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client can establish and terminate a connection over the computer network to the medLkUp-server and send and receive data;

in which the medLkUp-server can establish and terminate a connection over the computer network to the medLkUp-client and send and receive data;

in which medical information is categorized according to the type of medical information, referred to as its medical type;

in which the medical information for each medical type can be organized in a hierarchical structure;

in which medical information is stored in a database, referred to as a medical dictionary;

in which for each medical type there is a central reference medical database accessible on a network database server, referred to as the medical dictionary central database;

in which for each medical type there is a medical type definition which describes the type of medical information contained in the medical dictionary, and where it is located;

wherein the medLkUp-client contains a local database with the medical type definition for each different type of medical information it stores, and the medical dictionary for each different type of medical information it stores;

wherein the medLkUp-client program has means to request new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has means to receive new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has means to parse and store the new and revised medical information received from the medLkUp-server;

in which the medLkUp-client program has means to save the date on which the medical information was last updated in the local database;

in which the medLkUp-client program can update the medical information for a medical type in its local database by (a) establishing a connection with the medLkUp-server over the network, (b) retrieving the date from the local database on which the medical type was last updated in the local database, (c) requesting all new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server since the date on which the medical type was last updated in the local database, (d) receiving the information from the medLkUp-server, (e) terminating the network connection, and (f) parsing and updating or appending the medical information in the local database; and

wherein the user can choose to completely replace all medical information in its local database by (a) establishing a connection with the medLkUp-server over the network, (b) requesting all new and revised medical information from the medLkUp-server using any date prior to when the database was established, (c) receiving the information from the medLkUp-server, (d) terminating the network connection, (e) deleting all medical information of this medical type from the local database, and (f) parsing and appending the medical information in the local database.

11. A computer system for enabling a client to look up and access medical information over a computer network, the computer system comprising:

a client computer including a medical lookup client program (MedLkUp-client) stored in a memory thereof;

a plurality of medical computer servers each including a medical lookup server program (MedLkUp-server) stored in a memory thereof, wherein each of said medical computer servers includes a central database for a different type of medical information so that a first one of said medical computer servers includes a central database for a first type of medical information, a second of said medical computer servers includes a central database for a second type of medical information not including said first type of medical information, and a third of said medical computer servers includes a central database for a third type of medical information not including said first and second types of medical information;

said client computer and said plurality of medical computer servers communicating with one another over the computer network;

wherein said client computer includes a local database of medical information for a multiplicity of different types of medical information, and wherein said client computer automatically updates itself with updated medical information from a plurality of said medical computer servers;

said client computer and medical lookup client program for enabling a user of the client computer to select medical information search criteria and retrieve information from the local database which meets said criteria and to request additional medical information from medical computer servers;

wherein each of said medical computer servers responds to requests from the client computer for medical information stored in said server by retrieving the medical information requested by the client computer from a memory in said server and sending the retrieved medical information to said client computer via said computer network;

wherein for each of a plurality of medical information types there is a central reference medical database accessible on one of said servers, and for each of said medical information types there is an identification for identifying a server or address where that particular medical information type is located; and

wherein said client computer accesses a plurality of said medical computer servers over said computer network in order to add new types of medical information to said local database of said client computer.

12. The computer system of claim 11, further including a MedCall-server in communication with said client computer over said network, said MedCall-server including means for enabling a user of the client computer to engage in a real-time keyboard-entered and typed conversation over said network between the user and a person at a help site who can provide expert assistance to the user.