Computing unit for determining an oxygen supply variant based on a recommended supply

Abstract

A computing unit (10) is specified for determining the oxygen supply requirement based on a supply request from a person. The computing unit comprises: a processor (14); a working memory (15); a first interface (12) for connecting the processor (14) to a data storage device (30); and a second interface (13) for connecting the processor (14) to an input and output unit (20). The processor (14) is configured to perform the following steps: receiving master data, a supply requirement, and a supply request from the input and output unit (20) via the second interface (13); and generating a query based on the master data, the supply requirement, and the supply request to retrieve at least one information record from the data storage device regarding a suitable oxygen supply that, taking the master data into account, meets the supply requirement.The processor can determine a recommended supply based on the supply specification and identify any deviation between the supply request and the recommended supply.

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of data processing. In particular, the invention relates to a computing unit and a system for comparing a requested oxygen supply (which can also be referred to as a supply request or supply variant) with a recommended supply based on a supply requirement. The computing unit is designed to determine and suggest an alternative oxygen supply suitable for the supply requirement, in particular one or more possible supply variants based on transmitted data regarding an oxygen demand. Background of the invention

[0002] Selecting care options and / or medical aids, and possibly customizing a care option or adapting these medical aids to a person's individual needs, often presents a challenge, starting with determining the need, through satisfying the need, possibly including the production of a custom-made item, and possibly continuing to the appropriate individual adjustment of the aid.

[0003] It is often cumbersome or almost impossible to find a suitable supply option with or without aids, or even a selection of several possible supply options with or without aids, for a supply request.

[0004] Even though guidelines exist for many categories of cases, it can often be difficult to apply these guidelines to an individual case. This often leads to suboptimal care for a person. Summary of the invention

[0005] It can be considered an object of the invention to provide a device that simplifies and objectifies the process of identifying and assigning suitable supply variants with or without medical aids, in particular supply variants for oxygen supply, possibly with means for oxygen supply and further, in particular, for long-term oxygen supply, to a supply specification, and in particular to put the associated automated processes into a standardized model that can be implemented with low effort.

[0006] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claim. Further embodiments are described in the dependent claims and in the following description.

[0007] According to one aspect, a computing unit for determining the oxygen supply requirement based on a supply request from a person is specified. The computing unit comprises a processor, main memory, a first interface for connecting the processor to a data storage device, and a second interface for connecting the processor to an input / output unit. The processor is configured to perform the following steps: receiving the person's master data from the input / output unit via the second interface; receiving a supply requirement from the input / output unit via the second interface; receiving a supply request from the input / output unit via the second interface;Create a query based on the master data, the supply specification, and the supply request to retrieve at least one information record from the data store regarding a suitable oxygen supply that is capable of fulfilling the supply specification, taking the master data into account; transmit the query to the data store and retrieve the information record retrieved from the data store; determine a recommended supply based on the supply specification; compare the supply request with the recommended supply and determine any discrepancy between the supply request and the recommended supply; forward the discrepancy between the supply request and the recommended supply, as well as the retrieved information record regarding the suitable oxygen supply, to the input and output unit.

[0008] In other words, the processing unit described here enables the suitability of a requested oxygen supply to a person (the supply request) to be checked, taking into account the supply requirement (i.e., the amount of oxygen needed per unit of time for different activities) and the person's master data. The processing unit indicates whether the supply request is suitable for fulfilling the supply requirement. Additionally, the processing unit indicates whether an alternative recommended supply, possibly also considering the master data, is equally suitable for fulfilling the supply requirement. In this way, the supply request can be compared with the alternative recommended supply to select the more appropriate option for supplying the person with oxygen, provided both are equally suitable.

[0009] In the context of this description, oxygen supply refers in particular to the long-term oxygen supply of a person in need of therapy.

[0010] The need for this oxygen supply can be professionally determined based on a guideline or specification for long-term oxygen therapy, whereby diagnoses relating to the person's health status are taken into account for the indication calculation. For example, the calculation unit described here may be designed to perform a plausibility check, considering a person's level of mobility. This plausibility check verifies, for example, whether a supply request (i.e., the requested type and / or duration of oxygen supply) is suitable / appropriate / necessary to meet the supply requirement (i.e., the need for oxygen supply), depending on the person's health status and / or care level.The processing unit can also take into account measured values ​​from a blood gas analysis in order to determine a suitable supply option and supply resources, and to ascertain whether a supply request is effective when considering the measured values ​​of the blood gas analysis.

