System for monitoring and reporting medical measurements

• US 5,626,144 A
• Filed: 12/22/1995
• Issued: 05/06/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Enact Health Management Systems
• Original Assignee: Enact Health Management Systems
• Inventors: Tacklind, Christopher A., Walne, Geoffrey B., Sanders, Matthew H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Stephen D.
• Application Number:
  US08/576,941
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 128/671, 128/716, 128/725, 128/726, 128/728, 128/720
• US Class Current: 600/538
• 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 5/0871 Peak expiratory flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/09 using an element rotated by the flow toys actuated by air current A63H33/40
• 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 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A system for monitoring and reporting medical information includes a stand-alone monitor for storing data records comprising measured values and time stamps and for transmitting the records to a remote reporting unit over a communication system. The remote reporting unit includes a relational data base that is updated when records are down-loaded from the monitor; a report generator for generating chronological graphs of the measured values for a particular patient; and a report transmitting unit for transmitting reports to a requesting health care provider.

Claims

1. A medical information report generating system for receiving information from a patient sensor device including a transducer for generating, in real time, raw data generated by the transducer when a measurement is taken by the patient, and with the patient sensor device including a remote interface device for processing raw data to calculate actual values of measure physiological health parameters indicative of a patient'"'"'s physiological characteristics, generating a time stamp indicating when the raw data was generated, for creating data records including a unique ID code identifying a patient using the interface device, said calculated measured physiological parameters, and said time stamp, and for initiating a data transfer protocol to transmit said data records, said report generating system comprising:

a report-side communication interface;

a report generating unit;

a relational data-base, including a set of patient records each including a unique ID code pairing a patient and a remote sensor, with each patient record including measured value data indicating the value of the measured physiological parameters and a time stamp indicating when the measured physiological parameter was measured by the patient;

a communication controller, coupled to said report-side communication interface and a data manager and responsive to said data transfer protocol initiated by said remote interface device, for controlling transfer of data records received from said remote interface device to a data manager;

with said data manager coupled to said communication controller to receive data records transferred from a particular remote interface device and to transfer information from received data records to a patient record of a patient paired with said unique ID device included in a data record to update said patient record to include the information from received data records, and with said data manager coupled to said report generating unit to supply a patient record in said database of a patient identified in a report request received by said report generating unit;

with said report generating unit coupled to receive a report request for a particular patient and for transferring said report request to said data manager to obtain a requested patient record for the particular patient identified from said database and for utilizing information in the requested patient record to generate a report format presenting said measured physiological parameter and time encoding information included in said patient record in a selected format.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a report communication system including:

request receiving means, coupled to the communication system and said report generating unit, for receiving report requests from a requesting health care professional transferred on the communication system and for transferring said requests to said report generating unit so that the requested report is generated; and

report transmitting means, coupled to the communication system and said report generating unit, for receiving the generated report and transmitting said report to said requesting health care professional on the communication system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said report generating unit includes means for formatting measured values and time stamps in a graph showing measured values as a function of time.