Medication Administration UI with Scanning Queue and Status Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Electronic Health Records (EHRs do not support the multi-tasking workflow of nurses during medication administration, requiring them to complete multiple steps for each medication sequentially, which decreases efficiency and can be problematic when interrupted, as there is no indication of scanned medications or the medication status.
Innovation Solution
A computer-readable medium with a computer program providing a medication administration workflow in a user-interface that allows nurses to scan medications one after the other, address outstanding items, and update statuses, enabling efficient and interrupted-tolerant medication administration by displaying a medication list with status updates and allowing selection and addressing of items within the UI.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If nurses complete multiple steps for each medication sequentially in current EHR systems, then medication administration safety is maintained, but nurse efficiency and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the medication administration workflow into distinct phases: scanning phase (where multiple medications can be scanned sequentially without interruption) and addressing phase (where outstanding items are resolved). This segmentation allows nurses to scan medications continuously without being blocked by safety checks, thereby improving productivity while maintaining safety through structured phase transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by scanning and identifying medications in advance, building a queue of medications to be administered. Safety checks and outstanding item resolutions are prepared and managed in the background during the scanning phase, allowing nurses to maintain workflow momentum while ensuring all safety requirements are met before administration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If nurses are interrupted during medication scanning in current systems, then multi-tasking capability is reduced, but there is no indication of scanned medications or process status
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements comprehensive feedback mechanisms that continuously display the medication scanning status, including which medications have been scanned, their current state, and any outstanding items. This feedback is maintained across interruptions, allowing nurses to resume scanning or addressing tasks without losing track of the process state, thereby improving interruption tolerance while preventing information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow system is designed to be dynamic, allowing nurses to flexibly switch between scanning medications and addressing outstanding items based on interrupting events. The system adapts to the nurse's current state and maintains the ability to resume either phase, providing versatility in handling interruptions while preserving complete medication status information through persistent display and state management.
3Adaptability or versatility
If nurses use paper tracking to manage multiple tasks, then flexibility and adaptability improve, but information accuracy and reliability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic system provides multi-functionality by combining the flexibility of paper-based tracking (ability to note anything, free-form documentation) with the reliability of electronic systems (accurate data capture, persistent storage, error reduction). The interface allows nurses to freely document outstanding items and observations while ensuring accurate medication identification through scanning, thereby achieving both workflow flexibility and information reliability simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer readable medium storing a computer program for providing a medication administration workflow in a user-interface (UI). The computer program executable by at least one processor, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for receiving one or more scanned medications for administration to a selected patient, determining a status of each of the one or more scanned medications, displaying a medication list including at least the one or more scanned medications and the respective status of the scanned medication, selecting one of the one or more medications in the medication list, and addressing any outstanding items associated with the selected medication.