Method and apparatus for automated staff assignment

• US 8,825,508 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascom Tateco AB (Ascom Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Ascom Tateco AB (Ascom Holding AG)
• Inventors: Nilsson, Agneta
• Primary Examiner(s): Pats, Justin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOY, PAN G
• Application Number:
  US11/415,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,045 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.17, 705/7.13
• US Class Current: 705/7.17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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

A method and an apparatus perform automatic assignment in an environment. The apparatus according to one embodiment comprises an event handler for extracting event elements from reports in the environment; an assignment handler for assigning information to the reports, the assignment handler assigning information to the reports by assigning events to the reports using the event elements of the reports, and assigning staff of the environment to the events; and an action handler for generating actions for the events and sending the actions to the assigned staff.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automated staff assignment in an environment, said apparatus comprising:

one or more microprocessors coupled to a memory and in communication with one or more computer systems;

a plurality of communication interfaces associated with different communication protocols and different report formats;

a message receive system receives a report by way of a communication protocol and in a report format depending on the interface that the report is received, and classifies the report into one of a plurality of report types based on a determination of the report format;

an event handler configured to recognize event elements in said report by extracting recognizable data from the event elements from the report and searching an event handler database to determine event information categories relative to the extracted event elements, where the extracting of event elements uses an extraction method that is selected based on the report format and communication protocol by which the report is received;

an assignment handler configured to assign duty information for said report, said assignment handler assigning duty information for said report by

determining an event related to said report by searching an assignment database that relates predefined event elements to event meaning and by retrieving an event meaning for said report, and

the assignment handler further assigns staff of said environment to said event based on the determined event and the retrieved duty information associated with the event meaning; and

an action handler configured to compose a message using said event elements and send the message together with action requests to said assigned staff based on the duty information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an event handler configuration unit for generating a configuration and defining filters for a plurality of protocols in order to read reports received by said event handler.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reports are transmitted to said event handler through respective protocols of a plurality of protocols, and upon receiving a report through the respective communications protocol of the plurality of communications protocols, said event handler retrieves a filter associated with the respective protocol by which the report is received from among said generated filters, wherein said filter is used to read said report.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an event assignment unit for generating administration-defined event information relating to said plurality of predefined events, and administration-defined staff assignment information for said plurality of predefined staff entities.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a duty assignment unit for generating user-defined assignment information using said administration-defined event information relating to said plurality of predefined events, and said administration-defined staff assignment information for said plurality of predefined staff entities.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said assignment handler

determines said event related to said report using said administration-defined event information, and

assigns staff of said environment to said event using said administration-defined staff assignment information and said user-defined assignment information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

an action configuration unit for generating administration-defined action configurations for said plurality of predefined events.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

an action handler processing unit functionally connected to said action configuration unit and to said action handler, wherein said action handler processing unit

generates an action message using said event elements of said report and said administration-defined action configurations, and

sends said action message to said action handler for inclusion in said action.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

an assignment handler processing unit functionally connected to said event assignment unit, said duty assignment unit and said assignment handler, said assignment handler processing unit including said database of predefined event elements.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said event assignment unit, said duty assignment unit and said action configuration unit include graphical user interfaces.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an access rights unit functionally connected to said duty assignment unit, wherein said access rights unit defines access rights of said staff of said environment.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said environment is a hospital environment.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

said reports in said hospital environment are transmitted to said event handler using respective communication protocols of said plurality of protocols and said plurality of protocols includes a user datagram protocol (UDP) protocol and a transmission control protocol (TCP) protocol, wherein said UDP protocol has an associated UDP message format and said TCP protocol has an associated TCP message format, and

said event handler receives reports in either of said UDP message format or said TCP message format from integrated messaging system (UNITE) modules of said hospital environment.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said assignment handler is functionally connected to an external event handler and an external action handler.

