Remote psychological diagnosis and monitoring system

• US 6,334,778 B1
• Filed: 03/17/1999
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

Abstract

A networked system for remotely assessing and monitoring psychological conditions. The system includes a server and a remote interface for entering in the server prompts, such as queries and instructions, to be responded to by the individual. The server is preferably a web server and the remote clinician interface is preferably a personal computer connected to the server via the Internet. The system also includes a remotely programmable patient apparatus connected to the server via a communication link, preferably the Internet. The patient apparatus interacts with the individual in accordance with a script received from the server. The server includes a script generator for generating the script from the set of prompts entered through the remote interface. The script is received and executed by the patient apparatus to communicate the prompts to the individual, to receive responses to the prompts, and to transmit the responses from the patient apparatus to the server. In accordance with the invention, the patient apparatus is programmed to prompt a patient to interactively operate one or more switches. Information recorded during an interactive diagnostic assessment procedure is analyzed to provide a health care professional with information that is helpful to determine whether clinical therapy and/or medication may be required. The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to diagnostic assessment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder with a game-like video display being used to obtain a measure of various neuropsychologic indicia of attention.

Claims

1. A system for assessment of a psychological condition of a patient comprising:

(A) a patient system including;

(1) a display for displaying an image to the patient;

(2) a patient processor unit including a patient processor, a switch operable for supplying an electrical signal that is detectable by the patient processor, and circuit means responsive to signals supplied by the patient processor for generating the image on the display; and

(3) a memory for storing program instructions for displaying an image on the display for provoking operation of the switch, and for changing the image in response to the operation of the switch by the patient;

(B) a clinician system located remotely from the patient system and including;

(1) a memory for storing administrator program instructions for establishing a diagnostic assessment procedure and for retrieving a diagnostic signal which results from the operation of the switch and which is representative of a diagnostic measure indicated by the diagnostic assessment procedure, wherein the administrator program instructions further comprise a script and the diagnostic assessment procedure includes executing the script for displaying queries on the display and retrieving the patient'"'"'s responses to the queries; and

(2) a clinician processor for executing at least one of the administrator program instructions; and

(C) a communications link connectable in signal communication with the patient system and the clinician system for the exchange of signals between the patient system and the clinician system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic assessment procedure established by the administrator program further comprises execution of the program instructions for administration of a diagnostic task selected from the group of tasks comprising:

a delayed reaction task with distractions;

a delayed reaction task without distractions;

a continuous performance task with distractions;

a continuous performance task without distractions.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the administrator program further comprises program instructions for display of a main menu screen allowing a clinician using the clinician system to select a menu item from the group comprising:

opening of a new file for establishing the diagnostic assessment procedure for the patient;

opening an existing file for storing the diagnostic measure resulting from the diagnostic assessment procedure in the memory of the clinician'"'"'s computer workstation;

opening an existing file for storing a particular configuration of the diagnostic assessment procedure in the memory of the clinician'"'"'s computer workstation;

saving a file associated with a particular the patient;

closing a file;

producing the diagnostic assessment procedure;

storing the program instructions in the memory of the patient processor unit of the patient system; and

initiating execution of the diagnostic assessment procedure with the patient processor unit that is connected to the clinician'"'"'s computer workstation.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the clinician system is a clinician computer workstation.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the clinician processor of the clinician system further comprises an input/output unit connected in signal communication with the clinician processor and connectable in signal communication with peripheral devices selected from the group comprising:

a printer for printing diagnostic measurement information generated from the diagnostic measure resulting from the diagnostic assessment procedure;

a facsimile machine for displaying diagnostic measurement information generated from the diagnostic measure resulting from the diagnostic assessment procedure;

a receptacle for receiving a removable and insertable external memory unit; and

a patient system located locally relative to the clinician processor and wherein the signal communication with the clinician processor is accomplished by a serial data cable.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein:

(A) the external memory unit connectable in signal communication with said input/output unit further comprises means for storage of the program instructions for controlling the operation of the patient processor unit and the diagnostic measurement information generated from the diagnostic measure resulting from the diagnostic assessment procedure; and

(B) the patient processor unit includes a receptacle for receiving the external memory unit.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the clinician system further comprises a clearinghouse:

(A) for receiving the diagnostic signal resulting from the interactive operation of the switch of at least one of the patient processor units; and

(B) connectable in signal communication for data transmission with the clinician system.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the administrator program instructions further comprise a script and the diagnostic assessment procedure includes executing the script for displaying queries on the display and retrieving the patient'"'"'s responses to the queries.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

(A) the clearinghouse further comprises a server including a script generator capable of generating the script and a database means connected to the script generator for storing scripts created by the script generator; and

(B) the clinician system further comprises means for entering into the server the queries to be responded to by the patient, and for causing the script generator to generate the script.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the clearinghouse further comprises means for receiving and storing a plurality of the diagnostic signals from a plurality of the patient processor units.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the program instructions for retrieving a diagnostic signal representative of a diagnostic measure resulting from the diagnostic assessment procedure further include program instructions for transmitting the plurality of diagnostic signals stored in the clearinghouse to the clinician system.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising analytical signal processing means for executing at least one instruction from a set of instructions that performs one or more analyses of the patient'"'"'s interactive operation of the switch in response to the image on the display for provoking operation of the switch.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the analytical signal processing means is the patient processor unit, and wherein:

(A) the program instructions further include at least one instruction from the set of instructions which perform the one or more analyses;

(B) the patient processor unit is further programmable for executing the at least one instruction;

(C) the memory of the patient processor unit further comprises an addressable memory for storage of the diagnostic signal and the at least one instruction for implementing the analyses; and

(D) the patient processor of the patient processor unit further comprises means for accessing the at least one instruction and processing the diagnostic signal stored in the addressable memory.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the analytical signal processing means is the clinician processor of the remotely located clinician system, and wherein

(A) the administrator program instructions further include at least one instruction from the set of instructions which perform the one or more analyses;

(B) the clinician processor is further programmable for executing the at least one instruction;

(C) the memory of the clinician processor further comprises an addressable memory for storage of the diagnostic signal retrieved as a result of execution of the administrator program instructions and the at least one instruction for implementing the analyses; and

(D) the clinician processor further comprises means for accessing the at least one instruction and processing the diagnostic signal stored in the addressable memory.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the analytical signal processing means is a clearinghouse;

and wherein the clearinghouse;

(A) includes a memory for storing, and a processor for executing, program instructions for retrieving a diagnostic signal resulting from the operation of the switch and representative of a diagnostic measure indicated by the diagnostic assessment procedure; and

is

(B) connectable in signal communication for data transmission with the clinician system.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the analytical signal processing means further comprises a data management unit, said data management unit being programmable for executing the at least one instruction from the set of instructions which perform the one or more analyses;

and including;

(A) an addressable memory for storage of the diagnostic signal;

(B) means for accessing the at least one instruction and processing the diagnostic signal stored in the addressable memory; and