Patent Application
20140278518
The present invention generally relates to a medical equipment management apparatus and a medical equipment management method for managing medical equipment, for example, an infusion pump.
When liquid medicine is administered, for example, to a patient by drip infusion in hospitals, medical equipment such as an infusion pump can be used to correctly control a dose of medicine.
The infusion pump can include a transfusion tube and can be configured to cause a liquid medicine to flow inside the infusion tube. The infusion pump can be configured that when the infusion tube is clogged or is in a similar state, an alert (alarm) is output, for example, see JP 11-137676 A.
An assigned medical care worker such as a nurse can carry out an operation, in response to the alert (alarm), such as removing the clogging for resetting.
However, there are differences in the number of medical care workers, the experience of the medical care workers, for example, among areas such as an ICU (Intensive Care Unit), a General Ward, or the like, for example, in which medical equipment such as an infusion pump can be arranged. When the medical equipment such as an infusion pump or the like, for example, outputs an alert, the elapsed time before the medical equipment restarts, and responding to the alert, is not always constant, such that the quality of medical care may not be uniformly provided.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a medical equipment management apparatus and a medical equipment management method is disclosed, which can obtain information for suitably responding to an alarm from a medical equipment and, which can perform CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) based on the information.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a medical equipment management apparatus is disclosed, which is configured to obtain the responding time information related to the time until a medical equipment, each arranged in a different region, which has output abnormal information is reset to a normal state, together with the region information related to a region in which the medical equipment is arranged and the responding operation timing information related to the timing in which the responding operation is performed, produce the region and responding timing related responding time information for displaying the responding time information in relation to the region information and the responding operation timing information of the medical equipment, and display the region and responding timing related responding time information on a display of the personnel side terminal.
According to the configuration, the region and responding timing related responding time information can be presented in relation to the region information and the responding operation timing information of the medical equipment.
Therefore, a personnel who visually recognizes the region and responding timing related responding time information, for example, such as a doctor or the like can immediately understand how the responding time information differs in relation to the region information, for example, an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and an OPE (operating room) and the responding timing information, for example, during the morning. In addition, personnel can know, for example, suitable number of medical care workers such as a nurse to be arranged in the region such as the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), the OPE (operating room), or the like, thereby allowing to perform the CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement).
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the responding time information can be a time information related to the time until the medical equipment is reset to a normal state with the medicine of which type is the same as the medicine used by the medical equipment when the abnormal information has been output.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, since the responding time information is the time information until the medical equipment is reset to a normal state with the medicine of which type is the same as the medicine used by the medical equipment when the abnormal information has been output, the time information related to a case when the medical equipment is reset to a normal state with the medicine changed after the abnormal information has been output can be eliminated.
Therefore, correct responding time information related to the time until being reset to a normal state can be obtained.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, standard labor cost information of a performer who has performed the responding operation can be included, and the responding time labor cost information which is a labor cost of the performer who has performed the responding operation is obtained based on the responding time information and the standard labor cost information, and that the responding time labor cost information is displayed together with the region and responding timing related responding time information.
According to the configuration, since the responding time labor cost information is displayed together with the region and responding timing related responding time information, a personnel such as a doctor who visually recognizes the information can immediately study the suitable number of medical care worker such as a nurse to be arranged in a region such as the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), the OPE (operating room), or the like also from a view point of cost.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, objective assessment information of the performer who has performed the responding operation can be produced based on the responding time information, and the objective assessment information is displayed together with the region and responding timing related responding time information.
According to the configuration, the objective assessment information can be displayed together with the region and responding timing related responding time information, a personnel such as a doctor who visually recognizes the information can obtain objective assessment information regarding a suitable number of medical care workers such as nurses to be arranged in a region such as the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), the OPE (operating room), or the like.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the objective assessment information can be assessment information of a responding time length of the performer who has performed the responding operation.
According to the configuration, since the objective assessment information is an assessment information of the responding time length of the performer who has performed the responding operation, a personnel such as a doctor who visually recognizes the information can easily understand that the situation such as a lack of the number of workers exists.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the objective assessment information is the information of degree of distribution of a plurality of pieces of responding time information included in the responding time information.
According to the configuration, since the objective assessment information is the information of degree of distribution of the plurality of pieces of responding time information included in the responding time information, there can be differences in skill for each performer who has performed the responding operation. In addition, it can easily be understood that training is not thoroughly done.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the objective assessment information is the information of disparity among the pieces of responding time information of the different pieces of responding operation timing information.
