Medical task status checklist and manufacturing method therefore

A medical task status checklist for aiding medical personnel in identifying unfinished tasks, comprising:

• a panel having a front face and a rear face;
• at least one two-status indicator, each having a height and a width and comprising:
• a first elongated slot having a length and a width and formed in said front face of said panel and longitudinally aligned with a horizontal central axis of said two-status indicator;
• a second elongated slot having a length and a width and formed in said rear face of said panel and centrally disposed along the length and the width of said first elongated slot, wherein said width of said first elongated slot is slightly smaller than said width of said second elongated slot and said length of said first elongated slot is substantially smaller than said length of said second elongated slot such that a ledge is formed around the periphery of said second elongated slot;
• two status labels, each disposed adjacent each lengthwise end of said first elongated slot;
• an elongated tab having a centrally disposed finger hold and positioned on said front face of said panel;
• an elongated backing plate having two lengthwise ends, a length and a width and configured to slide within said second elongated slot, wherein said elongated backing plate is fixedly attached via a securing means to said elongated tab such that a sliding movement of said elongated backing plate is coordinated with a sliding movement of said elongated tab and said elongated tab substantially covers said first elongated slot, leaving only one of said two status labels visible at rest;
• and
• said width of said elongated backing plate is substantially the width of said second elongated slot and said length of said elongated backing plate is substantially the length of said elongated tab such that a tendency of said sliding movement of said elongated tab to deviate from an intended path as delineated by said second elongated slot is avoided and the movement of said elongated tab is confined to the lengthwise direction of said elongated tab.

A method for constructing a medical task status checklist comprising a panel having a front face, a rear face and at least one medical task status indicator, wherein said at least one medical task status indicator comprises one indicium substantially horizontally aligned with an indicator, comprising steps of

• preparing an electronic template having cells defined by two adjacent columns and at least a row, wherein each cell on the left column of said two adjacent columns is populated with an indicium while each cell on the right column is populated with an indicator;
• arranging said at least one medical task status indicator by simultaneously moving each populated cell on the left column of said two adjacent columns with its associated populated cell on the right column of said two adjacent columns;
• communicating said electronic template to a CNC machine such that at least one indicator is formed on one of said two adjacent columns and a row, a label is printed on each lengthwise end of said indicator and an indicium is printed on said row on the opposing column, wherein said indicator is constructed by the steps of
• forming a first elongated slot having a length and a width in said front face of said panel and longitudinally aligned with said indicator's horizontal central axis, and
• forming a second elongated slot having a length and a width in said rear face of said panel and that is centrally disposed along the length and width of said first elongated slot, wherein said width of said first elongated slot is slightly smaller than said width of said second elongated slot and said length of said first elongated slot is substantially smaller than said length of said second elongated slot such that a ledge is formed around the periphery of said second elongated slot.