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WO2023192603A1 - Procédés et systèmes de gestion de compétence d'imagerie à ultrasons, de révision d'assurance qualité et d'analyse - Google Patents

Procédés et systèmes de gestion de compétence d'imagerie à ultrasons, de révision d'assurance qualité et d'analyse Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023192603A1
WO2023192603A1 PCT/US2023/017127 US2023017127W WO2023192603A1 WO 2023192603 A1 WO2023192603 A1 WO 2023192603A1 US 2023017127 W US2023017127 W US 2023017127W WO 2023192603 A1 WO2023192603 A1 WO 2023192603A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
ultrasound
user
exam
exams
proficiency
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2023/017127
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English (en)
Inventor
Nina HARRISON
Peter WEIMERSHEIMER
Brandon Fiegoli
Claire Lin
Eric Benoit
Juhan Sonin
Xun DENG
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Bfly Operations Inc
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Bfly Operations Inc
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Publication date
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Publication of WO2023192603A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023192603A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/46—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
    • A61B8/461—Displaying means of special interest
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/46—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
    • A61B8/461—Displaying means of special interest
    • A61B8/463—Displaying means of special interest characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/46—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
    • A61B8/461—Displaying means of special interest
    • A61B8/465—Displaying means of special interest adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H30/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images
    • G16H30/20—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H40/00—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
    • G16H40/20—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Definitions

  • the aspects of the technology described herein relate to ultrasound imaging. Certain aspects relate to ultrasound imaging proficiency management, quality assurance review, and analytics (e.g., workflow analytics, performance analytics, and probe data).
  • analytics e.g., workflow analytics, performance analytics, and probe data.
  • Ultrasound devices may be used to perform diagnostic imaging and/or procedural guidance, using sound waves with frequencies that are higher than those audible to humans.
  • Ultrasound imaging may be used to image internal body structures. When pulses of ultrasound are transmitted into tissue, sound waves of different amplitudes may be reflected back towards the probe at different tissue interfaces. These reflected sound waves may then be processed and displayed as an image to the operator. The strength (amplitude) of the sound signal and the time it takes for the wave to travel through the body may provide information used to produce the ultrasound image.
  • Many different types of images may be formed using ultrasound devices. For example, images can be generated that show two- dimensional cross-sections of tissue, blood flow, motion of tissue over time, the location of blood, the presence of specific molecules, the stiffness of tissue, or the anatomy of a three- dimensional region.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to receive a selection of ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a user, where the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements include a threshold number of ultrasound exams of a particular exam type.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to perform an ultrasound exam by receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data, where at least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents is performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to receive a selection of the user and the exam type to associate with the ultrasound exam, determine whether to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, and determine whether the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have been fulfilled. Based on determining that the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have been fulfilled, the ultrasound system is configured to display an indication that the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have been fulfilled. Based on determining that the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have not been fulfilled, the ultrasound system is configured to display an indication of the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system is configured, when determining whether to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, to receive a manual selection whether to count or not to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements. In some embodiments, the ultrasound system is further configured to suggest whether to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements based on one or both of an image quality of the exam and whether the user’s image interpretation is classified as false positive or false negative. In some embodiments, the ultrasound system is configured, when determining whether to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, to automatically determine whether to count or not to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system is configured, when automatically determining whether to count or not to count the ultrasound exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, to automatically determine based on one or more, or all, of an image quality of the ultrasound exam, whether the ultrasound exam underwent quality assurance (QA), whether the ultrasound exam passed QA, and whether the user’s image interpretation is classified as true positive.
  • QA quality assurance
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to receive selections of responses to standardized quality assurance (QA) prompts for the ultrasound exam.
  • QA quality assurance
  • the standardized QA prompts include a prompt for image quality, a prompt for image interpretation accuracy, and a prompt for feedback.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to receive selections of impacts to patient care from clinical interpretation of the ultrasound exam, where the impacts to patient care include one or more of life saved, diagnosis changed, outcome changed, unnecessary test avoided, decreased length of stay, rare find, never event, improved patient satisfaction, interesting case, life threatening event avoided, and morbidity and mortality.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to display counts of the impacts to patient care.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to trigger an alert based on the responses to the standardized QA prompts including a response that the user’s image interpretation is classified as false negative or false positive.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to receive a selection to enroll the user in ultrasound imaging education requirements, and display the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging education requirements.
  • the ultrasound system is configured, when receiving the selection of the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for the user, to receive a selection of a time period for when a user must repeat fulfillment of the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to aggregate workflow data for a group or the user, the workflow data including a breakdown of exams in draft, exams pending attestation, finalized exams needing QA, and QA’d exams.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to display the workflow data.
  • the workflow data further include one or more, or all, of: for exams in draft, one or more, or all, of a breakdown of how much time has elapsed since the exams were uploaded, a breakdown of exams in draft by user, and a breakdown of items missing from exams in draft; for exams pending attestation, one or both of a breakdown of how much time has elapsed since attestation was requested and a breakdown by attending clinician of exams pending their attestation; for finalized exams needing QA, a breakdown of how much time was required for finalization; and for QA’d exams, one or more, or all, of a breakdown of how much time was required for QA, a breakdown of exams QA’d by reviewer, how many exams were QA’d, what percentage of the total exams were QA’d, and a breakdown of the QA’d exams by exam type.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to aggregate probe data for a group, the probe data including one or more, or all, of a total number of users who have performed scan sessions, a total number of ultrasound images uploaded, a total number of exams performed, an average image quality score for ultrasound images collected, a total number of ultrasound devices, a breakdown by user of a ratio of number of scan sessions to uploads, a breakdown by preset of how many scan sessions were performed, a breakdown by mode of how many scan sessions were performed, a breakdown of probe usage by device over time, a breakdown of probe usage by user over time, a breakdown of probes by type of probe, a breakdown of probes by preset used, a breakdown of probes by provider who used the probes, and a breakdown of presets by providers who used the presets.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to display the probe data.
