Apparatus for measuring psychotherapy outcomes

• US 5,435,324 A
• Filed: 05/25/1994
• Issued: 07/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Twin Ponds III, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Compass Information Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Brill, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Application Number:
  US08/249,100
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 128/731-732, 128/897-898, 364/413.01
• US Class Current: 128/897
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/00 Other methods or instruments for diagnosis, e.g. instruments for taking a cell sample, for biopsy, for vaccination diagnosis vaccination prophylaxis, vaccination therapy A61B17/20; Sex determination; Ovulation-period determination menstruation tables G06C3/00; Throat striking implements
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring a patient'"'"'s psychotherapy progress is provided. Initial patient mental health is measured by administering a questionnaire measuring three psychological variables. The three psychological variable measures are combined into a mental health index. Following a number of sessions of psychotherapy, the patient'"'"'s subsequent psychological condition is again measured using the three psychological variables. Patient session records are stored in a large database. Patient progress can thus be compared versus patient initial psychological condition, typical patient outcomes as stored in the database, and patient improvement as a function of a number of sessions of psychotherapy can be determined. The system further provides a case manager with a measure of the effectiveness of continued psychotherapy sessions, and a basis of comparison of various psychotherapy providers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring the psychological condition of a patient comprising:

means for receiving psychological test data relating to at least one patient and for presenting the received data as digital signals, said test data including data obtained with respect to a patient at various times during a time interval, said test data including data relating to at least one psychological variable;

means for examining said digital signals and selecting therefrom the signal portions relating to said at least one psychological variable;

means for computing a single-valued quantity for each of said various times, representing the psychological condition of a patient with respect to said at least one psychological variable, from said selected digital signals; and

means for comparing said single-valued quantity computed for each of said various times with a predetermined benchmark quantity representing a benchmark psychological condition to obtain an indication of the patient'"'"'s psychological condition with respect to said benchmark condition and an indication of the change in the patient'"'"'s psychological condition over the time interval;

wherein said comparing means includes means for comparing time changes in said single-valued quantity with a predetermined benchmark quantity representing a time rate of change of psychological condition, to obtain an indication of the time rate of change in the patient'"'"'s psychological condition with respect to said benchmark rate.

2. An apparatus for measuring the psychological condition of a patient comprising:

means for receiving psychological test data relating to at least one patient and for presenting the received data as digital signals, said test data including data relating to at least one psychological variable, said test data including data obtained at various times with respect to each of a plurality of patients;

means for examining said digital signals and selecting therefrom the signal portions relating to said at least one psychological variable;

means for computing a single-valued quantity, representing the psychological condition of a patient with respect to said at least one psychological variable, from said selected digital signals, said means for computing including means for computing a predetermined benchmark quantity representing a benchmark psychological condition from said digital signals; and

means for comparing said single-valued quantity with said predetermined benchmark quantity to obtain an indication of the patient'"'"'s psychological condition with respect to said benchmark condition;

wherein said predetermined benchmark quantity represents a time rate of change of psychological condition.