Anatomical position marking of physiological parameters

Abstract

Systems and methods for marking an anatomical position of a monitoring device on a patient in an applied reference image are disclosed. When the monitoring devices are misplaced, for example, at locations outside of the marked anatomical locations, the application excludes data from the monitoring devices from the analysis of the clinical decision support system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This specification generally relates to anatomical location labels for physiological parameters measured by monitoring devices on a patient.

[0002] BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

[0003] When placed at different anatomical locations on a patient, sensors and other monitoring devices can produce different physiological data measurements (e.g., blood oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure, etc.). Comparing physiological data at different anatomical locations can help a clinician diagnose a medical condition. For example, a difference in blood pressure between the right arm and the left arm can indicate a cardiovascular problem. As another example, a particular size of a difference in blood oxygen saturation between the right arm and the right foot can indicate a severe congenital heart disease.

[0004] A clinician can use a clinical decision support (CDS) system to analyze patient data, such as physiological data collected by such monitoring devices. The CDS system can take into account the anatomical location of a sensor when running an algorithm, such as a diagnostic algorithm based on physiological data collected by the monitoring device. Thus, placing a monitoring device at an incorrect anatomical location on a patient can decrease the accuracy of a diagnosis produced by the CDS system. Using the example provided above, if the CDS runs an algorithm for diagnosing congenital heart disease by comparing blood oxygen saturation of the right arm and the right foot, and a blood oxygen saturation monitoring device is placed at a location other than the right arm and the right foot (e.g., the left arm and the right foot), inaccurate data can lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

[0005] Previous methods of ensuring proper placement of monitoring devices include color coding probes relative to anatomical locations and using signal quality indicators. Such methods are insufficient, at least sometimes, to ensure proper anatomical location of monitoring devices throughout a patient being monitored. For example, a clinician can not be able to utilize such methods to remotely monitor physiological data of a patient and view monitoring device locations. Further, such methods can not automatically affect a CDS system. For example, such methods can not indicate an anatomical location input to a CDS system, but rather assume a location for a given protocol or diagnostic algorithm. Thus, an output of the CDS system can be based on inaccurate data collected when a monitoring device is misplaced, and thus the output can not reflect an actual condition of the patient, but rather a condition falsely represented by the inaccurate data.

[0006] Accordingly, disclosed herein are embodiments that utilize instructions stored in a memory of a user device that, when executed, perform the following: receive a reference image of a monitoring device, the monitoring device adapted to measure physiological data of a patient and tagged to an anatomical location of the patient; provide the tagged anatomical location to a CDS system; and in response to the CDS system detecting that the monitoring device is misplaced (e.g., by detecting a degradation or loss of signal), display an alert that the monitoring device is misplaced. After positioning the monitoring device on a selected anatomical location of the patient, a clinician can input the reference image to the user device. The reference image can include a photograph or abstract physical representation of the patient (e.g., a cartoon corresponding to the age and gender of the patient) and the monitoring device at the tagged anatomical location. The clinician can view the alert and realize that at least one of the one or more monitoring devices is misplaced and that the CDS system is no longer receiving data therefrom. In this way, the CDS system can not consume inaccurate data collected by the monitoring device that is positioned outside of the tagged anatomical location in the reference image. As a result, the accuracy of the output of the CDS system can be improved. Moreover, the clinician can view the placement of the monitoring device and remotely collect the physiological data on the user device such that the clinician can monitor the patient and the status of the monitoring device from a location other than in physical contact with the patient. Increasing access to the patient physiological data and the convenience of the monitoring device placement can further improve the quality and speed of clinical decision making.

[0007] It should be appreciated that the above Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing a series of concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description below. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined by the claims that follow the Detailed Description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementing the specific embodiments described in the Summary or the following Detailed Description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 A patient monitoring system is schematically illustrated.

[0009] Figure 2 A patient monitoring system is schematically illustrated when a monitoring device is positioned correctly, including a device having applications of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3 A patient monitoring system is schematically illustrated when a monitoring device is positioned incorrectly.

[0011] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for a clinician to monitor a patient using a device is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for operating an application is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 6 The patient monitoring system is illustrated schematically.

[0014] Figure 7 An example of a display screen on the device's user interface is shown.

[0015] Figure 8 Another example of a display screen on a device's user interface is shown.

[0016] Figure 9 Another example of a display screen on a device's user interface is shown.

[0017] Figure 10 An example of a reference image is shown.

[0018] Figure 11 The signal diagram of the patient monitoring system is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The following description relates to systems and methods for anatomically marking physiological parameters during patient monitoring by clinicians. Marking improves the accuracy of collected physiological parameter data, thereby increasing the likelihood that clinicians will make effective clinical decisions (e.g., correct diagnoses) with the assistance of a clinical decision support (CDS) system that consumes the data and provides suggested clinical decisions. Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates a patient monitoring system comprising a patient monitored by a clinician using a user device having an application stored in its memory. This application has instructions capable of executing to respond to misplacement of the monitoring device relative to a location pre-selected and verified by the clinician in a reference image. The reference image may be a photograph or an abstract physical representation of the patient and monitoring device (e.g., an abstract cartoon representation indicating the patient's age and sex). The reference image may include anatomical locations marked for each physiological parameter measured by the monitoring device. Figure 10 An exemplary reference image is shown. This application can communicate with a CDS system, display data in real time (including marked anatomical locations), and... Figure 5 The flowchart illustrates a method that alerts clinicians to changes in signal quality. For example, when the monitoring device is correctly positioned (e.g., the same as in the reference image), the monitoring device can send data to a CDS system, such as... Figure 2 As illustrated schematically. In some examples, when one or more of these monitoring devices are not properly positioned, resulting in signal quality degradation or signal loss, the application can pause data transmission from the monitoring device to the CDS system, or otherwise exclude data from the CDS system's analysis and alert the clinician, such as... Figure 3 As shown schematically in the diagram.Figure 6 Another example of a patient monitoring system is illustrated in the diagram. Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the signal diagram showing the communication between the monitoring equipment, the CDS system, and the user equipment. Clinicians can... Figure 4 The flowchart illustrates a method for interacting with the application via the device's user interface, including inputting reference images, replacing reference images, and viewing data from the monitoring device. Figures 7 to 9 The diagram illustrates an example of a display screen provided to a clinician on an input device. By marking the patient's anatomical location with physiological parameters measured by monitoring devices positioned at those locations, the clinician can signal to the CDS system that the monitoring device has been correctly repositioned, where a previous system might not have allowed such confirmation. Additionally, in examples where the user device automatically pauses data collection or otherwise excludes data from analysis when a monitoring device is misplaced, the accuracy of the data consumed by the CDS system can be improved. Data accuracy may be improved because data collected from the misplaced monitoring device (e.g., a monitoring device not in the marked anatomical location) will not be included in response to misplacement. A misplaced monitoring device may measure physiological data different from the state of the expected anatomical location and may incorrectly represent the patient's condition. For example, for a patient who has undergone surgery on their right arm, the blood pressure measurements may differ when a blood pressure monitoring device is placed on their right and left arms. Therefore, algorithms that take physiological data and their corresponding anatomical locations as input can produce more accurate outputs when such mismatched data is omitted by automatically pausing data consumption or otherwise removing data with mismatches and locations from the analysis using the algorithm. In this way, clinical decisions recommended by the CDS system can be made based on more accurate information, and thus the possibility of making incorrect clinical decisions based on the patient's condition can be reduced.

[0020] The technical solutions provided by the disclosed systems and methods improve the functionality of CDS systems by ensuring the accuracy and reliability of physiological data input. In some cases, existing systems are prone to providing inaccurate data to CDS algorithms when monitoring devices are misplaced on patients, leading to incorrect clinical decision recommendations.

[0021] This disclosure addresses at least partially the technical problem by using a reference image that marks the monitoring device at a specific anatomical location on the patient. By monitoring the signal quality of the monitoring device and reacting to exclude data from the misplaced monitoring device when misplacement is detected, the system prevents the CDS from consuming inaccurate data. This improves the accuracy and reliability of the CDS output, leading to more informed clinical decisions and improved quality of patient outcomes.

