CLIAMS:What is claimed is:
1. A method for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals, the method comprising:
a. receiving one or more patient records from one or more requesting medical professionals through a chat application, wherein each of the one or more patient records are uploaded by each of the one or more requesting medical professionals ,wherein the chat application is available in medical forums corresponding to the medical professionals, wherein the medical professionals comprises the one or more requesting medical professional and one or more referred medical professionals;
b. storing the one or more patient records in a first database;
c. storing information of the medical professionals in a second database;
d. recommending the one or more referred medical professionals to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, wherein the recommending is based on the each patient record uploaded by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals; and
e. setting an alert by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, wherein the alert corresponds to a time period within which a response has to be received from the one or more referred medical professionals.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more patient records comprises patient profile information along with the medical history.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information of each medical professional comprises at least one of a contact information, specialty, practice group.
4. A system for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals, the system comprising:
a. a receiving module, wherein the receiving module is configured to receive one or more patient records from one or more requesting medical professionals through a chat application, wherein each of the one or more patient records are uploaded by each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, wherein the chat application is available in medical forums corresponding to the medical professionals, wherein the medical professionals comprises the one or more requesting medical professional and one or more referred medical professionals;
b. a storage module, wherein the storage module is configured to store the one or more patient records in a first database, wherein the storage module is further configured to store information of the medical professionals in a second database;
c. a recommendation module, wherein the recommendation module is configured to recommend the one or more referred medical professionals to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, wherein the recommending is based on the each patient record uploaded by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals; and
d. an alert setting module, wherein the alert setting module is configured to store an alert, wherein the alert is set by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, wherein the alert corresponds to a time period within which a response has to be received from the one or more referred medical professionals.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the system further comprises a template engine.
6. The system as claimed in claim 5, the template engine is configured in a manner not to include patient identity information.
7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the patient identity information’s comprises at least one of name, contact information, address.
,TagSPECI:A METHOD FOR PROVIDING A PLATFORM THAT ENABLES COLLABORATION BETWEEN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to online networking systems and in particular, it relates collaboration between medical professionals using the online networking systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] Online networking system continues to develop as both a convenient customer service channel and a cost effective sales delivery method. Online networking systems are playing a key role in modern healthcare delivery.
[003] It is a common practice in medical profession to seek second opinion on diagnoses and treatment by patients. Often a doctor consulting a patient refers the diagnosis to another, usually senior or experienced doctor to reaffirm the treatment procedures. This process of obtaining second opinion is of high concern in case of severe and rare disorders such as cancer. The process of obtaining second opinion is practiced all across including large medical facilities.
[004] One necessary pre-requisite to get a second opinion is that the patient medical history should be documented with every minute detail. Further, it is desirable that all the necessary information required by the experienced doctor should be handy for quick access and faster diagnosis.
[005] Yet, another necessity is that during the process of obtaining second opinion, the doctor has to adhere to regulatory requirement of not revealing patient identity.
[006] It is the above stated problem statements for which the present invention aims to provide an affordable and accessible solution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[007] The above-mentioned shortcomings, disadvantages and problems are addressed herein which will be understood by reading and understanding the following specification.
[008] In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals. The method includes receiving one or more patient records from one or more requesting medical professionals through a chat application, storing the one or more patient records in a first database, storing information of the medical professionals in a second database, recommending the one or more referred medical professionals to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, where the recommending is based on the each patient record uploaded by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, and setting an alert by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals.
[009] In another aspect, the present invention provides asystem for for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals.The system includes a receiving module, a storage module, a recommendation module, and an alert setting module. The receiving module is configured to receive one or more patient records from one or more requesting medical professionals through a chat application. The storage module is configured to store the one or more patient records in a first database, the storage module is further configured to store information of the medical professionals in a second database. The recommendation module is configured to recommend the one or more referred medical professionals to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals, where the recommending is based on the each patient record uploaded by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals. The alert setting module is configured to set an alert, where the alert corresponds to a time period within which a response has to be received from the one or more referred medical professionals.
