Systems and methods for a health-related survey using pictogram answers

• US 10,572,959 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audax Health Solutions LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Audax Health Solutions LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Verstandig, Grant, Siedlecki, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US13/310,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,007 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium includes code to cause a processor to send a signal representing a first question and a set of pictogram answers associated with the first question and a second question, different from the first question, and a set of pictogram answers associated with the second question. The first question and the second question can define a health-related survey such as a health-risk assessment. The non-transitory processor-readable medium includes code to receive a user selection of a pictogram answer associated with the first question and receive a user selection of a pictogram answer associated with the second question. The non-transitory processor-readable medium includes code to define a health-related user profile based on the user selection to the first question and the second question.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting, via a graphical user interface (GUI), a first question and a plurality of pictogram answers for the first question including a first pictogram answer associated with a first numerical value, the first pictogram answer having a first size associated with a first numerical value and a second pictogram answer having a second size larger than the first size, the second size associated with a second numerical value larger than the first numerical value, the first question and the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question being presented via the GUI such that a user of the user device can select a first pictogram answer independent from any other individual;

receiving, via the GUI, a user selection of the first pictogram answer from the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question;

defining a health-related user profile based on the user selection for the first question;

determining, by a processor operably coupled to the GUI, that a second question is relevant to the health-related user profile of the user based on the selection of the first pictogram answer by the user, and that a third question is not relevant to the health related user profile based on the selection of the first pictogram answer, the third question being (1) different from the second question and (2) designated for selection when the user selects the second pictogram answer;

automatically presenting, via the GUI, the second question and a plurality of pictogram answers for the second question based on the determination that the second question is relevant to the health-related user profile, the second question being different from the first question, the plurality of pictogram answers for the second question being different from the plurality of pictogram answers for the first questions, the first question and the second question collectively defining at least portion of a health-related survey, the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question and the plurality of pictogram answers for the second answer configured to engage the user more than text-only answers;

receiving, via the GUI, a user selection of a pictogram answer from the plurality of pictogram answers for the second question; and

automatically updating the health-related user profile based on the user selection for the first question and the user selection for the second question.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the the first question is presented, the user selection of the first pictogram answer for the first question is received, the second question is presented, and the pictogram answer for the second question is received, within a common session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pictogram answer has a directional indicator and the second pictogram answer has a directional indicator different from the directional indicator of the first pictogram answer, the directional indicator of the first pictogram answer being associated with a value, the directional indicator of the second pictogram answer being associated with a value different from the value associated with the first pictogram answer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pictogram answer has a first portion and a second portion, the second pictogram answer has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the first pictogram answer substantially corresponding in shape to the first portion of the second pictogram answer and being unrelated to human anatomy, the second portion of the first pictogram answer differing in shape to the second portion of the second pictogram answer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user selection of the first pictogram answer for the first question is received at a first time, and the user selection of the pictogram answer for the second question is received at a second time, the method further comprising:

sending, after the first time and before the second time, a signal representing a first score based on the user selection of the first pictogram answer for the first question; and

sending, after the first time and the second time, a signal representing a second score based on the user selection of the pictogram answer for the second question, the second score being higher than the first score based on having received an additional pictogram answer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user selection of the first pictogram answer for the first question defines at least a portion of the health-related user profile at a first time, the user selection of the pictogram answer for the second question defines at least a portion of the health-related user profile at a second time after the first time,

the method further comprising;

sending, after the first time and before the second time, a signal representing at least one of a recommended article indicator or a discussion group indicator based on the health-related user profile at the first time; and

sending, after the first time and the second time, a signal representing at least one of a recommended article indicator or a discussion group indicator based on the health-related user profile at the second time.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a survey module implemented in at least one of a processor or memory, the survey module configured to;

send a signal representing a first question and a plurality of pictogram answers for the first question to a first user, the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question including a first pictogram answer and a second pictogram answer, the first pictogram answer having a first portion and a second portion, the second pictogram answer having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of the first pictogram answer substantially corresponding in shape to the first portion of the second pictogram answer and being unrelated to human anatomy, the second portion of the first pictogram answer differing in shape to the second portion of the second pictogram answer;

receive a signal representing a selection of an answer to the first question including a selection of a pictogram answer from the plurality of pictogram answers,

send a signal representing a second question and a plurality of pictogram answers for the second question to the first user, the second question being different from the first question, the plurality of pictogram answers for the second question being different from the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question, the first question and the second question collectively defining at least portion of a health-related survey,

receive a signal representing a selection of an answer to the second question including a selection of a pictogram answer from the plurality of pictogram answers for the second question,

send a signal representing a third question including a plurality of pictogram answers for the third question to a second user,

receive a signal representing a selection of an answer to the third answer including a selection of a pictogram answer from the plurality of pictogram answers for the third question, and

send a signal representing a fourth question and a plurality of pictogram answers for the fourth question to the second user;

a database operatively coupled to the survey module, the database configured to;

store a health-related user profile for the first user based on the answer to the first question and the answer to the second question, and

store a health-related user profile for the second user based on the answer to the third question; and

a reminder module configured to automatically send a signal to the second user based on the health-related user profile of the first user being based on a first number of answers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the survey module is configured to receive the signal representing the selection of the answer to the first question at a first time, and the survey module is configured to receive the signal representing the selection of the answer to the second question at the second time after the first time, and

the survey module configured to select, after the first time and before the second time, the second question from a plurality of questions based on the answer to the first question.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the survey module is configured to receive the signal representing the selection of the answer to the first question at a first time, the survey module is configured to receive the signal representing the selection of the answer to the second question at the second time after the first time, the apparatus further comprising;

a reward module operably coupled to the database module, the reward module configured to;

cause a first reward to be issued to the first user based on the health-related user profile for the first user being based on a first number of answers,

cause a second reward to be issued to the second user based on the health-related user profile for the second user being based on a second number of answers, the second reward being lesser than the first reward based on the second number being less than the first number,

send, after the first time and before the second time, a signal representing a score based on the answer to the first question, and

send, after the first time and the second time, a signal representing a score based on the selection of the answer to the second question, the score associated with the second question being higher than the score associated with the first question based on the first user having selected an answer to an additional question.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the survey module is configured to receive the signal representing the selection of the answer to the first question at a first time, the answer to the first question defines at least a portion of the health-related user profile for the first user at the first time, the survey module is configured to receive the signal representing the selection of the answer to the second question at a second time, the answer to the second question defines at least a portion of the health-related user profile for the first user at the second time after the first time,

the apparatus further comprising:

a recommendation module operatively coupled to the survey module, the recommendation module configured to send, after the first time and before the second time, a signal representing at least one of a recommended article indicator or a discussion group indicator based on the health-related profile for the first user at the first time,

the recommendation module configured to send, after the first time and the second time, a signal representing at least one of a recommended article indicator or a discussion group indicator based on the health-related profile for the first user at the second time.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question includes a first pictogram answer having a size and a second pictogram answer having a size larger than the size of the first pictogram answer, the size of the first pictogram answer being associated with a numerical value, the size of the second pictogram answer being associated with a numerical value larger than the numerical value associated with the first pictogram answer.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of pictogram answers for the first question includes a first pictogram answer having a directional indicator and a second pictogram answer having a directional indicator different from the directional indicator of the first pictogram answer, the directional indicator of the first pictogram answer being associated with a value, the directional indicator of the second pictogram answer being associated with a value different from the value associated with the first pictogram answer.