[0022] Furthermore, in applicable examples, automatically pausing data transmission in response to misplaced monitoring equipment reduces unnecessary computational load on the CDS system, thereby improving its efficiency and reducing resource requirements. This technological improvement allows the CDS system to focus its processing power on analyzing accurate physiological data, rather than wasting resources on inaccurate data from misplaced monitoring equipment.

[0023] The disclosed systems and methods offer a technical solution to the problem of ensuring accurate physiological data is input into clinical decision support systems, thereby improving the functionality of these systems and contributing to more informed clinical decision-making. Specifically, the method addresses a real-world problem surrounding specific hardware used in a particular manner, relating to the anatomical location markings of physiological parameters measured by monitoring devices on a patient, rather than by general-purpose sensors and general-purpose sensor data processed by general-purpose computer hardware. The automatic detection and exclusion of data from misplaced monitoring devices (e.g., by pausing data transmission) in CDS analysis, particularly patient physiological parameters measured by healthcare monitoring devices under specific conditions in a healthcare setting, represents a concrete technical improvement over existing systems that lack this capability.

[0024] It should be understood that the systems illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification are exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept defined herein. For ease of discussion, the drawings are described in their entirety below. Therefore, similar elements may be referred to using similar reference numerals in this specification and will not be repeated.

[0025] Go to Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates a patient monitoring system 100. The patient monitoring system 100 includes a patient 102, a clinician 104, and a user device 108.

[0026] Clinician 104 may place one or more monitoring devices suitable for monitoring physiological parameters on patient 102. For example, a first monitoring device 112 may be positioned at a first anatomical location 122, a second monitoring device 114 at a second anatomical location 124, and a third monitoring device 116 at a third anatomical location 126. Monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 can measure physiological parameters such as blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, ankle-brachial index, and temperature. For example, anatomical locations 122, 124, and 126 are shown at the left ear, left arm, and left leg, respectively; however, the anatomical location can be any appropriate location on patient 102's body, depending on the desired physiological parameter measurement selected by clinician 104. When placed in different anatomical locations, monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 may produce different measurement results. For example, when monitoring device 112 is positioned at the first anatomical location 122, it may produce higher or lower physiological parameter readings compared to when positioned at the second anatomical location 124. Comparison of physiological parameters measured at different anatomical locations can be used to make clinical decisions. For example, two or more of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 may measure the same physiological parameter, and differences, ratios, or other measures of data from two or more monitoring devices falling within a certain range may indicate a diagnosis for patient 102, such as for determining the ankle-brachial index. Additionally, the location of a single monitoring device may affect the accuracy of the measurements produced by that device. For example, a certain type of monitoring device (e.g., a pulse oximeter) may be less accurate when located on a finger than when located on an ear. In such an example, inaccurate physiological data collected by a monitoring device placed on a finger may lead to an inaccurate diagnosis and thus inappropriate treatment. Therefore, the location of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 on patient 102 may affect the accuracy of diagnostic or other clinical decisions.

[0027] Clinician 104 can make such clinical decisions about patient 102 by directly evaluating data collected by monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116. Additionally, clinician 104 can utilize a Clinical Decision Support (CDS) system 110. The CDS system 110 may include software that, when executed, performs algorithms to provide clinical decision recommendations (e.g., diagnosis, treatment plan, etc.) as output to clinician 104. The software may be deployed on a back-end data platform repository accessible via network 106. Network 106 may include any interconnected communication network (e.g., cellular network, local area network, wide area network, public network, enterprise private network, or a combination thereof) that allows communication between monitoring devices 112, 114, 116, user equipment 108, and CDS system 110. Monitoring devices 112, 114, 116, user equipment 108, and CDS system 110 may be connected to network 106 via hardwired links and / or wireless links.

[0028] The CDS system 110 can take the locations of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116, as well as the data collected by these devices, as input. For example, a blood pressure difference greater than a threshold (e.g., 10 to 15 points) between the right and left arms can indicate a cardiovascular problem. Therefore, the CDS system 110 can take the monitoring device measurements and their locations as input to an algorithm that interprets the physiological parameter measurements and outputs suggested clinical decisions accordingly. In the previous patient monitoring example, the CDS system 110 might be unaware if the monitoring devices were misplaced. Because misplacement of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 can affect the measurement of patient 102's physiological parameters, the CDS system 110 may consume inaccurate data when these devices are misplaced. Misplacement of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 may include monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 being located in positions other than the corresponding anatomical locations 122, 124, and 126 selected by clinician 104. Therefore, when monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 are incorrectly positioned (e.g., not at the desired anatomical location selected by the clinician), CDS system 110 may generate clinical decision recommendations to the clinician based on incorrectly represented data (e.g., data from an undesirable anatomical location).

[0029] To ensure the proper placement of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 and to prevent inaccurate decision recommendations from the CDS system 110, the clinician 104 may utilize user device 108, which has an application stored in its memory configured to reflect the current state of the data flow from monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 to the CDS system 110 and to issue an alert to the clinician 104 that monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 have been misplaced. In some examples, data collected from the misplaced monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 may be tagged in such a way that the CDS system is instructed to exclude that data from analysis. In some examples, user device 108 may pause data transmission from monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 to the CDS system 110. In this way, the application on user device 108 may reduce (e.g., prevent) inaccurate clinical decision recommendations generated by the CDS system 110 due to the misplacement of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116. Furthermore, in such an example where data transmission is suspended, the application can reduce computing resource requirements by stopping the data consumption of CDS110 in response to misplacement of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116.

[0030] Go to Figure 2The diagram schematically illustrates a patient monitoring system 100, with arrows indicating communication paths including physiological data collected from monitoring device 202, and inputs and outputs from both user device 108 and CDS system 110. Specifically, Figure 2 A patient monitoring system 100 in a first state is shown, wherein monitoring devices 202 are correctly positioned on the patient 102 according to an anatomical location pre-selected by a clinician 104. Monitoring devices 202 may represent one or more monitoring devices suitable for measuring physiological data and positioned by the clinician 104 at an anatomical location on the patient 102, such as those positioned at... Figure 1 Monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 are located at anatomical positions 122, 124, and 126.

[0031] The anatomical location selected by clinician 104 can be input to user device 108 via user interface 218. For example, the anatomical location and type of monitoring device 202 on patient 102 (e.g., based on measured physiological parameters) can be marked in a reference image uploaded by clinician 104 to user device 108 via user interface 218. (Temporarily skip to...) Figure 10 An example of a reference image 1000 is schematically depicted, wherein the reference image 1000 is displayed on a user interface 218 and stored in the memory of device 108 (e.g., Figure 2The reference image 1000 includes a physical representation of the patient 102, which includes the patient's body, limbs, and head, as well as monitoring devices and their corresponding anatomical locations relative to the physical representation. For example, as described above, a first monitoring device 112 is marked at a first anatomical location 122, a second monitoring device 114 is marked at a second anatomical location 124, and a third monitoring device 116 is marked at a third anatomical location 126. In some examples, the physical representation may be a physically accurate photograph of the patient 102 taken by a camera of a device (such as device 108). In other examples, the physical representation may be an abstract (e.g., cartoon) representation of the patient 102. An abstract representation (e.g., a cartoon indicating age and sex) can protect patient privacy by storing data relating to the location of the monitoring devices relative to the patient's anatomy, rather than storing other visual information available in the photograph. In at least some examples, the monitoring devices may be represented by icons associated with the measured physiological parameters. In some examples, the reference image 1000 may also include features other than the monitoring devices. For example, an indicator of a previous surgical procedure may be marked at the anatomical location where the procedure was performed. In this way, clinicians can ensure that the placement of monitoring devices is appropriate, taking into account the patient's condition and past surgeries and treatments. For example, if the patient has had surgery on the breast or armpit, the blood pressure sensor can be placed on the patient's opposite arm. Reference image 1000 provides clinicians with a visual representation to view the placement of monitoring devices 112, 114, and 116 remotely (e.g., outside the patient's physical line of sight), allowing clinicians to monitor the patient even when not physically present with them or outside their direct visual range.

