Devices, systems, and methods for automated data collection

• US 9,317,662 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund II, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bangera, Mahalaxmi Gita, Baym, Michael H., Eckhoff, Philip A., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US13/463,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 702/19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• 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 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods, devices, and computer systems thereof for automated data collection from a subject. In certain embodiments, one or more characteristics of a subject are sensed, and the subject is given a queue status indicator based on a comparison of the subject'"'"'s one or more sensed characteristics with corresponding sensed characteristics from other subjects. In one embodiment, the subject is a healthcare worker and the system, methods, and devices are utilized to evaluate the overall health of the worker as part of the check-in process for work.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more input/output devices having a non-transitory signal bearing medium operable to

receive at least one input from a subject in a hospital room in response to one or more queries, wherein the one or more queries include one or more data collection questions;

compare the at least one input from the subject with a Characteristic Value dataset;

generate a Characteristic Value from the at least one input from the subject based on the comparison with the Characteristic Value dataset;

reinitiate receiving at least one input from the subject in response to one or more queries, comparing at least one input with a Characteristic Value dataset, and generating a Characteristic Value from the at least one input from the subject based on the comparison with the Characteristic Value dataset until an assessment threshold is satisfied;

generate a Criticality Value for the subject based on a weighted determination of the subject'"'"'s Characteristic Values;

compare the Criticality Value of the subject with a Criticality Value dataset, the Criticality Value dataset including Criticality Values previously generated for other subjects in the hospital room in a queue;

communicate an output indicative of the Criticality Value of the subject to a user, and direct at least one health care worker to provide medical treatment to the subject according to the order in the queue.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input from the subject includes at least one input regarding one or more characteristics.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein subsequent one or more queries are based on previous input or response by the subject to a previous query.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input from the subject includes at least one input from a healthcare worker or device regarding the subject.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the subject is nonresponsive.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input from the subject includes at least one result from a physiologic assessment of the subject.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input from the subject includes one or more detected physiologic parameters sensed by one or more sensors assessing the subject.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the queries are linked to the Characteristic Value dataset.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the input/output device is operable to convert information into electronic signals that include digitized or weighted protocols.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes one or more logic devices.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the generate a Characteristic Value for the subject includes coordinating an emergency symptom code or value as a function of the threshold condition satisfied by one or more other characteristics of the subject.

12. The system of claim 1, further including assign a Queue Status Indicator value from a Queue Status Indicator dataset based on the comparison of the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value with the Criticality Value dataset.

13. The system of claim 12, further including store at least one of the subject'"'"'s Characteristic Value(s), Criticality Value(s), or one or more Queue Status Indicator(s).

14. The system of claim 12, further including remove at least one of the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value or Queue Status Indicator from the respective datasets once medical attention has been rendered to the subject.

15. The system of claim 12, further including indicate the location of a subject having a Criticality Value or a Queue Status Indicator value.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein generate the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value includes defaulting to the highest Queue Status Indicator available when the Criticality Value dataset is empty.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the Characteristic Value dataset includes queries related to one or more physical characteristics of a subject.

18. The system of claim 1, further including data related to identification of the subject.

19. The system of claim 1, further including generate a signal indicating that monitoring of one or more characteristics of the subject is warranted based, at least in part, on one or more of the subject'"'"'s Characteristic Values exceeding a Characteristic Value threshold, or the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value exceeding a Criticality Value threshold.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the one or more of the subject'"'"'s Characteristic Values exceeding a Characteristic Value threshold or the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value exceeding a Criticality Value threshold is updated at a specified time or random time based on the monitoring.

21. The system of claim 1, further including signal at least one physical locater alert in the hospital room if the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value satisfies a threshold condition.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more threshold conditions are based on numerical Criticality Values.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein signal at least one alert if the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value exceeds one or more thresholds includes escalating the signaling according to increasing Criticality Values for the subject.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the output indicative of the Criticality Value of the subject includes generating a virtual representation of one or more physical characteristics of the subject, indicative of the subject'"'"'s Critical Value.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the output indicative of the Criticality Value of the subject includes updating a virtual display representative of the location of the subject in the healthcare facility.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the output indicative of the Criticality Value of the subject includes generating a tactile representation of the Criticality Value.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the tactile representation of the Criticality Value includes providing different tactile representations depending on which threshold condition is satisfied by the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the tactile representation includes at least one speed or pulse pattern of vibration.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the output indicative of the Criticality Value of the subject includes at least one audio or visual representation.

30. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of ECG, EOG, EEG, MEG, pulsometer, oximeter, pupillometer, fluid detector or analyzer, biomechanical assessor, thermal sensor, retinal interrogator, respiration detector, spirometer, implanted physiologic sensors, or other sensor.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the fluid detector includes at least one microfluidic or other microchip fluidics device.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the respiration detector includes at least one of a remote imager or a direct pressure sensor.

33. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors are located in one or more of furniture, wall, clothing, jewelry, floor, door, doorway, reception counter, pen, or in one or more computer monitor, other hardware, or a computing device.

34. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors do not physically touch the subject.

35. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensor is configured to scan the subject.

36. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the sensors is remotely controlled.

37. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the sensors is remotely controlled by at least one of wired, radiofrequency, wireless, Bluetooth®

, or other connection.

38. A system including a computer processor, the system comprising:

circuitry configured for receiving at least one input from a subject in a hospital room in response to one or more queries, wherein the one or more queries include one or more data collection questions;

circuitry configured for comparing at least one input from the subject with a Characteristic Value dataset;

circuitry configured for determining a Characteristic Value from the at least one input from the subject based on the comparison with the Characteristic Value dataset;

circuitry configured for repeating receiving at least one input from the one or more characteristics of the subject, comparing the at least one input with a Characteristic Value dataset until a comparison with the Characteristic Value dataset satisfies a threshold condition;

circuitry configured for generating a Criticality Value for the subject based on a weighted determination of the subject'"'"'s Characteristic Values;

circuitry configured for comparing the Criticality Value of the subject with a Criticality Value dataset, the Criticality Value dataset including Criticality Values for subjects in the queue; and

circuitry configured for communicating an output indicative of the Criticality Value of the subject to a user, and circuitry configured for directing at least one health care worker to provide medical treatment to the subject according to the order in the queue.