Patient ID Resolution Module for Medical Device Data Gaps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In medical monitoring and therapy devices, patient ID ambiguity arises due to human error, device transfer between patients, and data gaps, leading to potential loss of diagnostically crucial data and increased risk of incorrect patient data association.
Innovation Solution
A patient ID resolution module using a digital processor to disambiguate patient IDs by analyzing timestamped entries and their strength measures, employing rules based on temporal positions and entry modalities to associate correct IDs with pre-gap and post-gap data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the device is used for multipatient spot checks with a short permissive gap, then the device can be quickly transferred between patients improving productivity, but there is a risk that data from different patients will be misinterpreted as one patient's data creating patient ID ambiguity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing and communicating the permissive gap threshold to the user before data collection begins. This allows the user to understand the expected gap duration and take appropriate actions (such as confirming patient ID or initiating a new patient record) before ambiguous data is generated, thereby maintaining both quick device transfer and accurate patient ID association
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by monitoring the actual data gap duration and comparing it against the permissive gap threshold. When the gap exceeds the threshold, the system provides feedback to the user indicating potential patient ID ambiguity, allowing for corrective action. This feedback mechanism enables the system to maintain high productivity while preventing unreliable patient ID associations
2Ease of operation
If the permissive gap is extended to allow for longer device cleaning and patient transitions, then ease of operation is improved, but the risk of patient ID ambiguity and data loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows the permissive gap threshold parameter to be configured and adjusted based on specific clinical needs and device types. By changing this parameter, the system can accommodate different cleaning times and workflow requirements while maintaining appropriate data association accuracy. This parameter adjustment capability enables the system to balance ease of operation with prevention of data loss
3Reliability
If the system automatically deletes or ignores patient data when patient ID ambiguity is detected, then patient ID association accuracy is maintained, but diagnostically useful patient data is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a self-service approach by providing the user with information about detected patient ID ambiguity and the associated data, allowing the user to make the final determination about data retention. This shifts the decision-making to the human operator who can assess the clinical context and determine whether the potentially ambiguous data should be retained or discarded, thereby maintaining system reliability while preventing unnecessary data loss
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2-I
Figure 2II
AI summary
A method for patient ID resolution in recordation of patient data acquired by a medical device (10) comprises: receiving patient data from the medical device comprising pre-gap patient data (50) followed in time by a time gap (52) followed in time by post-gap patient data (54); receiving one or more timestamped patient ID entries (56, 58) associated with the received patient data; associating first patient ID information with the pre-gap patient data; and associating second patient ID information with the post-gap patient data; wherein the associating operations are based on the one or more timestamped patient ID entries (56, 58) associated with the patient data.