Method and system for outpatient monitoring

• US 20040034286A1
• Filed: 05/06/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Gerstenblith, Gary, Thorne, Philip R., Spaeder, Jeffrey A., Palmer, James G., Gottlieb, Sheldon H., Kasper, Edward K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,056,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

The present invention is an outpatient monitoring system which enables patients to interact with a health care provider using a standard telephone. A patient is presented with a series of condition-appropriate questions. Based upon the patient responses, additional questions are posed on a real-time dynamic basis. In addition, certain general questions from a predefined set of questions are asked of the patient in a rotating manner to ensure that there is variety with each telephone session. Further, the question sets can be recorded in the voice of the patient'"'"'s clinician, or other person familiar to the patient, so that a familiar voice is heard by the patient, thereby personalizing the medical experience.

Claims

1. A system for coordinating communication sessions between a patient location and a health care provider location to allow monitoring of a patient at said patient location by a care giver associated with said health care provider location, comprising:

a communication device in said patient location; and

a health care provider server located at said health care provider location, wherein;

a patient using said system provides input data to said health care provider server using said communication device;

said health care provider server stores data input by said patient and presents questions to said patient; and

if appropriate, additional questions are presented to said patient by said health care provider server based upon patient responses.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said questions presented to said patient include:

a first question set presenting a set of repeating questions to said patient during each communication session;

a second question set presenting a set of rotating questions to said patient during each communication session, wherein identical rotating question sets are never presented during sequential communication sessions; and

a third question set presenting a branching question to said patient during a communication session, when warranted, based on a response from said patient to a presented question.

3. A system a set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication device is a telephone.

4. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication device is an internet-enabled computing device.

5. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said health care provider server includes a voice recording module, wherein said care giver records said questions using said voice recording module and presents said recorded questions to said patient.

6. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said health care provider server is configured to analyze data input by said patient and generate alerts to said care giver upon the occurrence of predetermined alert conditions discerned from said data.

7. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said health care provider server is configured to convert data input by said patient to a graphical format for display to the care giver.

8. A system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said health care provider server is configured to be remotely accessible by said care givers.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of presenting one or more questions to said patient comprises at least the steps:

presenting a first question set of repeating questions to said patient during each communication session; and

presenting a second question set of rotating questions to said patient during each communication session, wherein identical rotating question sets are never presented during sequential communication sessions.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said step of presenting additional questions to said patient comprises at least the step of:

presenting a third question set of branching question to said patient during a communication session, when warranted, based on a response from said patient to a presented question.

9. A method for coordinating communication sessions between a patient location and a health care provider location to allow monitoring of a patient at said patient location by a care giver associated with said health care provider location, comprising the steps of:

providing a communication device in said patient location; and

providing a health care provider server located at said health care provider location;

having a patient provide input data to said health care provider server using said communication device;

storing said patient input data on said health care provider server;

presenting one or more questions to said patient from said health care provider server;

receiving patient responses to said one or more questions by said health care

provider server; and

presenting additional questions to said patient by said health care provider server based upon patient responses.

12. A method a set forth in claim 9, wherein said communication device is a telephone.

13. A method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said communication device is an internet-enabled computing device.

14. A method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

making voice recordings of said questions using a voice familiar to said patient; and

presenting said voice-recorded questions to said patient.

15. A method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

analyzing said input patient data using said health care server; and

generating alerts to said care giver upon the occurrence of predetermined alert conditions discerned from said data analysis.

16. A method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

converting said input patient data to a graphical format for display to the care giver.

17. A method as set forth in claim 16, wherein said graphical format is a CuSum graph.

18. A method for interaction between a patient and a healthcare provider, comprising the steps of:

providing an interactive system enabling bidirectional interactive communication between said patient and said healthcare provider;

conveying a first query to said patient via said interactive system;

receiving a response to said first query from said patient via said interactive system; and

conveying a second query to said patient via said interactive system;

wherein said second query is selected from a set of questions, with the selection being based on said response.

19. A method as set forth in claim 18, wherein said queries are conveyed to said patient using the recorded voice of said healthcare provider.

20. A method as set forth in claim 19, wherein said interactive system comprises a standard telephone connected to a server, said telephone being located with said patient and said server being located at a location of said healthcare provider.

21. A method as set forth in claim 18, wherein said interactive communication between said patient and said healthcare provider includes voice communications left on a voicemail system accessible by both the patient and the healthcare provider.

22. A method as set forth in claim 18, further comprising the step of conveying a series of rotating questions to said patient from a rotating question set, said rotating questions being of a general nature and wherein no questions from said rotating question set are repeated before every question is said rotating question set has been conveyed to said patient.

23. A method as set forth in claim 22, wherein said bidirectional interactive communication is effected by the connection of said standard telephone to said server, and wherein said patient controls said interactive communication by making selection on the keypad of said telephone, and wherein said questions submitted by said healthcare provider depend upon the keypad selections made by said patient.

24. A system for gathering, storing, and presenting patient data, said data being transmitted to a health care provider server by a patient over a communication connection during a communication session, said system comprising:

a repeating-question module presenting a set of repeating questions to said patient during each communication session;

a rotating-question module presenting a set of rotating questions to said patient during each communication session, wherein identical rotating questions sets are never presented during sequential communication sessions;

a branching question module presenting a branching question to said patient during a communication session based on a response from said patient to a presented question.

25. A system a set forth in claim 24, wherein said patient participates in said communication session using a telephone.

26. A system as set forth in claim 24, wherein said patient participates in said communication session using an internet-enabled computing device.

27. A system as set forth in claim 24, further comprising a voice recording module, wherein said healthcare provider records said questions using said voice recording module and presents said questions to said patient using said recorded questions.