METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONSUMER-SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION BASED ON CULTURAL NORMALIZATION TECHNIQUES

• US 20110209065A1
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Farmacia Electronica, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Farmacia Electronica, Inc.
• Inventors: Reitberg, Donald P., Hernandez, Fernando, Del Rio, Eve, Espinosa, Juan G.
• Application Number:
  US13/033,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20110209065A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires

Abstract

A method and system for providing consumer-specific communication based on cultural-normalization techniques. The method includes obtaining information about the consumer using an interactive interface, receiving an identification of a consumer-selected language and an output format selection, providing plain-language output information in the consumer-selected language and output format, presenting questions, by a query/interrogation unit, regarding the plain-language output information, acquiring responses to the presented questions, and ascertaining an understanding of the plain-language output information based on the acquired responses. The system includes a controller, an interactive interface unit, a format selection unit, a language selection unit providing content in a user-selected language, a query/interrogation unit, and a response evaluation unit analyzing responses to determine a user'"'"'s literacy level. The response evaluation unit configured to mine, analyze, and/or parse contents of a database containing user responses to the queries.

Claims

1. A method for providing consumer-specific communication based on cultural normalization techniques, the method comprising:

obtaining information about the consumer using an interactive interface running on an application layer of a network-connectable resource;

receiving an identification of a consumer-selected language and an output format selection;

providing plain-language output information in the consumer-selected language and output format;

presenting questions, by a query/interrogation unit, regarding the plain-language output information;

acquiring responses to the presented questions; and

ascertaining an understanding of the plain-language output information based on the acquired responses.

2. The method of claim 1, the obtaining step further including retrieving electronic records from a service provider database.

3. The method of claim 1, the obtained information including at least one of product usage experienced by the consumer and an indication of the consumer'"'"'s understanding of product label instructions and warnings.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the output format selection is at least one of video, text, audio, and avatar.

5. The method of claim 1, the ascertaining step including comparing the acquired responses to predetermined criteria by a response evaluation unit.

6. The method of claim 5, including connecting the consumer to an alternative source of information if the comparing step results are below the predetermined criteria.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein if the comparing step results are below the predetermined criteria, the method further including the steps of:

updating the plain-language output information based on the comparing step results;

providing the updated plain-language output information in the consumer-selected language and output format;

presenting questions regarding the updated plain-language output information;

acquiring responses to the presented questions; and

ascertaining an understanding of the plain-language output information based on the acquired responses.

8. The method of claim 7, further including repeating the updating, providing, presenting, acquiring, and ascertaining steps until the ascertaining step result indicates that the acquired responses meet the predetermined criteria.

9. The method of claim 1, including the step of providing the acquired responses to a dynamic consumer-feedback communications database.

10. The method of claim 9, including mining contents of the dynamic consumer-feedback communications database to determine if the consumer has an understanding of a product usage and warning instructions.

11. The method of claim 9, including analyzing contents of the dynamic consumer-feedback communications database with respect to consumer attributes and demographics.

12. The method of claim 11, including providing a sentinel signal based on the analysis, wherein the sentinel signal indicates at least one of a need to collect additional specific data, and a need to perform a definitive assessment to characterize product efficacy and safety in labeling.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the sentinel signal is provided to at least one of a pharmaceutical company, a drug researcher, a pharmacist, a health care professional, a medical payer, a managed care organization, regulators, and a medical journal.

14. The method of claim 9, including parsing contents of the dynamic consumer-feedback communications database for information regarding side effects experienced by consumers of a particular product.

15. The method of claim 1, including the steps of:

determining a literacy level of the consumer based on the obtained information by parsing the obtained information;

and providing plain-language output information at the determined literacy level.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform the method of:

obtaining information about the consumer using an interactive interface running on an application layer of a network-connectable resource;

receiving an identification of a consumer-selected language and an output format selection;

providing plain-language output information in the consumer-selected language and output format;

presenting questions, by a query/interrogation unit, regarding the plain-language output information;

acquiring responses to the presented questions; and

ascertaining an understanding of the plain-language output information based on the acquired responses.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further including instructions for:

comparing the acquired responses to predetermined criteria by a response evaluation unit; and

connecting the consumer to an alternative source of information if the comparing step results are below the predetermined criteria.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein if the comparing step results are below the predetermined criteria, further including instructions for:

updating the plain-language output information based on the comparing step results;

providing the updated plain-language output information in the consumer-selected language and output format;

presenting questions regarding the updated plain-language output information;

acquiring responses to the presented questions;

ascertaining an understanding of the plain-language output information based on the acquired responses; and

repeating the updating, providing, presenting, acquiring, and ascertaining steps until the ascertaining step result indicates an understanding by the consumer based on satisfying the predetermined criteria.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, further including instructions for:

providing the acquired responses to a dynamic consumer-feedback communications database;

mining contents of the dynamic consumer-feedback communications database to determine if the consumer has an understanding of a product usage and warning instructions;

analyzing contents of the dynamic consumer-feedback communications database with respect to consumer attributes and demographics;

parsing contents of the dynamic consumer-feedback communications database for information regarding side effects experienced by consumers of a particular product; and

providing a sentinel signal based on the results of at least one of the mining step, analyzing step, and parsing step, wherein the sentinel signal indicates at least one of a need to collect additional specific data, and a need to perform a definitive assessment to characterize product efficacy and safety in labeling.

20. A system for providing consumer-specific communication based on cultural normalization techniques, the system comprising:

a central controller in communication with an internal bus;

an interactive interface unit, controlled at least in part by the central controller, configured to present an interactive interface to a user, to collect information from the user, and to present information to the user;

a format selection unit configured to format plain language information provided to the user in the format selected by the user through the interactive interface unit;

a language selection unit configured to access content in a database, the content to be provided to the user in a language selected by the user through the interactive interface unit;

a query/interrogation unit configured to provide the interactive interface unit with questions to be presented to the user; and

a response evaluation unit configured to analyze responses to the questions and to determine a user'"'"'s literacy level.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the plain-language output information is provided at the determined literacy level in the consumer-selected language and output format

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the language selection unit configured to access the content at a literacy level based on results provided by the response evaluation unit.

23. The system of claim 20, the response evaluation unit configured to compare the responses to a predetermined criteria to ascertain a user'"'"'s comprehension of the plain language output information.