  • the ultrasound system is configured, when displaying the indication of the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, to display multiple icons, each icon corresponding to an exam type and indicating the user’s progress towards fulfilling an ultrasound imaging proficiency requirement for the corresponding exam type. In some embodiments, each of the icons has a different color. In some embodiments, the ultrasound system is configured, when displaying the indication of the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, to display a status bar broken down by exam type.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to display how the user compares to other users in a group for metrics including one or more, or all, of total number of scan sessions, total number of drafts, total number of exams pending attestation, total number of finalized exams, total number of exams pending QA, average image quality score, percentage of exams passing QA, and average time to finalize exams.
  • the ultrasound system is configured, when receiving the selection of the exam type to associate with the ultrasound exam, to receive a selection of a worksheet and automatically select the exam type associated with the worksheet.
  • the user is part of a proficiency group subject to the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, and the ultrasound system is further configured to display indications of progress of the proficiency group towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to perform an ultrasound exam by receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data, where at least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents is performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to receive selections of responses to standardized quality assurance (QA) prompts for the ultrasound exam.
  • the standardized QA prompts include a prompt for image quality, a prompt for image interpretation accuracy, and a prompt for feedback.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to perform an ultrasound exam by receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data, where at least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents is performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to receive selections of impacts to patient care from clinical interpretation of the ultrasound exam, and display the impacts to patient care.
  • the impacts to patient care include one or more of life saved, diagnosis changed, outcome changed, unnecessary test avoided, decreased length of stay, rare find, never event, improved patient satisfaction, interesting case, life threatening event avoided, and morbidity and mortality.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to receive a selection of ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a user, including receiving a selection to enroll the user in ultrasound imaging education requirements, and display the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging education requirements.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to perform an ultrasound exam by receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data, where at least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents is performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to aggregate workflow data based on the ultrasound exam and previously-performed ultrasound exams, and display the workflow data.
  • the workflow data include a breakdown of exams in draft, exams pending attestation, finalized exams needing QA, and QA’d exams.
  • the workflow data further include one or more, or all, of: for exams in draft, one or more, or all, of a breakdown of how much time has elapsed since the exams were uploaded, a breakdown of exams in draft by user, and a breakdown of items missing from exams in draft; for exams pending attestation, one or both of a breakdown of how much time has elapsed since attestation was requested and a breakdown by attending clinician of exams pending their attestation; for finalized exams needing QA, a breakdown of how much time was required for finalization; and for QA’d exams, one or more, or all, of a breakdown of how much time was required for QA, a breakdown of exams QA’d by reviewer, how many exams were QA’d, what percentage of the total exams were QA’d, and a breakdown of the QA’d exams by exam type.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to perform an ultrasound exam by receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data, where at least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents is performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to aggregate probe data based on the ultrasound exam and previously-performed ultrasound exams, and display the probe data.
  • the probe data include one or more, or all, of a total number of users who have performed scan sessions, a total number of ultrasound images uploaded, a total number of exams performed, an average image quality score for ultrasound images collected, a total number of ultrasound devices, a breakdown by user of a ratio of number of scan sessions to uploads, a breakdown by preset of how many scan sessions were performed, a breakdown by mode of how many scan sessions were performed, a breakdown of probe usage by device over time, a breakdown of probe usage by user over time, a breakdown of probes by type of probe, a breakdown of probes by preset used, a breakdown of probes by provider who used the probes, and a breakdown of presets by providers who used the presets.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to display the probe data.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to receive a selection of ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a group, and display the group’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • an ultrasound system is configured to perform an ultrasound exam by receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data, where at least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents is performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the ultrasound system is further configured to aggregate data based on the ultrasound exam and ultrasound exams performed by other users in a group, and display, based on the data, how the user compares to the other users in the group.
  • the ultrasound system is configured to display how the user compares to other users in the group for metrics including one or more, or all, of total number of scan sessions, total number of drafts, total number of exams pending attestation, total number of finalized exams, total number of exams pending QA, average image quality score, percentage of exams passing QA, and average time to finalize.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an example ultrasound system, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an example process managing ultrasound imaging proficiency, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 3 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • GUI graphical user interface
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 6 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 7 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 8 illustrates another example of the GUI of FIG. 7, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 9 illustrates another example of the GUI of FIG. 7, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 10 illustrates another example of the GUI of FIG. 7, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 11 illustrates another example of the GUI of FIG. 7, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 12 illustrates another example of the GUI of FIG. 7, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 13 illustrates another example of the GUI of FIG. 7, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 14 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 15 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device or mobile device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIGs. 16A and 16B illustrate an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 17 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 18 illustrates a status bar of FIG. 17 in more detail, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 19 illustrates another example of a portion of the GUI of FIG. 17, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 20 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIGs. 21 A and 2 IB illustrate an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 22 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 23 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 24 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 25 illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIGs. 26A, 26B, and 26C illustrates an example GUI that a processing device may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 27 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 28 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 29 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 30 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 31 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein;
  • FIG. 32 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • FIG. 33 illustrates an example process for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • Critical aspects of establishing and supporting a safe and effective ultrasound program include oversight, governance, usage knowledge, skills development, quality assurance, and credentialing.
  • the technology described here represents a fully integrated and device agnostic ultrasound platform with these capabilities.
  • Workflow analytics may operate at the enterprise level and enable visibility across departments and teams. Filtering may enable administrators to look at the full scale, or drill down into an individual user to be able to see how all exams are progressing through various workflow states. This may be fully automated through harnessing data stored in a cloud-based repository.
  • Proficiency management Once exams are uploaded, they may be assigned (either manually or automatically) an exam type. Users can be collated into groups and each of these groups may have unique proficiency requirements and thresholds. A set of standardized QA prompts may help to normalize data associated with image review, supporting more accurate insights such as highlighting true positives, true negatives, false positives, false negatives, and clinical impact. These standard insights may become critical parts of both individual user and system performance.
  • Probe analytics Robust infrastructure may support categorizing, sorting, and visualizing probe analytics, such as device usage, preset usage, and usage by user.
