Protocoling client for determining a protocol for use in a medical procedure to be performed on a subject patient

Abstract

Provided is a method of collecting and managing information relating to medical diagnostic procedures which includes collecting objective information about a plurality of procedures and subjective information about the results of those procedures. The objective information provides information about the parameters of the procedure and the patient who underwent the procedure while the subjective information includes an assessment of the quality of the results of the procedure. This information can be stored in a database. The database can be accessed and the information therein used in connection with understanding the results of past procedures and planning for future procedures.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A protocoling client for determining a protocol for use in a medical procedure to be performed on a subject patient, the protocoling client comprising:
 a user interface for use by an operator to operate at least one of the protocoling client and a medical device, the protocoling client being in electronic communication with a server that has access to a database comprising a plurality of procedure records, each of the procedure records corresponding to a past medical procedure and containing objective information about the past medical procedure and a subjective assessment of a result of the past medical procedure such that the objective information includes at least information about a patient who underwent the past medical procedure and information on a protocol used for the past medical procedure and the subjective assessment of the result of the past medical procedure includes an individual's opinion relating to the quality of the result of the past medical procedure; and   a protocol management application in electronic communication with the server and the medical device, the protocol management application being configured to (a) receive from the user interface information about the subject patient on which the medical procedure is to be performed, (b) determine a suggested protocol based on a consideration of (i) the information about the subject patient and (ii) the objective information and the subjective assessments contained in the plurality of procedure records accessed from the database such that the suggested protocol comprises at least operating parameters of the medical device that will be used to perform the medical procedure, (c) deliver the suggested protocol to the medical device so as to enable the medical procedure to be performed thereby on the subject patient in accordance with the operating parameters of the suggested protocol or a modification thereof by the operator of the protocoling client, (d) enable the operator to make a subjective assessment of a result of the medical procedure that was performed on the subject patient, (e) collect objective information about the medical procedure performed on the subject patient, (f) form a subject patient procedure record comprising the objective information about the medical procedure performed on the subject patient and the subjective assessment of the result of the medical procedure performed on the subject patient; and (g) store in the database the subject patient procedure record.   
     
     
         28 . The protocoling client of  claim 27 , wherein the medical procedure comprises an injection procedure involving injection of a least one of contrast media and saline, and the medical device includes an injection system. 
     
     
         29 . The protocoling client of  claim 27 , wherein the medical procedure comprises an imaging procedure, and the medical device includes an imaging system. 
     
     
         30 . The protocoling client of  claim 27 , wherein the medical procedure comprises a contrast-enhanced imaging procedure, and the medical device includes at least one of an injection system and an imaging system. 
     
     
         31 . The protocoling client of  claim 27 , wherein the database is in electronic communication with a plurality of information sources configured to provide to the database objective information about medical procedures and subjective assessments of the results of the medical procedures. 
     
     
         32 . The protocoling client of  claim 31 , wherein the information sources include at least one medical record system. 
     
     
         33 . The protocoling client of  claim 31 , wherein the information sources include at least one medical record system comprising a digitized image or document that is associated with one of the medical procedures. 
     
     
         34 . The protocoling client of  claim 31 , wherein the information sources include a plurality of medical devices and at least one medical record system. 
     
     
         35 . The protocoling client of  claim 31 , wherein for at least a portion of the procedure records, the information sources from which the objective information about the medical procedure and the subjective assessment of the result of the medical procedure are collected are different. 
     
     
         36 . The protocoling client of  claim 31 , wherein for at least a portion of the procedure records, the information sources from which the objective information about the medical procedure and the subjective assessment of the result of the medical procedure are collected are the same. 
     
     
         37 . The protocoling client of  claim 31 , wherein at least one of the information sources is a medical imaging device, wherein the medical imaging device performs a medical imaging procedure and generates an electronic report thereof, and wherein the subjective assessment of the result of the medical imaging procedure is entered into and stored as part of the electronic report. 
     
     
         38 . The protocoling client of  claim 27 , wherein the protocoling client includes the medical device and generates an electronic report of the medical procedure performed on the subject patient using the medical device such that the subjective assessment of the result of the medical procedure performed on the subject patient is entered into and stored as part of the electronic report. 
     
     
         39 . The protocoling client of  claim 38 , wherein the user interface of the protocoling client is used to enter the subjective assessment of the result of the medical procedure performed on the subject patient into the electronic report.