Dynamic Healthcare Workflow Management System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing healthcare workflow management systems are inflexible and non-adaptive, struggling to handle complex, non-linear conditions that evolve in real-time, leading to inefficiencies such as increased wait times, underutilization of resources, and delays in critical decision-making due to their reliance on static and linear design assumptions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize sensors and processors to track properties of patients and resources, calculate bids for resource allocation based on real-time data, and dynamically assign patients to slots in schedules, allowing for adaptive management of workflows and resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If static and linear design assumptions are used to manage workflows, then system simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to real-time complex conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic workflow management by continuously monitoring patient properties and recalculating bids in real-time, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions. The workflow transitions from static linear design to dynamic non-linear adaptation through continuous data collection and bid recalculation based on current patient status and resource availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback loops where patient properties are tracked continuously, bids are recalculated based on current conditions, and resource assignments are adjusted dynamically. This feedback mechanism enables the system to respond to real-time changes in patient condition and resource availability, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
2Productivity
If real-time tracking and dynamic bid calculation are implemented, then workflow adaptability improves, but computational complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-defining bid calculation algorithms and resource allocation rules before real-time operation. This allows the computationally intensive bid calculations to be executed efficiently during runtime using pre-established logic, reducing the burden on real-time processing while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters dynamically by adjusting bid values based on tracked patient properties and resource availability. This parameter-based approach allows the system to maintain workflow efficiency through continuous optimization without requiring complete system reconfiguration, managing computational complexity through focused parameter adjustment.
3Reliability
If multiple patient properties are tracked and bids are calculated relative to each other, then resource allocation optimization improves, but data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the most relevant patient properties needed for bid calculation, focusing data collection on critical parameters that directly impact resource allocation decisions. This selective extraction reduces data processing load while maintaining allocation accuracy by concentrating on essential information rather than processing all possible patient data.
Solution Approach 2:
The bid calculation system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it evaluates patient urgency, optimizes resource allocation, determines scheduling priority, and guides clinical decision-making. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve high allocation accuracy through a single integrated data processing framework rather than requiring separate processing systems for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method to manage progression of patients through a workflow of events that employs at least one resource in delivering healthcare is provided. The system comprises a sensor operable to track at least one property of the plurality of patients, and at least one processor in communication with the sensor. The processor is operable to execute computer readable program instructions generally representative of the steps of calculating a bid of the more than one of the series of patients relative to one another directed to a slot in a schedule of utilization of the at least one resource dependent on tracked data of the at least one property of the more than one of the series of patients, and assigning one of the patients to the slot in the schedule of the at least one resource dependent on a comparison of the bids.