Website messaging system for public health information

• US 20040193447A1
• Filed: 03/28/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sameh S. Joseph
• Original Assignee: Sameh S. Joseph
• Inventors: Joseph, Sameh S.
• Application Number:
  US10/402,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20040193447A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for providing information to a public health agency from a website of a physician. The method includes the steps of detecting entry of a symptom from a patient through the website, comparing the detected symptom with a public health care criteria and forwarding the detected symptom to the public health agency when the detected symptom meets the public health care criteria.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a public health agency from a website of a physician, such method comprising the steps of:

detecting entry of a symptom from a patient through the website;

comparing the detected symptom with a public health care criteria; and

forwarding the detected symptom to the public health agency when the detected symptom meets the public health care criteria.

2. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 1 further comprising downloading a webpage to the patient for entry of symptoms through the website.

3. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 2 wherein the step of detecting entry of the symptom from the patient further comprises retrieving patient information from predetermined fields of a message from the patient.

4. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 3 further comprising performing word searching on the information from the patient.

5. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 4 further comprising using words from the healthcare criteria as search terms for the word searching.

6. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 5 wherein the step of forwarding the detected symptom further comprises forwarding the information entered by the patient that met the public health care criteria.

7. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 5 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as being a fever above a predetermined value.

8. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 1 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as being a plurality of disease profiles.

9. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 1 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as an adverse event related to the patient'"'"'s use of a drug or medical device.

10. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 9 further comprising reporting the adverse event to a pharmaceutical company sponsoring the drug or to a developer of the medical device.

11. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 1 further comprising downloading the public health care criteria to the website from the public health agency.

12. The method of providing information to the public health agency as in claim 1 further comprising downloading the public health care criteria to the website from the public health agency based upon a locale of the patient served by the physician.

13. An apparatus for providing information to a public health agency from a website of a physician, such apparatus comprising:

means for detecting entry of a symptom from a patient through the website;

means for comparing the detected symptom with a public health care criteria; and

means for forwarding the detected symptom to the public health agency when the detected symptom meets the public health care criteria.

14. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 13 further comprising means for downloading a webpage to the patient for entry of symptoms through the website.

15. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 14 wherein the means for detecting entry of the symptom from the patient further comprises means for retrieving patient information from predetermined fields of a message from the patient.

16. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 15 further comprising means for performing word searching on the information from the patient.

17. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 16 further comprising means for using words from the healthcare criteria as search terms for the word searching.

18. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 17 wherein the means for forwarding the detected symptom further comprises means for forwarding the information entered by the patient that met the public health care criteria.

19. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 17 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as being a fever above a predetermined value.

20. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 13 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as being a plurality of disease profiles.

21. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 13 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as an adverse event related to the patient'"'"'s use of a drug or medical device.

22. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 13 further comprising means for reporting the adverse event to a pharmaceutical company sponsoring the drug or to a developer of the medical device.

23. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 15 further comprising means for downloading the public health care criteria to the website from the public health agency.

24. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 15 further comprising means for downloading the public health care criteria to the website from the public health agency based upon a locale of the patient served by the physician.

25. An apparatus for providing information to a public health agency from a website of a physician, such apparatus comprising:

a patient interface adapted to detect entry of a symptom from a patient;

a symptom comparator adapted to compare the detected symptom with a public health care criteria; and

a communication processor adapted to forward the detected symptom to the public health agency when the detected symptom meets the public health care criteria.

26. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 25 further comprising a website adapted to download a webpage to the patient for entry of symptoms.

27. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 25 wherein the public health criteria further comprising descriptive words adapted for use as search terms.

28. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 25 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as being a fever above a predetermined value.

29. The apparatus for providing information to the public health agency as in claim 25 further comprising defining the public health care criteria as being a plurality of disease profiles.