System and method for standardizing care in a hospital environment

Abstract

A system and method for standardizing care in a hospital environment. Information concerning the latest care and practice standards for a given condition is provided to a decision support module. The decision support module comprises decision support algorithms that reflect a standardize guideline of practice for a particular medical condition. The general categories of cardiovascular, endocrinology, general, gastrointestinal, hematology, infectious diseases, neurology, pharmacology, pulmonary, renal, surgery, toxicology, trauma all have guidelines and practice standards associated with them. Patient data and user input are inputted to the decision support algorithm. The user may be prompted for user input, and an assessment is made of the patient so as provide patient care advice for the patient. Examples of patient care advice are a diagnosis, a method of treatment, and a laboratory protocol.

Description

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09 / 443,072, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,656, filed Nov. 18, 1999. The Ser. No. 09 / 443,072 application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to the care of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). More particularly this invention is a system and method for care of the critically ill that combines a real-time, multi-node telemedicine network and an integrated, patient care management system to enable specially-trained Intensivists to provide 24-hour / 7-day-per-week patient monitoring and management to multiple, geographically dispersed ICUs from both on-site and remote locations. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] While the severity of illness of ICU patients over the past 15 years has increased dramatically, the level of and type of physician coverage in most ICUs has remained constant. Most ICU p...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a solution for improving care in intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals. It uses network, database, and decision support technologies to provide real-time management of ICU patients from a remote setting. The technology allows for continuous expert oversight, reducing clinical complications, medical errors, and mortality. It also provides preliminary analysis and warnings for intensivists, reducing the occurrence of adverse events. The invention can be implemented in stages, with videoconferencing, vital sign monitoring, and hand-held physician productivity tools being offered as standalone components. The invention aims to reduce avoidable complications, unexplained variations in resource utilization, and the shortage of intensivists. It also allows for the standardization of care among ICUs and reduces the cost of ICU care. Overall, the invention improves the quality of care in ICUs and reduces the risk of adverse events."

Problems solved by technology

The result of this mismatch between severity of illness and physician coverage is an unacceptably high ICU mortality rate (10% nationwide), and a high prevalence of avoidable errors that result in clinical complications.

In another prominent 1998 study of 1000 patients, 46% experienced an avoidable adverse event in care, with 40% of these errors resulting in serious disability or death.

The physicians who can remedy this situation are in critically short supply.

With the rapid aging of the population, this shortfall of expertise is going to increase dramatically.

Even where Intensivists are present (and especially where they are not), patients suffer from unnecessary variation in practice.

There is little incentive for physicians to develop and conform to evidence-based best practices (it takes significant work and a change in behavior to develop and implement them).

While these inventions provide useful records management and diagnostic tools, none of them provides a comprehensive method for monitoring and providing real time critical care at disparate ICUs.

Further, none of these inventions provide for the care of a full time intensivist backed by appropriate database and decision support assistance in the intensive care environment.

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