BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a medical examination system for performing an examination by an X-ray imaging apparatus based on an input of patient information and a control method therefor.

Description of the Related Art

Recently, hospitals tend to construct a so-called hospital information system (HIS) for transmitting information among sections within each hospital. Also, each section in the hospital tries to construct an information system suitable for each section, for example, a radiation section constructs a radiology information system (RIS), and promotes on-line information transmission. In such information systems, not only an examination result recorded in a patient data base of a server can be referred to by retrieving that data through a terminal, but also examination request information from a doctor can be transmitted as an examination order to another undertaking section.

FIG. 17illustrates an example of a network within a hospital. An HIS1019is an information system for connecting the sections via a network. The HIS1019has a server1020. Sections1021and1022are, for example, an account section, a pharmaceutical section, or a medical examination section (an internal medicine section, a surgery section, an orthopedic surgery section, and the like). The sections1021and1022include HIS terminal1023and1024comprising a personal computer. An RIS1010is an information system within a radiation section. The RIS1010includes an RIS terminal1011comprising a gate way1014for connecting an image server1013, the HIS1019, and the RIS1010one another. The RIS1010also includes a personal computer provided in a radiation section1012. In the RIS1010illustrated inFIG. 17, a photography room1015and a photography room1016are provided with an examination system1017and an examination system1018, respectively.

When a subject which comes to an outpatient clinic goes through an outpatient reception, a doctor makes a diagnosis at each of the sections1021and1022ofFIG. 17. At the time, it may be necessary for the subject to receive diagnosis at a plurality of sections. As a result of the diagnosis, if the doctor determines that, for example, an X-ray photography is necessary for the subject, the doctor inputs examination request information through the HIS terminal1023, and the request information is transmitted to a radiation section1012that is an undertaking section. The request information instructed by the doctor is referred to as an examination order which includes information as to a name of a requesting section, and examination items such as “a region to be imaged: front of the chest, a side of the chest” in a case of the X-ray photography, a personal data of the patient, and the like. The radiation section1012, upon receiving the examination order, transmits the order to proper examination systems1017or1018together with information as to an imaging condition.

For example, it is assumed that the section1021is a surgery section, the section1022is an orthopedic surgery section, and the examination system1017of the photography room1015is an X-ray examination system. When the subject goes through the outpatient reception and a doctor of the surgery section1021judges that X-ray photographs of the front of the chest and a side of the chest are necessary, the doctor inputs an examination order through the HIS terminal1023. Thus, the input examination order is transmitted to the X-ray examination system1017in the photography room1015(Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-330815).

However, an input collision of examination orders may occur in the conventional method if an examination order is received from an upstream system (HIS system) while a user is operating the X-ray examination system. In such a case, it is difficult to determine which examination order should be accepted for imaging the X-ray photography.

In order to avoid the above-described circumstances, it is necessary for the system to have a switch operation that allows the user to select only one of the examination orders. However, in this case, the switching operation of the system may become complicated since the user is required to handle the switch operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an apparatus that is capable of readily determining whether the imaging is performed based on an examination order input by the user or based on an examination order from the upstream system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a medical examination system of the present invention includes a receiving unit configured to receive identification information of a patient from an external device, an operation unit configured to input patient information about the patient, and a processing unit configured to cause a display unit to display an object for shifting to examination processing together with the patient information corresponding to the identification information of the patient received by the receiving unit if the patient information is input via the operation unit, and to execute the examination processing without causing the display unit to display the object if no patient information is input via the operation unit, when the receiving unit receives the identification information of the patient.

Further features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