[0010] Systems and methods of varying scope are described herein. In addition to the aspects and advantages described in this summary, further aspects and advantages will become apparent by reference to the drawings and with reference to the detailed description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Figure 1 illustrates a system for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;
[0012] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of a backend server, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention; and
[0013] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments, which may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0015] Figure 1 illustrates a system 100 for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The system 100 includes one or more requesting medical professionals 110,one or more computing device120, a communication network 130,a backend server 140, one or more referred medical professionals 150 and one or more computing device 160.
[0016] In context of the present invention, the term the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 refers to a person/individual who wishes to collaborate with a specialist or take a second opinion using a chat application that can be downloaded on a computing device.Each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 is associated with each of the one or more computing devices 120 on which a chat application can be downloaded. For simplicity of explanation only a single computing device associated with a single requesting medical professional is consider in the present invention. The present invention may include a one or more of computing devices 120 where each of the computing devices is associated with each of the one or more a plurality requesting medical professionals 110 that would be known by an ordinary person skilled in the art.
[001] In context of the present invention, the term the one or more referred medical professionals 150 refers to a person/individual with whom the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 whishes to collaborate about a particular patient. Each of the one or more referred medical professionals is associated with each of the one or more computing devices 160 on which a chat application can be downloaded.
[002] The term used herein, the chat application is an online collaboration platform that is accessible by both the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 and the one or more referred medical professionals 150. The chat application can be downloaded on the one or more computing devices 120 associated with the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 and the one or more computing devices 160 associated with the one or more referred medical professionals 150. In an embodiment, the chat application is downloadable only when the medical professionals login to a recognized forums/associations relevant to the medical professionals. The term used herein, the medical professionals include the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 and one or more referred medical professionals 150. Examples of the medical professionals are, but may not to be limited to a physician (such as, a medical doctor, including a surgeon, a generalist, a specialist, and the like.), an assistant of the physician, a nurse, a nurse practitioner, a therapist, a paramedic, a technician, a pharmacist.
[0017] In context of the present invention, the one or morecomputing devices120and the one or more computing devices 160 is meant to refer to any electronic device that has both wireless phone/network capability and the capability to run/support software applications.Examples of the one or more computing devices 120 and the one or more computing devices 160 are, but may not be limited to cell phones, smart phones, Personal DataAssistants (PDA), laptops, desktops, smart watches.
[0018] In context of the present invention, the backend server 140 refers to a computer, an electronic or processing device or a server operable to receive, process and communicate patient log with the one or more referred medical professionals 150. Examples of the backend server 140 may include, but are not limited to a blade server, a general-purpose personal computer, Macintosh workstation, an Unix based computer.The each computing device associated with the each requesting medical professional, the backend server 140 and the each computing device associated with the each referred medical professional use the communication device 130 for transferring data.
[0019] Examples of the communication network 130 are, but may not be limited to a local area network, a wide area network, a wireless network, a telecommunication network. Types of the telecommunication network are, but may not be limited to a global system for mobile communication (GSM) network, a general packet radio service (GPRS) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, an enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), a wideband CDMA (WCDMA).
[0020] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram 200 of a backend server 210, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention The backend server210 includes a receiving module 220, a storage module 230, a recommendation module 240, and an alert settingmodule250.
[0021] The receiving module 220 of the backend server 210 receives the one or more patient records from the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 through the chat application. For example, the each of the requesting medical professionals 110 uploads each of the one or more patient records using a template displayed on the chat application. The term used herein, the chat application is available in medical forums corresponding to the medical professionals. The medical professionals include the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 and one or more referred medical professionals 150. The term used herein, patient records refer to a list of patient events over time that is in an electronic format. The patient is an individual (human or an animal) whose patient events are recorded in the patient records.
