Patient Test Data Grouping and Retrieval in Medical Analyzers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical testing systems face challenges in efficiently accessing and documenting repeated test results for patients, particularly for conditions like diabetes, where ongoing monitoring is required, leading to time-consuming and error-prone processes in retrieving and correlating test data with test conditions.
Innovation Solution
A medical testing machine that stores detailed records of tests, enables retrieval by patient identification or accession number, and displays results on an electronic interface, allowing for grouping of repeated tests and displaying relevant information such as calibration and consumable details, facilitating efficient correlation and reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If test results are stored in patient files with detailed test conditions, then test result accuracy and traceability are improved, but data retrieval time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments test data into modular units with unique identifiers (barcodes) that can be independently retrieved. Each test result is associated with a specific identifier that enables direct access without searching through entire patient files, thus reducing retrieval time while maintaining data accuracy through structured organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces barcode identifiers as intermediaries between physical test samples and digital test results. These barcodes serve as mediators that link sample containers to their corresponding test data in the database, enabling rapid and accurate retrieval without complex file searching or manual correlation processes.
2Measurement precision
If multiple test results are retrieved individually, then data retrieval precision is improved, but overall retrieval efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple test result retrieval operations into a single batch process triggered by one patient identifier or barcode scan. The system retrieves all associated test results simultaneously rather than requiring separate queries for each test, thus maintaining precise identification while significantly improving overall retrieval efficiency and productivity.
3Reliability
If detailed test conditions are documented for each test instance, then test validity verification is improved, but data storage requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts essential test condition information into standardized metadata fields associated with each test result record. By separating critical validation data (such as instrument ID, operator, timestamp, and method parameters) from the main test results, the system enables effective validity verification while maintaining a manageable data structure that does not unnecessarily increase overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical testing machine provides improved recall and display of the outcomes of tests performed by the machine. Test outcomes and other information are stored in mass storage directly accessible by the medical testing machine. In one aspect, outcomes of tests relating to a particular patient may be recalled. The system may be especially useful for tests that may be performed multiple times for a particular patient over a period of time, for example testing for HbA1c hemoglobin levels in diabetes patients. According to another aspect, the medical testing machine may store an accession number for each test outcome, and may enable a user to display as a group test outcomes having the same accession number. The system may store further information and associate it with particular test outcomes, for example calibration information. The system may also store a set of rules under which each test instance was run.