Characterizing States of Subject

• US 20150320365A1
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lifetrack Medical Systems Private Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lifetrack Medical Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Schulze, Eric, Philip Rees, Brendan, Mejia, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 10,586,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/02 specially adapted for a particular organ or body part
• 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 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0035 adapted for acquisition of images from more than one imaging mode, e.g. combining MRI and optical tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/748 Selection of a region of interest, e.g. using a graphics tablet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7485 Automatic selection of region of interest
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 : Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 : Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 : Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 : Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 : Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0014 : using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 : ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 : for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 : for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Among other things, a user of a browser is exposed simultaneously to three interfaces: A viewing interface for at least one image of a subject that is stored on a device on which the browser is running, a decision support interface that aids the user in determining the state of the subject based on the image, and a template interface that aids the user in capturing uniform descriptive information about the state of the subject. At least two of the viewing interface, the decision support interface, and the template interface operate cooperatively so that actions of the user with respect to one of the two interfaces causes changes in content exposed by the other of the two interfaces.

Claims

35. A computer-implemented method comprising

storing information about images of a subject, content of a report that includes uniform descriptive information about a state of the subject, and elements of a decision support system useful in determining the state of the subject, the information being stored in programming objects that contain values of attributes and methods associated with the attributes.

36. The method of claim 35 comprising

changing the value of at least one of the attributes of one of the objects by executing a method of one of the objects based on interaction of a user with one of the images, with a template for the report, or with an element of the decision support system.

37. A computer implemented method comprising

exposing to a user through an interface of a browser, a facility for use in determining a state of a subject, based on (a) information presented to the user about attributes of the subject and (b) information about relationships between states of other subjects and attributes of the other subjects,

the facility interactively guiding the user in determining the state of the subject by presenting interactive controls representing possible attributes of the state of the subject to the user,

the interactive controls and the facility responding (1) to interaction by the user with the controls and (2) automatically to information about relationships between states of other subjects and attributes of other subjects provided from the app or through the browser.

38. The method of claim 37 in which the interaction by the user with the controls comprises touching a display.

39. The method of claim 37 in which the facility exposed to the user through the interface enables the user to generate a report determining the state.

40. The method of claim 37 in which determining the state of the subject comprises classifying the state of the subject by classifying information associated with the subject based on normative aggregated information associated with other subjects.

41. The method of claim 40 in which classifying the state of the subject comprises diagnosing a medical state of a person.

42. The method of claim 37 in which the information presented to the user comprises images associated with the subject.

43. The method of claim 37 in which the interactive controls comprise text phrases that can be part of a text report of the state of the subject.

44. The method of claim 37 in which the interaction by the user with the controls comprises the user indicating features of the state of the subject based on the information presented to the user about the attributes of the subject.

45. The method of claim 37 in which the relationships between the states of other subjects and attributes of the other subjects are based on expert knowledge.

46. The method of claim 37 in which the relationships between the states of other subjects and attributes of the other subjects are part of a decision support system.

47. The method of claim 37 comprising presenting to the user through the interface, information about the relationships between the states of other subjects and attributes of other subjects using diagrams and examples.

48. The method of claim 37 in which the interactive controls representing possible attributes are presented in a stepwise manner representing expert knowledge.

49. The method of claim 37 in which expert knowledge is embedded in the information about relationships between states of other subjects and attributes of the other subjects, and the expert knowledge is made available to the user based on a context implied by interactions of the user with the facility used in determining the state of the subject.

50. The method of claim 37 in which the interactive controls representing possible attributes are presented in at last two different modes suitable respectively for users of different skill levels.

51. The method of claim 37 in which the interactive controls representing possible attributes are presented in a collapsed mode for a user who can determine the state of the subject without requiring presentation of decision support information.

52. The method of claim 51 in which the collapsed mode enables the user to generate a report of the state of the subject by noting only what is abnormal or requires a comment.

53. The method of claim 37 in which the interaction by the user with the controls comprises dragging and dropping images that represent attributes of the subject onto text associated with the controls.

54. The method of claim 53 comprising

automatically annotating the images with attributes based on the text onto which the images are dropped.

55. The method of claim 53 in which dropping of an image onto text associated with the controls causes the text associated with at least one of the controls to expand to include additional uniform text representative of knowledge provided by a subject matter expert.

56. The method of claim 37 in which the interactive controls are associated with attributes of the subject and the interactive controls include links to decision support elements associated with the attributes.

57. The method of claim 56 in which the decision support elements comprise diagrams or examples.

58. The method of claim 56 comprising enabling a user to invoke one or more of the decision support elements and, in response to an invocation of one of the decision support elements, automatically updating corresponding interactive controls of the state determining facility.

59. The method of claim 58 comprising automatically appending decision support elements to a report generated by the state determining facility.

60. The method of claim 37 and in which a second user can interact with the interactive controls of the state determining facility to change interactions of the first user, and differences between the two interactions can be measured as an evaluation of the skill of one of the users.

61. The method of claim 37 in which the attributes of interactive controls of the facility as set by the user and as set by other users are exposed to the user as feedback.

62. The method of claim 61 in which the other users comprise people who have determined with certainty from the subject the accuracy of the determination of the state of the subject.

63. The method of claim 62 comprising enabling the user to identify through the interface, information about the subject as representing an example of a determination of states of similar subjects represented by elements of a decision support system, and automatically updating the decision support system to include the example.

64. A computer-implemented method comprising

exposing to a user through an interface of a browser, a decision support facility that uses decision support information to aid a user in expressing a state of a subject based on attributes of the subject,

the user interface providing viewing features that enable a user to identify attributes of the subject for use by the decision support facility,

the user interface providing a determination facility enabling the user to express the state of the subject through interactive controls, and

the decision support facility using the user'"'"'s expressions of the state of the subject to provide decision support information.

65. The method of claim 64 in which the decision support facility follows the user'"'"'s expressions of the state of the subject step by step and presents relevant decision support information for each step in turn.

66. The method of claim 64 in which the decision support facility follows the user'"'"'s invocation of respective interactive controls and presents relevant decision support information for each of the controls.

67. The method of claim 64 in which the decision support information that is provided causes automatic updating of the interactive controls.

68. The method of claim 64 in which the determination facility reflects information provided by a subject matter expert based on user'"'"'s expressions of the states of subjects.

69. The method of claim 64 in which the decision support information that is provided includes examples of normal, abnormal, and normal variants.

70. The method of claim 64 in which the decision support information that is provided includes indications of tools to use to capture attributes of the subject.

71. The method of claim 64 comprising

automatically updating a database of examples used by the decision support facility to include examples identified by the user in using the state determination facility.

85-1. The method of claim 1 comprising storing in a radiology information system (RIS) data that associates efficiency related timestamps with images for which corresponding users of the template interface have captured uniform descriptive information about the state of the subjects.

86-2. The method of claim 85 comprising assigning scores to users based on efficiency related timestamps of images.

87-3. The method of claim 1 comprising altering elements presented by the template interface to indicate to a particular user an aspect of the uniform descriptive information that requires attention by that user.