Central Hub for Veterinary Diagnostic Test Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Veterinary clinics face challenges in providing real-time status updates and alerts for diagnostic testing across the clinic, especially when staff are occupied, which can lead to inefficiencies in patient diagnosis and treatment.
Innovation Solution
A central computing device communicates with multiple diagnostic testing instruments, sending orders, receiving alerts and status updates, and generating recommendations for follow-on testing, allowing for real-time notifications and efficient scheduling of diagnostic tests through a two-way laboratory hub and voice-controlled devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If veterinary staff physically monitor diagnostic testing instruments, then they can receive status updates, but this requires them to leave their current work and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
A central computing device acts as an intermediary between diagnostic testing instruments and veterinary staff. The system receives test orders from computing devices, manages instrument queues, and sends notifications back to computing devices, eliminating the need for staff to physically monitor instruments while maintaining information flow
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical monitoring with an electronic notification system. Computing devices send electronic orders to the central computing device, which then communicates with diagnostic instruments and sends electronic notifications back, substituting physical presence with digital communication
2Productivity
If multiple diagnostic tests are performed manually without centralized management, then testing can be conducted, but scheduling inefficiencies and delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The central computing device serves multiple functions: receiving test orders, managing instrument queues, sending notifications, and coordinating multiple diagnostic instruments. This multi-functional system improves testing throughput by centralizing management tasks that would otherwise be performed manually
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-managing test queues and proactively sending notifications before tests are complete. The central computing device prepares and organizes test schedules in advance, reducing scheduling delays and improving overall testing efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
An example method includes receiving a first order to conduct a first diagnostic test of a sample from a patient, sending the first order to the first diagnostic testing instrument for input into a queue of the first diagnostic testing instrument, receiving alerts and status of the diagnostic test as testing is performed and for indication of completion of the first diagnostic test, sending the alerts and status of the diagnostic test to a second computing device for notice to a technician, receiving an output of the first diagnostic test, generating a recommendation of follow-on testing to perform based on the output of the first diagnostic test, receiving confirmation to perform the follow-on testing, generating a second order to conduct a second diagnostic test of another sample from the patient, and sending the second order to the second diagnostic testing instrument for input into a queue for the second diagnostic testing instrument.