[0032] return Figure 2 As described above, monitoring device 202 can measure physiological data from patient 102. Physiological data may include blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate, any other health-related measures of patient condition that can be measured by sensors and other monitoring devices, or combinations thereof. Monitoring device 202 can wirelessly transmit signals to user device 108 and / or CDS system 110 via network 106. Signals may include data packets comprising the physiological data measured by monitoring device 202 and a signal quality index, where the signal quality index is a measure of the quality of the signal transmitted from monitoring device 202. In at least some examples, signals may be delivered to CDS system 110 and subsequently provided to user device 108, such that user device 108 reflects the status of the data stream to the CDS system in real-time or near real-time. In other examples, user device 108 may receive physiological data directly from the monitoring device and provide signals including the physiological data to CDS system 110 via network 106.

[0033] The CDS system 110 can generate outputs, including clinical decision recommendations such as diagnoses, treatment plans, and any other clinical decisions made by clinicians. The CDS system 110 can assist clinicians in making clinical decisions by processing and analyzing large amounts of physiological data from monitoring device 202. In some examples, the output of the CDS system 110 can be displayed on user device 108 via user interface 218.

[0034] User device 108 can display physiological data received by CDS system 110. For example, monitoring device 202 can communicate directly with CDS system. CDS system 110 can then provide the data received by monitoring device 202 to user device 108. In this way, user device 108 can visually display the data processed by CDS system in real time or near real time. In addition, CDS system 110 can monitor the signal quality (e.g., signal quality index) of the signal including physiological data from monitoring device 202. Once the signal quality deteriorates (including complete signal loss), CDS system 110 can notify user device 108, which can then display an alarm to clinician 104. In this way, clinician 104 can view the status of signal quality compared to previous patient monitoring systems, allowing clinician 104 to more quickly correct the positioning of the monitoring device.

[0035] In some examples, user equipment 108 may additionally adjust communication between monitoring device 202 and CDS system 110. For example, monitoring device 202 and CDS system 110 may be communicatively coupled via user equipment 108, allowing user equipment 108 to selectively transmit data received from monitoring device 202 to CDS system 110 based on the state of monitoring device 202 (e.g., incorrect or correct positioning). In this way, for example, when user equipment 108 determines that data is inaccurate due to incorrect positioning of monitoring device 202, user equipment 108 may interrupt data consumption by CDS system 110. In such examples, user equipment 108 may not pause data display when data consumption is paused or otherwise excluded from analysis by CDS system 110. Even when not being consumed by the CDS system, data can be viewed on the display screen of device 108, allowing uninterrupted monitoring of patient 102 by clinicians. User equipment 108 may transmit signals to CDS system 110 to temporarily pause and resume data consumption from monitoring device 202. In this way, user equipment 108 can adjust the data consumption of CDS system 110 from monitoring equipment 202 to increase the accuracy of the data used in the algorithms implemented by CDS system 110.

[0036] User equipment 108 may be a wireless computing device, such as a mobile device, smartphone, tablet, etc. User equipment 108 may include a processor 206, memory 208, and a user interface 218. The processor 206 can execute instructions stored in memory 208. Memory 208 may include random access memory, cache memory, non-volatile memory, backup memory, mass storage, read-only memory, etc. Memory 208 may also include memory physically separate from device 108, such as any storage device communicating with user equipment 108, cloud storage devices, etc.

[0037] Application 210 may be stored in memory 208. Application 210 may include code that, when executed by processor 206, displays an alarm to clinician 104 when monitoring device 202 is misplaced. In some examples, application 210 may additionally include code that, when executed by processor 206, reduces the amount of inaccurate data consumed by CDS system 110. For example, executable code may control data consumption of CDS system 110 based on whether signal quality monitoring device 202 is misplaced (e.g., signal quality degradation or complete signal loss indicates misplacement).

[0038] Application 210 may optionally include a locator module 212. As described above, in the example where CDS system 110 receives data directly from monitoring device 202 and monitors signal quality, locator module 212 may not be included. Positioner module 212 or CDS system 110 may monitor the quality of the signal from monitoring device 202. When included, locator module 212 can use the signal received from monitoring device 202 to determine whether monitoring device 202 has been misplaced, such as falling from a patient or otherwise removed from a reference image (e.g., by clinician 104). Figure 10 The locator module 212 can determine that the monitoring device 202 has been misplaced if the signal quality index decreases or falls below a threshold, including complete signal loss. Alternatively, in an example where one or more monitoring devices in the monitoring device 202 are capable of detecting motion in addition to physiological parameters, the monitoring device 202 can transmit a signal to the user device specifically indicating misplacement of the monitoring device 202. The locator module 212 can also employ other methods to detect misplacement of the monitoring device 202 relative to the anatomical position of the markers pre-selected by the clinician 104 in the reference image.

[0039] The application may include a notification module 214 that generates an alarm in response to the detection of misplacement of one or more monitoring devices in monitoring devices 202 (e.g., via CDS system 110 or locator module 212). The alarm may be delivered to clinicians visually, audio-visually, mobilely, and / or otherwise. For example, the display screen on user interface 218 may change upon detection of misplacement of monitoring device 202. Additionally or alternatively, user device 108 may emit sound and / or vibration, for example.

[0040] Data transmission module 216 may optionally be included in application 210 to regulate the consumption of data from monitoring device 202 by CDS system 110, as described above. In an example where monitoring device 202 communicates with CDS system 110 via network 106, user device 108 may signal to CDS system 110 via network 106 to stop consuming data from monitoring device 202 while continuing to display data viewable by clinician 104. Security measures such as data encryption, intrusion detection and prevention systems may be implemented to protect communication between CDS system 110 and user device 108 via network 106. In an example where data from monitoring device 202 is transmitted to user device 108 and the user device subsequently transmits data to CDS system 110, user device 108 may stop transmitting at least some data to network 106, thus suspending data consumption by CDS system 110. In some examples, when it is detected that one or more of the monitoring devices 202 have been misplaced, the CDS system 110 can continue to consume data from some, but not all, of the monitoring devices 202. For example, the CDS system 110 can continue to consume data from the monitoring devices 202 that have not been misplaced. In this way, the CDS system 110 can continue to perform analysis on data related to the monitoring devices 202 in the marked anatomical locations without interruption due to other monitoring devices 202 not being in the marked anatomical locations. Additionally, when one or more of the monitoring devices 202 are misplaced relative to their respective marked anatomical locations, bandwidth and computational resource requirements can be reduced by pausing data consumption from at least some of the monitoring devices 202.

[0041] The locator module 212, notification module 214, and data transmission module 216 can operate automatically, so that no user input is required to identify misplacement of monitoring device 202, issue an alarm to clinician 104, or pause data consumption of CDS system 110 based on decreased signal quality or signal loss.

[0042] Go to Figure 3The diagram schematically illustrates system 100 in a second state, where monitoring devices 202 are misplaced, such that one or more of the monitoring devices 202 are located at an anatomical location other than their pre-selected, correspondingly marked anatomical locations by clinician 104. In response, in some examples, application 210 may automatically suspend communication between monitoring devices 202 and CDS system 110, as described above. For example, the communication path between CDS system 110 and monitoring devices 202 may be interrupted by the application, such that at least some of the data collected by monitoring devices 202 is not sent to CDS system 110. In this way, in such examples, CDS may not consume data from monitoring devices that are not correctly positioned (e.g., at marked locations). Therefore, the accuracy of the data received by the CDS system can be increased, thereby increasing the likelihood of appropriate clinical decision recommendations based on the patient's condition as represented by the physiological data obtained from monitoring devices 202. Furthermore, when monitoring devices 202 are misplaced, CDS system 110 may not provide output (e.g., clinical decision recommendations) to user device 108 via user interface 218. Therefore, the application of this disclosure can improve the accuracy of CDS input and reduce computational resource requirements by automatically pausing data consumption in response to the monitoring device being misplaced in a location other than the location marked by the clinician. Alternatively, user equipment 108 can issue an alarm to clinician 104 regarding signal loss or degradation, thereby allowing clinician 104 to respond more quickly to reposition the monitoring device 202, and thus improving the accuracy of the CDS system's input and output.