[0011] The processing unit determines a suitable and economical type of oxygen supply to match a given supply requirement (i.e., the supply specification) and enables a dynamic cost-benefit analysis of different oxygen supply methods (oxygen cylinders, semi-mobile or fully mobile supply) as well as the expected energy costs for each type of supply. The processing unit can also consider limit values ​​when determining the recommended supply, for example, a maximum amount of oxygen for semi-mobile supply over a defined period.

[0012] The oxygen supply specification indicates the amount of oxygen a person must receive during different activities or in different states of mind. For example, the specified amount of oxygen may refer to rest, exertion, or sleep. The specification can also indicate how many hours of oxygen supply per day are required and how many of those hours are for stationary, semi-mobile, or fully mobile care.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the person's master data is selected from the following information: age or age range, activity level, occupation, care level, and / or health status.

[0014] The master data therefore forms the starting point for determining the suitability of a care request for a specific person. The health status can include information about a care level and / or respiratory illnesses or other data relevant to oxygen supply.

[0015] According to another embodiment, the supply specification includes information about the person's need for oxygen supply at rest, oxygen supply during exertion, oxygen supply during sleep, therapy duration per day, the duration of mobility at the person's place of residence or stay, and / or the duration of mobility outside the person's place of residence or stay.

[0016] This information is used to identify a suitable oxygen supply and, in particular, to determine whether the oxygen supply can be provided in a stationary, semi-mobile, or fully mobile manner. This selection can be made, for example, depending on the level of care required and the patient's overall health status.

[0017] According to another embodiment, the supply specification contains diagnostic data and the diagnostic data includes: information about the person's ability to request services, values ​​from a blood gas analysis, so-called flow values, and / or other diagnoses concerning the person's state of health.

[0018] The ability of a person to request oxygen indicates whether a person is able to detect an oxygen deficiency and, depending on this detection, request an increased supply of oxygen, for example by making an appropriate setting on the oxygen supply device.

[0019] Blood gas analysis contains information on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2), and pH value, although this information is not necessarily exhaustive and blood gas analysis may also contain other values.

[0020] According to another embodiment, the recommended supply and the supply request specify the type of oxygen supply as well as the duration of the oxygen supply.

[0021] The type of oxygen supply refers, for example, to whether it is stationary, semi-mobile, or fully mobile. Stationary oxygen supply requires different devices than semi-mobile or fully mobile systems. Therefore, the type of oxygen supply allows conclusions to be drawn about the suitable devices. For instance, a device for mobile oxygen supply requires a local energy storage system to operate independently of a power grid.Furthermore, the type of oxygen supply influences the connections to an oxygen source: while stationary devices can also be connected to an oxygen line depending on the equipment of a building in which a person is staying, this is not practical for a fully mobile oxygen supply device, and such a device requires a local oxygen storage, such as an oxygen cylinder.

[0022] Mixed forms of oxygen supply are conceivable, especially for people who are stationary for a certain period of time and are only mobile for short periods.

[0023] According to another embodiment, the type of oxygen supply refers to stationary oxygen supply, semi-mobile oxygen supply or fully mobile oxygen supply, and the duration of the oxygen supply indicates a duration for each applicable type of oxygen supply.

[0024] For example, oxygen supply arrangements might include a person receiving stationary oxygen therapy for 16 out of 24 hours a day, and then receiving semi-mobile or fully mobile oxygen therapy for, say, 4 hours. This example represents a mixed form of oxygen supply, as two different types of supply are specified for this person, with the corresponding duration for each type of supply indicated.

[0025] For clarification, this description does not pertain to oxygen supply per se, but rather to the automated determination of the suitability of a supply request for a given supply requirement. The processing unit described here is designed to determine this suitability in an advantageously objective and verifiable manner. For example, chronic hypoxemia requiring treatment is present if the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) at rest is less than 55 mmHg (7.3 kPa). If the arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) at rest is greater than 55 mmHg, a requirement may stipulate that there is no entitlement to oxygen supply, and the processing unit will indicate that the necessity of oxygen supply can be verified by other means.

[0026] The processing unit can be, in particular, a computer on which a corresponding application is running, which instructs the processor to execute the aforementioned steps. During the execution of these steps, the processor stores instructions and data in the main memory that are required for processing the aforementioned steps.

[0027] The data storage device contains information about the assistive devices or aids to be used. The data storage device can be persistent storage, for example in the form of a hard drive or semiconductor memory, which retains the data for later use even without an external power supply.

[0028] The processor accesses the data storage via the second interface. This allows the processor to transmit commands to the data storage and to receive information read from the data storage.

