Radiology ROCC Handoff Interface for Continuous Remote Imaging Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of ensuring seamless handoffs between remote experts in a radiology operations command center (ROCC) to maintain continuity of patient care during medical imaging examinations, preventing errors and disruptions due to poor communication and workflow interruptions.
Innovation Solution
A system that facilitates handoffs by generating a summary card with essential information, including imaging protocol, patient complications, device issues, and suggestions, which is transferred from one remote expert to another using a graphical user interface and automated processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If remote experts provide real-time assistance during medical imaging examinations, then the quality of imaging examinations is improved, but the complexity of coordinating multiple remote experts and ensuring seamless handoffs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote service center as an intermediary between local operators and multiple remote experts. This mediator manages expert assignments, coordinates handoffs, and maintains a roster of available experts, thereby reducing the coordination complexity for individual experts while ensuring continuous high-quality support for imaging examinations.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote service center performs multiple functions: it acts as a switching hub for expert assignments, maintains expert rosters, facilitates handoffs, and provides a centralized platform for communication. This multi-functional approach consolidates coordination tasks into a single system, reducing overall complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If handoffs between remote experts are performed manually, then flexibility in expert selection is maintained, but the time required for handoff and risk of information loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes a roster of available remote experts and their areas of expertise before handoff situations arise. When a handoff is needed, the system can quickly match the current examination requirements with suitable experts from the pre-prepared roster, significantly reducing handoff time while maintaining flexibility in expert selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback mechanisms that track expert availability, performance, and specialization. This feedback loop enables the remote service center to make informed, rapid decisions about expert assignments and handoffs, balancing flexibility with speed by using accumulated knowledge about expert capabilities.
3Reliability
If comprehensive information is transferred during handoff, then continuity of patient care is maintained, but the complexity of information management and transfer increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments examination information into structured categories such as patient data, imaging parameters, current status, and relevant notes. This segmentation allows the system to transfer only the necessary portions of information during handoffs, maintaining continuity of care while reducing the complexity of information management through organized, modular data structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates standardized templates and copies of examination information that can be rapidly replicated and transferred between experts. These standardized copies ensure consistency and completeness of information transfer without requiring complex custom化管理 of each handoff scenario.
4Productivity
If multiple remote experts are assigned to concurrent examinations, then productivity of the remote service center increases, but the risk of communication errors and handoff disruptions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote service center acts as a central mediator that manages multiple concurrent expert-examination assignments. It tracks each expert's current workload, monitors examination status, and coordinates handoffs between experts, thereby enabling high productivity while maintaining reliability through centralized oversight and reduced direct peer-to-peer communication requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory computer readable medium (26s) stores instructions executable by at least one electronic processor (14s) to perform a remote assistance method (100). The method includes: providing a remote assistance interface (28, 28′) via which a local operator (LO) can receive remote assistance during a medical imaging examination performed by the local operator using a medical imaging device (2); prior to or during the medical imaging examination, identifying a handoff (40) from a first remote expert (RE) assigned to provide the remote assistance during the medical imaging examination to a second remote expert (SRE); generating a representation (46) containing information about the medical imaging examination; transferring the representation containing information about the medical imaging examination to the second remote expert; and reassigning the medical imaging examination from the first remote expert to the second remote expert.