Medical Modality Protocol Selection Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current medical information systems face challenges in efficiently confirming and selecting appropriate imaging protocols for examination orders, leading to potential delays and errors due to the complexity and diversification of examination contents.
Innovation Solution
A medical information system that includes a modality apparatus with a storage device pre-associating examination instructions with imaging protocols, and processors that acquire examination orders and display corresponding imaging protocols, allowing operators to confirm and select appropriate protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If examination staff manually confirm imaging protocols for each examination order, then accuracy and appropriateness of protocol selection is improved, but workload and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-associates examination instructions with appropriate imaging protocols in advance, storing these associations in a database. When an examination order is received, the system automatically retrieves and displays the pre-associated protocol, eliminating the need for staff to manually search and select from multiple protocols. This preliminary preparation resolves the contradiction by providing accurate protocol matching without requiring manual confirmation effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The modality apparatus autonomously performs protocol selection by automatically matching examination instructions with pre-associated protocols based on the received examination order. The system serves itself by internally resolving the protocol selection task without requiring external human intervention, thereby reducing staff workload while maintaining selection accuracy through the pre-established associations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple imaging protocols are available for different examination contents, then adaptability and comprehensiveness are improved, but complexity of protocol selection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediate association database that stores pre-established relationships between examination instructions and imaging protocols. This intermediary layer simplifies the selection process by translating diverse examination requirements into matched protocol recommendations, allowing the system to handle multiple examination types without increasing selection complexity for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The modality apparatus implements a universal protocol association mechanism that can handle various types of examination instructions through a single unified approach. By using a generalizable association model between examination instructions and protocols, the system maintains adaptability across different examination contents while presenting a consistent and simple selection interface.
3Reliability
If experienced technicians or physicians are consulted for protocol selection, then accuracy is improved, but time delay occurs due to availability constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical process of human consultation with an automated information processing mechanism. Instead of physically or communicatively consulting experienced personnel, the system uses computer-based algorithms to automatically match examination instructions with appropriate protocols, providing accurate recommendations instantaneously without time delays associated with human availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system captures and encodes the knowledge and expertise of experienced technicians and physicians into pre-associated protocol recommendations stored in the database. By copying this expert knowledge into a machine-readable format, the system can provide accurate protocol selections automatically, eliminating the need for real-time human consultation while preserving the quality of expert judgment.
4Productivity
If automatic protocol selection is implemented, then efficiency and speed are improved, but risk of errors due to lack of human verification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification by pre-associating examination instructions with appropriate protocols based on established criteria and expert knowledge. This advance preparation ensures that the automatic selection process is grounded in verified relationships, reducing error risk while maintaining high speed. The pre-associated protocols serve as pre-validated recommendations that require minimal human verification.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a medical information system, a modality apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of confirming and selecting an appropriate imaging protocol corresponding to an examination instruction of an examination order. A medical information system includes: an information system that generates an examination order including an examination instruction for an image diagnosis examination; and a modality apparatus that captures a medical image of a subject in accordance with the examination order, in which the modality apparatus includes a storage device that pre-associates and stores the examination instruction and one or more imaging protocols, and one or more processors that execute processing of acquiring the examination order from the information system and displaying the examination instruction of the acquired examination order and the one or more imaging protocols pre-associated with the examination instruction.