Medical Vital Sign Indication Tool, System and Method

• US 20100280333A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hospital For SICK Children
• Original Assignee: Hospital For SICK Children
• Inventors: Middaugh, Kristen Lynn, Parshuram, Christopher Sushil
• Granted Patent: US 8,550,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• 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: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A vital sign evaluation tool (100, 200, 300) for evaluating a measure of severity of illness associated with a patient is provided, where the tool comprises a displayed grid (102) divided into a plurality of coded regions (104 to 106, 206, 306) each assigned to a vital sign associated with the patient. Each of the plurality of coded regions are scaled according to one of a plurality of age ranges (136, 202, 302) associated with the patient and adapted to generate a score value corresponding to a measurement of the vital sign. The score value within the plurality of the coded regions is summed to produce a total score (156), where the total score is adapted to provide an indication of the severity of illness of the patient.

Claims

1. A vital sign evaluation tool for evaluating a measure of severity of illness associated with a patient, the tool comprising a displayed grid divided into a plurality of coded regions each assigned to a vital sign associated with the patient, each of the plurality of coded regions scaled according to one of a plurality of age ranges associated with the patient and adapted to generate a score value corresponding to a measurement of the vital sign, the score value within the plurality of the coded regions summed to produce a total score, wherein the total score is adapted to provide an indication of the severity of illness of the patient and is mapped to an associated care recommendation.

2. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the displayed grid comprises a chronological axis that is adapted to facilitate entering the score value at one or more times during a time period.

3. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the score value comprises an integer value that increases based on the vital sign deviating from normality.

4. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the total score comprises an integer value that increases based on an increase in the severity of illness.

5. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of respiratory rate.

6. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of heart rate.

7. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of respiratory effort.

8. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of oxygen therapy.

9. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of capillary refill time.

10. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of transcutaneous oxygen saturation.

11. The evaluation tool according to claim 1, wherein the vital sign is a measure of systolic blood pressure.

12. The evaluation tool according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of coded regions comprises a plurality of color-coded sections, the score value generated based on mapping a color associated with each one of the plurality of color coded sections with the integer value associated with the score value.

13. The evaluation tool according to claim 12, wherein each one of the plurality of color-coded sections comprises at least one color-coded row.

14. The evaluation tool according to claim 3, wherein said displayed grid comprises multiple groups of coded regions, each group of coded regions being assigned to a respective one of a plurality of vital signs.

15. The evaluation tool according to claim 14, wherein each group of coded regions comprises a plurality of color-coded sections, the score value generated based on mapping a color associated with each one of the plurality of color coded sections with the integer value associated with the score value.

16. The evaluation tool according to claim 15, wherein the displayed grid comprises a chronological axis that is adapted to facilitate entering the score value at one or more times during a time period.

17. The evaluation tool according to claim 15, wherein each one of the plurality of color-coded sections comprises at least one color-coded row.

18. The evaluation tool according to claim 14 wherein said vital signs comprise respiratory rate, heart rate, respiratory effort, oxygen therapy, capillary refill time, transcutaneous oxygen selection and systolic blood pressure.

19. The evaluation tool according to claim 18, wherein the displayed grid comprises a physical medium upon which the score and total score is entered.

20. The evaluation tool according to claim 18, wherein the displayed grid is presented on a graphical user interface of an electronic device into which the score and total score is entered.

21. A method of evaluating a measure of severity of illness in a patient, the method comprising:

providing an age range associated with the patient;

assigning a plurality of coded regions to measurements associated with each of a plurality of vital signs based on the provided age range;

measuring the plurality of vital signs associated with the patient;

associating one of the plurality of coded regions to each of the measured vital signs;

assigning a score value to each of the associated plurality of coded regions;

determining a total score from the score value assigned to each of the associated plurality of coded regions; and

determining a measure of the severity of illness based on the total score; and

determining a care recommendation based on said measure.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the assigned plurality of coded regions comprises assigning a plurality of colors.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

admitting the patient to an intensive care unit (ICU) based on the total score exceeding a pre-determined threshold.

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

assigning medical staffing needs based on the total score calculated for a plurality of patients.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein assigning the medical staffing needs comprises assigning a pre-defined number of nurses to the plurality of patients based on the total score calculated for the plurality of patients.

26. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

determining the total score at multiple times during a 24-hour period.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising:

detecting a measure of the severity of illness based on changes in the determined total score at multiple times.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein determining the total score at multiple times during a 24-hour period comprises determining the total score at set-time intervals during a 24-hour period.

29. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

evaluating a variation in score value for a selected one of the measured plurality of vital signs by observing the variation in score value at set time intervals.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising:

evaluating the variation in score value for providing a medical condition indication associated with the patient.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of coded regions comprises graphical indicia.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the graphical indicia comprises color-coded sections.

33. A computer implemented method of evaluating a measure of severity of illness in a patient, the computer implemented method comprising:

entering by the computer an age range associated with the patient;

assigning by the computer a plurality of coded regions to measurements associated with each of a plurality of vital signs based on the entered age range;

measuring by the computer the plurality of vital signs associated with the patient;

associating by the computer one of the plurality of code regions to each of the measured vital signs;

assigning by the computer a score value to each of the associated plurality of coded regions;

determining by the computer a total score from the score value assigned to each of the associated plurality of coded regions;

determining by the computer a measure of the severity of illness based on the total score; and

determining by the computer a care recommendation based on the measure.

34. The computer implemented method according to claim 33, wherein implementing by the computer comprises using a processor based device.

35. The computer implemented method according to claim 34, wherein using the processor based device comprises using at least one of the group consisting of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, and a server computer.

36. A computer-readable medium embodying machine-readable code for preemptively evaluating a measure of severity of illness in a patient, the machine-readable code comprising:

machine-readable code for determining an age range associated with the patient;

machine-readable code for determining a plurality of vital signs;

machine-readable code for assigning a plurality of coded regions to measurements associated with each of the determined plurality of vital signs based on the determined age range;

machine-readable code for measuring the plurality of vital signs associated with the patient;

machine-readable code for associating one of the plurality of coded regions to each of the measured vital signs;

machine-readable code for assigning a score value to each of the associated plurality of coded regions;

machine-readable code for determining a total score from the score value assigned to each of the associated plurality of coded regions;

machine-readable code for determining a measure of the severity of illness based on the total score; and

machine-readable code for determining a care recommendation based on the measure.

37. A vital sign evaluation tool for evaluating a measure of severity of illness associated with a patient, the tool comprising a displayed grid, said displayed grid comprising multiple groups of coded regions, each group of coded regions being assigned to a respective one of a plurality of vital signs, said vital signs comprising respiratory rate, heart rate, respiratory effort, oxygen therapy, capillary refill time, transcutaneous oxygen selection and systolic blood pressure, each of the plurality of coded regions being scaled according to one of a plurality of age ranges associated with the patient and adapted to generate a score value corresponding to a measurement of the vital sign, the score value within the plurality of the coded regions summed to produce a total score, wherein the total score is adapted to provide an indication of the severity of illness of the patient.

38. The evaluation tool according to claim 37, wherein each group of coded regions comprises a plurality of color-coded sections, the score value generated based on mapping a color associated with each one of the plurality of color coded sections with the integer value associated with the score value.

39. The evaluation tool according to claim 38, wherein the score value comprises an integer value that increases based on the vital sign deviating from normality.

40. The evaluation tool according to claim 39, wherein the displayed grid comprises a chronological axis that is adapted to facilitate entering the score value at one or more times during a time period.