Patent Application
20200310562
The present invention relates to the field of electronic devices for wireless input of data to data processing devices. The present invention further relates to the use of such electronic devices within multi-user recordkeeping systems.
Electronic medical record (EMR) systems provide an electronic record of health-related information on an individual patient that can be shared among clinicians within a health care organization. Such electronic records are created, gathered, and managed through systems of data devices, such as desktop computers, tablets, and personal digital assistants, and are typically stored on systems of servers, whether on site or in remote locations (e.g., the “cloud”). EMR systems have the potential to facilitate workflow and improve the quality of patient care and safety, and doctor-patient interactions.
Despite technical developments that have taken place since the early 2010's, the existing clinical workflow of the EMR system still has numerous inefficiencies which take time and attention away from the practice of care. Typically, a clinician will interact with many patients or other health care consumers over the course of a workday, in many patient rooms, using many disparate workstations, input devices, and consulting rooms, or at a central location remote from the patient's location. In such arrangements, the clinician must position and orient him or herself at the device, manually log in at a keyboard, enter the patient's identifying information at a keyboard, and update the patient's records using a keyboard and/or mouse. In situations where the workstation is remote from the patient's room, some entry errors may be missed or information overlooked during the lag between interacting with the patient and reaching the workstation. In such cases, data might be entered by someone other than the clinician, thus increasing the possibility of lost or incorrectly entered data. In situations where the work station is in a fixed location in a patient's room or consulting room, the clinician may be distracted by moving back and forth between the patient and the workstation, or may interact with the patient from a seat at the workstation.
Some facilities mitigate the inefficiencies described above by using touch screens, or by using portable devices, such as laptop computers or tablets, which the clinician carries from room to room. Records may be stored on the device for download at a later time, or transmitted wirelessly to central servers at the time that it is collected. Even in such systems, it is still necessary for the clinician to interact with devices through the use of a mouse, keyboard or touch screen. It may often be necessary for the clinician to leave the portable device on a counter or table during the interaction, resulting in the same restrictions on the clinician's movement that result from using fixed workstations. Further, portable devices may be lost or stolen, putting the security of patient data at risk.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a self-contained multimodal data input device for remotely entering data into a record-keeping system. Features of the input device include:
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a system for connecting and disconnecting the input device and the gateway device according to the proximity of the input device to the gateway device. In an embodiment, the gateway device and input device maintain a communications channel between themselves according to a protocol for preventing other devices from hijacking of the channel. In an embodiment, each input device is capable of interacting with any gateway device in the system in a many-to-many relationship. In an embodiment, the protocol includes a step of pairing the input device with a gateway device until the input device is affirmatively disconnected from the gateway device.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a system for authenticating the input device and/or the user of the input device to the EMR system. In one embodiment, the input device is authenticated by the gateway. In another embodiment, both the input device and the user are identified and verified (e.g., two-factor authentication). In an embodiment, the user is identified by a biometric parameter, such as a fingerprint image, a vocal pattern; or characteristics of a manual signature or visual image.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention provides a multimodal data input device for entering data into a record-keeping system by wireless transmission. Such input devices may also capture physiological or status data transmitted wirelessly by nearby devices, or related by images or clinician's comments, and to download the data into gateway devices or the record-keeping system. The exemplary embodiments of the input device described herein allow a clinician to enter data into the record-keeping system from a patient's location, reducing the distractions and opportunities for error present with current data entry technology.
Embodiments of the input device may be operated as part of a system that includes gateway devices that are configured to exchange data with the input device, and to communicate with, control, or be controlled by computers and computer systems such as workstations, servers, and database management systems such as EMR systems. Such gateway devices may be provided as add-ons to a computer (e.g., a dongle), or may be an integral part of a computer. The gateway device may include software configured to perform the various data processing functions described herein, or such data processing functions may be distributed among the gateways, workstations, and or servers. The gateway devices and input devices are configured so that the associations of input devices and gateway devices are not limited, but operate in a many-to-many relationship.
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The controls 20, 22, 24, 26 of the input device 10 of
In an embodiment, the input device is provided with a clip 32 attached to the housing 12 for securing the input device 10 to other objects such as pads, clipboards, or pockets.
Further to the foregoing portion of the Detailed Description, an embodiment of the multimodal input device of the present invention includes digital data capture means for capturing digital data transmitted by other devices, digital data storage means for storing the captured digital data within the multimodal input device, and digital data transmission means for transmitting the stored captured digital data. Another embodiment of the multimodal input device of the present invention includes analog data capture means for capturing data other than digital data from the environment outside of the multimodal input device, digital data extraction means for extracting digital data from the captured analog data, digital data storage means for storing the extracted digital data, and digital data transmission means for transmitting the stored extracted data.
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Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for connecting and disconnecting the input device 10 and the gateway device according to the proximity of the input device 10 to the gateway device. Referring to
In an embodiment where multiple input devices are within the operational range, the gateway device maintains the first link established with an input device and does not link with other input devices until the first link is broken (“first come, first served”). Once the first link is broken, a different link may be established between the gateway device and a different input device.
