Unity Server Context Translator for EMR Data Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electronic medical records systems face challenges in providing consistent and unified access to patient data across disparate databases, leading to issues with data availability and reliability, especially in healthcare settings where timely access to multiple sources of information is critical for diagnosis and treatment.
Innovation Solution
The Unity server creates a virtual environment that unifies disparate databases, allowing access based on context rather than location or structure, using context translators to enable applications to access data without knowing where it is stored, and automatically rerouting data in case of failures, ensuring continuous access and security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications directly access data in disparate databases, then data access is straightforward, but the system lacks adaptability when database structure or location changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a context translator as an intermediary component that sits between applications and disparate databases. This translator handles the complexity of data access by translating context-based requests into database-specific queries, allowing applications to access data without knowing the underlying database structure or location. When database changes occur, only the context translator needs to be updated, not the applications themselves, thus providing adaptability while managing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the data access functionality into separate components: applications, context translators, and databases. Each component has a specific responsibility, and the context translator acts as an independent layer that handles the complexity of interfacing with multiple disparate databases. This segmentation allows the system to adapt to database changes by modifying only the translator layer without affecting other components.
2Ease of operation
If the system uses context-based data access, then applications can operate independently of data location, but implementing the translation layer increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The context translator serves as an intermediary that shields applications from the complexity of data access. Applications simply specify what data they need in terms of context (e.g., patient records, medical history), and the translator handles the complex task of locating and retrieving data from appropriate databases. This maintains ease of operation for applications while the translation complexity is isolated in the translator layer.
3Loss of information
If data is stored in disparate databases, then data can be organized by specific systems, but access to unified patient information becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The context translator provides a universal interface for accessing data from multiple disparate databases. It can translate a single context-based request into multiple database queries across different systems, aggregating patient information from various sources (hospital records, lab results, pharmacy data, etc.) into a unified view. This allows complete patient information to be accessed through a single interface without requiring applications to know about the underlying database complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A community electronic medical record provides access to a patient's records. A unity server of the present invention allows a user to enter a query requesting the information that a medical provider needs such as past history, allergies, billing information, and other medical data that may be related to the patient. The unity server queries at least one database, preferably many, to access the patient's records relevant to the provider's query. The unity server retrieves information from multiple sources to provide increased information for treatment of the patient.