[0029] The input and output unit is designed so that master data, the service specification, and / or the service request can be entered and fed to the processor for further processing. The service specification and / or the service request can contain information about service needs, for example, on a paper document or in electronic form. It is also conceivable that the service specification and / or the service request is contained on an electronic data carrier that can be automatically read by the input and output unit.

[0030] The supply specification and / or supply request can, for example, describe a person's needs or reflect a diagnosis or symptom profile, which can be interpreted as a requirement for the assistive device. For instance, the supply specification and / or supply request may be in the form of multiple quantified parameters. However, it may also include parameters whose mere presence or absence is indicated.

[0031] The supply specification and / or supply request can be entered by an operator of the input and output unit. The digital data generated in this way is then transmitted to the processing unit. However, it is also conceivable that the supply specification and / or the supply request is read from a file. The input and output unit can, for example, be a computer workstation to which a data storage device can be connected, such as a portable data storage device. Such a portable data storage device could, for example, be a storage device that can be detachably connected to the input and output unit via an interface (e.g., USB). The supply specification and / or the supply request can be in the form of a file and is then automatically read by the input and output unit and used as the basis for further processing.

[0032] Based on the supply requirement and / or the supply request, the processor creates a query to retrieve at least one information record from the data storage about an assistive device that can fulfill the supply requirement and / or the supply request. In the example of oxygen supply devices or aids, the processor designs the query in such a way that, starting from a basic data record and possibly further optional parameters, it identifies an oxygen supply device or aid that is suitable for use by the person in question or that can fulfill the supply requirement.

[0033] The processor transmits the query to the data storage and receives the information sets determined by the data storage, or the determined information set.

[0034] The data storage can be a separate entity from the processing unit, meaning that the processing unit performs the arithmetic operations, while the data storage's sole function is to identify and provide data for a query. In this case, the data storage has appropriate mechanisms and assemblies to enable access to and provision of the stored data. These can include memory management mechanisms and memory access mechanisms with associated components.

[0035] Alternatively, the data storage can also be designed as a module of the computing unit. In this case, the computing unit can include memory management mechanisms and memory access mechanisms with associated components.

[0036] Once the information sets have been provided by the data storage, they can be processed as needed and transmitted to the input and output unit to be output or displayed there.

[0037] The arrangement described herein has the advantage that, in addition to a comprehensive plausibility check of the information provided, a permissible supply or flat-rate allowance, which may then include information on assistive devices, can be determined. It is conceivable that the described arrangement will advantageously compare the technical parameters with the requirements for an assistive device according to the supply specification and / or the supply request, and that the information will be quickly determined and provided. The technical parameters of the assistive devices, e.g., the device or aid for oxygen supply, are compared globally with the supply specification in order to identify a suitable assistive device, particularly across manufacturers and independent of one or more specific manufacturers, and taking the supply specification into account. In this process, the following can be considered:Existing interdependencies between the individual technical parameters must be taken into account to determine whether a particular tool actually meets all the stated requirements.

[0038] According to another aspect, a system for determining the need for oxygen supply is specified. The system comprises a computing unit as described above and below, a data storage unit connected to the first interface via a first data transmission connection, the data storage unit containing a multitude of information records concerning the properties of oxygen supply devices, and an input and output unit connected to the second interface via a second data transmission connection, the input and output unit being designed to allow the input of master data, a supply requirement, and a supply request.

[0039] The system thus functionally connects the computing unit described herein with the input and output unit as well as with an external data storage device. Within this integrated system, the computing unit performs the function described herein in order to identify a suitable assistive device, based on the technical parameters of assistive devices, particularly oxygen supply devices, in order to meet a supply requirement.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the input and output unit is spatially separated from the computing unit, with the second data transmission connection being a public or private data transmission network.

[0041] The processing unit can be functionally located in a central position. This means that one or more input and output units can access the processing unit and utilize its services.

[0042] The input and output unit can be designed as a terminal, meaning it has little or no processing power of its own. This terminal can access a service provided by the processing unit. The computing power is essentially provided by the (central) processing unit, while the terminal serves to read or input data and to output or display the results of the processing steps performed on the processing unit.

[0043] For example, the input / output unit can access the computing unit's services via a web service. This means that the computing unit provides an input form that the terminal can call and display, allowing a terminal user to enter data into the form. This data is then transferred to the computing unit for further processing. A specific standardized or proprietary protocol can be used for this transfer. XML is one example of a standardized protocol. A data carrier containing a file-based mapping of recommended care to a care specification can also be connected to the terminal. This file can then be transferred to the computing unit. The file can be in the same format and transferred using the same protocol as a care specification manually entered via the input form.The assignment of the recommended care to a care requirement represents, so to speak, a target value or a recommended type of care for a specific care requirement of a person.

