Order Profile Locking Mechanism for Clinical Conflict Resolution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic order management systems in clinical environments face inefficiencies when multiple users simultaneously enter orders, leading to missed interactions and conflicts due to the need for a static profile during conflict checking, which either wastes user time or disrupts the order process by locking profiles, preventing other users from entering orders.
Innovation Solution
An electronic order management system that allows users to initiate lockable order actions while a profile is locked by another user, providing notifications when the profile becomes available, and enabling instant messaging sessions to coordinate access, allowing permissible order actions to be processed while lockable actions are held until a profile lock is obtained.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conflict checking is performed at the time a medication order is processed (after all details are entered), then the system ensures a static profile for accurate conflict detection, but the user time is wasted entering order details that may later be rejected due to conflicts
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs conflict checking in advance by placing a lock on the profile when the user initiates a lockable order action, before the user completes entering all order details. This preliminary conflict checking prevents the user from wasting time entering details that will later be rejected, while ensuring accurate conflict detection through the static profile guarantee provided by the lock
2Reliability
If a lock is placed on the profile when a user initiates a lockable order action, then conflict checking accuracy is improved with a static profile, but other users are prevented from entering orders and the system productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the locking mechanism by allowing multiple users to initiate lockable order actions and place their own locks on the profile simultaneously. Each user's lockable order action is held until they obtain exclusive access, but the system remains responsive to multiple users throughout the process. This dynamic approach maintains conflict detection accuracy while improving productivity by preventing complete system blocking
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows users to initiate lockable order actions and place locks even when other users have locks present, performing more locking actions than traditionally allowed. This excessive locking approach ensures that each user's conflict checking is performed with a static profile while still allowing the system to process multiple user intentions, thereby maintaining reliability while improving overall productivity
3Reliability
If users must continuously check the profile to determine when it becomes available, then the system ensures accurate conflict checking, but the ease of operation decreases due to the additional monitoring burden on users
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides automatic feedback to users by notifying them when their lockable order action has been processed or when they need to obtain a lock. This feedback mechanism eliminates the need for users to continuously check the profile status, maintaining conflict detection accuracy through the locking mechanism while significantly improving ease of operation by automating the status monitoring and notification process
Data Source
AI summary
An order management system that employs profile locking is provided for managing clinical orders in patient profiles. The system allows users to initiate lockable order actions (e.g., order actions requiring a profile lock for conflict checking) in a profile locked by another user. When a user attempts to initiate a lockable order action, the system provides a notification to the user indicating that the patient profile is locked by another user. The user may elect to continue initiating the lockable order action. When the profile becomes available, the system provides a notification to the user, who may then obtain the profile lock and process the lockable order action, including having the system perform conflict checking. The system may also provide for the initiation of an instant messaging session between the user attempting to enter a lockable order action in a locked profile and another user who has the profile lock.