Remote Medical Procedure Coordination System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remote control of interventional medical procedures over long distances faces challenges due to lack of real-time situational awareness for clinicians, making it difficult to optimize or adapt the sequence of working steps based on the prevailing situation, especially when clinicians are spatially separate and communication is delayed.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system for coordinating multiple remote control units by receiving a provisional sequence of working steps, assigning remote control units, prioritizing based on status information, and providing a start signal to initiate performance, allowing for optimized sequencing and adaptation in real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If remote control over large distances is implemented, then clinician safety and accessibility are improved, but real-time situational awareness and coordination capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A coordination system acts as an intermediary between spatially separated clinicians and the treatment environment. The system receives status information from the treatment room, determines prioritized sequences of working steps, and communicates them to remote clinicians, enabling coordinated action without requiring direct clinician presence or real-time verbal communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The coordination system performs preliminary actions by pre-determining the prioritized sequence of working steps before clinicians execute them. Status information is collected in advance, the optimal sequence is calculated and stored, then communicated to clinicians when needed, allowing them to act without real-time decision-making pressure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple spatially separate clinicians operate different remote control units, then workload distribution and backup capability are improved, but communication speed and coordination efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The coordination system implements automated feedback loops that monitor the status of multiple remote control units and clinicians. When a clinician becomes unavailable or a working step is completed, the system automatically detects this change and notifies the relevant parties, eliminating manual communication delays and ensuring rapid response to changes in team status.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service coordination by automatically managing the assignment and notification processes. When a clinician drops out or a working step is completed, the coordination system autonomously determines the new prioritized sequence and notifies the appropriate backup clinician without requiring manual intervention from other team members.
3Productivity
If a prioritized sequence of working steps is determined in advance, then procedure efficiency and resource utilization are improved, but adaptability to changing situations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The prioritized sequence of working steps is implemented as a dynamic rather than static plan. The coordination system continuously monitors status information from the treatment room and remote control units, automatically updating the prioritized sequence when changes are detected. This allows the system to maintain optimal efficiency while adapting to changing conditions without requiring manual re-planning.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method is for coordinating a plurality of remote control units on performance of a plurality of prioritized working steps. The method includes receiving a first provisional sequence of the plurality of working steps, at least one remote control unit configured to perform the working step being assigned to at least one working step; receiving an item of information about a status of the at least one assigned remote control unit; prioritizing the plurality of working steps; determining a prioritized sequence of the plurality of working steps based upon the prioritization; providing the prioritized sequence of the plurality of working steps; providing a start signal for the assigned remote control unit for performing the at least one working step of the plurality of working steps. The start signal is here configured to initiate performance of the working step by the assigned remote control unit.