[0022] Further, the backend server 210 includes a template engine (not shown in figure). The one or more requesting medical professionals 110 prepare a patient case profile for reference by the one or more referred medical professionals 150 using the template provided by the template engine on the chat application. The template engine is configured in a manner not to include patient identity information such as name, contact number and address. Further, the template engine is configured to select necessary information pertaining to a disorder for reference by the one or more referred medical professionals 150. For example, if one of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 is desiring to receive second opinion on lung cancer diagnosis, then the one of the requesting medical professional will be first asked by the template engine to select disorder type. Upon selection, the template engine will prompt the one of the requesting medical professional to enter vital statistics of the patient, next, the template engine will prompt the one of the requesting medical professional to upload the biopsy report. In an embodiment, the template engine can also fetch the report and other details on getting triggered by the one of the requesting medical professional from the hospital medical records database.
[0023] For purpose of illustration, the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 uploads at least one patient record (patient events) in the template of the chat application. The chat application communicates the patient record entered by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 with the backend server 140 via the communication network 130.
[0024] The storage module 230 of the backend server 210 stores the one or more patient records in a first database (not shown in the figure). For example, the patient record for a patient with metabolism disorders includes food eaten, exercise, calories, insulin levels, cholesterol levels, and drug adherence. Alternatively, for a patient with hemophilia the patient record may include factor infused, reason for infusion and/or bleed location.
[0025] The present invention can be applied to virtually any chronic and acute condition that requires logging of patient events, including but not limited to: hemophilia, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatitis C, diabetes, cancer, migraine, other chronic pain, asthma, erectile dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection, aids, Parkinson, Alzheimer, strokecare and the like.
[0026] Further, the storage module 230 stores information of the medical professionals in a second database (not shown in the figure). For example, the information of the medical professionals may include, but is not limited to contact information, specialty, practice group, and the like.
[0027] The recommendation module 240 of the backend server 210 recommends the one or more referred medical professionals 150 to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals110. The recommendation is based on the each patient record uploaded by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110. For example, if the backend server 210 receives a patient record of a patient with cancer disorder. The patient record stored in the first database may include, but not limited to patient name, contact information, primary physicians, diagnostics procedures, extent of disease (TNM classification, size of tumor, number of nodes examined, number of nodes positive, summary stage), date of first course of treatment, first course of treatment (surgery- type and extent, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonotherapy, immunotherapy, and the like), residual tumor, distant site(s), and the like. The recommendation module 240. The storage module 230 stores the patient record in the first database. The recommendation module 240 recommends a list of referred medical professionals 150 who are specialized in treating cancer to the requesting medical professional who is seeking for a second opinion.
[0028] After, receiving the recommendations from the recommendation module 240 if the requesting medical professional selects one or more from the list of referred medical professionals, the template engine hides the patient identity information and sends the patient record to the selected one or more referred medical professionals 150.
[0029] The alert setting module 250 of the backend server 210 sets an alert by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals. The alert corresponds to a pre-defined time period within which a response has to be received from the one or more referred medical professionals 150.
[0030] Once, the one or more referred medical professionals 150 accept the request sent by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110, the response has to be sent back by the one or more referred medical professionals 150 within the pre-defined time set in the alert setting module 250. The response received by the backend server 210 is forwarded to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 who have sent the request for the second opinion.
[0031] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart 300 for providing a platform that enables collaboration between medical professionals, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. At step 310, the flowchart 300 initiates.
[0032] At step 320, the backend server 210 receives the one or more patient records from the one or more requesting medical professionals 110 through the chat application installed on the one or more computing devices 120. The each of the one or more patient records is uploaded by each of the one or more requesting medical professionals. The chat application is available in medical forums corresponding to the medical professionals. The medical professionals include the one or more requesting medical professional and one or more referred medical professionals.
[0033] At step 330, the backend server 210 stores the one or more patient records in the first database. At step 340, the backend server 210 stores the information of the medical professionals in a second database. At step 350, the backend server 210 recommends the one or more referred medical professionals 150 to the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110. The recommendation is based on the each patient record uploaded by the each of the one or more requesting medical professionals 110.
[0034] At step 360, the backend server 210 sets the alert. The alert corresponds to a time period within which a response has to be received from the one or more referred medical professionals 150.
[0035] At step 370, the flowchart 300 terminates.
[0036] It should be understood that the foregoing pertains only to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and that numerous changes may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
[0037] This written description uses examples to describe the subject matter herein, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the subject matter. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.