[0043] Go to Figure 6Another example of a patient monitoring system 100 is shown, in which the CDS system 110 also includes a CDS device 622, which includes a user interface 624 (e.g., a display screen). A clinician 104 can provide input to the CDS system 110 via the user interface 624. For example, the clinician 104 can request the execution of certain algorithms of the CDS system. Additionally, the clinician 104 can view the output of the CDS system 110 via the user interface 624. In such examples, the CDS system 110 may not transmit its output via network 106, but rather display the output directly on the user interface 624 for the clinician 104 to view. Therefore, in some examples, the clinician can utilize a separate device for CDS input / output and for tagging input / output. In some such examples, in response to a misplaced monitoring device (e.g., when detected by the locator module 212), an alarm generated by the application 210 can be displayed on both the user interface 624 and the user interface 218. User equipment 108 can communicate with CDS device 622 via network 106 to automatically pause the consumption of physiological data from monitoring device 202 by CDS system 110 when monitoring device 202 is misplaced relative to the marked anatomical location. Additionally, user equipment 108 can communicate with CDS device 622 via network 106 to automatically resume the consumption of physiological data from monitoring device 202 by CDS system 110 when monitoring device 202 is placed in the marked anatomical location.

[0044] Go to Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method 400 for a clinician to monitor patients by employing an application, according to this disclosure. Method 400 may be a clinician's workflow, including the operation of the application to improve the accuracy of CDS system input, thereby improving the quality of patient care. In other words, method 400 may be performed by a clinician (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 Clinicians 104) using monitoring devices (e.g., Figure 1 Monitoring equipment 112, 114, 116 and Figure 2 The monitoring device 202) monitors the patient (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 When patients are infected, this should be implemented in a CDS system (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 Clinical decisions are made with the help of the CDS system (110).

[0045] Method 400 begins at 402, in which a clinician places a monitoring device suitable for measuring a parameter at a desired anatomical location on the patient. The clinician may place one or more monitoring devices at one or more anatomical locations, wherein (in the case of two or more monitoring devices) the monitoring devices can measure the same parameter or a combination of parameters. For example, refer to...Figure 1 Clinician 104 can position the first monitoring device 112, the second monitoring device 114, and the third monitoring device 116 at the first anatomical position 122, the second anatomical position 124, and the third anatomical position 126, respectively. The monitoring devices placed at 402 can measure physiological parameters such as blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, end-tidal carbon dioxide, inhaled oxygen concentration, and any other measurable physiological parameters of the patient. As mentioned above, physiological parameters may include parameters that vary according to the anatomical position of certain patient conditions, used to diagnose such conditions using algorithms that use anatomical position as input. Additionally, physiological parameters may include parameters that do not change within the patient, such as heart rate, which may not be used in algorithms that use anatomical position as input, but can be monitored by the clinician and used in applications to provide the clinician with alerts regarding location-independent signal quality degradation or loss, such as regarding... Figure 5 Further description. Clinicians may choose the corresponding anatomical location for the monitoring device based on where it is most accurate. For example, blood oxygen saturation can be measured more accurately from the ear than from the finger; therefore, a clinician may place the blood oxygen saturation monitor on the patient's ear. Additionally, the monitoring device may be placed based on the patient's condition or prior history. For example, a blood pressure monitor cannot be placed on an arm with an inserted intravenous line, nor on the same arm as one that has undergone surgery (e.g., the patient's right or left arm). Furthermore, the monitoring device may be positioned based on a suspected diagnosis. For example, to perform a cardiovascular-related diagnosis, a blood pressure monitor may be placed on each of the patient's right and left arms to assess the difference in blood pressure between them. Clinicians may additionally or alternatively determine the anatomical location of each monitoring device based on other guidelines not described above, as well as clinical knowledge and experience.

[0046] Method 400 proceeds to 404, at which point the clinician refers to a reference image (such as...) Figure 10 Physiological parameters are labeled using anatomical locations in the reference image 1000. For example, clinicians can use devices equipped with the applications of this disclosure (such as...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The clinician may use a user device 108 to take photographs. Alternatively, the clinician may take photographs on another device that communicates with the user device and transmit the photographs to the user device. Reference images may include the patient, with monitoring devices marked at the desired anatomical locations. The clinician may interact with the user interface of the user device (e.g., ...). Figure 2The user interface 218 allows for interaction to mark the patient's anatomical location in an image using parameters being monitored by the monitoring device. For example, a clinician can "drag and drop" an icon of the monitoring device type onto the anatomical location on the patient. Alternatively, the clinician can type in an input box or select from a predefined list of anatomical location options to input the anatomical location of the monitoring device and its corresponding mark. Marking may be performed by the clinician in other formats of the user interface without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Reference images may include photographs of the patient taken by the clinician and the anatomical locations marked by the monitoring device.

[0047] Method 400 proceeds to 406, where the clinician saves a reference image and confirms the location of the markers before collecting data from the sensors. In this way, the clinician can ensure that the location of the markers in the reference image matches their actual location on the patient. Therefore, the physiological data collected by the monitoring device can be linked to the anatomical location of the markers, allowing the CDS system to perform more accurate information analysis.

[0048] Method 400 proceeds to 408, where a clinician implements an application to monitor parameters and request CDS output based on the parameters and marked anatomical locations. For example, the clinician may instruct the CDS system (e.g., via the user interface of the device on which the application is implemented) which algorithms to run for a specific potential diagnosis. Monitoring parameters may include the clinician observing the user interface to periodically check the patient's status and receiving alerts in response to changes in the placement of the monitoring device. Requesting CDS output may include the clinician specifying an algorithm for the CDS to be executed using physiological parameters from the monitoring device and marked anatomical locations as input to produce an output that includes clinical decision recommendations. In addition to or as an alternative to manual input by the clinician, requests for CDS output may be executed automatically based on available data, including physiological data collected by the monitoring device and marked anatomical locations. Thus, based on location data available to the CDS system due to reference images stored in the application, the CDS system can execute algorithms that take location data into account, thereby improving the accuracy of the CDS system's algorithms.

[0049] Method 400 proceeds to 410, where the clinician may optionally relabel the parameters with the new anatomical location. For example, the monitoring device may be intentionally repositioned, removed, replaced, or an additional monitoring device may be placed on the patient. In such an example, 410 can be performed to create a new reference image reflecting the change in the anatomical location of the monitoring device.

[0050] Therefore, 410 includes 412, where the clinician repositions the monitoring device to a new anatomical location on the patient. As described above, one or more monitoring devices may be located at one or more anatomical locations.

[0051] Additionally, 410 includes 414, where the clinician takes a new reference image, including a photograph or abstract physical representation of the patient, with the monitoring device in the new anatomical position, and marks the physiological parameters with the new anatomical position. In this way, the clinician can update the reference image as needed when moving the monitoring device. In examples where the clinician decides to change the monitoring device position multiple times, the remarking at 410 can be repeated multiple times. In response to receiving a new reference image or confirmation of the marked anatomical position, the application signals the CDS system that the position has been updated, and the CDS system algorithm can consume the updated position data accordingly. Furthermore, in some examples where data transmission is paused, the application can also use the newly marked anatomical position as input to automatically resume the CDS consuming physiological data.

[0052] Method 400 proceeds to 416, where the clinician examines the CDS output. The CDS output can be the result of requesting the CDS output at 408, where the CDS output is generated by an algorithm running the CDS system with physiological data from the monitoring device and its labeled anatomical locations as input.

