Patient Management Device, System And Method

• US 20110137138A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kipax AB
• Original Assignee: Blackbild
• Inventors: Johansson, Per, Karlander, Sture, Boberg, Jan, Jönsson, Patrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,821,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/08 Elderly
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1101 Detecting tremor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1124 Determining motor skills
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/224 Measuring muscular strength
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4848 Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/68 Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 : Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 : Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 : Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 : for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 : using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/741 : using synthesised speech
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 : characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 : User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• 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 15/00 : ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 : relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation

Abstract

A portable apparatus for managing a plurality of events related to a patient and for recording and storing input data related to said events is disclosed. The portable apparatus comprises a man machine user interface; a timer unit; a control unit, arranged to provide an invitation to the patient as an instruction via the interface to perform a motion exercise, upon a trigger from the timer unit or upon a patient self initiation. In an embodiment the apparatus comprises a sensor to record measurements related to said motion exercise. Further, a storage unit is arranged to retrievably store patient input data and said measurements. This enables diagnosing a degree of a neurological disease or an effect of a medication on said neurological disease.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus (10) for managing a plurality of events related to a patient (1) and for recording and storing input data related to said events, said portable apparatus (10) comprising:

a man machine user interface (18) comprising;

an input unit (30) for registering patient input data elements, and an output unit (38) for providing information elements to said patient;

a timer unit (16) arranged to trigger at least a first event of said plurality of events and to tag said input data with a time stamp;

said input unit (30) being responsive to an invitation provided to said patient by said output unit and upon triggering said event, or being responsive to a patient self initiation;

a control unit (12), arranged to provide said invitation as an instruction via said output unit to said patient to perform a motion exercise, upon said trigger from said timer unit or upon said patient self initiation;

at least one sensor unit (14) arranged to record measurement data elements related to said motion exercise of said patient;

a storage unit (17), arranged to retrievably store said input data comprising said patient input data elements and said measurement data elements, when recorded by means of said input unit and/or said sensor unit, together with said time stamp, and wherein said storage unit is adapted to store said measurement data elements from said motion exercise performed upon said instruction or upon said patient self initiation of said motion exercise.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor unit comprises at least one accelerometer adapted to measure a motion of a body portion of said patient while said apparatus is in a fixed relation to said body portion during said exercise, such that said measurement data is related to movement of said apparatus in at least two dimensions during said motion exercise.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said motion exercise is adapted to provide a degree of muscle tone or muscle relaxation of said patient based on said measurement data, and wherein said accelerometer is adapted to provide said measurement data for determination of said degree of muscle tone or muscle relaxation.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said accelerometer is adapted to provide a kinematic determination of a three dimensional motion pattern during said motion exercise.

5. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 4, wherein said apparatus is adapted to serve as a mass to be moved by said patient during said exercise, wherein said apparatus is adapted to be held by said patient, or attached to said patient during said exercise.

6. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 5, wherein said motion exercise is selected from a variety of motion exercises comprising:

a) coordinated motions in space, such as throwing the portable apparatus upwards without releasing grip and then lowering it softly back to the starting point of the exercise, or throwing the portable apparatus upwards while releasing grip and then catching the portable apparatus;

b) movement of at least one hand of the patient, such as winding a thread around the portable apparatus, moving the portable apparatus back and forth horizontally on a sturdy surface, or imitate whipping motion;

c) movements of an extremity, such as repetitively lifting an arm or leg, such as lifting an arm quickly upward for instance up to approximately eyelevel, staying in that position for a predetermined time, and then lowering the arm;

moving an arm in a circular motion;

d) walking, such as having the portable apparatus inserted into a sock;

e) repetitively raising and seating down; and

/or

f) simulating of free fall.

7. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 6, wherein said user interface has a tactile communication input and output interface, and an acoustic and/or visual output communication interface, and wherein said user interface is adapted to provide an indication to said patient during said exercise for a control of a progress of said exercise, or to indicate borders between different stages of said exercise, including sounds, spoken words, and/or beeps.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said tactile communication interface is adapted to provide a haptic feedback or a vibrational feedback to said patient for said control of progress.

9. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 8, wherein said patient input data and said measurement data are related, and wherein said storage unit is adapted to, in an absence of input data, to register and store a no input data element together with said time stamp.

10. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 9, wherein said events are triggered at predefined scheduled times or at arbitrary times.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said predefined schedule settings comprises information and ordination requirements defined by a healthcare provider.

12. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 11, wherein said apparatus comprises a communication unit (40), and wherein said sensor unit is adapted to communicate with an external sensor device via said communication unit, wherein said external sensor is for instance a further accelerometer, a blood pressure monitor, or a watch type physiological sensor.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said communication unit is adapted to transmit information and ordination requirements defined by a healthcare provider.

14. The apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 13, said storage unit (17) comprising a memory unit for storing an information data base for predefined scheduled settings;

and wherein said information data base comprises a plurality of questions.

15. A system comprising in combination at least one apparatus according to any of preceding claims 1 to 14 and an external processing unit, wherein said storage unit is arranged to provide said stored input data for processing to said external processing unit, wherein said external processing unit and/or said control unit is adapted to derive diagnostic data from said stored measurement data elements;

and wherein said external processing unit and/or said control unit is adapted to provide a long-term summarized report of said stored input data for a physician.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said external processing unit is a local work station adapted to be managed by a healthcare provider;

wherein said local work station is arranged to provide at least one portable apparatus with information and ordination requirements; and

wherein said local work station is arranged to analyze transmitted information from said at least one portable apparatus.

17. The system of any of claims 15 to 16, wherein said patient is a patient suffering from a neurological disease, such as Parkinson'"'"'s disease, and/or pain.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said sensor unit comprises an accelerometer, and said diagnostic data is related to Parkinson'"'"'s disease and based on a degree of muscle tone derived from said measurement data.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said system for diagnosing is the system of any of claims 15 to 18.

19. A method of diagnosing a degree of a neurological disease or an effect of a medication on said neurological disease, said method comprising:

registering movement of said portable apparatus by registration of an output signal from an accelerometer of a portable apparatus during a pre-defined motion exercise, and storing said output signal as measurement data elements, and

analyzing said measurement data for determining said degree of a neurological disease or an effect of a medication on said neurological disease.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising

comparing values of parameters analyzed from said measurement data with corresponding values from a standard population for said diagnosis.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein said measurement is repeated at fixed or arbitrary time intervals or upon user initiation, and wherein a long-term relation determined from a plurality of said measurement data elements is used for adapting a dose and time of administration of said medication for improving said effect thereof.

22. The method of any of claims 19 to 21, wherein said patient is a Parkinson disease patient, and wherein said apparatus is used to provide input data with regard to ON-OFF periods of said patient.

23. The method of claim 19, comprising prediction an OFF period from said user input.

24. The method of any of claims 19 to 23, wherein a questionnaire is transmitted via a communication link to said portable apparatus from an application on a local computer system, and wherein said questionnaire comprises an instruction to initiate said motion exercise.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein questions of said questionnaire are correlated to measurement values registered from said motion exercise.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising performing a plausibility control by comparing said measurement values with answers of a patient to at least one well-being question.

27. A computer program enabling carrying out of a method according to any of claims 19 to 26.

28. A system for diagnosing a degree of a neurological disease or an effect of a medication on said neurological disease, said system comprising:

a unit for registering movement of said portable apparatus by registration of an output signal from an accelerometer of a portable apparatus during a pre-defined motion exercise, and storing said output signal as measurement data elements, and

a unit for analyzing said measurement data for determining said degree of a neurological disease or an effect of a medication on said neurological disease.