[0044] According to another embodiment, the data storage is a persistent data storage.

[0045] This means that the technical properties and characteristics of assistive devices, particularly oxygen supply devices, are entered into the data storage system. The data can be stored, for example, in a database, such as a relational database. The information about the oxygen supply devices is linked to a unique identifier, such as the device number combined with a characterizing identifier for the type of oxygen supply. When comparing the supply requirement with the properties of the stored devices, the entries in the database are read and compared with the supply requirement and, if applicable, other boundary conditions.

[0046] The data storage can be designed so that the entries for a tool can be updated as needed and / or that new entries can be added.

[0047] According to another embodiment, the computing unit is designed in such a way that it can be connected to a multitude of input and output units, so that each input and output unit can transmit its own supply request to the computing unit. Brief description of the character

[0048] An embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. The illustration is schematic and not to scale. Identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar elements. Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a system according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed description of the exemplary embodiment

[0049] Fig.Figure 1 shows a system for determining the need for oxygen supply based on a supply requirement and a supply request from a person. This system is therefore used to determine a supply type or a flat rate. The supply type or flat rate can contain information about or references to an aid or device, in particular a medical aid or device such as an oxygen supply aid, which can be selected and issued from a variety of aids based on a supply requirement.

[0050] In this embodiment, system 1 has three components: a computing unit 10, an input and output unit 20, and a data storage unit 30.

[0051] The data storage device 30 is connected to the processing unit 10 via a first data transmission link 11A. This link can be wired (optical, electrical, or mixed) or wireless. To establish the connection to the data storage device 30 via the first data transmission link 11A, the processing unit 10 has a first interface 12. The first interface 12 can be, for example, a network connection or a direct connection (USB, parallel or serial interface, PCI, SCSI, etc.).

[0052] The input / output unit 20 is connected to the processing unit 10 via a second data transmission link 11B. This link can be wired (optical, electrical, or mixed) or wireless. To establish the connection to the input / output unit via the second data transmission link 11B, the processing unit 10 has a second interface 13. The second interface 13 can be, for example, a network connection or a direct connection (USB, parallel or serial interface, PCI, SCSI, etc.).

[0053] In principle, all three elements—namely, the processing unit 10, the input and output unit 20, and the data storage 30—can be arranged spatially separately. It can be advantageous if the access times from the processing unit to the data storage are short, meaning that the data can be retrieved from the processing unit quickly. This is achieved by arranging the processing unit 10 and the data storage 30 in close proximity to each other or by connecting them via a broadband data link. The data storage 30 can also be designed as an integral part of the processing unit 10.

[0054] The arithmetic unit 10 comprises a processor 14 and a main memory 15. In addition, the arithmetic unit can include all other elements that a computer requires for its operation. The processor receives data from the input and output unit, processes it, generates a query for the data storage, outputs this query, and receives and processes the data provided by the data storage. The processed data is then output to the input and output unit. The main memory 15 serves to store data after it has been retrieved from the data storage 30 and to store the results of the individual processing steps.

[0055] The processing unit 10 and system 1 described here enable the determination and output of a supply type or a flat rate. The supply type or flat rate can contain information about or references to oxygen supply aids and can identify and display at least one aid or a group of several suitable aids from a wide range of oxygen supply aids that match a supply requirement. The suitable aids can then be compared with a supply request to determine whether the supply request, i.e., the requested oxygen supply equipment, is suitable for fulfilling the supply requirement, i.e., the person's needs, and whether the supply request can be replaced by an alternative recommended supply.Various aspects can be taken into account here, for example economic aspects, in order to identify those with the lowest costs from the group of suitable aids or to classify the suitable aids into cost categories or price segments.

[0056] Computing Unit 10 and System 1 can be used to identify a suitable assistive device (to determine its suitability), and / or, after selecting an assistive device, to check whether a suitable and correct assistive device has been selected, and / or to enable people to determine appropriate assistive device provision.

[0057] The computing unit 10 is configured in an exemplary embodiment to perform the following steps. These steps can be roughly divided into four sections: data acquisition, derivation of the supply parameters, determination of the supply, and output of one or more suitable supply types and / or flat rates (which may include a reference to an assistive device) to meet the supply requirement.

