Virtual Whiteboard for Collaborative Clinical Documentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current electronic health record (EHR) systems are inefficient for healthcare providers, as they require significant time to navigate and often lead to errors in documentation, fail to provide a useful summary of patient status, and hinder collaboration among healthcare teams, prioritizing reimbursement over communication and collaboration features.

Innovation Solution

A virtual whiteboard graphical user interface that automatically prioritizes patient information based on the user's role and provides a scratch pad for free-form data sharing, allowing quick access to relevant information and facilitating informal communication among healthcare providers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If EHR systems provide comprehensive patient information across multiple screens, then information completeness is improved, but system complexity and time to locate relevant information increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the comprehensive EHR information into multiple organized tabs (e.g., demographics, clinical data, medications, lab results) that can be accessed systematically. This segmentation allows complete information to be available while reducing the complexity of navigating through it all at once.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimension of information organization by creating a hierarchical structure with summary views that can be expanded into detailed views. This dimensional approach allows users to access comprehensive information without being overwhelmed by its complexity, as they can navigate from high-level summaries to specific details as needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Manufacturing precision

If EHR systems capture detailed documentation for reimbursement purposes, then reimbursement accuracy is improved, but collaboration and communication features deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocumentation accuracyVSAvoidcollaboration ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal interface that serves multiple functions: it maintains detailed documentation required for reimbursement while simultaneously providing collaboration features such as team member notifications, shared access, and communication tools. This multi-functionality allows the system to satisfy both reimbursement accuracy requirements and collaboration ease needs within a single integrated platform.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Loss of information

If healthcare providers write detailed manual notes after each encounter, then information completeness is improved, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidtime consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by automatically generating note templates and populating them with relevant patient information from the EHR system before the provider needs to write. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces the time required to create complete documentation, as providers only need to review and add specific updates rather than composing entire notes from scratch.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes copying by allowing providers to template and reuse standard documentation elements across multiple encounters. Common note structures, patient information, and routine documentation can be copied and adapted, reducing repetitive typing while maintaining information completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Productivity

If EHR systems are designed for reimbursement rather than collaboration, then reimbursement efficiency is improved, but team communication effectiveness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereimbursement efficiencyVSAvoidcommunication effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the reimbursement-focused EHR system and the healthcare team. This intermediary includes collaboration tools such as team messaging, shared care plans, and notification systems that translate the detailed reimbursement documentation into actionable communication for the team, thereby maintaining reimbursement efficiency while improving communication effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11557384B2Collaborative synthesis-based clinical documentation

Publication Date: 2023.01.17 SOLVENTUM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES CO

AI summary

A graphical user interface, referred to herein as a virtual whiteboard, that provides both: (1) an automatically prioritized display of information related to a particular patient that is tailored to the current user of the system, and (2) a “scratch pad” area in which multiple users of the system may input free-form text and other data for sharing with other users of the system. When each user of the system accesses the virtual whiteboard, the system: (1) automatically prioritizes the patient information based on characteristics of the user and displays the automatically prioritized patient information to that user, and (2) displays the contents of the scratch pad to the user. As a result, the whiteboard displays both information that is tailored to the current user and information that is common to all users (i.e., not tailored to any particular user).