Quantification of responses received during medical triage

• US 8,346,573 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medcor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Medcor Incorporated
• Inventors: Glimp, Thomas H., Victorson, Troyt M., Kinch, Diane M., Biggerstaff, Wendy K., Zoiss, Joyce H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilligan, Luke
• Application Number:
  US12/781,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method of determining a medical triage disposition for a person includes providing to a triage operator through a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer: (i) a plurality of triage categories each including yes/no questions grouped into tiers that are ranked according to urgency and corresponding to a triage disposition; (ii) a selection of a relevant triage category based on a medical condition of the person; (iii) a quantification tool including follow-up questions related to symptoms, observations, and/or injury mechanisms, to enable the triage operator to quantify a level of severity of a symptom or injury related to yes/no questions of a subjective nature; wherein the triage operator determines a triage disposition for the person by providing triage to the person including: (i) asking, sequentially, the yes/no questions for the relevant triage category as displayed in the GUI; and (ii) asking follow-up questions from the quantification tool to determine whether a response to a yes/no question is properly considered “yes” or “no,” as stated in a response by the person.

Claims

1. A method of determining a medical triage disposition for a person, comprising:

(a) providing, by a computer, to a triage operator through a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer;

(i) a plurality of triage categories from memory of the computer, the categories comprising symptoms and injuries, wherein each of the plurality of triage categories comprises a plurality of yes/no questions grouped into a plurality of tiers that are ranked according to urgency, and wherein each of the plurality of tiers corresponds to a triage disposition, the plurality of yes/no questions related to one or more selected from a group consisting of symptoms, observations, and injury mechanisms;

(ii) a selection of a relevant triage category from the plurality of triage categories dependent on an answer received from the person in response to an initial inquiry into a medical condition of the person;

(b) executing a quantification tool with a processor of the computer in response to selection of a menu item to display in the GUI follow-up questions related to respective yes/no questions, the follow-up questions to quantify a level of severity of a symptom or injury related to the yes/no questions of a subjective nature;

(c) wherein the triage operator determines a triage disposition for the person without directly observing the person by providing triage to the person comprising;

(i) asking, sequentially, the yes/no questions for the relevant triage category as displayed in the GUI; and

(ii) asking at least one follow-up question from the quantification tool to determine whether a response to a specific yes/no question is properly considered “

yes”

or “

no,”

depending on a response by the person to the at least one follow-up question.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of triage categories further comprise body parts.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the yes/no question being quantified is selected from the group consisting of:

severity of bleeding, amount of pain, depth of a wound, and extent of burns.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu item comprises a selectable icon near a yes/no question displayed on the GUI, the method further comprising opening a text box for receipt of additional information acquired from the person while answering the yes/no question.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

launching a document in response to selection of the icon by the triage operator, the document containing quantifying information about the yes/no question from which the triage operator may form the follow-up questions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one database supported by the computer for storing the follow-up questions in relation to the one or more yes/no questions of a subjective nature.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein asking the follow-up questions comprises having a conversation with the person.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the follow-up questions to the triage operator in the user interface through a grid display that differentiates between symptom or observation and injury mechanism.

9. A system for enabling a triage operator using a computer to determine a triage disposition of a person, comprising:

(a) a computer having a processor and system storage, wherein stored in the storage comprises a database populated with a plurality of triage categories comprising symptoms and injuries, wherein each of the plurality of triage categories comprises a plurality of yes/no questions grouped into a plurality of tiers that are ranked according to urgency, and wherein each of the plurality of tiers corresponds to a triage disposition stored in relation thereto, the plurality of yes/no questions related to one or more selected from a group consisting of symptoms, observations, and injury mechanisms;

(b) wherein the processor is configured to provide to a triage operator, through a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer;

(i) the plurality of triage categories and respective yes/no questions grouped into the plurality of tiers;

(ii) a selection of a relevant triage category from the plurality of triage categories dependent on an answer received from the person in response to an initial inquiry into a medical condition of the person;

(c) a quantification tool executed by the processor in response to selection of a menu item to display in the GUI follow-up questions related to respective yes/no questions, the follow up questions to quantify a level of severity of a symptom or injury related to yes/no questions of a subjective nature;

(d) wherein the processor is further configured to provide to the triage operator through the GUI;

(i) each respective yes/no question sequentially for the relevant triage category as displayed in the GUI in response to the triage operator entering answers thereto; and

(ii) relevant follow-up questions from the quantification tool related to respective yes/no questions to determine whether a response to at least one specific yes/no question received from the person without direct observation of the person is properly considered “

yes”

or “

no,”

depending on a response by the person to the at least one follow-up question.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of triage categories further comprise body parts.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the yes/no question being quantified is selected from the group consisting of:

severity of bleeding, amount of pain, depth of a wound, and extent of burns.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the menu item comprises a selectable icon near a yes/no question displayed on the GUI, where the processor is further configured to open a text box for receipt of additional information acquired from the person while answering the yes/no question.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

launch a document in response to selection of the icon by the triage operator, the document containing quantifying information about the yes/no question from which the triage operator may form the follow-up questions.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

present the follow-up questions to the triage operator in the user interface through a grid display that differentiates between symptom or observation and injury mechanism.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for executing a graphical user interface (GUI) that enables a triage operator to determine a triage disposition for a person, the instructions executable by a computer having a processor and memory, the set of instructions to direct the processor to perform the acts of:

(a) providing, by the computer, to the triage operator;

(i) a plurality of triage categories comprising symptoms and injuries, wherein each of the plurality of triage categories comprises a plurality of yes/no questions grouped into a plurality of tiers that are ranked according to urgency, and wherein each of the plurality of tiers corresponds to a triage disposition, the plurality of yes/no questions related to one or more selected from a group consisting of symptoms, observations, and injury mechanisms;

(ii) a selection of a relevant triage category from the plurality of triage categories dependent on an answer received from the person in response to an initial inquiry into a medical condition of the person;

(b) executing a quantification tool with the processor in response to selection of a menu item to display in the GUI follow-up questions related to respective yes/no questions, the follow up questions to quantify a level of severity of a symptom or injury related to the yes/no questions of a subjective nature;

(c) wherein the set of instructions are further to direct the processor to perform the acts of;

(i) providing each respective yes/no question sequentially for the relevant triage category as displayed in the GUI in response to the triage operator entering answers thereto; and

(ii) providing relevant follow-up questions from the quantification tool related to respective yes/no questions to determine whether a response to at least one specific yes/no question received from the person without direct observation of the person is properly considered “

yes”

or “

no,”

depending on a response by the person to the at least one follow-up question.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of triage categories further comprise body parts.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the yes/no question being quantified is selected from the group consisting of:

severity of bleeding, amount of pain, depth of a wound, and extent of burns.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the menu item comprises a selectable icon near a yes/no question displayed on the GUI, wherein the set of instructions further to direct the processor to open a text box for receipt of additional information received from the person while answering the yes/no question.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the set of instructions further to direct the processor to perform the act of:

launching a document in response to selection of the icon by the triage operator, the document containing quantifying information about the yes/no question from which the triage operator may form the follow-up questions.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the set of instructions further to direct the processor to perform the act of:

presenting the follow-up questions to the triage operator in the user interface through a grid display that differentiates between symptom or observation and injury mechanism.