METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RECORDING PATIENT-STATUS

• US 20090124863A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Liu, Alan, Murawski, David Phillip, Kariathungal, Murali Kumaran
• Application Number:
  US11/936,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124863A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4824 Touch or pain perception evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system for recording patient status automatically is disclosed herein. The method of recording patient-status comprises: monitoring the gestures of a patient continuously using a video imager. From the monitored gestures a patient-status corresponding to at least one clinical factor is identified and the patient-status is automatically recorded in an electronic medical record (EMR). The method and system describes an exemplary embodiment of determining pain level of a patient in a clinical environment using facial expressions and sound.

Claims

1. A method of recording patient-status, comprising:

monitoring the gestures of a patient continuously using a video imager;

identifying the patient-status corresponding to at least one clinical factor using at least one monitored gesture; and

recording the patient-status automatically in an electronic medical record (EMR).

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the gestures of a patient comprises:

monitoring at least one of facial expressions, sound, movements of body parts, activity, cry, and consolability of the patient.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the patient-status comprises:

analyzing images and sound obtained by the video imager.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises:

translating the gestures of the patient to a status parameter, wherein the status parameter indicates values of the gesture.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises:

generating a status level pertaining to a clinical factor using a plurality of status parameters derived from different gestures.

6. A method as in claim 4, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises:

comparing the status level with a set of preset parameter for deriving a patient-status.

7. A method as in claim 5, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises:

identifying the patient-status as normal, caution, alert, serious, severe, danger or critical based on the status level.

8. A method as in claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

defining different patient-status corresponding to different clinical factors such as pain, tension, blood pressure, anxiety, uneasiness or fear.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of recording comprises:

electronically recording the status level along with the corresponding clinical factor in an electronic medical record (EMR).

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of recording further comprises:

sending the status level through a communication link to record the status level in an electronic medical record (EMR).

11. A method as in claim 7, wherein the step of recording further comprises:

generating an alarm based on the identified patient-status.

12. A method for determining pain level in a clinical environment comprising:

monitoring continuously at least one of facial expressions and sound generated by a patient;

analyzing the at least one of facial expressions and sound for determining the pain level; and

translating the at least one of facial expressions and sound to a quantifiable parameter indicating the pain level.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the step of monitoring comprises:

providing a three dimensional imager for continuously recording the at least one of facial expressions and sound generated by the patient.

14. A method as in claim 12, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises:

verifying the authenticity of the at least one of facial expressions and sound generated by the patient.

15. A method as in claim 12, wherein the step of translating comprises:

deriving a pain-value, from the facial expressions.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein the step of translating comprises:

deriving a pain-value, from the sound generated by the patient.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the step of translating comprises:

deriving a pain level from the pain-values obtained from the at least one of facial expressions and the sound.

18. A method as in claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

electronically recording the pain level at a given instance corresponding to a patient.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein the step of recording further comprises:

generating an alarm based on the identified pain level.

20. An automatic pain recording system comprising:

a detector for continuously monitoring gestures of a patient including facial expressions and sound generated by the patient;

an analyzer coupled to the detector for analyzing the gestures for identifying a pain level; and

a recorder for recording the identified pain level.

21. A system as in claim 20, wherein the detector is a video imager.

22. A system as in claim 20, wherein the analyzer includes a processor and a translator.

23. A system as in claim 20, wherein the recorder includes an indicator.