  • Embodiments of the technology may include features such as:
  • Standardized quality assurance prompts for more accurate and usable data
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an example ultrasound system 100, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound device 102, a mobile device 104 running an ultrasound application (“app”) 114, the cloud 106, and one or more processing devices 108.
  • the ultrasound device 102 may be, for example, an ultrasound probe or a wearable ultrasound patch being used to perform an ultrasound exam on a patient 116.
  • the mobile device 104 is in operative communication (either through a wireless or wired connection) with the ultrasound device 102 and runs the ultrasound application 114 for interfacing with the ultrasound device 102.
  • the ultrasound application 114 may enable a user to use a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on the mobile device 104 to configure the ultrasound device 102 for a particular type of ultrasound scan, receive ultrasound data from the ultrasound device 102, display ultrasound images in the GUI, and upload ultrasound images to the cloud 106.
  • GUI graphical user interface
  • the mobile device 104 may be, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.
  • the processing devices 108 may be, for example, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers, and may be configured to display GUIs for use in ultrasound imaging proficiency management and analytics, as non-limiting examples. They may be used by different members of a healthcare department, such as clinicians and administrators.
  • the mobile device 104 and the processing devices 108 are connected to the cloud 106, for example through wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi).
  • the cloud 106 may include, for example, one or more servers and software and databases on those servers which the mobile device 104 and the processing devices 108 can access.
  • the ultrasound system 100 may include fewer or more elements.
  • the ultrasound device 102 may be a cart-based ultrasound machine that has an integrated control and display system, and the mobile device 104 may be absent.
  • the ultrasound device 102 may be a self-contained ultrasound device that does not need a separate control or display system, such as a wearable device, and the mobile device 104 may be absent.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an example process 200 for managing ultrasound imaging proficiency, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 200 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • an ultrasound system e.g., the ultrasound system 100.
  • the ultrasound system receives a selection of ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a user.
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may be received by one of the processing devices 108 in the ultrasound system 100, for example, a processing device that is used by an administrator for a healthcare department or group of departments.
  • a healthcare department may mean a department or any other type of healthcare group, such as a medical practice, clinic, hospital, or medical school, as non-limiting examples.
  • the administrator may use the processing device to set ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for some or all clinicians who use the healthcare department’s ultrasound system.
  • Proficiency management may enable a healthcare department to credential clinicians in the department for ultrasound imaging.
  • Becoming credentialed may allow a clinician to obtain permission from the healthcare department to perform ultrasound imaging, and in some cases the healthcare department may only allow a clinician to perform certain actions related to ultrasound imaging, such as billing for ultrasound imaging, when the clinician is credentialed.
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may include a threshold number of ultrasound exams of a particular ultrasound exam type. It should be appreciated that this threshold number may be one of multiple ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may include a threshold number of ultrasound exam for each of multiple exam types, and the threshold number for one exam type may be different than the threshold number for another exam type.
  • the exam type may be selected from a list including some or all of, but not limited to, A-line, AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm), abdomen, airway, ankle injection, aorta, appendix, biliary, bowel breast, cardiac, DVT (deep vein thrombosis), eFAST (extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma), FAST (focused assessment with sonography for trauma), gynecological, gallbladder, hip injection, IUP (intrauterine pregnancy), knee injection, lung, MSK (musculoskeletal), male GU (genitourinary), nerve, obstetric, ocular, pediatric abdomen, procedural guidance, renal, soft tissue, testicular, thoracic, thyroid, ultrasound guided IV (intravenous line), and vascular.
  • the ultrasound system may receive a selection of a particular user subject to the particular ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • multiple users may be selected to be part of a group subject to the same ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system may provide options for whether users need to repeat fulfillment of their proficiency requirements. For example, one option may include that once a user fulfills a specific proficiency requirement, they are not required to repeat fulfillment. Conversely, another option may would mandate that once user has fulfilled a specific proficiency requirement, additional fulfillments for that application need to be completed over a specified time period (e.g., every 12 months) even after the user has fulfilled them once.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the processing device may display the GUI of FIG. 3 at step 202.
  • the GUI of FIG. 3 enables input of a name and description for a particular group of clinicians to be subject to particular ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements (a “proficiency group”).
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the processing device may display the GUI of FIG. 4 at step 202.
  • the GUI of FIG. 4 enables selection of members of the group subject to the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the particular user described with reference to step 202 may be one of the users selected for the group.
  • the users 401 have been selected to be a part of the proficiency group named “Emergency Department.”
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the processing device may display the GUI of FIG. 5 at step 202.
  • the GUI of FIG. 5 enables selection of a date from when exams will start counting towards members’ proficiency requirements, and an optional due date.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the processing device may display the GUI of FIG. 6 at step 202.
  • the GUI of FIG. 6 enables selection of a threshold number of ultrasound exams for each of multiple exam types that members must perform to fulfill their proficiency requirements. Each of these threshold numbers and exam types may be the threshold number and particular exam type described with reference to step 202.
  • a threshold number of 25 has been selected for the aorta exam type by checking the option 602 next to “Aorta” and inputting “25” into the corresponding quantity of exams field 604.
  • an ultrasound exam is performed.
  • Performing an ultrasound exam may include receiving a selection of ultrasound imaging parameters, transmitting ultrasound waves into the subject, receiving reflected ultrasound waves from the subject, converting the reflected ultrasound waves into electrical currents, and converting the electrical currents into ultrasound data (which may include first converting the electrical currents in electrical voltages and then converting the electrical voltages into ultrasound data). It should be appreciated that at any of these steps, processing may occur, such as amplification, filtering, and beamforming.
  • the ultrasound exam may be performed with an ultrasound device (e.g., the ultrasound device 102) in operative communication with a mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 104) running an ultrasound application (e.g., the ultrasound application 114).
  • the mobile device may receive the ultrasound imaging parameters (e.g., from a user) and transmit them to the ultrasound device, which may perform the transmission, reception, and conversion steps.
  • the mobile device may also play a role in generating ultrasound data.
  • the ultrasound exam may be performed with a cart-based ultrasound machine.