[0053] Method 400 concludes here. Following Method 400, clinicians can access the CDS output based on physiological data collected by the monitoring device. Due to the specific implementation of the application, the accuracy of the data input to the CDS can be improved. For example, the application can reduce inaccurate data input to the CDS, where inaccurate data is physiological data collected by the monitoring device when the patient is in a location other than the marked anatomical position. Therefore, the quality of the CDS output (e.g., its correspondence to the patient's actual condition) can be improved, thereby increasing the usefulness of the CDS output in making clinical decisions.

[0054] Go to Figure 5 This demonstrates how a device responds to user input (such as that performed by a clinician). Figure 4 The flowchart illustrates the steps of method 400 in the diagram, and the execution of method 500. Method 500 may be implemented by a user device on which an application according to this disclosure is installed (e.g., stored in the device's memory). For example, refer to... Figure 2 The processor 206 can execute method 500 according to application 210 stored in memory 208 of user device 108.

[0055] Method 500 begins at 502, where a reference image is received and stored in the device's memory. The reference image may be obtained by a clinician, for example via... Figure 4 The method described in step 400 involves inputting the reference image. The reference image may include a photograph or abstract physical representation, including the patient, one or more monitoring devices, and the location of markers on those devices. For example, the reference image may resemble... Figure 10An exemplary reference image 1000.

[0056] Method 500 proceeds to 504, where physiological data collected by the monitoring device is displayed, and the marked anatomical locations are provided to the CDS system. Displaying the physiological data may include providing a display screen (such as...) on the device's user interface. Figures 7 to 9 (An example display screen is shown schematically in the image) for clinicians to view. Providing marked anatomical locations to the CDS system may include transmitting data from reference images received by the device to the CDS system, or allowing a direct connection between the monitoring device and the CDS system to feed data as input to the CDS system, as per [reference to...]. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As described. In some examples, the user equipment may also provide physiological data to the CDS system. Signals can be transmitted from the monitoring device to the user equipment and the CDS system (e.g., via a network such as...). Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6 The network (106) contains information including physiological data and the location of corresponding markers, as well as the signal quality index of the signal.

[0057] Method 500 proceeds to 506, where the quality of the physiological data signal from the monitoring device may optionally be monitored by the application. For example, the locator module 212 may receive a signal from the monitoring device 202 and assess the signal quality based on a signal quality index to detect a decline in signal quality. For example, if the signal quality index is below a threshold, the signal quality may be considered degraded. A decline in signal quality (including total loss of signal or excessive noise) may indicate misplacement or other problems with the monitoring device. In some alternative examples, the CDS system may monitor the signal quality index and notify the application of the problem, rather than the application monitoring the signal quality. In such examples, step 506 may be omitted.

[0058] Method 500 proceeds to 508, where it is determined whether the monitoring device has been misplaced. For example, during monitoring of physiological data quality, if 506 is included, if the physiological data quality deteriorates, is temporarily interrupted, or is lost (e.g., detected by the application), it can be determined that the monitoring device has been misplaced. Alternatively, the CDS system can detect a quality deterioration, or a temporary interruption or loss of signal, and notify the user device. In addition to signal quality, or as a substitute for signal quality, additional indications of monitoring device misplacement may be considered. For example, some monitoring devices may be able to detect movement of the monitoring device itself, thus indicating misplacement. As another example, physiological data changing at a rapid rate can indicate misplacement. As yet another example, alarms generated by the monitoring device due to low signal quality, signal deficiency, noise, etc., may be observed. Other methods for detecting misplacement of monitoring devices are possible without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0059] If the monitoring device is misplaced (yes at 508), method 500 proceeds to 510, where the physiological data measured by the monitoring device is automatically excluded from the analysis of the CDS system. For example, the application can signal the CDS to omit portions of the data collected during the period when the monitoring device was misplaced. As an example, the application can label the data so that when the CDS system receives labeled data, it identifies that the data comes from a misplaced monitoring device (e.g., with low signal quality), and can therefore skip such data during analysis (e.g., execution of the CDS system algorithm) to improve the accuracy of the CDS system.

[0060] In some examples, 510 includes 511, where the collection of physiological data may optionally be automatically paused as an alternative to tagging. For example, the transmission of physiological data from the monitoring device directly or indirectly (e.g., via user equipment) to the CDS system may be temporarily stopped as an alternative to tagging the data as described above. In this way, the quality (e.g., accuracy) of the physiological data consumed by the CDS system can be improved by reducing the amount of inaccurate physiological data fed as input to the CDS system. Furthermore, computational resources can be reduced by pausing at least some inputs to the CDS system. Further, pausing signals to the CDS system can reduce network traffic and save bandwidth. In examples where the application does not include a data transmission module, 510 may not be implemented. In such examples, the CDS system may receive data directly and continuously from the monitoring device.

[0061] Following step 510, method 500 proceeds to step 512, where an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device is automatically displayed for the clinician to review. Displaying the alarm may include updating the display screen to indicate the alarm, emitting an audible alert associated with the alarm, etc., to draw the clinician's attention to the misplacement of the monitoring device. The alarm may prompt the clinician to return to the patient's physical vicinity to correct the positioning of the monitoring device and / or update the reference image, as described above. Figure 4 As described.

[0062] Following 512, method 500 proceeds to 514, where the reference image is optionally replaced by a new reference image, including the newly labeled anatomical location. For example, if a clinician intentionally moves the monitoring device to a new location, the clinician can take new photographs of the patient (or generate an abstract physical representation) and relabel the physiological parameters measured by the monitoring device to the new anatomical location, where the monitoring parameters are located on the patient, as per [the relevant information]. Figure 4 As described.

[0063] Following 514, method 500 proceeds to 516, where, optionally, the analysis of the physiological data is resumed. For example, 516 can be completed based on 510. That is, some examples include both 510 and 516, while others include neither. The analysis of the physiological data can be resumed by stopping the labeling of the data as a low-quality signal. Regardless of whether the reference image has been replaced, the clinician can directly input the reference image (e.g., the reference image received at 502 or the new reference image updated at 514) into the user device, including confirmation of the correctly labeled anatomical location of each of the one or more monitoring devices. In response to confirmation from the clinician, the CDS system may include all subsequently received physiological data in the analysis until the signal is lost or degraded again.

[0064] In some examples, 516 may include 517, where data collection from the monitoring device may optionally resume (if paused at 511). Examples that do not include 511 may omit 516. Data collection from the monitoring device may resume in response to confirmation from a clinician. For example, the user equipment may signal to the CDS system to resume consuming data from the monitoring device upon receiving user input including a clinician confirmation marker of the anatomical location. Alternatively or additionally, the user equipment may reopen communication between the CDS system and the monitoring device by activating data transmission from the monitoring device to the CDS system via the user equipment.

[0065] After 516, method 500 returns to 508. In this way, the monitoring of the device's position can be iteratively repeated throughout the duration of patient monitoring, continuously checking the device's position to ensure the expected location.

[0066] Alternatively, if the monitoring device has not been misplaced (no at point 508), method 500 proceeds to point 518, where data collection from the monitoring device continues. For example, the data can continue to be consumed by the CDS system. In this way, accurate information about the location of the monitoring device can be fed as input into the CDS system algorithm to generate clinical decision recommendations.

[0067] Following step 518, method 500 proceeds to step 520, where it is determined whether the CDS system has completed its data analysis. For example, if the CDS system has completed the execution of the algorithm requested by the clinician via the user device or the CDS device, the analysis can be considered complete. In other words, if the CDS system has generated output, the analysis of physiological data and the anatomical locations of the markers can be considered complete.

[0068] If the analysis is complete (No at 520), method 500 returns to 508. In this way, the device can continue to monitor the placement of the monitoring device throughout the data collection process until the requested CDS algorithm is completed, which can be requested via user input and / or automatically as described above.