According to the configuration, since the objective assessment information is the information of disparity among the pieces of responding time information of the different pieces of responding operation timing information, a mismatch of arrangement of workers in the area for a time zone can rather easily be understood.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a medical equipment management method is disclosed, which is configured to obtain the responding time information related to the time until a medical equipment, each arranged in a different region, which has output abnormal information is reset to a normal state, together with the region information related to a region in which the medical equipment is arranged and the responding operation timing information related to the timing in which the responding operation is performed, produce the region and responding timing related responding time information for displaying the responding time information in relation to the region information and the responding operation timing information of the medical equipment, and display the region and responding timing related responding time information on a display of the personnel side terminal.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a medical equipment management apparatus is disclosed, the medical equipment management apparatus configured to: obtain responding time information related to a time until a medical equipment, arranged in a different region, which has output abnormal information is reset to a normal state, together with region information related to a region in which the medical equipment is arranged and responding operation timing information related to a timing in which a responding operation is performed; produce region and responding timing related responding time information for displaying the responding time information in relation to the region information and the responding operation timing information of the medical equipment, and display the region and responding timing related responding time information on a display of a personnel side terminal.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a medical equipment management method is disclosed, the medical equipment management method comprising: obtaining responding time information related to a time until a medical equipment, arranged in a different region, which has output abnormal information is reset to a normal state, together with region information related to a region in which the medical equipment is arranged and responding operation timing information related to the timing in which the responding operation is performed; producing region and responding timing related responding time information for displaying the responding time information in relation to the region information and the responding operation timing information of the medical equipment, and displaying the region and responding timing related responding time information on a display of a personnel side terminal.
Since the exemplary embodiments described below are examples of a medical equipment management apparatus and method disclosed here, aspects are described. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects, absent a description to the contrary.
A medical equipment management apparatus and a medical equipment management method which can obtain information for suitably carrying out an operation responding to an alarm from the medical equipment, and can perform the CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) based on the information is disclosed.
As illustrated in
The infusion pump 2a or the like, for example, can be medical equipment, which can be used together with an equipment such as a drip infusion for correctly administering medicines to a patient.
For example, even though the exemplary embodiment is described using the infusion pump 2a or the like, the medical equipment according to the present disclosure may be, for example, a syringe pump or the like.
As illustrated in
In the medical office terminal 3a or the like, for example, terminal side displays 4a to 4c, each being a display, for example, can be formed.
In the exemplary embodiment, for convenience of description, an example in which the infusion pump 2a can be directly connected to the management server 10 as illustrated in
The pump CQI system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment is a system for putting forward continuous medical quality improvement related to the infusion pump 2a. When abnormal information, for example, an alert (alarm) from the infusion pump 2a is output from an operation history (pump history) collected from the infusion pump 2a, the pump CQI system 1 analyzes a responding time consumed during a resetting operation for setting the operation to a normal state, so as to perform improvement in, for example, arrangement of the suitable number of a medical care worker such as a nurse who is to be arranged in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), the OPE (operating room), or the like in which the infusion pump 2a is set.
The infusion pump 2a, the management server 10, and the medical office terminal 3a, for example, illustrated in
As illustrated in
Further, the infusion pump 2a can include an alert (alarm) equipment 123 which can detect an abnormal state when the clogging detection equipment 122 detects a clogging in the infusion pump 2a, a clock equipment 124 which is a clock, an infusion pump side communication equipment 125 which can allow the infusion pump 2a to communicate with the management server 10, and an infusion pump side input equipment 126 for inputting each type of signal or the like to the infusion pump 2a.
The pump main body 121 can be connected to the pump control unit 120, for example, as illustrated in
The pump control unit 120 can also control each type of memorizing unit and each type of processing unit (program) as illustrated in
As illustrated in
These management server side display 12 and the like, for example can be connected to the management server control unit 11 and controlled. Further, as illustrated in
First, in step (hereinafter referred to as “ST”) 1 in
Then, the step proceeds to ST2. In ST2, the liquid supply stopping operations detection processing unit (program) 128 in
When it is decided in ST2 that the infusion pump 2a has output an alert and simultaneously has carried out a stopping operation of liquid supply of the liquid medicine “Diprivan”, the step proceeds to ST3.
In ST3, the infusion pump 2a obtains the liquid supply stopping time from the clock equipment 124 in
Then the step proceeds to ST4. In ST4, whether the liquid supply restart command has been input to the infusion pump 2a or the like is decided.
Specifically, for example, when an alert is output from the infusion pump 2a or the like arranged in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and, thereby, the liquid supply operation stops, a medical care worker such as a nurse or the like arranged in the ICU checks the infusion pump 2a and carries out processing such as refilling with a new liquid medicine “Diprivan” so as to restart (reset) the liquid supply operation of the infusion pump 2a in a normal state.
Then, in ST4, the liquid supply restart command input signal detection processing unit (program) 130 in
In ST4, when the liquid supply restart command is input, the step proceeds to ST5. In ST5, it is decided whether the medicine name related to the restart of liquid supply is identical to (one of those of the same type of) the first medicine name. Specifically, a “liquid supply restart related “medicine name” comparison processing unit (program) 131” in
As described above, the embodiment is configured so that the case when liquid supply is restarted with a different medicine being set is not taken into account, but only the case when liquid supply restarts with the same medicine is taken into account. Thereby, only the case when correct response to the alert is performed is taken into account so that reliability of the data of “responding time” which will be described below is improved.