  • the ultrasound machine may receive the ultrasound imaging parameters and perform the transmission, reception, and conversion steps.
  • the ultrasound exam may be performed with a self-contained ultrasound device such as a wearable device.
  • the ultrasound device may receive the ultrasound imaging parameters and perform the transmission, reception, and conversion steps.
  • At least one of transmitting the ultrasound waves, receiving the reflected ultrasound waves, converting the reflected ultrasound waves, and converting the electric currents may be performed using the ultrasound imaging parameters.
  • the parameters may control aspects of these operations such as transmit waveform, transmit voltage, transmit aperture, receive aperture, apodization, focal depth, transmit spacing, transmit span, amplification, averaging, analog time-gain compensation, analog to digital conversion, demodulation, receive beamforming, and transmit beamforming, as non-limiting examples.
  • performing the ultrasound exam may further include transmitting, by the ultrasound device, the ultrasound data to the mobile device and generating, by the mobile device, the ultrasound images based on the ultrasound data.
  • the ultrasound device itself may generate the ultrasound images and transmit the ultrasound images to the mobile device.
  • the ultrasound machine may perform these steps.
  • the ultrasound images generated at step 204 may constitute at least a portion of the ultrasound exam and may be uploaded to the cloud.
  • the mobile device may perform the upload.
  • the ultrasound machine may perform the upload.
  • the ultrasound device may perform the upload.
  • a self- contained ultrasound device such as a wearable device, the ultrasound device may perform the upload.
  • the ultrasound device used to perform the ultrasound exam at step 204 need not be produced by the same entity that produces the software (e.g., the software running on the cloud 106, the processing devices 108, and/or the mobile device 104) that performs the functionality described herein.
  • the technology described herein is device agnostic, and the software can interact with ultrasound exams performed with third-party devices.
  • the ultrasound system may receive a selection of a user associated with the ultrasound exam and a selection of an ultrasound exam type associated with the ultrasound exam.
  • the selections may be received by one of the processing devices 108 in the ultrasound system 100, such as a processing device that is used by a clinician in the healthcare department.
  • the selections may be received by a mobile device, such as the mobile device 104 in the ultrasound system 100, which may be the same mobile device used to perform the ultrasound exam at step 204.
  • the clinician may be the same clinician who performed or was involved in performing the ultrasound exam of step 204.
  • the ultrasound exam may be accessed on the cloud from whatever device is performing step 206 and displayed for the reference of the clinician making the selections (e.g., through the GUIs described above).
  • ultrasound images and other information (e.g., measurements, annotations, etc.) from the ultrasound exam may be displayed through an internet browser.
  • the ultrasound exam may be displayed through an app (e.g., the app 114) on a mobile device.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) 700 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) or mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 104) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the processing device or mobile device may display the GUI 700 at step 206.
  • the GUI 700 may be an “exam screen” that includes a guided process for assisting a user through finalizing an ultrasound exam.
  • the workflow for an exam may include exam in draft, exam pending attestation, exam finalized, and exam needing QA.
  • the process for finalizing an exam which may be performed through the exam screen, may include, among other steps, options for selecting one or more users (i.e., clinicians who were involved in performing the exam), a patient, an exam type, and completing a worksheet for the ultrasound imaging exam.
  • the selected worksheet on the exam screen may include options for selecting indications, views, findings, interpretations, and CPT codes.
  • the exam screen may enable attestation (i.e., the clinician signing the exam) as well as performance by a different clinician of quality assurance review (QA) on the ultrasound imaging exam.
  • An unsigned exam may be considered in draft, and when in draft, certain aspects of the exam such as the user, the patient, the exam type, and the worksheet may be unfinished.
  • the GUI 700 includes a progress bar 706 that tracks progress through the workflow. In FIG. 7, a user, a patient, an exam type, and a worksheet have not yet been selected for the ultrasound imaging exam.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates another example of the GUI 700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • a user has been selected, as indicated by the indicator 808.
  • FIG. 9 illustrates another example of the GUI 700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • a patient has been selected, as indicated by the indicator 910. Due to selection of the patient, the progress bar 706 also indicates increased progress from the state illustrated in FIG. 7 to the state illustrated in FIG. 9.
  • the ultrasound system may receive a direct selection of an exam type from the user.
  • FIG. 10 illustrates another example of the GUI 700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • an exam type menu 1012 has been opened, and a particular exam type (“Aorta”) has been selected from the exam type menu 1012, as indicated by the indicator 1014.
  • the ultrasound system may have received from the user a direct selection of the exam type from the exam type menu 1012.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates another example of the GUI 700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates the state of the GUI 700 after selection of the “Aorta” exam type as illustrated in FIG. 10.
  • the exam type has been set to “Aorta” as indicated by the indicator 1116. Due to selection of the exam type, the progress bar 706 also indicates increased progress from the state illustrated in FIG. 9 to the state illustrated in FIG. 11.
  • the ultrasound system may automatically select an exam type based on a direct selection of a worksheet from the user. For example, some or all worksheets available for selection by the user may be associated with an exam type.
  • the ultrasound system may be configured to receive a selection from the user of a worksheet and automatically select the exam type associated with the worksheet as the exam type for the ultrasound exam.
  • FIG. 12 illustrates another example of the GUI 700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • a worksheet menu 1212 has been opened, and a particular worksheet (“Abdominal Aorta”) has been selected from the worksheet menu 1212, as indicated by the indicator 1214.
  • the worksheet menu 1212 indicates that the “Abdominal Aorta” worksheet is associated with the “Aorta” exam type.
  • FIG. 13 illustrates another example of the GUI 700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • FIG. 13 illustrates the state of the GUI 700 after selection of the “Abdominal Aorta” worksheet as illustrated in FIG. 12. Due to selection of the “Abdominal Aorta” worksheet, the ultrasound system has automatically set the exam type to “Aorta” as indicated by the indicator 1116.
  • the ultrasound system may automatically select the exam type based on receiving from the user a selection of a worksheet from a menu of worksheet options.
