Graphic for displaying multiple assessments of critical care performance

8,607,153

12/650151

December 30, 2009

Systems and methods for rendering a graphic that describes multiple dimensions of performance for a subject intensive care unit (ICU) over a predefined period of time are provided. One method involves measuring the performance of the subject ICU against various metrics and displaying the measured performance as a graphic constructed of data strips placed adjacent to a 2-dimensional plot. The lengths of the data strips visually represent a percentage of patients that did not receive active treatment in the subject ICU, a rate of readmission to an ICU, and a median of the acute physiological scores (APS's) extracted from patients admitted to the subject ICU, respectively. The 2-dimensional plot includes an X-axis that represents a ratio of a hospital predicted mortality rate value over the measured mortality rate, while a Y-axis represents a difference between a predicted mean length of stay value and the measured mean length of stay value.

Kramer, Andrew A. (Leesburg, VA, US)

Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Kansas City, KS, US)

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable memory accommodated by a computing device having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for producing a graphic that exposes a measured performance of a subject intensive care unit (ICU), wherein the method comprises: generating a two-dimensional graph that includes an X-axis and a Y-axis, wherein the X-axis represents a first metric for evaluating operation of an ICU and the Y-axis represents a second metric for evaluating operation of an ICU, wherein the first and second metrics represent respective quantifications of characteristics measured from ICU operation; plotting a data point on the two-dimensional graph at a location in relation to predicted values of performance for a population of ICUs, wherein the location visually indicates a performance, measured over a predefined period of time, of the subject ICU with respect to the first metric and the second metric; plotting a ninety-five percent confidence interval about an intersection of the X-axis and the Y-axis on the two-dimensional graph, the confidence interval indicates whether a difference between a measured performance and the predicted values of the subject ICU is statistically significant, and wherein the confidence interval is displayed as an ellipse; generating a first data strip that represents a third metric for evaluating operation of an ICU; establishing a length of the first data strip that visually indicates a performance, measured over the predefined period of time, of the subject ICU with respect to the third metric, wherein the location of the data point on the two-dimensional plot is affected, in part, by performance of the subject ICU measured against the third metric; rendering the graphic on a user-interface (UI) display, wherein the graphic includes the first data strip positioned adjacently to the two-dimensional graph.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: generating a second data strip that represents a fourth metric for evaluating operation of an ICU; establishing a length of the second data strip to visually indicate a performance, measured over the predefined period of time, of the subject ICU with respect to the fourth metric, wherein the location of the data point on the 2-dimensional plot is affected, in part, by performance of the subject ICU measured against the fourth metric; and rendering the second data strip within the graphic in substantially parallel-spaced relation to the first data strip.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable memory of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises: generating a third data strip that represents a fifth metric for evaluating operation of an ICU; establishing a length of the third data strip to visually indicate a performance, measured over the predefined period of time, of the subject ICU with respect to the fifth metric, wherein the location of the data point on the 2-dimensional plot is affected, in part, by performance of the subject ICU measured against the fifth metric; and rendering the third data strip within the graphic in substantially parallel-spaced relation to the second data strip and the first data strip.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises displaying labels that describe which metric is represented by each of the first data strip, the second data strip, and the third data strip, respectively, wherein a user-initiated selection at one of the labels invokes a drop-down menu to appear.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable memory of claim 4 , wherein the drop-down menu enumerates a set of metrics, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving a user-initiated selection on a metric of the set of metrics; generating a fourth data strip that represents the selected metric for evaluating operation of an ICU; establishing a length of the fourth data strip to visually indicate a performance, measured over the predefined period of time, of the subject ICU with respect to the selected metric, wherein the location of the data point on the 2-dimensional plot is affected, in part, by performance of the subject ICU measured against the selected metric; and within the graphic, replacing one of the first data strip, the second data strip, or the third data strip with the fourth data strip.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises: determining median values for the first metric, the second metric, and the third metric, respectively, wherein the median values are derived from historical medical records collected from a plurality of remote hospitals; representing the median values as a vertical line that overlays the first data strip, the second data strip, and the third data strip, respectively.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable memory of claim 6 , wherein the first data strip, the second data strip, and the third data strip are stacked side-by-side and orientated horizontally, and wherein the vertical lines that represent the median values are orientated vertically and aligned with each other.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises rendering graphical objects in proximity to each of the first data strip, the second data strip, and the third data strip, respectively, wherein each of the graphical objects depict a trend in the measured performance of the subject ICU between a previous timeframe and the predefined period of time.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the graphical objects are arrows, and wherein an orientation of the arrows indicate an amount of change in the measured performance of the subject ICU with respect to the third metric, the fourth metric, and the fifth metric, respectively.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: receiving a user-initiated selection within the first data strip; rendering a pop-up graph in a display area that overlays a portion of the graphic, wherein the pop-up graph includes a first data point that visually indicates the performance of the subject ICU with respect to the third metric during the predefined period of time.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein rendering a pop-up graph further comprises: placing a second data point on the pop-up graph, wherein a location of the second data point represents the performance of the subject ICU with respect to the third metric during a timeframe prior to the predefined period of time; and connecting the first data point and the second data point to form a line graph.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the predefined period of time encompasses a most recent quarter-year period and the prior timeframe encompasses a precedent quarter-year period.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12 , wherein the line graph includes four data points that correspond to the most recent quarter-year period and three preceding quarter-year periods, respectively, and wherein an X-axis of the pop-up graph indicates the quarter-year period that corresponds to each of the four data points.

