Context Synchronization Tool for Multi-Application Healthcare Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
In healthcare environments, multiple electronic files related to a patient often require different applications for viewing and editing, leading to cumbersome and error-prone context synchronization, which can result in misinterpretation of patient information and affect patient safety.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for synchronizing contexts across multiple participating applications by receiving patient context indications, initiating timers, and providing notifications based on context mismatches, with optional severity level determination and mapping to a common format, ensuring accurate synchronization and alerting users to out-of-sync conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple applications are used to view and edit different electronic files related to a patient, then the functionality and versatility of the system is improved, but the complexity of synchronizing context across applications increases and error-prone conditions arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a context synchronization mechanism that acts as an intermediary layer between multiple applications. This mechanism tracks context identifiers (such as patient IDs) across different applications and files, automatically detecting and alerting when context mismatches occur. The intermediary synchronization layer manages the complexity of coordinating multiple applications without requiring changes to each individual application's core functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring context identifiers across multiple applications in real-time. When a context mismatch is detected (e.g., different patient contexts in different applications), the system provides immediate alerts and notifications to users. This feedback loop enables proactive detection and correction of synchronization errors, maintaining data integrity across the multi-application environment.
2Device complexity
If manual context tracking is performed across multiple applications, then the system requires minimal additional components, but the ease of operation deteriorates and user burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The context synchronization mechanism operates autonomously without requiring manual user intervention. It automatically extracts context identifiers from files being viewed or edited in different applications, continuously monitors for mismatches, and generates alerts when issues are detected. This self-service approach eliminates the need for users to manually track context across applications, significantly reducing the operational burden while maintaining system simplicity.
3Reliability
If real-time context synchronization monitoring is implemented, then patient safety is improved through error detection, but the use of energy and computational resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous real-time monitoring that would consume excessive computational resources, the system employs periodic sampling and event-triggered monitoring. It monitors context identifiers at key moments such as when files are opened, closed, or switched between applications. This periodic approach maintains high reliability for patient safety by detecting context mismatches at critical transition points while significantly reducing overall computational resource consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, computing device and computer program product are provided according to an example embodiment in order to track context synchronization of files operating on a plurality of participating applications. A synchronization tracking tool may receive contexts from a plurality of participating applications and provide an indication of a synchronization state based upon the timing and contexts received from the participating applications. An indication of the synchronization state may be provided to a user via a user interface in a visual and/or audible manner. The participating applications may further request synchronization state information from the synchronization tool.