Rhode Island Patent of the Month – June 2023
In the fast-paced world of healthcare, efficient communication and streamlined workflows are crucial for providing optimal patient care. However, the current systems in place often fall short, leading to inefficiencies, miscommunication, and potential errors. Recognizing these challenges, Care Thread Inc. has developed an innovative solution that seeks to revolutionize healthcare communication and workflow management.
The core of the Care Thread system lies in its ability to optimize data access and streamline communication within healthcare facilities. The system comprises a hospital clinical system, a core functions system, and multiple client devices. An admission-discharge-transfer system sends a stream of events to a database server for storage. These events include important patient milestones such as admission, discharge, department transfers, and room changes.
One of the key features of the system is its ability to send event streams to clients only when they are not within range of location marking devices. This ensures that healthcare providers receive the necessary information at the right time without unnecessary interruptions. The system also allows for real-time feedback from clients through tactile patterns, enabling efficient and immediate communication between care teams.
The Care Thread system is built on a robust infrastructure. The Node.js server, with its middleware and application server components, acts as a bridge between the database server, authentication server, and the clients. This ensures seamless communication and transaction management between all components.
To cater to diverse user needs, the system supports various client devices, including admin portal clients, web clients, Android clients, and iOS clients. This versatility ensures that healthcare providers can access and contribute to the system regardless of their preferred platform.
Central to the system’s functionality is the comprehensive patient-provider information stored in the database server. This includes databases for patient-team mapping, patient tasks, and patient updates. The HL7 parser plays a vital role in translating data from the hospital clinical systems to the database server, facilitating interoperability and efficient data transfer.
Additionally, the middleware server within the Node.js server is responsible for receiving and processing various feeds, such as pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, reports, and vitals. This ensures that the system captures and disseminates critical patient information in real-time, allowing for quick responses to changes in patient status.
Healthcare providers can locate and communicate with care team members more efficiently, reducing the time spent on searching and waiting for responses. Workflow coordination and hand-offs become smoother, minimizing the risk of miscommunication and medical errors. Real-time access to patient notes and updates enables better collaboration among team members, improving the quality of care delivered.
The system addresses the issue of interruptions during critical tasks. By leveraging location marking devices and enabling a “No Interrupt” mode, healthcare providers can focus on their tasks without unnecessary distractions. This feature is particularly valuable during procedures that require full concentration or sterile conditions.
The dissemination of critical information becomes rapid and efficient. Providers receive immediate notifications about new lab or radiology results, medication changes, staffing updates, and room relocations. This real-time access to information enables timely decision-making and reduces delays in patient care.
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