[0058] In the case of oxygen supply, these four sections can be designed as follows: First, the master data of the person requiring care, data relating to the care requirements, and a care request are recorded. This can include basic data and / or optional parameters and / or a care preference and / or other specifications, for example, resulting from contractual rights and obligations. The basic data describes care options / types of care and / or flat rates, which may include the characteristics and desired capabilities of an oxygen supply device. These characteristics include, in particular, information about the technical capabilities of a device to fulfill the required type of oxygen supply (stationary, semi-mobile, fully mobile) and the respective duration of oxygen supply.

[0059] The processing unit receives information about the care requirement and the requested care. Taking the master data and the care requirement into account, it is able to determine a suitable care solution and, if necessary, suitable assistive devices to meet the care requirement. A comparison of the determined care solution and, if applicable, the suitable assistive devices with the care request is then possible, allowing for the identification of optimal care for the individual. In particular, an alternative care solution can be suggested if it is better suited to the care requirement than the one requested. This enables the selection of a suitable and economical care option (i.e., a type of care and / or a lump sum, which may include information about an assistive device that matches a care requirement).

[0060] If a search for a suitable oxygen supply variant in the data storage is unsuccessful based on the supply parameters and any values ​​that may be added (if these are missing from the supply specification), a corresponding message can be displayed on the output device, allowing further information to be requested. Otherwise, a set of suitable oxygen supply variants (possibly including information on devices and / or aids appropriate for these variants) will be displayed.

[0061] It should also be noted that "comprehensive" or "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference numerals in the claims are not to be considered as limitations. Reference symbol list 1 system 10 computing unit 11A First data transmission connection 11B second data transmission connection 12 first interface 13 second interface 14 processor 15 GB RAM 20 Input and output unit 30 data storage devices

Claims

[1] Computing unit (10) for determining the need for oxygen supply based on a supply request from a person, comprising the computing unit: a processor (14); a working memory (15); a first interface (12) for connecting the processor (14) to a data storage device (30); a second interface (13) for connecting the processor (14) to an input and output unit (20); wherein the processor (14) is configured to perform the following steps: Receiving master data of the person from the input and output unit (20) via the second interface (13); Receiving a supply specification from the input and output unit (20) via the second interface (13); Receiving a supply request from the input and output unit (20) via the second interface (13); Create a query based on the master data, the supply requirement, and the supply request to determine at least one information set from the data store about a suitable oxygen supply that is suitable to meet the supply requirement, taking the master data into account; Transmitting the query to the data store and receiving the information set retrieved from the data store; Determining a recommended care plan based on the care requirement; Comparing the supply request with the recommended supply and identifying any discrepancies between the supply request and the recommended supply; Forwarding the discrepancy between the supply request and the recommended supply, as well as the received information set about the appropriate oxygen supply, to the input and output unit. [2] Computing unit (10) according to claim 1, wherein the master data of the person are selected from the following information: age or age range, activity level, occupation, care level, and / or health status. [3] Computing unit (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the supply specification includes information about the person's need for oxygen supply at rest, oxygen supply during exertion, oxygen supply during sleep, therapy duration per day, duration of mobility at the person's place of residence or stay, and / or duration of mobility outside the person's place of residence or stay. [4] Computing unit (10) according to claim 3, wherein the supply specification contains diagnostic data, and the diagnostic data contain: information about the person's ability to request, values ​​of a blood gas analysis, and / or other diagnoses relating to the person's state of health. [5] Computing unit (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the recommended supply and the supply request specify the type of oxygen supply and the duration of the oxygen supply. [6] Computing unit (10) according to claim 5, wherein the type of oxygen supply refers to a stationary oxygen supply, semi-mobile oxygen supply or fully mobile oxygen supply and wherein the duration of the oxygen supply indicates a duration for each applicable type of oxygen supply. [7] System (1) for determining the need for an oxygen supply, comprising the system: a computing unit (10) according to one of the preceding claims, a data storage device (30) which is connected to the first interface (12) via a first data transmission link (11 A), wherein the data storage device contains a multitude of information sets relating to supply variants of the oxygen supply; an input and output unit (20) which is connected to the second interface (13) via a second data transmission connection (11B), wherein the input and output unit is designed so that master data, a supply specification and a supply request can be entered. [8] System (1) according to claim 7, wherein the input and output unit (20) is spatially separated from the computing unit (10); where the second data transmission link (11B) is a public or private data transmission network (11B); where the data store (30) is a persistent data store. [9] System (1) according to one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the computing unit (10) is designed to be connected to a plurality of input and output units, so that each input and output unit can transmit its own supply request to the computing unit. [10] System (1) according to one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the input and output unit (20) is configured to automatically read in a supply request.

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