  • the ultrasound system determines whether to count the ultrasound imaging exam towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements. This determination may be made, for example, in the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106), and may be based on selections received by a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108). In some embodiments, a processing device may receive a manual selection from a user of whether to count or not to count the ultrasound imaging exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the selection may be received by one of the processing devices 108 in the ultrasound system 100, such as a processing device used by an attending clinician who supervises the clinician that performed the ultrasound imaging exam.
  • the ultrasound system may receive selections from the clinician of responses to standardized quality assurance review (QA) prompts for the ultrasound exam.
  • QA quality assurance review
  • These standardized QA prompts may be the same across multiple exam types and include specific prompts rather than, or in addition to, a simple pass / fail.
  • the standardized QA prompts may include, but need not be limited to, a prompt for image quality, a prompt for image interpretation accuracy, and a prompt for feedback.
  • the QA prompts may be customizable by a user to include specific prompts.
  • the QA prompts may include whether the ultrasound exam passes QA or fails QA.
  • FIG. 14 illustrates an example GUI 1400 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 1400 may be displayed as part of step 208.
  • the GUI 1400 may be a quality assurance review (QA) screen that can be completed by an attending clinician who supervises the clinician who performed the ultrasound imaging exam.
  • the GUI 1400 may be displayed on the processing device together with other elements of the ultrasound imaging exam, such as images and worksheets, but for simplicity these other elements are not shown in FIG. 14.
  • Image interpretation accuracy corresponds to accuracy of interpretation based on the ultrasound images captured. For example, did the user see everything in the image that they should have and/or did the user document the right items based on the images.
  • Image interpretation accuracy compared to gold standard may be filled out if the clinician has access to a gold standard such as a CT scan or an operative report. Thus, if the clinician performing QA has information about what ended up happening with the patient (e.g., after surgical intervention or after the patient had other diagnostic imaging performed), then this information may be entered by the clinician as additional proficiency data.
  • TP true positive
  • TN true negative
  • FP false positive
  • the ultrasound system may be configured to trigger an alert based on a selection that the user’s image interpretation was a false negative or a false positive. For example, if the clinician selects false negative, the ultrasound system may generate an alert, such as an e-mail or message to an administrator, supervising clinician, and/or the user who interpreted the exam.
  • the GUI 1400 provides multiple standardized options such as adjust gain, adjust depth, incomplete measurements, incorrect preset, incorrect orientation, incorrect transducer, missing standard views, and not clinically indicates.
  • the GUI 1400 also allows for insertion of custom feedback. Further description of QA may be found in Emergency Ultrasound Standard Reporting Guidelines, published by American College of Emergency Physicians, June 2018, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
  • the GUI 1400 also provides the clinician with an option 1418 of whether the specific exam should count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the option 1418 is specific to the exam type(s) selected for this particular exam. For example, in the example of FIG. 14, the clinician may be performing QA for the exam of FIGs.
  • the processing device may determine whether this exam should count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements based on whether the user selects “Yes” or “No” from the option 1418.
  • the processing device may suggest whether to count an exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements based on one or both of the image quality of the exam and whether the user’s interpretation of the user’s image interpretation was classified as FP or FN. For example, if during QA, the clinician selected low imaging quality (e.g., 1 or 2 in the GUI 1400) or the clinician selected FP or FN for image interpretation accuracy, the processing device may suggest that the exam not count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements by initially highlighting “No” for the option 1418. Otherwise, the processing device may suggest that the exam count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements by initially highlighting “Yes” for the option 1418. The clinician performing the QA may override these suggestions.
  • the clinician selected low imaging quality e.g., 1 or 2 in the GUI 1400
  • the processing device may suggest that the exam not count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements by initially highlighting “No” for the option 1418. Otherwise, the processing device may suggest that the exam count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements
  • the ultrasound system may automatically determine whether to count the ultrasound imaging exam towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements. This determination may be made by a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) or in the cloud (e.g., in the cloud 106). As particular examples, the ultrasound system may automatically determine whether to count or not count the ultrasound imaging exam towards fulfilling the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements based on one or more of image quality of the ultrasound exam, whether the ultrasound exam underwent quality assurance review (QA), whether the ultrasound exam passed QA, and whether the user’s image interpretation was classified as true positive.
  • QA quality assurance review
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may require that a certain number of exams of a particular exam type with a threshold image quality be completed. If this exam has the threshold image quality, then the ultrasound system may automatically count it towards the proficiency requirements.
  • the image quality may be manually selected by a clinician (e.g., using the GUI 1400).
  • the image quality may be automatically determined, for example using a statistical model trained to predict an image quality for a given ultrasound image or set of images.
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may require that a certain number of exams of a particular exam type pass QA. Whether the exam passes QA or not may be manually selected by a clinician from a QA screen.
  • the ultrasound system may automatically count it towards the proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may require that a certain number of exams of a particular exam type have undergone QA (e.g., using the GUI 1400). If this exam has undergone QA, then the ultrasound system may automatically count it towards the proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may require that a certain number of exams of a particular exam type feature a TP. Whether the exam is classified as a TP may be manually selected by a clinician (e.g., using the GUI 1400). If TP is selected, then the ultrasound system may automatically count it towards the proficiency requirements. In some embodiments, multiple such requirements may be required together for the exam to count towards fulfilling proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system may provide options for a clinician to select impacts to patient care from clinical interpretation of a particular ultrasound imaging exam.
  • the impacts to patient care options may include one or more of the following: life saved, diagnosis changed, outcome changed, unnecessary test avoided, decreased length of stay, rare find, never event, improved patient satisfaction, interesting case, life threatening event avoided, and morbidity and mortality (M&M).
  • M&M morbidity and mortality
  • the set of impacts to patient care options may be life saved, diagnosis changed, outcome changed, unnecessary test avoided, decreased length of stay, rare find, and never event.
  • the set of impacts to patient care options may be decreased length of stay, diagnosis changed, improved patient satisfaction, interesting case, life saved, life threatening event avoided, M&M, never event, outcome changed, rare find, and unnecessary test avoided.
