Method and system for constructing formulae for processing medical data

A method in a computer system for constructing, in response to input from a user using a window-based user interface, a formula based on one or more of a plurality of time-indexed medical values, each time-indexed medical value having a name and being capable of having associated with it one or more individual medical values each having an effective time at which the individual medical value reflected the condition of a patient, the constructed formula having an effective time and referencing subsets of the individual medical values of each parameter upon which it is based whose effective times occur within a specified interval, the constructed formula being usable to generate individual medical values of a new time-indexed medical value, the method comprising the steps of:

• displaying via the window-based user interface a list of the names of the time-indexed medical values;
• receiving input via the window-based user interface identifying a time-indexed medical value whose name the user has selected from the displayed list of time-indexed medical value names;
• displaying via the window-based user interface a list of time intervals for qualifying individual values of the identified time-indexed medical value;
• receiving input via the window-based user interface identifying a time interval that the user has selected from the displayed list of time intervals;
• displaying via the window-based user interface a list of functions for reducing the individual values of the identified time-indexed medical value whose effective times are within the identified time interval to a single value;
• receiving input via the window-based user interface identifying a function that the user has selected from the displayed list of functions;
• and
• storing a formula for applying the identified function to individual values of the identified time-indexed medical value whose effective times are within the identified time interval in order to reduce the individual values to a single value,
• such that the stored formula may be used to generate individual medical values for a new time-indexed medical value.

A method in a computer system for constructing, in response to user interface interactions by a user using a window-based user interface, a formula for deriving a medical conclusion from one of a plurality of time-indexed medical data inputs, the time-indexed medical data inputs each having events, the events each having multiple data components including a time, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving input via the window-based user interface identifying a time-indexed medical data input upon which the formula is to be based;
• receiving via the window-based user interface an instruction identifying a time interval qualifying the events of the identified time-indexed medical data input;
• receiving via the window-based user interface an instruction identifying a selection function for selecting one event from the events of the time-indexed medical data input qualified by the identified time interval;
• receiving via the window-based user interface an instruction identifying a data component of each event of the time-indexed medical data input;
• and
• storing a formula for applying the identified selection function to events of the identified time-indexed medical data input whose effective times are within the identified time interval in order to select one of the events, and for extracting the identified data component of the selected event,
• such that the formula may be used to derive and display a medical conclusion from the identified time-indexed medical data input.

An apparatus for constructing, in response to input from a user using a window-based user interface, a formula for producing a textual patient information string from a selected time-indexed medical data variable having a value for each of a plurality of times, the method comprising the steps of:

• a formula construction subsystem for constructing a formula for producing a displayable textual patient information string from a selected time-indexed medical data variable;
• a display device coupled to the formula construction subsystem to display via the window-based user interface names of a plurality of functions capable of aggregating a plurality of values into a single value;
• an input device coupled to convey to the formula construction subsystem from the user:
• input specifying a period of time during which the medical data variable is to be analyzed,
• input indicating that the user selected the name of a selected function from the displayed function names, and
• input specifying a manner of manipulating a single value to produce a textual string conveying patient information;
• and
• a memory coupled to the formula construction subsystem to store a formula that specifies:
• identifying values of the selected time-indexed medical data variable having times within the specified period of time,
• applying the selected function to the identified values of the selected time-indexed medical data variable to aggregate the identified values into a single value, and
• manipulating the single value in the specified manner to produce a textual string conveying patient information based on the values of the selected time-indexed medical data variable.

An apparatus for constructing a formula based on one or more of a plurality of time-indexed medical values in response to input from a user using a window-based user interface, each time-indexed medical value having a name and being capable of having associated with it one or more individual medical values each having an effective time at which the individual medical value reflected the condition of a patient, the constructed formula having an effective time and referencing subsets of the individual medical values of each parameter upon which it is based whose effective times occur within a specified interval, comprising:

• a formula construction subsystem for constructing a formula based on one or more of the plurality of time-indexed medical values in response to input from a user;
• a display device coupled to the formula construction subsystem to display via the window-based user interface:
• a list of the names of the time-indexed medical values;
• a list of time intervals for qualifying individual values of the identified time-indexed medical value, and
• a list of functions for reducing the individual values of the identified time-indexed medical value whose effective times are within the identified time interval to a single value;
• an input device coupled to convey to the formula construction subsystem from the user:
• input identifying a time-indexed medical value whose name the user has selected from the displayed list of time-indexed medical value names,
• input identifying a time interval that the user has selected from the displayed list of time intervals, and
• input identifying a function that the user has selected from the displayed list of functions;
• and
• a memory coupled to the formula construction subsystem to store a formula constructed by the formula construction subsystem for applying the identified function to individual values of the identified time-indexed medical value whose effective times are within the identified time interval in order to reduce the individual values to a single value,
• such that the formula stored in the memory may be used to generate individual values of a new time-indexed medical value.