[0069] Alternatively, if the analysis is complete (yes at 520), method 500 proceeds to 522, where the results of the analysis are displayed. For example, the results may be displayed on the device's user interface for clinicians to view. Alternatively, clinicians may view the results on a separate device such as... Figure 6 View the results on CDS device 622. Method 500 ends after 522.

[0070] After completing method 500, clinicians can make informed clinical decisions based on the monitored physiological parameters and CDS system output. Because this disclosure uses the positioning of monitoring devices and ensures clinicians are aware of and can correct misplaced monitoring devices by issuing alerts, the physiological data input to the CDS system and therefore the CDS output considered by clinicians can be more accurate. Thus, the quality of clinical decisions based at least in part on physiological data and / or the CDS system can be improved. For example, higher quality clinical decisions may include more accurate diagnoses about the patient's condition, more effective treatment plans, resulting in greater success in patient outcomes, etc. Furthermore, by automatically pausing data consumption by the CDS system, the application of this disclosure can reduce computational resources and save bandwidth, as well as improve the quality of CDS output (e.g., accuracy regarding the actual patient condition and the effectiveness of treatment in improving the patient's health or quality of life).

[0071] Go to Figure 11 The diagram 1100 shows an exemplary signal between CDS system 110, monitoring device 202 and user equipment 108.

[0072] The first signal 1102 can be transmitted from the monitoring device 202 to the CDS system. The first signal 1102 may include signals from the patient (e.g., ...). Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6 The patient (102) has physiological parameter data measured, as well as signal quality metrics including a signal quality index. The first signal 1102 can be continuously transmitted, allowing the CDS system 110 to continuously monitor the physiological data and signal quality of the first signal 1102.

[0073] The second signal 1104 can be transmitted from the user equipment 108 to the CDS system 110. The second signal 1104 may include a marked anatomical location based on physiological parameters measured by the monitoring device 202. Prior to transmitting the second signal 1104, the clinician (e.g., Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6The clinician (104) can input marked anatomical locations. For example, the clinician can input reference images such as Figure 10 A reference image 1000 is input to the user equipment 108 in the application of this disclosure. In response to receiving input from the clinician, the user equipment may send a second signal 1104.

[0074] A third signal 1106 may be continuously transmitted from CDS system 110 to user equipment 108. The third signal 1106 may include physiological data measured by monitoring device 202 and provided to CDS system 110 via the first signal 1102. User equipment 108 may display the physiological data, making it visible to a clinician, as further described below. In an alternative example, user equipment 108 may alternatively receive signals directly from monitoring device 202 and provide physiological data to CDS system 110. In such an example, user equipment 108 may monitor signal quality from monitoring device 202 instead of CDS system 110. Additionally, in such an example, user equipment 108 may adjust (e.g., initiate, pause, etc.) data transmission to CDS system 110 based on signal quality to exclude data collected from monitoring device 202 when the monitoring device is misplaced.

[0075] A fourth signal 1108 can be transmitted from the CDS system 110 to the user equipment 108. The fourth signal 1108 can notify the user equipment of the loss or degradation of the first signal 1102. Therefore, the fourth signal 1108 can be transmitted in response to the CDS system 110 detecting the loss or quality degradation of the first signal 1102. The user equipment 108 can display an alarm for the clinician, indicating the degradation or loss of the first signal 1102, in response to receiving the fourth signal 1108, potentially indicating misplacement of the monitoring device 202. Additionally, in response to receiving the fourth signal 1108, an application on the user equipment 108 can tag data collected from the monitoring device 202 for exclusion by the CDS system 110 in the analysis.

[0076] For example, to label data, the fifth signal 1110 transmitted from user equipment 108 to CDS system 110 may include a label indicating a physiological location with poor data quality, rather than a physiological location marker. In this way, user equipment 108 can inform CDS system 110 to exclude the data from analysis. Clinicians can then correct misplacement or other problems with monitoring device 202 that are affecting the signal. In other examples where user equipment 108 receives data directly from the monitoring device and relays the information to CDS system 110, user equipment 108 may suspend data transmission to CDS system 110 in response to detecting signal degradation or loss from monitoring device 202, thus excluding such data from CDS system 110's analysis, rather than labeling the data.

[0077] In this way, clinicians can remotely view physiological data via user device 108 and receive notification when misplacement of monitoring device 202 is detected, leading to timely correction to restore signal quality. Furthermore, in at least some examples, data collected by monitoring device 202 can be excluded from analysis by CDS system 110 in response to signal degradation or loss, including physiological data, thereby improving the accuracy of outputs from CDS system 110 (e.g., diagnostic recommendations).

[0078] Go to Figure 7 An example of a user interface 218 in monitoring mode is shown, where physiological data collected by the monitoring device is displayed on a display screen 700 of device 108. Display screen 700 may include one or more sections, each representing a different patient. For example, a first section 702 displays data for a first patient, and a second section 704 displays data for a second patient. In this way, a clinician viewing display screen 700 (e.g., clinician 104) can monitor more than one patient simultaneously. Additionally, displaying reference images including photographs or abstract physical representations (such as cartoons indicating age and gender) can enhance the clinician's situational awareness, as described below. Figure 8 and Figure 9 Further description.

[0079] Physiological data can be displayed in different formats. For example, the first section 702 shows the physiological data of a first patient in a first format 706, which includes blocks in which current readings from the monitoring device are displayed as numbers. Additionally, the first format 706 may include an alarm box 710. The alarm box 710 may flash, change color, or otherwise alter to draw the clinician's attention to alarms such as misplacement of monitoring equipment, completion of CDS system analysis, notifications of physiological parameters exceeding expected ranges or rapid changes, and other notifications regarding the status of the patient and monitoring equipment. The second section 704 shows the physiological data of a second patient in a second format 708, which includes a timeline showing changes in physiological data over selected time periods (e.g., 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours, or any other time measure) as a line graph. The second format 708 may also include the alarm box 710. In this way, by using applications of this disclosure stored in the memory of device 108, clinicians can remotely monitor patients and be notified via visual alarms of misplacement of monitoring equipment and other noteworthy events related to the patient's condition based on physiological data, marked anatomical locations, and signal quality indices.

[0080] Go to Figure 8 and Figure 9 Additional examples of the display screens when the monitoring device is correctly and incorrectly positioned are shown. Specifically, Figure 8The display screen 800 illustrates an exemplary display screen that can be displayed when the monitoring device is physically positioned at an anatomical location that corresponds to an anatomical location marked in a reference image input to device 108 by a clinician via user interface 218. Display screen 800 may include a reference image portion 802 and a physiological data portion 804. Reference image portion 802 may display a reference image input to device 108 by a clinician (e.g., ...). Figure 10 Reference image 1000). The reference image portion 802 can be altered when the monitoring device is misplaced. For example, the reference image portion 802 can display real-time updates of the monitoring device's position, allowing clinicians to view the monitoring device's location in real-time or near real-time. The physiological data portion 804 can display physiological data measured by the monitoring device in real-time or near real-time, such as... Figure 7 The first format is 706 or the second format is 708. Figure 9 The display screen 900 in the diagram illustrates an exemplary display screen that can be displayed in response to the detection of misplacement of a monitoring device. For example, Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 The locator module 212 can detect misplacement of the monitoring device (e.g., based on the signal quality index) and automatically initiate a change of the display screen from display screen 800 to display screen 900. Display screen 900 can indicate an alarm via various visual changes relative to display screen 800. Reference image portion 802 can show the monitoring device in a location other than the marked anatomical location entered by the clinician. Additionally, the reference image portion can change color between display screen 800 and display screen 900 to emphasize the misplacement of the monitoring device. Furthermore, the reference image portion 802 can be magnified in display screen 900 compared to display screen 800 to further draw attention to the misplacement of the monitoring device. Additionally, sound and / or movement (such as vibration of the device) can be used to alert the clinician that the monitoring device has been misplaced relative to its marked anatomical location. In this way, the clinician can remotely monitor the patient and be notified of alarms regarding movement of the monitoring device relative to the marked anatomical location, allowing for faster correction of the positioning. Therefore, the amount of data measured by the monitoring device from the incorrect anatomical location of the patient can be reduced. Furthermore, in response to the detection of misplaced monitoring equipment, the display screen changes from 800 to 900. In some examples, applications of this disclosure can automatically exclude data from the analysis of the CDS system (e.g., automatically suspend data consumption of the CDS system), thereby reducing the data fed into the CDS system from the misplaced location. Reducing data transmission from the monitoring equipment at the misplaced location to the CDS system reduces computational resource requirements, saves bandwidth, and improves the quality of the CDS system output. Alternatively, data measured during the period when the monitoring equipment is misplaced can be labeled as low quality and excluded from the analysis of the CDS algorithm, thereby improving the accuracy of the CDS output.