  • a clinician filling out a worksheet for a particular exam may select one or more impacts to patient care.
  • a clinician performing QA for a particular exam may select one or more impacts to patient care.
  • FIG. 15 illustrates an example GUI 1500 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) or mobile device (e.g., the mobile device 104) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 1500 is an exam screen, similar to the GUI 700, that includes options 1519 for selecting impacts to patient care.
  • FIGs. 16A and 16B illustrate an example GUI 1600 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 1600 is a QA screen, similar to the GUI 1400, that includes options 1619 for selecting impacts to patient care.
  • the ultrasound system determines that the ultrasound exam should count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements (e.g., based on receiving a selection from a clinician, or based on an automatic determination), then the process 200 proceeds to step 210. If the ultrasound system determines that the ultrasound exam should not count towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, then the process 200 proceeds to step 214.
  • the ultrasound system determines whether the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have been fulfilled. For example, the ultrasound system may retrieve the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements (i.e., those received at step 202) from the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106) where they are stored. The ultrasound system may also receive from the cloud an exam-specific count (i.e., the type selected in 206) to be applied towards the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements (e.g., from the cloud where they are stored). In some embodiments, the ultrasound system (e.g., in the cloud) may add a single image set to the proficiency count, based on the most recently performed exam of this particular type classified (at step 208) as meeting standards toward the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system may add a single image set to the proficiency count, based on the most recently performed exam of this particular type classified (at step 208) as meeting standards toward the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the ultrasound system may then track a user’s total numbers of specific exams relative to the threshold set for achieving proficiency for each scanning application as set in the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements. If the new count does exceed the threshold number of exams of a specific scanning application, and the ultrasound system further determines that there are no other unfilled ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements, then the ultrasound system may determine that the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have been fulfilled and proceed to step 212. If the new count does not exceed the threshold number of exams of this particular type, or the ultrasound system further determines that there are other unfilled ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements (e.g., other exam types for which the threshold number of exams have not been performed), then the ultrasound system may determine that the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have not been fulfilled and proceed to step 214.
  • the ultrasound system may determine that the user’s ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements have not been fulfilled and proceed to step 214.
  • the ultrasound system displays an indication that the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for the user have been fulfilled.
  • the display may occur, for example, on a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) used by a department administrator, based on information received by the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106).
  • the display may occur in an internet browser.
  • FIG. 17 illustrates an example GUI 1700 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 1700 may be displayed as part of step 212.
  • the ultrasound system displays an indication of the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • the display may occur, for example, on a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) used by a department administrator, based on information received by the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106).
  • the display may occur in an internet browser.
  • FIG. 18 illustrates the status bar 1724 in more detail, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the status bar 1724 includes a frame 1832 and multiple segments 1834 within the frame 1832.
  • the status bar 1724 is broken down by exam type.
  • Each of the segments 1834 may represent a different exam type.
  • the different segments may have different colors.
  • the color of each exam type’s segment in the status bar 1724 may be the same as the exam type’s corresponding icon 1728 in the GUI 1700.
  • the segments may simply be delineated from the others without different coloring, shading, patterning, etc.
  • m be the smaller of the number of exams of a segment 1834’s corresponding exam type that the user has performed, and the total number of exams of the segment 1834’s corresponding exam type that the user must perform to fulfill their ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • n be the total number of exams of all exam types that the user must perform to fulfill their ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements. Then the length of each segment 1834 divided by the total length of the frame 1832 equals (or is approximately equal) to m I n.
  • the indicator 1836 indicates numerically the value of m I n.
  • FIG. 19 illustrates another example of a portion of the GUI 1700, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • selection of a user from the GUI 1700 has caused an expansion such that the user’s progress in fulfilling their ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for each exam type is indicated by a separate status bar 1934 and numerical indicator 1936.
  • the ultrasound system may be further configured to receive a selection to enroll users in ultrasound imaging education requirements and display of a user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging education requirements.
  • the GUI 1700 includes a status bar 1726 indicating progress towards completing educational courses in which the corresponding user has been enrolled.
  • the option 1732 may be selected, thereby bringing up a GUI such as the GUI 2000.
  • FIG. 20 illustrates the example GUI 2000 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein. From the GUI 2000, a particular user may be enrolled in particular classes.
  • the status bar 1726 in the GUI 1700 may indicate the percentage of these classes that the user has completed.
  • a processing device displaying proficiency information may also enable filtering of that information, for example by exam type, user group (e.g., proficiency group), and user.
  • the GUI 1700 includes filter options 1725.
  • the ultrasound system may also display indications of the progress of all members in a proficiency group towards completing their proficiency requirements. For example, the ultrasound system may display one or more, or all, of how many and what percentage of users have fulfilled their proficiency requirements, how many and what percentage of users have fulfilled their education requirements, a count of the total number of exam type tags, and how many of the latter count towards proficiency requirements. As an example of how exam type tags are counted, consider two exams, each of which have been two tagged with two different exam types. The count of the total number of exam type tags would be four.
  • the ultrasound system may display further indications of progress of all members of a proficiency group towards completing the proficiency requirements. These indications may be broken down by exam type.
  • the GUI 1700 illustrates an example of the above.
  • Each icon 1728 corresponds to an exam type, and indicates the users in a proficiency group’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirement for that exam type.
  • Each icon may have a different color.
  • a circular segment 1730 may encircle all or some of each icon 1728. Let m be the number of users who have fulfilled their proficiency requirements for the icon 1728’s exam type (i.e., they have performed the threshold number of exams that count towards the proficiency requirements for this exam type). Let n be the total number of users in the proficiency group. Then the length of the circular segment 1730 divided by the circumference of the icon 1728 is equal (or approximately equal) to m I n.
  • a group of users e.g., members of a proficiency group, members of a department, or members of a group of departments.
  • These indicators may include one or more, or all, of the following: information about the total number of exams performed by users in the group (
  • the information may be further broken down by individual user and may include counts for one or more, or all, of exam type tag, total exams, total drafts, total exams pending attestation, total finalized exams, total QA’d exams, average image quality, counts for various types of feedback, and total number of exams that count towards fulfilling proficiency requirements.
