| CPC G16H 10/40 (2018.01) [G16H 10/60 (2018.01)] | 18 Claims |
|
1. A patient sample analysis system comprising:
at least one medical analysis device adapted to receive a sample, perform a measurement on the sample, and produce a measurement result based on the measurement, wherein the measurement result has a unique identifier;
a medical device management apparatus comprising an input interface adapted to collect the measurement result from the at least one medical analysis device, an output interface adapted to output sample analysis data based on the measurement result towards a point of delivery, and at least one processing module arranged in a data path extending from an upstream end at the input interface to a downstream end at the output interface;
wherein the patient sample analysis system further comprises:
two or more check points arranged in the data path, wherein:
a first check point of the two or more check points is arranged upstream of the at least one processing module and is physically separated along the data path from a second check point of the two or more check points;
the second check point of the two or more check points is arranged downstream of the at least one processing module;
each check point is configured to identify the measurement result by the unique identifier and to add a corresponding result status entry in relation to the unique identifier to a check point record, when the result is passed through said check point;
each result status entry includes a check-in record or a check-out record; and
each check point is paired with another check point of the two or more check points, each pair including a check-in record and a check-out record;
and
an error handler operable to inspect the check point record, detect the occurrence of an error based on that inspection, determine an error location of the error on the data path, and develop an error correction based on the error location, wherein the error correction comprises one or more of: a restart of a software module associated with the error location, a suggestion of an error handling action, a guided procedure at an operator interface, an alert to a service operator of at least one of the at least one medical analysis devices, and an indication of an operative replacement medical analysis device;
wherein:
the at least one processing module of the medical device management apparatus comprises a plurality of processing modules;
the two or more check points arranged in the data path comprises, in addition to the first check point and the second check point, a plurality of additional check points disposed between the first check point and the second check points:
each pair of neighboring check points from the two or more check points defines a data path section on the data path between those neighboring check points;
no data path section between the upstream end at the input interface and the downstream end at the output interface has more than one processing module between the neighboring check points that define that data path section; and
the error handler is operable to determine the error location of the error on the data path by repeatedly performing acts comprising:
performing a check point identification by identifying first and second inspected check points, wherein the first inspected check point has added a check in result status entry in relation to the unique identifier to the check point record, and wherein the second inspected check point has not added a check in result status entry in relation to the unique identifier to the check point record; and
if the first and second inspected check points from the most recent performance of the check point identification are not neighboring check points, repeat the check point identification with new first and second inspected check points, wherein the new first and second inspected check points are separated by fewer data path sections than the first and second inspected check points from the most recent performance of the check point identification.
|