[0081] The technical effect of using the application of this disclosure for anatomical location marking is to improve the accuracy of physiological parameter data and location data collected throughout patient monitoring, thereby improving the accuracy of the CDS system output (e.g., diagnosis). By automatically excluding data from the CDS system analysis in response to automatic detection of misplacement of the monitoring device (e.g., pausing the CDS system's consumption of data from the monitoring device), the amount of inaccurate data analyzed by the CDS system can be reduced. Therefore, clinicians implementing the application of this disclosure to mark monitoring devices to anatomical locations can improve the quality of patient care by increasing the accuracy of information analyzed by both the clinician and the CDS system consuming the physiological data generated by the monitoring device. Furthermore, in some examples, computational resource requirements can be reduced because data transmission is reduced when the monitoring device is misplaced. For example, the total amount of data transmitted to the CDS system can be reduced when the application automatically pauses the consumption of data that would otherwise be collected. In other words, automatically pausing the CDS system's data consumption in response to misplacement of the monitoring device relative to the marked anatomical location in a reference image reduces the amount of inaccurate data analyzed by the CDS system. For example, in other systems that cannot automatically pause and resume data consumption, clinicians who notice misplaced monitoring equipment after partial or complete analysis by the CDS system may produce less accurate outputs, and in some cases, it may be necessary to restart the CDS system analysis to ensure that the analyzed data comes from the correct anatomical location. In such examples, computational power may increase due to restarting the analysis. Therefore, compared to other systems, the system and / or method of this disclosure can reduce the amount of data processed by the CDS system to produce output. In this way, the computational efficiency of the CDS system can be improved.

[0082] This disclosure also provides support for a method comprising: receiving a reference image including an image of a monitoring device adapted to measure physiological data of a patient marked at an anatomical location; displaying the physiological data from the monitoring device and providing the marked anatomical location to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; monitoring a signal quality index of a signal from the monitoring device; and automatically pausing the analysis of the physiological data by the CDS system in response to misplacement of the monitoring device and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a first embodiment of the method, the method further comprises: replacing the reference image with a new reference image including the newly marked anatomical location after automatic pausing. In a second embodiment of the method, optionally including the first embodiment, the method further comprises: resuming the analysis of the physiological data from the monitoring device in response to user input after automatically pausing the analysis of the physiological data by the CDS system and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a third embodiment of the method, optionally including one or both of the first and second embodiments, the user input includes confirmation that the marked anatomical location is correct, wherein the user input is entered by a clinician via a user interface. In a fourth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to third embodiments may be included, the reference image further including an image of the patient, wherein the monitoring device is positioned at a marked anatomical location of the patient, and wherein the reference image is a photograph or an abstract physical representation. In a fifth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to fourth embodiments may be included, the method further including detecting misplacement of the monitoring device based on a signal quality index or signal loss before automatically pausing the CDS system's analysis of physiological data and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement. In a sixth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to fifth embodiments may be included, the method further including displaying the reference image.

[0083] This disclosure also provides support for a method comprising: placing a monitoring device suitable for measuring physiological parameters at an anatomical location on a patient; marking the physiological parameters in a reference image using the anatomical location via a user interface of a user device communicating with the monitoring device; storing the reference image in the memory of the user device; and implementing an application to view the reference image and monitor the physiological parameters and the anatomical location. In a first embodiment of the method, implementing the application includes: displaying physiological data from the monitoring device and providing the marked anatomical location and signal quality index to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; displaying the physiological data and monitoring the signal quality index on the user interface; and automatically excluding physiological data measured by the monitoring device from the analysis of the CDS system in response to misplacement of the monitoring device, and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a second embodiment of the method, optionally including the first embodiment, the method further includes: remarking the physiological parameters with a new anatomical location. In a third embodiment of the method, optionally including one or both of the first and second embodiments, remarking includes repositioning the monitoring device in a new anatomical location and marking the new anatomical location in a new reference image. In a fourth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to third embodiments may be optionally included, and excluding physiological data includes automatically tagging the physiological data or pausing the CDS system's consumption of physiological data. In a fifth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to fourth embodiments may be optionally included, and implementing the application further includes resuming analysis of physiological data from the monitoring device in response to receiving user input confirmation that the tagged anatomical location is correct after automatically excluding physiological data and displaying an alarm indicating that the monitoring device has been misplaced. In a sixth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to fifth embodiments may be optionally included, and implementing the application further includes detecting misplacement of the monitoring device by identifying a signal quality index below a threshold or signal loss. In a seventh embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to sixth embodiments may be optionally included, and the method further includes: viewing the output of the CDS system via a user interface.

[0084] This disclosure also provides support for a patient monitoring system comprising: a patient; a clinician; one or more monitoring devices positioned at an anatomical location on the patient and adapted to measure one or more physiological parameters; and a user device including a user interface and instructions stored in memory, the instructions being executable by a processor of the user device to: display physiological data from the one or more monitoring devices; provide the physiological data and the anatomical location as input to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; monitor the quality of the physiological data; and automatically suspend analysis of the physiological data from the at least one of the one or more monitoring devices in response to detection of misplacement of at least one of the one or more monitoring devices; and display an alarm on the user interface indicating misplacement of at least one of the one or more monitoring devices. In a first embodiment of the system, the system further includes a network through which the one or more monitoring devices, the user device, and the CDS system are capable of wireless communication. In a second embodiment of the system, optionally including the first embodiment, the instructions are further executable to resume analysis of the physiological data from the one or more monitoring devices in response to user input indicating confirmation of a correctly marked anatomical location. In a third embodiment of the system, one or both of the first and second embodiments may be included, and detecting misplacement of at least one of the one or more monitoring devices includes monitoring signal quality index. In a fourth embodiment of the system, one or more or each of the first to third embodiments may be included, and the user equipment is configured to display the output of the CDS system.

[0085] In another representation, this disclosure also provides support for a method comprising: receiving a reference image from a monitoring device adapted to measure physiological data of a patient marked at an anatomical location; initiating the collection of physiological data from the monitoring device and providing the physiological data and the marked anatomical location to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; displaying the physiological data and monitoring a signal quality index of a signal from the monitoring device; and automatically pausing the consumption of physiological data by the CDS system in response to misplacement of the monitoring device and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a first embodiment of the method, the method further comprises: replacing the reference image with a new reference image including the newly marked anatomical location after automatic pausing. In a second embodiment of the method, optionally including the first embodiment, the method further comprises: resuming data collection from the monitoring device in response to user input after automatically pausing the consumption of physiological data by the CDS system and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a third embodiment of the method, optionally including one or both of the first and second embodiments, the user input includes confirmation that the marked anatomical location is correct, wherein the user input is provided by a clinician via a user interface. In a fourth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to third embodiments may be optionally included, the reference image comprising an image of the patient, wherein the monitoring device is positioned at a marked anatomical location of the patient. In a fifth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to fourth embodiments may be optionally included, the method further comprising detecting misplacement of the monitoring device based on a signal quality index before automatically pausing the CDS system's consumption of physiological data and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a sixth embodiment of the method, one or more or each of the first to fifth embodiments may be optionally included, the method further comprising displaying the reference image.

