ANALYZING CAREGROUP DATA TO FACILITATE DIAGNOSIS OF SUBPOPULATIONS OF DISEASE OR DISABILITY AND EVALUATE OR DISCOVER NEW METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS OR INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

• US 20100138233A1
• Filed: 08/26/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Caringfamily LLC
• Original Assignee: Caringfamily LLC
• Inventors: Davoust, Paul, Williams, Michael David, Hudnut, Paul S.
• Application Number:
  US12/547,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138233A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems for analysis of aggregate data from multiple caregroups participating in a closed communication service are provided. According to one embodiment, a closed communication service is provided that is configured to facilitate and encourage communications among members of caregroups and targets of the caregroups. The targets of the caregroups use communication appliances associated with respective caregroups to transmit and receive electronic communications via the closed communication service to and from members of the respective caregroups. Data relating to the electronic communications is collected and aggregated. Diagnosis of subpopulations of disease or disability and evaluation or discovery of new methods of diagnosis or intervention strategies to slow, ameliorate, prevent or remediate a condition including one or more of a chronic condition in elders, a disability, a disease and a mental or physical condition is facilitated by analyzing the collected and aggregated data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a closed communication service configured to facilitate and encourage communications among members of a plurality of caregroups and targets of the plurality of caregroups, the targets of the plurality of caregroups using communication appliances associated with respective caregroups of the plurality of caregroups to transmit and receive electronic communications via the closed communication service to and from members of the respective caregroups;

one or more metric tracking routines collecting and aggregating data relating to the electronic communications;

facilitating diagnosis of subpopulations of disease or disability and evaluation or discovery of new methods of diagnosis or intervention strategies to slow, ameliorate, prevent or remediate a condition including one or more of a chronic condition in elders, a disability, a disease and a mental or physical condition by analyzing the collected and aggregated data; and

wherein the one or more metric tracking routines are implemented in one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media of one or more server computer systems that are part of the closed communication service, the one or more computer-readable media having instructions tangibly embodied therein representing the one or more metric tracking routines that are executable by the one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said collecting and aggregating data is limited to a set of caregroups of the plurality of caregroups in which the associated targets are demographically or psychographically similar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises Alzheimer'"'"'s disease.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises depression.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises stress.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises cancer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises heart disease.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a geriatric cognitive disorder.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition comprises a physical illness.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the communication appliances comprises a hard-copy based communication appliance.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hard-copy based communication appliance comprises a digital mailbox appliance.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the hard-copy based communication appliance is shared by multiple individuals.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data relating to the electronic communications includes metrics regarding historical norms of electronic communications frequencies.