Radiotherapy Protocol Templates for Automated Parameter Transfer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Clinicians face difficulties in accessing and applying relevant medical treatment protocols efficiently, as existing methods require scouring through medical journals and publications, leading to time-consuming and error-prone manual entry of treatment parameters into treatment planning systems.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for providing medical treatment protocol templates that include treatment parameters and sample case data, allowing clinicians to request and receive protocol templates electronically, which can be applied to patient data to create patient-specific treatment plans, reducing errors and time through automated data transfer.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If clinicians manually search medical journals and publications for treatment protocols, then they can find relevant treatment information, but the process becomes time-consuming and error-prone

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of treatment parameter entryVSAvoidtime to access and apply treatment protocols

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Treatment protocols are pre-formatted with all necessary treatment parameters, beam arrangements, and settings prepared in advance. Clinicians can directly apply these pre-prepared protocols to patient cases without manually searching journals or entering parameters, eliminating both time loss and entry errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates and stores digital copies of treatment protocols in a database. These electronic copies can be retrieved and applied to multiple patient cases, replacing the need to manually search physical or digital journals and eliminating repetitive manual data entry.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If treatment parameters are manually entered into treatment planning systems, then customization to patient data is possible, but manual entry increases errors and reduces efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of creating treatment plansVSAvoidaccuracy of treatment parameter transfer

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Treatment parameters are copied from pre-formatted protocol templates directly into patient-specific treatment plans through automated data transfer. This electronic copying process eliminates manual typing, reducing both errors and the time required to create treatment plans.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical process of typing and transferring treatment parameters is replaced with an automated electronic data transfer system. The system automatically maps and transfers parameters from protocol templates to treatment planning systems, eliminating human error and increasing productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Ease of operation

If clinicians access treatment protocols from centralized databases remotely, then accessibility and ease of use improve, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccessibility of treatment protocolsVSAvoidcomplexity of protocol distribution system

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A centralized protocol database serves as an intermediary between protocol creators and clinicians. The database stores pre-formatted treatment protocols and enables remote access through standard communication interfaces, simplifying the interface while managing the complexity of protocol distribution centrally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The protocol database system is designed to be universally accessible through standard network protocols and interfaces. It can store, retrieve, and distribute multiple types of treatment protocols to various clinicians and institutions, managing system complexity through standardized multi-functional architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11282034B2Method and device for delivering patient specific radiotherapy treatment from a derived treatment plan

Publication Date: 2022.03.22 BRAINLAB AG

AI summary

A method and device is described for delivering radiation therapy beam arrangement and beam settings to a radiotherapy device treating a patient with a tumor based medical condition. Patient specific treatment parameters data for the medical condition are developed and modified by the system. The treatment parameters data includes at least radiotherapy beam arrangement or photon beam energy for treatment of the particularized patient tumor location. Patient specific treatment parameters data are derived from a selected treatment plan and may include outlining of the patient's tumor in the medical images, the relevant modified patient specific treatment parameters data transferred to a computer controlling the radiotherapy device to control and apply radiotherapy treatment to the patient according to the modified treatment data.