In an embodiment, a pairing range is established within which the user can actively pair the gateway device and the input device. The threshold of the pairing range is nearer to the gateway device than the threshold of the operational range. In an embodiment, the user initiates pairing by operating a control on the input device while the input device is within the pairing range. In a further embodiment, the gateway device and the input device remain paired while the input device is within the operational range, until the link is actively broken by the user, or until a different input device pairs with the gateway while the first input device is outside of the operational range.
Interaction with Modal and Treatment Devices
Embodiments of the input device of the present invention provide means for uploading and storing data from modal devices used to monitor or record a patient's physiological condition, then downloading such data to a gateway or other digital device. Such devices may include, without limitation, body temperature sensors, heartbeat monitors, blood pressure monitors, respiration monitors, and the like which record data in a digital form. is In an embodiment, operational data may also be uploaded from treatment devices that are used to treat a patient (e.g., pumps for intravenous injection or CPAP devices). In such embodiments, the input device and modal or treatment device are arranged to cooperate in the transfer of data. Each modal or treatment device may be provided with its own operational and/or pairing device, which cooperate with multiple input devices in substantially the same manner as described above with regard to gateways and input devices. In an embodiment, data upload may be initiated by moving an input device into the operational range of a modal or treatment device and operating a control (e.g., a button, sensor, or switch) on the input device. In another embodiment, data transfer is initiated by tapping or otherwise physically contacting the input device with the modal device or treatment device. Uploaded data is stored in memory devices within the input device, and downloaded from memory to a gateway or other device when the input device is within operating range of the device that is to receive the downloaded data. Download is initiated by operating a control on the input device or by tapping or other physical contact between the input device and the receiving device, according to protocols similar to those used to initiate an upload of data to the input device. Both upload and download of data may be performed using single or multiple buffering.
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems for authenticating the input device and/or the user of the input device to the gateway device alone or to the larger system in which the gateway operates. For the purpose of the present disclosure, authentication includes steps of identifying the device and/or user, then verifying that the input device and/or its user is authorized to interact with the EMR system. In one embodiment, the input device transmits an encoded signal that is unique to the input device, and the gateway device or a processor in communication with the gateway device compares the encoded signal to records of registered input devices to determine whether the encoded signal corresponds to a registered input device. If the input device is a registered device, the gateway device then determines whether the input device is authorized to interact with the EMR system. Appropriate pre-defined actions are then taken. Appropriate pre-defined actions may include, without limitation, authorizing access if the device is successfully authenticated and terminating the communication link if the device is not successfully authenticated.
In another embodiment, both the input device and its user are identified and verified in a two-factor authentication protocol. In an embodiment, the user is identified by biometric data unique to the user. Examples of biometric data include, without limitation, a fingerprint, a voiceprint, an image, or a handwritten signature.
In embodiments in which a user is to be identified by a fingerprint, an input device 110 is equipped with a fingerprint scanner 142 near the distal end 114 of the pen-like housing 112 (see
For embodiments in which the user is to identified by a voiceprint, the input device 110 is equipped with a means for digitally encoding speech, which may include a microphone 138 and electronic digital encoding circuits. The user speaks a keyword or phrase into the microphone 138, and the spoken keyword or phrase is encoded into a digital voiceprint. The digital voiceprint is then transmitted to the gateway device for identification of the user and verification of the user's authorization to access EMR system.
In embodiments in which a user is to be identified by a visual image fingerprint, an input device 110 is equipped with a camera 139 near the proximal end 116 of the pen-like housing 112 (see
In embodiments in which a user is to be identified by a signature, an input device 110 is equipped with means 136 for determining the orientation and motion of the input device 110 (see
In an embodiment of the present invention, the input device is registered to only one user. In an exemplary embodiment, a reference copy of the biometric data is stored on the input device, and the comparison of the user's fingerprint image or voiceprint with the reference copy is made at the input device. The input device then transmits a MATCH or NO MATCH signal to the gateway device, which initiates the appropriate pre-defined actions.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the input device is provided with the necessary components to collect and transmit more than one type of biometric data. In an embodiment, a second biometric characteristic may be used to authenticate a user if the use of a first biometric characteristic is unsuccessful. In an embodiment, more than one biometric characteristic may be required by the authentication protocol.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a user that has a registered input device, but fails or does not perform the second part of the two-factor authentication process, has partial access to the gateway and/or other parts of the system for limited purposes. In an exemplary embodiment, a user with partial access may display data stored in the input device, such as uploaded data or visual images captured by the camera.
Once the device and/or user have been verified, the user can interact with the EMR system using the input and data processing functions programmed into the input device, as guided by an audio or visual user interface. EMR systems are typically constructed from proprietary software which may not include the functions needed to interact with the input device. In such EMR systems, one or more gateways or software modules must be added to the EMR system to interact with the input device and mediate communications between the input device and the EMR system.
The foregoing Detailed Description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary, but not restrictive, and the scope of the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from the Detailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Those skilled in the art could implement various other feature combinations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as embodied in the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62823814 | Mar 2019 | US |
