Method for entering, recording, distributing and reporting data
An improved method for efficiently and accurately entering detailed data by yes/no entries so that the data is automatically recorded, optionally automatically distributed and optionally transformed into a readable prose report of the data, which is entered by yes/no markings.
1. A method for generating a clinical report in a natural language text representation, said method operative within a computing device for controlling said computing device to perform the functions of:
compiling data representing a selected state of a plurality of data elements which symbolize specific questions pertaining to a medical condition of a patient, including compiling positive findings selected by a user, and compiling negative findings selected by the user;
building a tree structure by processing individual phrases, said individual phrases generated dynamically upon receiving individual selections of said data elements, wherein a selection of a data element of the plurality of elements generates an individual phrase, wherein each individual successive word in each phrase is added to the tree structure;
associating each word in the tree structure with positive and negative values of a selected data elements, a positive value corresponding to a positive finding selected by the user and a negative value corresponding to a negative finding selected by the user, wherein the associating includes identifying a first tally corresponding to the number of occurrences of each word in an individual phrase generated by a selection of a positive value of the selected data element and identifying a second tally corresponding to the number of occurrences of each word in an individual phrase generated by a selection of a negative value of the selected data element; and
generating a textual prose representation of correlated compiled data by using a built one of said tree, wherein said generating includes combining a plurality of words in the tree structure into at least one sentence for said textual prose representation by correlating the first tally and the second tally.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
storing said textual prose representation.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
displaying said textual prose representation.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating said selected state data by a user accepting or rejecting individual data elements contained in a listing of said data elements.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said generating said selected state data by a user accepting or rejecting individual data elements contained in a listing of said data elements comprises:
monitoring the location of said user's taps with a tablet pen.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein said generating said selected state data by a user accepting or rejecting individual data elements contained in a listing of said data elements comprises:
monitoring said user's primary and secondary mouse buttons.
7. The method of clam 1 wherein said data elements correspond to single-word itemized medical symptoms.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one word in said at least one sentence occurs in an individual phrase generated by a selection of a positive value of the selected data element.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising adding a conjunctive word to said at least one sentence; and combining one or more words occurring in an individual phrase generated by a selection of a negative value of the selected data element into said at least one sentence.
10. A method for generating a natural language report, said method comprising:
presenting, on a computer display, a screen presentation having a plurality of selectable data elements which correspond to clinical data items;
correlating information corresponding to a selected state of said selectable data elements, including compiling positive findings selected by a user, and compiling negative findings selected by the user, wherein a positive value corresponds to a positive finding selected by the user and a negative value corresponds to a negative finding selected by the user;
building a tree structure by processing individual phrases, said individual phrases generated dynamically upon receiving individual selections of said data elements, wherein a selection of a data element of the plurality of elements generates an individual phrase, wherein each individual successive word in each phrase is added to the tree structure;
associating each word in the tree structure with positive and negative values of a selected data elements, wherein the associating includes identifying a first tally corresponding to the number of occurrences of each word in an individual phrase generated by selection of a positive value of the selected data element and identifying a second tally corresponding to the number of occurrences of each word in an individual phrase generated by a selection of a negative value of the selected data element;
generating one or more narrative sentences in a report conveying said correlated information, using the tree structure to generate the one or more narrative sentences, wherein said generating includes combining a plurality of words in the tree structure into at least one sentence for said one or more narrative sentences by correlating the first tally and the second tally; and
generating a heading in said report, said heading corresponding to a category of selectable data elements displayed on at least a portion of the screen presentation wherein said heading is generated after a selection of a corresponding data element is made.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said screen presentation comprises multiple portions having selectable data elements corresponding to the portions and said generating a heading in said report includes generating a heading for any portion having a data element which has been selected.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising, after generating a narrative sentence corresponding to information from a selected data element, correlating additional data which corresponds to the selected data elements into said generated narrative sentence.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
presenting, on said computer display, a second screen presentation having a plurality of selectable data elements which correspond to clinical data items;
correlating information corresponding to a selected state of said selectable data elements of said second screen presentation;
generating one or more narrative sentences in a report conveying said correlated information; and
generating a second heading in said report, said second heading corresponding to data elements displayed in said second screen presentation.
14. A computing device programmed to implement a medical emergency room computing application for generating a clinical report, said computing device comprising:
means for presenting to a user sets of displays, each display corresponding to a phase of a patient encounter and each display having a plurality of data entry points which symbolize specific questions pertaining to a medical condition of a patient;
means for allowing said user to accept or reject individual ones of said medical condition data entry points by selecting positive findings and selecting negative findings, wherein at least one of said medical condition data entry points includes a textual representation of said medical condition, the textual representation being the actual textual label representing the medical condition, the selection of positive findings being performed on the textual representation of said medical condition and the selection of negative findings being performed on the textual representation of said medical condition, wherein the selection of the positive finding causes a first visual indicator to be displayed on the textual representation of said medical condition, and the selection of the negative finding causes a second visual indicator to be displayed on the textual representation of said medical condition, the first visual indicator being different than the second visual indicator;
means for building a tree structure by processing individual phrases, said individual phrases generated dynamically upon the user accepting/rejecting a data entry point in said data entry points, wherein the acceptance or rejection of the data entry point generates an individual phrase, wherein each individual successive word in each phrase is added to the tree structure;
means for associating each word in the tree structure with positive and negative findings of said medical conditions, wherein the means for associating includes means for identifying a first tally corresponding to the number of occurrences of each word in an individual phrase generated by an acceptance of a data entry point in said data entry points and identifying a second tally corresponding to the number of occurrences of each word in an individual phrase generated by a rejection a data entry point; and
means for conveying said accepted/rejected medical condition questions as one or more textual narrative sentences in a clinical report, using said tree structure to compose said textual narrative sentences by combining a plurality of words in the tree structure and by correlating the first tally and the second tally, wherein said report is generated dynamically when a given data entry point is accepted/rejected.
15. The computing device of claim 14 wherein said means for conveying said accepted/rejected medical condition questions as one or more textual narrative sentences is configured to selectively convey information from a plurality of questions in a single sentence while also limiting an amount of said information to be used in said single sentence to be less than a pre-determined maximum number of accepted/rejected questions for said sentence.
16. The computing device of claim 14 further comprising:
means for organizing said one or more textual narrative sentences under one or more headings within said clinical report.
17. The computing device of claim 16 wherein the headings correspond to the phase of the patient encounter from which the accepted/rejected data elements originate.
18. The computing device of claim 17 wherein the headings are dynamically generated when a user accepts/rejects a data entry point within the respective phase.
19. The method of claim 4 wherein said combining a plurality of words in the tree structure into at least one sentence includes reducing redundant words from a plurality of individual phrases generated by selections of data elements.
20. The method of claim 10 wherein said combining a plurality of words in the tree structure into at least one sentence includes reducing redundant words from a plurality of individual phrases generated by selections of data elements.
21. The computing device of claim 14 wherein said combining a plurality of words in the tree structure includes reducing redundant words from a plurality of individual phrases generated by acceptances/rejections of data entry points.