Milk Allocation Management System for Donor Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is challenging to track donor-infant associations in NICUs where pooled human milk from hundreds or thousands of donors is used, due to the large volumes and small administration volumes of milk.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a server and database that stores lot information for each milk product, including donor listings and contributions, and a device with an optical scanner to read this information, calculates donor contributions to each infant's feed, and sends notifications when cumulative contributions exceed a threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If pooled milk from hundreds or thousands of donors is used to meet the large demand in NICUs, then the supply of human milk is sufficient, but it becomes extremely challenging to track donor-infant associations
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the pooled milk into discrete lots, each with unique identifiers and associated donor information. By tracking milk at the lot level rather than as a homogeneous pool, the system maintains donor-infant associations despite the large volume of pooled milk from hundreds or thousands of donors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously tracking and recording which lots are administered to which infants, calculating cumulative donor contributions, and generating alerts when thresholds are exceeded. This feedback loop ensures accurate tracking of donor-infant associations throughout the milk distribution process.
2Measurement precision
If detailed tracking of each donor's contribution to each infant is implemented, then donor-infant associations are accurately tracked, but the system complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses lot identifiers as intermediaries between donors and infants. Instead of directly tracking each donor-infant relationship, the system tracks which lots (containing donor information) were administered to which infants, simplifying the tracking mechanism while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and maintains digital copies of donor information and lot assignments in a database. These digital records serve as copies that can be tracked and analyzed without requiring complex physical tracking mechanisms, reducing system complexity while preserving measurement precision.
3Device complexity
If manual tracking methods are used for donor contributions, then the system is simpler to implement, but the large number of donors and infants makes tracking infeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical tracking methods with automated computer-based processing. The server automatically calculates donor contributions, tracks lot assignments, and generates alerts, eliminating the need for manual tracking despite the large number of donors and infants involved.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the tracking approach from monitoring individual milk volumes to monitoring lot identifiers and cumulative contribution thresholds. This parameter change simplifies the data structure while maintaining tracking capability across large numbers of donors and infants.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for managing milk allocation includes a server and a database. The database stores, for each lot of milk product, lot information that includes a listing parameter of donors, and a lot contribution parameter of each donor. The system also includes a device that reads the lot information associated with a unit of milk product to be administered to the subject, the lot information being for a lot used to fill that unit. The server receives a predetermined feed volume and feed information for a feed administered to the subject, the feed being generated using the unit of milk product. The server calculates the feed contribution of each donor to the feed, and also calculates a cumulative feed contribution of each donor for that subject. When the cumulative feed contribution exceeds a threshold, the server transmits a notification to a user devices of the cumulative feed contribution.