In ST5, when it is decided that the medicine name related to the restart of liquid supply is identical to the first medicine name, the step proceeds to ST6.
In ST6, a “time and area related responding time data production processing unit (program) 132” in
Then, the time between the “liquid supply restart time data” and the “liquid supply stopping time data” in the “liquid supply stopping time data memorizing unit 129” in
As illustrated in
As described above, the “time data” is an example of the responding operation timing information, the “ICU” is an example of the region information, and the “responding time” is an example of the responding time information.
In this manner, the infusion pump 2a or the like obtains data of the responding time of a medical care worker such as a nurse or the like in the area (for example, ICU) related to the time from the “liquid supply stop” and the “alert output” to the following “liquid supply restart (reset)”.
Then, the step proceeds to ST7. In ST7, the infusion pump 2a can transmit the “time and area related responding time data 133a” illustrated in
Then, the step proceeds to ST8. In ST8, the management server 10 makes the “time and area related responding time data 133a” received from the infusion pump 2a to be memorized in a “management server side time and area related responding time data memorizing unit 41” in
Then, the step proceeds to ST9. In ST9, an “average responding time and standard deviation data for each area and time zone production processing unit (program) 15” in
As illustrated in
Then, the step proceeds to ST10. In ST10, a “worker cost production processing unit (program) 16” in
The data shows how much labor cost is required, by the “responding time” to reset the infusion pump 2a or the like of a medical care worker such as a nurse or the like, for example, from the data of a worker, an average responding time, an hourly wage, or the like for each area such as an ICU. Therefore, a doctor or the like who visually recognizes the data can rapidly and suitably make assessment whether the arrangement of a worker for each area or the like is appropriate from a viewpoint of cost.
The “worker cost data” is an example of the responding time labor cost information and the “hourly wage standard data” is an example of the standard labor cost information.
Then, the step proceeds to ST11. In ST11, an “alert responding time analysis data production processing unit (program) 17” in
As illustrated in
The “alert responding time analysis data 46a” is an example of the region and responding timing related responding time information.
Therefore, a doctor or the like who visually recognizes the “alert responding time analysis data 46a” can understand the situation of the “responding time” for each time zone and each area so that the “alert responding time analysis data 46a” can be used as a material for studying optimum arrangement of a worker for each time zone and each area. Thereby, the CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) can be performed.
Then, the step proceeds to ST12. In ST12, a responding time length assessment processing unit (program) 18 operates to compare the “average responding time” in the “average responding time and standard deviation data for each area and time zone 42a” in
By comparing the “average responding time data” for each area and time zone with the “standard average responding time data”, a decision can be made whether the average responding time data is longer or shorter than the standard value. A doctor or the like who recognizes that the “average responding time data” is longer than the standard by visually recognizing the “responding time length assessment data” can immediately understand the lack of workers in the area or time zone.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the “responding time length assessment data” is an example of the assessment information of the responding time length (objective assessment information).
Then, the step proceeds to ST13. In ST13, a responding time dispersion assessment processing unit (program) 19 operates to process difference data among each pieces of “responding time data” in the management server side time and area related responding time data memorizing unit 41 in
By visually recognizing the “dispersion assessment data” of the “responding time”, a doctor or the like can immediately understand the fact such that there is great difference among medical care workers such as a nurse for each time zone and each area, and also understand that training of the medical care worker is not thoroughly done.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the “dispersion assessment data” is an example of the information of degree of distribution of a plurality of pieces of responding time information.
Then, the step proceeds to ST14. In ST14, a “responding time difference for each time zone assessment processing unit (program) 20” in
When the difference data of the “average responding time data” for each time zone for each area is large, a doctor or the like who visually recognizes such data can immediately understand that there is a mismatch in arrangement of a worker for each time zone, and can make an improvement plan.
The “responding time difference for each time zone assessment data” is an example of the information of disparity among the pieces of the responding time information.
Then, the step proceeds to ST15. In ST15, the management server 10 displays the “alert responding time analysis data 46a” in
As illustrated in
Although not illustrated in
In this case, a doctor or the like who sees the terminal side display 4a, for example, can immediately understand, for example, what is to be improved for arrangement of a worker for each area, each time zone, or the like based on the “responding time” to the alert, as described above. Therefore, CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) can be performed.
The detailed description above describes a medical equipment management apparatus and medical equipment management method disclosed by way of example. The invention is not limited, however, to the precise embodiment and variations described. Various changes, modifications and equivalents can be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims. It is expressly intended that all such changes, modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the claims are embraced by the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-207730 | Sep 2011 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2012/005987 filed on Sep. 20, 2012, and claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2011-207730 filed on Sep. 22, 2011, the entire content of both of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2012/005987 | Sep 2012 | US |
| Child | 14221960 | US |