14. A computer system for automatically generating a graphic that facilitates assessment of a subject intensive care unit (ICU) with respect to a plurality of care-evaluation metrics, the computer system comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable medium, the computer readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer software components executable by the processor, the computer software components comprising: an obtaining component to obtain a mortality rate of the subject ICU over a predefined period of time and to obtain a mean length of stay in the subject ICU over the predefined period of time; a predictive component to perform a derivation process that calculates predicted values used for evaluating operation of the subject ICU, wherein the derivation process comprises: (a) generating a predicted value of mortality rate utilizing historical medical records collected from a plurality of ICUs other than the subject ICU, wherein the mortality-rate predicted value represents a benchmark mortality rate for an ICU; (b) generating a predicted value of a length of stay in an ICU utilizing historical medical records collected from the plurality of other ICUs, wherein the length-of-stay predicted value represents a benchmark duration of time an average patient stays in an ICU before being discharged; a rendering component to: (a) construct a two-dimensional graph that includes an X-axis and a Y-axis, wherein the X-axis represents a ration of the predicted mortality rate value of the plurality of ICUs over the measured mortality rate value of the subject ICU and the Y-axis represents a difference between the predicted mean length of stay value of the plurality of ICUs and the measured mean length of stay value of the subject ICU; (b) place at a location on the two-dimensional graph a data point that visually indicates the subject ICU's current performance with respect to the mortality rate and the mean length of stay during the predefined period of time; and (c) present a representation of a ninety-five percent confidence interval being displayed as an ellipse about an intersection of the X-axis and the Y-axis on the two-dimensional graph, wherein the ninety-five percent confidence interval indicates whether a difference between the measured performance and the predicted values of the subject ICU is statistically significant.

15. The computer system of claim 14 , wherein the obtaining component is further configured to measure a performance of the subject ICU with respect to a specific metric, wherein the location of the data point on the 2-dimensional plot is affected, in part, by the performance of the subject ICU measured against the specific metric.

16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the rendering component is further configured to render a graphic that includes the 2-dimensional graph positioned adjacent to at least one data strip, wherein a length of the at least one data strip visually indicates the performance of the subject ICU with respect to the specific metric.

17. The computer system of claim 14 , wherein, upon receiving a user-initiated selection at the 2-dimensional graph, the rendering component is further configured to present a pop-up graph in a display area that overlays a portion of the graphic, wherein the pop-up graph depicts a scatter plot that includes the data point and a plurality of prior data points that visually indicate a performance of the subject ICU during precedent timeframes.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable memory having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon to render on one or more display devices a user interface (UI) display, the UI display being configured to present a graphical that provides an aggregate view of performance measurements for a subject intensive care unit (ICU), the graphic comprising: a first display area that includes a first data strip, wherein the length of the first data strip visually represents a percentage of patients that did not receive active treatment upon being admitted to the subject ICU; a second display area that includes a second data strip, wherein the length of the second data strip visually represents a rate at which patients released from the subject ICU are readmitted to an ICU during the patients' stay at a hospital; a third display area that includes a third data strip, wherein the length of the third data strip visually represents a median of the acute physiological scores (APS's) calculated from each of the patients admitted to the subject ICU during a predefined period of time; and a fourth display area that includes a two-dimensional graph, wherein increments on the X-axis signify a ratio of the predicted mortality rate value over the measured mortality rate, wherein increments on the Y-axis signify a difference between the predicted mean length of stay value and the measured mean length of stay value, wherein the predicted mortality rate and the predicted length of stay are benchmark values derived from historical medical records produced by a plurality of remote hospitals, wherein at least one data point is plotted on the two-dimensional graph that visually indicates the subject ICU's current performance with respect to the mortality rate and the mean length of stay during the predefined period of time, and wherein a ninety-five percent confidence interval is plotted about an intersection of the X-axis and the Y-axis on the two-dimensional graph, the confidence interval indicating whether a difference between a measured performance and the predicted values of the subject ICU is statistically significant, the confidence interval being displayed as an ellipse such that the first display area, the second display area, the third display area, and the fourth display area together expose a measured performance of the subject ICU in relation to predicted values of performance for a population of ICUs.

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