Telemedicine Data and Video Management System

• US 20170235905A1
• Filed: 02/15/2016
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reach Health
• Inventors: Santiago, JR., Hector L.
• Application Number:
  US15/043,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235905A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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

Abstract

A telemedicine system includes a patient treatment unit, a provider unit that is in a location remote from the patient treatment unit, and a server in communication with the global computer network. An application interface is configured to effect a peer-to-peer communication protocol between the patient treatment unit and the provider unit. Patient video from the patient treatment unit is transferred to the first provider unit and is displayed. Data from a patient sensor interface is also transferred to the provider unit. The application interface displays a widget on the provider unit monitor that is superimposed on the patient video and is semitransparent so that the patient video is viewable through the widget. At least one data value is displayed in the widget and visually contrasts with the video. The application interface also transmits data from the patient treatment computer to the server for storage by the server.

Claims

1. A telemedicine system, comprising:

(a) a patient treatment unit, including;

a patient treatment computer in communication with a global computer network;

a video camera in communication with the patient treatment computer;

a patient sensor interface in communication with the patient treatment computer in which the patient sensor interface is configured to receive data from at least one patient sensor;

a microphone in communication with the patient treatment computer; and

a speaker in communication with the patient treatment computer;

(b) a first provider unit that is in a location remote from the patient treatment unit, including;

a provider computer in communication with the global computer network;

at least one microphone in communication with the provider computer; and

a monitor in communication with the provider computer;

(c) a server in communication with the global computer network;

(d) an application interface configured to effect a peer-to-peer communication protocol between the patient treatment computer and the provider computer via the global computer network, in which patient video from the patient treatment unit is transferred to the first provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol and displayed on the first provider unit monitor, and wherein data from the patient sensor interface is also transferred to the first provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol, the application interface also configured to display a widget on the first provider unit monitor so as to be superimposed on the patient video so as to be semitransparent such that a portion of the patient video is viewable through a portion of the widget and such that at least one data value displayed in the widget visually contrast with the portion of the patient video under the widget wherein the widget includes patient-specific information and in which the application interface is configured to transmit the data from the patient treatment computer to the server for storage by the server.

2. The telemedicine system of claim 1, further comprising a second provider unit that is in a location remote from the patient treatment unit and from the first provider unit, including:

a provider computer in communication with the global computer network;

at least one microphone in communication with the provider computer; and

a monitor in communication with the provider computer, wherein the application interface is further configured to effect a peer-to-peer communication protocol between the patient treatment computer and the provider computer of the second provider unit via the global computer network, in which patient video from the patient treatment unit is transferred to the second provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol and displayed on the second provider unit monitor, and wherein data from the patient sensor interface is also transferred to the second provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol.

3. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the widget displays at least one datum received from a selected one of the patient sensor interface and a manual user input.

4. The telemedicine system of claim 3, wherein when an updated value of the datum is sensed by the patient sensor interface or received from a manual user input, the application interface is configured to;

(a) transmit the updated value from the patient treatment unit to the first provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol;

(b) transmit the updated value from the patient treatment unit to the first provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol;

(c) after transmitting the updated value to the first provider unit, transmit the updated value from the patient treatment unit to the server;

(d) store the updated value on the server;

(e) transmit a persisted data indication from the patient treatment unit to the first provider unit via the peer-to-peer communication protocol, indicating that the updated value has been transmitted to the server;

(f) transmit a persisted data confirmation request from the first provider unit to the server; and

(g) once the updated value has been stored by the server, transmitting a confirmation in response to the confirmation request from the server to the first provider unit indicating that the updated value has been stored on the server.

5. The telemedicine system of claim 4, wherein the application interface is further configured to:

(a) display the datum on the widget in a first visually perceptible manner when the updated value of the datum is received by the first provider unit from the patient treatment unit;

(b) display the datum on the widget in a second visually perceptible manner, different from the first visually perceptible manner, when the persisted data indication is received by the first provider unit from the patient treatment unit; and

(c) display the datum on the widget in a third visually perceptible manner, different from the first visually perceptible manner and the second visually perceptible manner, when the confirmation in response to the confirmation request has been received by the first provider unit from the server.

6. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein a patient sensor interface is configured to receive vital signs from the patient and wherein the widget displays the vital signs from the patient.

7. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the widget displays a diagnostic scoring test that allows input of values for a plurality of parameters relevant to a predetermined diagnosis.

8. The telemedicine system of claim 7, wherein the system generates a diagnostic score corresponding to the likelihood of the predetermined diagnosis based on the values for a plurality of parameters input by a user.

9. The telemedicine system of claim 7, wherein the widget includes a pull-down menu corresponding to at least one of the parameters and wherein the pull-down menu presents a plurality of different preset values for the at least one of the parameters and wherein the system allows selection of one of the plurality of different preset values through a user interface.

10. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the application interface is further configured to:

(a) receive input from the first provider unit indicating a desired position for the widget on the monitor; and

(b) to move the widget to the desired position.

11. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the application interface is further configured to receive input from the first provider unit indicating a desired size for the widget and to re-size the widget to the desired size.

12. The telemedicine system of claim 1, wherein the application interface is further configured to display at least two different sets of data on the widget in which the at least two sets of data correspond to data sensed during at least two different periods.

13. The telemedicine system of claim 12, wherein the application interface is further configured to receive a scrolling input from a user and to cause sets of data selected from a plurality of different periods to be displayed on the widget.

14. A method of displaying information in a telemedicine system that communicates information between a patient treatment unit, a server and a first provider unit having a monitor, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving video and patient-specific data from the patient treatment unit at the first provider unit;

(b) displaying the video on the first provider unit monitor; and

(c) displaying the patient-specific data in a semi-transparent widget that overlays the video so that the video can be seen through at least a portion of the semi-transparent widget.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying at least one datum of the patient-specific data in a semi-transparent widget in a first manner when the at least one datum has been received from the patient treatment unit by the first provider unit;

(b) displaying the at least one datum of the patient-specific data in a semi-transparent widget in a second manner, different from the first manner, after the at least one datum has been transmitted from the patient treatment unit to the server; and

(c) displaying the at least one datum of the patient-specific data in a semi-transparent widget in a third manner, different from the second manner and from the first manner, after the first provider unit has received a confirmation from the server that the at least one datum has been stored by the server.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of displaying the patient-specific data in a manner that is visually perceptible irrespective of the video over which the widget is overlaid.

17. A method for communicating data in a telemedicine system that includes a patient treatment unit in communication with a global computer network, a provider unit in communication with the global computer network and a server in communication with the global computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a patient-specific datum from the patient treatment unit to the provider unit via a peer-to-peer protocol;

(b) after transmitting the patient-specific datum to the provider unit, transmitting the patient-specific datum to the server;

(c) after transmitting the patient-specific datum to the server, storing the patient-specific datum at the server and transmitting a persisted data indicator from the patient treatment unit to the provider unit via the peer-to-peer protocol;

(d) after the first provider unit receives the persisted data indicator, transmitting a stored data request from the provider unit to the server; and

(e) after the patient-specific datum has been stored by the server, transmitting a stored data confirmation from the server to the provider unit and displaying the datum with a stored data indicia on the display at the provider unit.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying the patient-specific datum with a new data indicia on a display at the provider unit after the step of transmitting a patient-specific datum from the patient treatment unit to the provider unit;

(b) displaying the datum with a persisted data indicia on the display at the provider unit after the step of after transmitting the patient-specific datum to the server; and

(c) displaying the datum with a stored data indicia on the display at the provider unit after the patient-specific datum has been stored by the server.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting video from the patient treatment unit to the provider unit;

(b) displaying the video on a video display at the provider unit; and

(c) displaying the datum in a widget that overlays at least a portion of the video on the video display.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of generating display data that is displayed on the video display so has to include the video and the widget so that at least a portion of the widget appears to be translucent and overlaid on the video.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting first audio data from the patient treatment unit to the provider unit and playing sounds corresponding to the first audio data at the provider unit; and

(b) transmitting second audio data from the provider unit to the patient treatment unit and playing sounds corresponding to the second audio data at the patient treatment unit.