Presenting notifications related to a medical study on a toolbar

• US 7,765,489 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nayan Shah, Shalin N. Shah
• Original Assignee: Nayan Shah, Shalin N. Shah
• Inventors: Shah, Nayan, Shah, Shalin N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault; Steven B
• Application Number:
  US12/558,821
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 715/210, 715/760, 715/762, 715/765, 715/772, 715/805, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Participants of a medical study are notified of and perceive information related to adverse events on a toolbar. The configuration of a toolbar may be different if a serious adverse event is being presented than if an insignificant adverse event is being presented. Serious adverse events include adverse events having severity greater than insignificant adverse events, having severity greater than a predetermined threshold, requiring hospitalization, and/or being life-threatening. Insignificant adverse events include adverse events that affect patients in an unexpected manner.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a user interface configured to disseminate information regarding an adverse event that has occurred in a medical study, the user interface comprising:

a toolbar having;

a first interface element structured and arranged to display at least one button associated with a first webpage in a first area of the toolbar in a first mode of the user interface and to not display the at least one button associated with the first webpage in a second mode of the user interface, the at least one button being selectable, in the first mode, by a user perceiving the user interface to inspire display of the first webpage; and

a second interface element structured and arranged to display a description of an adverse event that has occurred in a medical study, the second interface element being selectable by the user perceiving the user interface to inspire display of a second webpage including a detailed description of the adverse event that has occurred in the medical study, the second webpage being different that the first webpage, and the second interface element being structured and arranged to set the user interface to the first mode upon selection of the second interface element,

wherein the second interface element has, in the second mode, a first size to display a description of a relatively serious adverse event in a second area on the toolbar that includes the first area, and has, in the first mode, a second size to display a description of a relatively insignificant adverse event in a third area on the toolbar that does not include the first area and is included in the second area, the first size being greater than the second size, and

wherein the first interface element is not displayed during display of the description of the relatively serious adverse event, and wherein the first interface element is displayed after the second interface element is selected and the second webpage is displayed.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the relatively serious adverse event comprises an adverse event that has a severity greater than a predetermined threshold.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the second interface element is structured and arranged to display a description of an adverse event according to one or more text properties, the text properties for displaying a description of the relatively serious adverse event being different that the text properties for displaying a description of the relatively insignificant adverse event.

4. A computer-implemented method for disseminating, on a toolbar, information regarding an adverse event that has occurred in a medical study, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier of the medical study;

identifying, based on the identifier of the medical study by at least one computer processor, participants of the medical study to whom information regarding the adverse event will be disseminated;

receiving a description of a relatively insignificant adverse event that has occurred in the medical study;

enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study by at least one computer processor in a first mode, of a first interface element, the first interface element including the description of the relatively insignificant adverse event and that is selectable by a user to inspire display of a first webpage and a second interface element that includes at least one button that is selectable by a user to inspire display of a second webpage, the description of the relatively insignificant adverse event being presented in a first area of the toolbar in the first mode and the button being presented in a different second area of the toolbar;

receiving a description of a relatively serious adverse event that has occurred in the medical study, wherein the severity of the relatively serious adverse event is greater relative to the severity of the insignificant adverse event, and wherein receiving the description of the relatively serious adverse event occurring in the medical study comprises;

receiving an indication that the relatively serious adverse event is serious;

receiving a notification message regarding the relatively serious adverse event to be presented to the participants of the medical study; and

receiving a detailed description of the relatively serious adverse event to be presented to the participants of the medical study;

setting the toolbar to a second mode in response to receiving the indication that the relatively serious adverse event is serious;

enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study by at least one computer processor in the second mode, of the first interface element, the first interface element including the description of the relatively serious adverse event, the first interface element being selectable by a user to inspire display of the first webpage and to set the toolbar to the first mode, and the first interface element being presented in a third area of the toolbar, the third area including the first area and the second area,

requiring, in response to receiving the indication that the relatively serious adverse event is serious, that a particular participant of the medical study acknowledge their perception of the description of the adverse event; and

receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, an acknowledgement of their perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event,

wherein, after receiving the acknowledgement, the second interface element is displayed in the first area of the toolbar in the first mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study, of the description of the relatively insignificant adverse event comprises:

accessing a database to determine one or more text properties to be used for purposes of formatting a presented description of the relatively insignificant adverse event; and

enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study, of the description of the relatively insignificant adverse event according to the determined one or more text properties, the description of the relatively insignificant adverse event being positioned on the toolbar with the at least one button.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study, of the description of the relatively serious adverse event comprises:

accessing a database to determine one or more text properties to be used for purposes of formatting a presented description of the relatively serious adverse event, wherein the one or more text properties for presenting the description of the relatively serious adverse event comprise at least one of text color, text size, an indication that the text will be flashing, and an indication that the text will be scrolling; and

enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study, of the description of the relatively serious adverse event according to the determined one or more text properties, the description of the relatively serious adverse event being positioned on the toolbar,

wherein the one or more text properties for presenting the description of the relatively insignificant adverse event are different than the one or more text properties for presenting the description of the relatively serious adverse event.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the relatively serious adverse event comprises an adverse event that affects patients in the medical study in a life threatening manner.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, an acknowledgement of their perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event comprises:

receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, an indication of their perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event; and

receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, a comment associated with the relatively serious adverse event.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, the acknowledgement of their perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event comprises receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, an indication that the particular participant of the medical study will later acknowledge perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying a date of receiving the indication that the particular participant of the medical study will later acknowledge perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event;

accessing, from a database, a predetermined time period for following up with the particular participant of the medical study that will later acknowledge perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event; and

enabling presentation, to the particular participant of the medical study that will later acknowledge perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event, of a notification requesting acknowledgement of their perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event after a predetermined time period.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining which of the participants of the medical study have not acknowledged perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event; and

enabling presentation, to the participants of the medical study have not acknowledged perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event, of a notification requesting acknowledgement of perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the toolbar is an element of a web browser that is perceptible by a user of the web browser.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying, based on the identifier of the medical study, the participants of the medical study to whom information regarding the adverse event will be disseminated comprises:

accessing a database storing identifiers of participants of one or more medical studies and identifiers of the one or more medical studies;

comparing the identifier of the medical study with the stored identifiers of the one or more medical studies;

determining that the identifier of the medical study is equal to one of the stored identifiers of the one or more medical studies; and

retrieving, based on the determination that the identifier of the medical study is equal to one of the stored identifiers of the one or more medical studies, identifiers of the participants of the medical study.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving, from the particular participant of the medical study, the acknowledgement of their perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event comprises:

receiving an indication that the particular participant has selected the description of the relatively serious adverse event positioned on the toolbar; and

enabling presentation, to the particular participant and in response to receiving the indication that the particular participant has selected the description of the relatively serious adverse event, of a web page including a selectable button enabling acknowledgement of perception of the description of the relatively serious adverse event.