Telephone-and network-based medical triage system and process

• US 20030097278A1
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David Alejandro Mantilla, Javier Jerry Lugo
• Original Assignee: David Alejandro Mantilla, Javier Jerry Lugo
• Inventors: Mantilla, David Alejandro, Lugo, Javier Jerry
• Application Number:
  US09/988,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097278A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

The present solution to the medical triage problem is computer automated telephone triage system that gives customized medical advice to patients of doctors who have registered with the service. There ate two main modes of operation: a nurse-assisted mode, and a fully-automated mode. In the nurse-assisted system, a person desiring medical information calls the triage system and is connected to a nurse. The nurse asks a few questions and determines the caller'"'"'s doctor, main symptom, and whether a high-risk medical condition exists. If there exists a serious condition then the nurse give appropriate instructions according to a triage protocol, Otherwise, the nurse connects the caller to the VoiceTriage program. This program plays back an audio message recorded by the caller'"'"'s doctor giving the caller specific medical instructions to treat the caller'"'"'s symptom. The fully-automated mode replaces the nurse-caller interaction with a computer-caller one. A main object of the present invention is to provide a patient with medical advice of his own doctor, in doctor'"'"'s own voice to minimize confusion, increase quality of service and increase patient satisfaction with a triage systems and medical answering services.

Claims

11-1. The method of claim 11 wherein said plurality of audio files to be played to said caller by said third means contains an audio message recorded by said caller'"'"'s own doctor.

15. A method for enhancing a caller'"'"'s experience of using an automated telephone service comprising:

a caller;

said caller'"'"'s preferences including but not limited to voice of automated telephone service;

said caller'"'"'s preferences stored in a computerized storage device;

a first means for identifying said caller;

a second means for loading said caller'"'"'s preferences;

a third means for dynamically adapting said automated telephone service to said caller'"'"'s preferences;

whereby such customization of automated telephone service increases said user'"'"'s satisfaction of said automated telephone service.

16. A machine for providing medical advice over a telecommunications network comprising:

a display device providing the means for a human operator to view prompts and information necessary to practice the current invention;

an input device providing the means for the said operator to interact with the software component of the invention;

a processing unit for manipulation of data and for execution of software;

a memory which is used by said processing unit during said manipulation of data and execution of software;

a storage device for storage of the software and the files associated with the invention;

a first device for interfacing with said data network;

a second device for interfacing with a telecommunications system;

a first means for performing automatic speech recognition on an audio signal from second device;

a second means for synthesizing computer text into speech;

a human caller who is seeking medical advice, be they a patient or a caller acting as a proxy for said patient;

a third means which said caller can use to communicate with said computer system using spoken language using said second device and said first means;

said spoken language including but not limited to English, French, and German;

a plurality of audio files with prerecorded medical advice recorded by physicians;

a fourth means which allows for the playback of said audio files via said second device;

a fifth means for said caller to answer a series of questions, including but not limited to said patient'"'"'s name, said caller'"'"'s name, a phone number, a doctor'"'"'s name, chief complaint, and a series of questions to determine if a high-risk medical condition exists, resulting in the selection of a subset of said audio files accessible by said computer system from a location selected from the group consisting of a local storage device, and a storage device located on a remote computer system accessible via said data network, to be played over said telecommunications network using said second device;

a sixth means which allows for said caller and said computer system interaction to be documented and saved in a storage device;

whereby the audio file played to said user via said telecommunications network contains medical information specific to said user'"'"'s condition;

whereby said medical information is in said patient'"'"'s doctor'"'"'s own voice; and

whereby said patient will be more confident in said automated telephone service since a playback message was custom-tailored for said patient.

17. The machine of claim 16 wherein said data network is comprised of a network of type selected from the group consisting of the Internet, an intranet, and an extranet.

If the examiner does not feel that the present claims are technically adequate, applicant respectfully requests that the examiner write acceptable claims pursuant to MPEP 707.07(j).