[0086] In another representation, this disclosure also provides support for a method comprising: placing a monitoring device suitable for measuring physiological parameters at an anatomical location on a patient; using the anatomical location to label the physiological parameters in a reference image via a user interface of a user device communicating with the monitoring device; storing the reference image in the memory of the user device; and implementing an application to view the reference image and monitor the physiological parameters and the anatomical location. In a first embodiment of the method, implementing the application comprises: initiating the collection of physiological data from the monitoring device and providing the physiological data, the labeled anatomical location, and a signal quality index to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; displaying the physiological data on a user interface and monitoring the signal quality index; and automatically pausing the collection of physiological data from the monitoring device in response to misplacement of the monitoring device, and displaying an alarm indicating misplacement of the monitoring device. In a second embodiment of the method, optionally including the first embodiment, the method further comprises: relabeling the physiological parameters with a new anatomical location. In a third embodiment of the method, optionally including one or both of the first and second embodiments, relabeling comprises repositioning the monitoring device in a new anatomical location and labeling the new anatomical location in a new reference image. In a fourth embodiment of the method, optionally including one or more or each of the first to third embodiments, automatically pausing data collection from the monitoring device includes automatically pausing the CDS system's consumption of physiological data. In a fifth embodiment of the method, optionally including one or more or each of the first to fourth embodiments, implementing the application further includes resuming physiological data collection from the monitoring device in response to receiving user input confirmation that the marked anatomical location is correct after automatically pausing physiological data collection from the monitoring device and displaying an alarm indicating that the monitoring device has been misplaced. In a sixth embodiment of the method, optionally including one or more or each of the first to fifth embodiments, implementing the application further includes detecting misplacement of the monitoring device by identifying a signal quality index below a threshold. In a seventh embodiment of the method, optionally including one or more or each of the first to sixth embodiments, the method further includes: viewing the output of the CDS system via a user interface.

[0087] In another representation, this disclosure also provides support for a patient monitoring system comprising: a patient; a clinician; one or more monitoring devices positioned at an anatomical location on the patient and adapted to measure one or more physiological parameters; and a user device including a user interface and instructions stored in memory, the instructions being executable by a processor of the user device to: initiate the collection of physiological data from the one or more monitoring devices; provide the physiological data and the anatomical location as input to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; display the physiological data on the user interface and monitor the quality of the physiological data; and automatically suspend the collection of physiological data from the at least one of the one or more monitoring devices in response to the detection that at least one of the one or more monitoring devices has been misplaced; and display an alarm on the user interface indicating that at least one of the one or more monitoring devices has been misplaced. In a first embodiment of the system, the system further includes a network through which the one or more monitoring devices, the user device, and the CDS system are capable of wireless communication. In a second embodiment of the system, optionally including the first embodiment, the instructions are further executable to resume the collection of physiological data from the one or more monitoring devices in response to user input indicating confirmation of a correctly marked anatomical location. In a third embodiment of the system, one or both of the first and second embodiments may be included, and detecting misplacement of at least one of the one or more monitoring devices includes monitoring signal quality index. In a fourth embodiment of the system, one or more or each of the first to third embodiments may be included, and the user equipment is configured to display the output of the CDS system.

[0088] Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 6 to 10Example configurations with relative positioning of various components are shown. In at least one example, such components may be referred to as being in direct contact or directly coupled, respectively, if shown as being in direct contact or directly coupled. Similarly, in at least one example, components shown as being adjacent to or next to each other may be referred to as being adjacent to or next to each other, respectively. For example, components placed in coplanar contact with each other may be referred to as being in coplanar contact. As another example, in at least one example, components positioned spaced apart from each other and having only space between them without other components may be described and referenced as such. As yet another example, components shown as being above / below each other, on opposite sides of each other, or on the left / right side of each other may be described and referenced relative to each other. Furthermore, as shown, in at least one example, the topmost component or point of the component may be referred to as the “top” of the component, and the bottommost component or point of the component may be referred to as the “bottom” of the component. As used herein, top / bottom, upper / lower, above / below may be relative to the vertical axis of the figure and may be used to describe the position of the components in the figure relative to each other. Therefore, in one example, an element shown above other elements is vertically positioned above them. Similarly, the shapes of the elements depicted in the figures can be described as having those shapes (e.g., circular, straight, planar, curved, rounded, chamfered, angled, etc.). Furthermore, in at least one example, elements shown intersecting each other can be described as intersecting elements or intersecting with each other. Additionally, in one example, an element shown as being inside or outside another element can be described and referred to as such.

[0089] It should be understood that the configurations and routines disclosed herein are exemplary in nature, and these specific implementations should not be considered limiting, as many variations are possible. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are not intended to indicate any order, position, quantity, or importance, but are merely used as markers to distinguish one element from another. The subject matter of this disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various systems and configurations disclosed herein, as well as other features, functions, and / or characteristics.

[0090] The following claims specifically point to certain combinations and sub-combinations that are considered novel and non-obvious. These claims may refer to a "one" element or a "first" element or its equivalent. Such claims should be understood to include combinations of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Other combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosed features, functions, elements, and / or properties may be claimed by amending these claims or by presenting new claims in this application or related applications. Such claims, whether broader or narrower in scope than the original claims, identical or different, are considered to be included within the subject matter of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method comprising: receiving a reference image comprising an image of a monitoring device, wherein the monitoring device is adapted to measure physiological data of a patient tagged to an anatomical location of the patient; displaying the physiological data from the monitoring device and providing the tagged anatomical location to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; monitoring a signal quality index of a signal from the monitoring device; and automatically suspending analysis of the physiological data by the CDS system in response to the monitoring device being mispositioned and displaying an alert that the monitoring device is mispositioned.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising replacing the reference image with a new reference image comprising a new tagged anatomical location after the automatic suspension.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising resuming analysis of the physiological data from the monitoring device in response to user input after the automatic suspension of analysis of the physiological data by the CDS system and the display of the alert that the monitoring device is mispositioned.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user input comprises a confirmation that the tagged anatomical location is correct, wherein the user input is input by a clinician via a user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference image further comprises an image of the patient, wherein the monitoring device is positioned at the tagged anatomical location of the patient, and wherein the reference image is a photograph or an abstract physical representation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises detecting that the monitoring device is mispositioned from the signal quality index or signal loss before the automatic suspension of analysis of the physiological data by the CDS system and the display of the alert that the monitoring device is mispositioned.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying the reference image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises receiving a new reference image with a new tagged anatomical location and providing the new tagged anatomical location to the CDS system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein suspending analysis of the physiological data comprises automatically tagging the physiological data or suspending consumption of the physiological data by the CDS system to exclude the physiological data from analysis by the CDS system.

10. A patient monitoring system comprising: a patient; a clinician; one or more monitoring devices positioned at an anatomical location of the patient and adapted to measure one or more physiological parameters; and a user device comprising a user interface and instructions stored in memory executable by a processor of the user device to: display physiological data from the one or more monitoring devices; provide the physiological data and the anatomical location as input to a clinical decision support (CDS) system; monitor a quality of the physiological data; and In response to detecting that at least one of the one or more monitoring devices is misplaced, automatically suspending analysis of physiological data from the at least one of the one or more monitoring devices, and displaying an alert on the user interface that at least one of the one or more monitoring devices is misplaced.

11. The patient monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a network through which the one or more monitoring devices, the user device, and the CDS system are capable of wireless communication.

12. The patient monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further executable to resume analysis of physiological data from the one or more monitoring devices in response to user input indicative of confirmation of a correctly labeled anatomical location.

13. The patient monitoring system of claim 10, wherein detecting that at least one of the one or more monitoring devices is misplaced comprises monitoring a signal quality index.

14. The patient monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the user device is configured to display output of the CDS system.

15. The patient monitoring system of claim 10, wherein automatically suspending analysis of the physiological data comprises automatically tagging the physiological data or suspending consumption of the physiological data by the CDS system to exclude the physiological data from analysis by the CDS system.

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