  • the performance indicators may also be filtered, for example by author, date range, exam type, worksheet, or archive.
  • FIGs. 21A and 21B illustrate a GUI 2100 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 2100 illustrates an example of the above, including the filter options 2125.
  • the ultrasound system may also display impacts to patient care for a group of users.
  • the impacts to patient care information may also be filtered, for example by author, date range, exam type, or folder.
  • FIG. 22 illustrates a GUI 2200 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 2200 provides an example of displaying counts of impacts to patient care 2238 for a group of users, including filter options 2225.
  • FIG. 23 illustrates a GUI 2300 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 2300 may be displayed at steps 212 or 214.
  • the GUI 2300 includes the icons 1728. Like the icons 1728 in FIG. 17, each icon 1728 corresponds to an exam type and indicates the user’s progress towards fulfilling an ultrasound imaging proficiency requirement for the corresponding exam type. Each icon 1728 may have a different color.
  • the circular segments 1730 for the corresponding icons 1728 do not completely encircle the icons 1728.
  • n be the total number of exams of icon 1728’s corresponding exam type that the user must perform to fulfill their ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements.
  • m be the smaller of the number of exams of an icon 1728’s corresponding exam type that the user has performed, and n. Then the length of the circular segment 1730 divided by the circumference of the icon 1728 equals (or is approximately equal) to m I n.
  • the circular segments 1730 for the corresponding icons 1728 completely encircle the icons 1728, and a symbolic indicator 2340 appears on the icon 1728.
  • Some or all of the same performance indicators displayed for a group of users in the GUI 2100 may also be displayed for an individual user on a user profile GUI such as the GUI 2300. Impacts to patient care, such as that displayed in the GUI 22, may also be displayed for an individual user on a user profile GUI such as the GUI 2300.
  • the ultrasound system may also display a user’s progress towards fulfilling ultrasound imaging education requirements, for example, as illustrated in the GUI 2300.
  • a user profile may also display how a particular user compares to other users in a group, such as a proficiency group, department, or group of departments.
  • the user profile may display how the particular users compares to other users in the group for various metrics including one or more, or all, of total number of scan sessions, total number of drafts, total number of exams pending attestation, total number of finalized exams, total number of exams pending QA, average image quality score, percentage of exams passing QA, and average time to finalize exams.
  • the user profile may further display the user’s score for each metric, as well as the user’s percentile within the group to which the user is being compared.
  • the user profile may further display the mean, low, and high values for the group, as well as graphical display such as a graph and/or a box plot.
  • FIG. 24 illustrates a GUI 2400 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 2400 illustrates an example of the above.
  • the ultrasound system may aggregate and display workflow data for a group (e.g., a department, a group of departments, or a proficiency group) or a user.
  • a group e.g., a department, a group of departments, or a proficiency group
  • one of the processing devices 108 in the ultrasound system e.g., a processing device used by an administrator for a department or group of departments
  • the ultrasound system may add various workflow-related metrics from the ultrasound exam to those same metrics from previously-performed ultrasound exams that are saved in the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106).
  • the workflow data may include a breakdown of exams in draft, pending attestation, finalized and needing QA, and QA’d.
  • the workflow data may further include one or more, or all, of the following.
  • the ultrasound system may display one or more, or all, of a breakdown of how much time has elapsed since the exams were uploaded, a breakdown of exams in draft by user, and a breakdown of specific items missing from exams in draft (e.g., patient, worksheet, exam type, signature).
  • the breakdown of how much time has elapsed since the exams were uploaded may include how many exams in draft were uploaded less than 24 hours ago, how many exams are overdue, and what the average time from upload is.
  • the ultrasound system may further display a breakdown of exams in draft by user and a breakdown of items missing from exams.
  • the ultrasound system may display one or both of a breakdown of how much time has elapsed since attestation was requested and a breakdown by attending clinician of exams pending their attestation.
  • the breakdown of how much time has elapsed since attestation was requested may include how many exams have attestation requested less than 24 hours ago, how many exams have overdue attestations, and what the average time from attestation request is.
  • the ultrasound system may display a breakdown of how much time was required for finalization. The breakdown may include how many exams were finalized within 24 hours, how many exams were finalized in more than 24 hours, and what the average time to finalization was.
  • the ultrasound system may display one or more, or all, of a breakdown of how much time was required for QA, a breakdown of exams QA’d by reviewer, how many exams were QA’d, what percentage of the total exams were QA’d, and a breakdown of the QA’d exams by exam type.
  • the breakdown of how much time was required for QA may include how many exams were QA’d in less than 24 hours ago, how many had overdue QA, and what the average time to QA was.
  • the workflow data may be filtered, for example by user, user group, time, exam type, and folder.
  • the ultrasound system described herein may provide the capability to display information about ultrasound exams in draft, and not just finalized exams. This may be enabled by the ultrasound system saving exams in draft to the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106), thereby providing users and administrators of the ultrasound system with visibility into these unfinished exams. In some embodiments, the ultrasound system may automatically save exams in draft to the cloud to prevent loss of data.
  • the ultrasound system may aggregate and display probe data for a group, such as a department, group of departments, or proficiency group.
  • a group such as a department, group of departments, or proficiency group.
  • one of the processing devices 108 in the ultrasound system e.g., a processing device used by an administrator for a department
  • the probe data may include one or more, or all, of the total number of users who have performed scan sessions, the total number of ultrasound images uploaded, the total number of exams performed, the average image quality score for ultrasound images collected, and the total number of ultrasound devices.
  • the probe data may further include one or more, or all, of a breakdown by user of the ratio of number of scan sessions to uploads, a breakdown by preset of how many scan sessions were performed, and a breakdown by mode of how many scan sessions were performed.
  • the probe data may further include one or more, or all, of a breakdown of the probe usage by device over time, and a breakdown of probe usage by user over time.
