Clinical State Index Determination via Segmented Physiological Parameter Scoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient monitoring systems struggle to provide illustrative indicators for slow or small changes in a patient's general clinical state, making it difficult for clinicians to determine when a patient is ready for the next phase of care, and they are complex and costly due to embedded diagnostic intelligence.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determine a general clinical index by selecting a set of physiological parameters, attaching targeted value ranges, and calculating a general condition index based on the number of parameters within or outside these ranges, providing a clear and understandable indicator of the patient's clinical state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If combinatory indices use multiple physiological parameters to determine patient state, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases making it difficult for clinicians to grasp the connection between index behavior and underlying physiological behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex assessment into distinct components: individual physiological parameters are evaluated separately against their own alarm limits, then combined through a transparent scoring system where each parameter contributes independently to the overall clinical state index. This segmentation maintains measurement precision while making the determination process understandable to clinicians.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms multiple physiological parameters into a standardized format by comparing each parameter against its alarm limit and assigning weighted scores. This parameter transformation creates a simplified composite index that retains the precision of multiple measurements while presenting a single interpretable value to clinicians.
2Measurement precision
If patient monitor systems use complex clinical decision support systems to track general clinical state, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase due to embedded diagnostic intelligence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a multi-functional assessment system that can evaluate both acute critical events and gradual clinical deterioration using the same hardware and software platform. The system universally processes multiple physiological parameters through a unified scoring mechanism, eliminating the need for separate complex diagnostic systems while maintaining the ability to detect subtle changes in clinical state.
3Measurement precision
If alarm limits are customized based on patient etiology, age, gender, and medication, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation decreases requiring more user input and configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the system to automatically configure personalized alarm limits by utilizing patient demographic and clinical data already available in the medical record. The system self-adjusts alarm thresholds based on patient etiology, age, gender, and medication without requiring manual configuration by clinicians, thereby maintaining measurement precision while improving ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method, device, and computer program product for determining a clinical index indicative of a general clinical state of a subject in terms of planned care are disclosed. A set of physiological parameters determined from the subject is selected (23) for the type of care to be applied to the subject. A targeted value range is attached (25) to each physiological parameter belonging to the set and a general condition index of the subject is determined (26) as a function of two integers, where the integers belong to a group including (i) the number of physiological parameters of the set that are currently within respective targeted value ranges, (ii) the number of physiological parameters of the set that are currently outside respective targeted value ranges, and (iii) the total number of physiological parameters in the set of physiological parameters. (FIG. 2)