Patient Wait Time Estimation via Clinical Feature Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current patient wait time estimation methods in healthcare settings are inaccurate due to failure to consider patient-specific clinical and operational features, leading to unpredictable and frustrating wait times for patients, which affects satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A system that extracts clinical and operational features from patient data and workflow models to estimate patient-specific examination time durations, allowing for real-time wait time estimation and communication to patients through a user interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional wait time estimation methods are used, then the system is simple to implement, but the wait time estimation accuracy is poor

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewait time estimation accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the wait time estimation into multiple components: extracting clinical features (age, gender, medical history), operational features (queue position, procedure type), estimating individual examination durations for each patient in the queue, and summing these to get total wait time. This segmentation allows accurate estimation while keeping each component manageable and interpretable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary extraction of clinical and operational features for all patients in the queue before calculating wait times. By pre-processing and storing patient features, the system prepares data in advance, enabling accurate real-time wait time estimation without complex runtime computations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If patient-specific features are considered for wait time estimation, then the accuracy improves, but the data processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewait time estimation accuracyVSAvoiddata processing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a universal feature extraction framework that handles multiple patient attributes (clinical features like age and medical history, operational features like queue position) through a single standardized process. This multi-functional approach improves accuracy by considering diverse factors while maintaining consistent data processing methods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically extracts and processes patient features without requiring manual intervention. The feature extraction module autonomously gathers clinical and operational data from existing hospital systems, reducing the difficulty of data collection and processing while improving estimation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If real-time wait time updates are provided to patients, then patient satisfaction increases, but the computational load on the system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient satisfactionVSAvoidcomputational energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides wait time updates at periodic intervals rather than continuously recalculating. The estimation is updated when significant events occur (e.g., patient completion, new arrivals) or at scheduled intervals, reducing computational energy consumption while still keeping patients informed and satisfied with real-time information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by providing wait time estimates to patients through user interfaces (mobile apps, display screens). This feedback loop keeps patients informed about their expected wait times, improving satisfaction and allowing them to plan accordingly, while the feedback mechanism is optimized to minimize computational overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20230274821A1Systems and methods to provide real-time feedback for patient wait time

Publication Date: 2023.08.31 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV

AI summary

A non-transitory computer readable medium (26) stores instructions executable by at least one electronic processor (20) to perform a patient wait time tracking method (100). The method includes: extracting clinical and operational features for respective patients of a queue of patients scheduled for examination; estimating patient-specific examination time durations (39) for medical examinations or procedures of the respective patients of the queue based on the extracted clinical and operational features of the respective patients of the queue; estimating a wait time (41) for a query patient of the patients of the queue based on the estimated examination time durations of patients ahead of the query patient in the queue; and transmitting the estimated wait time to a user interface (44) for presentation.