15. A method, performed on an apparatus including one or more microprocessors coupled to a memory and in communication with one or more computer systems, a plurality of communication interfaces associated with different communication protocols and different report formats, an event handler, an assignment handler, and an action handler, of automatically assigning staff in an environment, said event handler capable of recognizing event elements in reports received from said environment for different types of report formats and types of protocols used to send the reports, receiving a report from said environment, each communication interface being configured to receive reports by way of a respective communication protocol and in a report format associated with the protocol, the report format being dictated by the communication protocol, said method comprising:

receiving, by said one or more microprocessors, a report by way of a communication protocol and in a report format depending on the interface that the report is received, and classifying the report into one of a plurality of report types based on a determination of the report format;

recognizing, by said one or more microprocessors, event elements in said report by extracting recognizable data from the event elements from the report and searching an event handler database to determine event information categories relative to the extracted elements, where the extracting of event elements uses an extraction method that is selected based on the report format and communication protocol by which the report is received;

assigning, by said one or more microprocessors, duty information for said report, said step of assigning duty information for said reports including

determining an event related to said report by searching an assignment database that relates predefined event elements to event meaning and retrieving an even meaning for said report, and

further assigning, by said one or more microprocessors, staff of said environment to said event based on the determined event and the retrieved duty information associated with the event meaning; and

composing a message, by said one or more microprocessors, using said event elements and sending the message together with action requests to said assigned staff based on the duty information.

16. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 15, wherein said step of assigning, by said assignment handler, information to said reports

assigns said event to said report from among a plurality of predefined events, and

assigns staff of said environment to said event from among a plurality of predefined staff entities.

17. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

generating, by an event handler configuration unit, a configuration and filters for a plurality of protocols in order to read reports received in said step of extracting event elements from said reports.

18. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 17, wherein said report is transmitted through respective protocol of a plurality of protocols, wherein upon receiving the report through the respective protocol of said plurality of protocols, said step of extracting event elements from said reports, by said event handler, retrieves a filter associated with the respective protocol by which the report is received from among said generated filters in order to read said report.

19. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

generating, by an event assignment unit, administration-defined event information relating to said plurality of predefined events, and administration-defined staff assignment information for said plurality of predefined staff entities.

20. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

generating, by a duty assignment unit, user-defined assignment information using said administration-defined event information relating to said plurality of predefined events, and said administration-defined staff assignment information for said plurality of predefined staff entities.

21. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 20, wherein

said sub-step of determining said event related to said report, by said assignment handler, uses said administration-defined event information, and

said sub-step of assigning staff of said environment to said event, by said assignment handler, uses said administration-defined staff assignment information and said user-defined assignment information.

22. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

generating, by an action configuration unit, administration-defined action configurations for said plurality of predefined events.

23. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

generating, by an action handler processing unit, an action message using said event elements of said report and said administration-defined action configurations, and

including said action messages in said action for said event.

24. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 23, wherein

said sub-step of determining an event related to said report includes comparing, by an assignment handler processing unit, said event elements with a plurality of predefined event elements.

25. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

defining, by an access rights unit, access rights of users for said step of generating user-defined assignment information.

26. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 15, wherein said environment is a hospital environment.

27. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 26, wherein said step of extracting event elements

receives, at said event handler, said reports using respective communication protocols of said plurality of protocols, and said plurality of protocols includes a user datagram protocol (UDP) protocol and a transmission control protocol (TCP) protocol, wherein said UDP protocol has an associated UDP message format and said TCP protocol has an associated TCP message format, and

receives reports in either of said UDP message format or said TCP message format from integrated messaging system (UNITE) modules of said hospital environment.

28. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 15, wherein said steps of extracting, by said event handler, recognizable data from event elements from said report in said environment, assigning, by said assignment handler, information for said report, composing, by said action handler, a message, and sending said message to said assigned staff are performed in real-time.

29. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 15, wherein said step of sending, by said action handler, said message to said assigned staff

uses priority information relating to said assigned staff, and

generates escalation chains depending on availability of said assigned staff.

30. The method of automatically assigning staff in an environment as recited in claim 15, wherein said step of assigning, by said assignment handler, duty information for said report assigns systems of said environment to said event, and said step of sending, by said action handler, said message sends said message to said assigned systems.