  • the probe data may further include one or more, or all, of a breakdown of probes by type of probe, a breakdown of probes by preset used, a breakdown of probes by provider who used the probes, and a breakdown of presets by providers who used the presets.
  • the probe data may be filtered, for example by user, user group, proficiency group, time, exam type, folder, and device.
  • FIGs. 26A, 26B, and 26C illustrate different views of a GUI 2600 that a processing device (e.g., one of the processing devices 108) may display, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the GUI 2600 illustrates an example of the above, including the filter options 2625.
  • the ultrasound system may aggregate information from exams that have been uploaded by users to the cloud.
  • the exams may include information such as author, preset, device used, date, etc., that may be aggregated into the data for the probe data.
  • Some of the information may be automatically associated with the exam. For example, when a mobile device is being used to perform an ultrasound exam, a preset may be selected on the mobile device for the exam. The mobile device may upload an indication of this preset along with the exam to the cloud. Some of the information may be associated with the exam by a user.
  • FIG. 27 illustrates an example process 2700 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 2700 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system performs an ultrasound exam. Further description of step 2704 may be above with reference to step 204.
  • the ultrasound system receives selections of responses to standardized quality assurance review (QA) prompts for the ultrasound exam.
  • the standardized QA prompts may include, for example, a prompt for image quality, a prompt for image interpretation accuracy, and a prompt for feedback. Further description of standardized QA may be found above, for example with reference to FIG. 14.
  • FIG. 28 illustrates an example process 2800 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 2800 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system performs an ultrasound exam. Further description of step 2804 may be above with reference to step 204.
  • the ultrasound system receives selections of impacts to patient care based on the ultrasound exam.
  • the impacts to patient care may include one or more, or all, of life saved, diagnosis changed, outcome changed, unnecessary test avoided, decreased length of stay, rare find, never event, improved patient satisfaction, interesting case, life threatening event avoided, and morbidity and mortality.
  • the ultrasound system displays counts of the impacts to patient care. Further description of selecting and displaying impacts to patient care may be found above, for example with reference to FIGs. 15, 16 A, 16B, and 22.
  • FIG. 29 illustrates an example process 2800 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 2900 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system receives a selection of ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a user, including receiving a selection to enroll the user in ultrasound imaging education requirements.
  • the ultrasound system displays the user’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging education requirements. Further description of selecting ultrasound imaging education requirements and displaying progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging education requirements may be found above, for example with reference to FIGs. 17, 20, and 23.
  • FIG. 30 illustrates an example process 3000 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 3000 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system performs an ultrasound exam. Further description of step 3004 may be above with reference to step 204.
  • the ultrasound system aggregates workflow data based on the ultrasound exam and previously-performed ultrasound exams. For example, the ultrasound system may add various workflow -related metrics from the ultrasound exam performed at step 3004 to those same metrics from previously-performed ultrasound exams that are saved in the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106).
  • the ultrasound system displays the workflow data. Further description of various kinds of workflow data and displaying them may be found above, for example with reference to FIGs. 21A, 21B, 24, and 25.
  • FIG. 31 illustrates an example process 3100 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 3100 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system performs an ultrasound exam. Further description of step 3104 may be above with reference to step 204.
  • the ultrasound system aggregates probe data based on the ultrasound exam and previously-performed ultrasound exams. For example, the ultrasound system may add various probe-related metrics from the ultrasound exam performed at step 3104 to those same metrics from previously-performed ultrasound exams that are saved in the cloud (e.g., the cloud 106).
  • the ultrasound system displays the probe data. Further description of various kinds of probe data and displaying them may be found above, for example with reference to FIGs. 26A-C.
  • FIG. 32 illustrates an example process 3200 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 3200 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system receives a selection of ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a group.
  • the ultrasound system displays the group’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements. Further description of selecting ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements for a group and displaying the group’s progress towards fulfilling the ultrasound imaging proficiency requirements may be found above, for example with reference to FIG 17.
  • FIG. 33 illustrates an example process 3300 for ultrasound exams, in accordance with certain embodiments described herein.
  • the process 3300 is performed by an ultrasound system (e.g., the ultrasound system 100).
  • the ultrasound system performs an ultrasound exam. Further description of step 3004 may be above with reference to step 204.
  • the ultrasound system aggregates data based on the ultrasound exam and ultrasound exams performed by other users in a group.
  • the ultrasound system displays, based on the data, how the user compares to the other users in the group. Further description of various kinds of metrics and displaying them may be found above, for example with reference to FIG. 24.
  • the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements.
  • This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.
  • the terms “approximately” and “about” may be used to mean within ⁇ 20% of a target value in some embodiments, within ⁇ 10% of a target value in some embodiments, within ⁇ 5% of a target value in some embodiments, and yet within ⁇ 2% of a target value in some embodiments.
  • the terms “approximately” and “about” may include the target value.
  • the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
  • the use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

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Abstract

Un système à ultrasons est conçu pour recevoir une sélection d'exigences de compétence d'imagerie à ultrasons pour un utilisateur, les exigences de compétence comprenant un nombre seuil d'examens par ultrasons d'un type d'examen par ultrasons particulier. Le système à ultrasons est en outre conçu pour effectuer un examen par ultrasons, recevoir une sélection de l'utilisateur et du type d'examen à associer à l'examen par ultrasons, déterminer si l'examen par ultrasons satisfait des exigences de compétence de l'utilisateur, et déterminer si les exigences de compétence de l'utilisateur ont été satisfaites. S'il a été déterminé que les exigences de compétence de l'utilisateur ont été satisfaites, le système à ultrasons est conçu pour afficher une indication selon laquelle les exigences de compétence de l'utilisateur ont été satisfaites. S'il a été déterminé que les exigences de compétence de l'utilisateur n'ont pas été satisfaites, le système à ultrasons est conçu pour afficher une indication de la progression de l'utilisateur vers la satisfaction des exigences de compétence.
PCT/US2023/017127 2022-03-31 2023-03-31 Procédés et systèmes de gestion de compétence d'imagerie à ultrasons, de révision d'assurance qualité et d'analyse Ceased WO2023192603A1 (fr)

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