Devices, systems, and methods for automated data collection

• US 9,589,106 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• 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:
  US13/463,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 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 in a healthcare facility room, comprising:

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

accept data related to a subject based on the subject'"'"'s response to at least one query;

receive at least one input regarding one or more characteristics of the subject based on one or more sensors located in furniture configured to support the subject;

compare the at least one input regarding 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;

generate a Criticality Value for the subject based on a weighted determination of the subject'"'"'s one or more Characteristic Values compared with other subjects in a queue;

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 and activating a physical indicator that locates the most critical subject awaiting treatment in the healthcare facility room, as determined by the assigned Queue Status Indicator value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the assessment threshold includes one or more of time, characteristic value, or sequential number.

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 regarding 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 regarding 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 regarding 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 comparing at least one input regarding the subject with a Characteristic Value dataset includes at least one of coupling, versioning, or clustering in determining the subject'"'"'s one or more Characteristic Values.

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

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

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

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the generate a Criticality Value for the subject further includes one or more health record values based on information in the subject'"'"'s health records or family history.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the subject'"'"'s health records include electronic health records.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the generate a Criticality Value for the subject includes coordinating an emergency room triage number as a function of the threshold condition satisfied by one or more characteristics of the subject.

15. 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.

16. The system of claim 1, further including store at least one of the subject'"'"'s Characteristic Value(s), Criticality Value(s), or one or more Queue Status Indicator(s).

17. The system of claim 1, 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.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein to generate the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value includes defaulting to the highest Queue Status Indicator available when the Criticality Value dataset is empty.

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

20. The system of claim 1, wherein accept data related to the subject includes accept data related to identification of the subject.

21. The system of claim 1, further including assess at least one of sensing one or more characteristics of the subject, registering one or more self-reported characteristics of the subject, registering one or more health care provider-assessed characteristic, or assaying one or more bodily samples from the subject.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the registering one or more self-reported characteristics of the subject include registering responses to one or more data collection questions.

23. 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.

24. The system of claim 23, 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.

25. The system of claim 1, further including signal at least one alert if the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value satisfies one or more threshold conditions.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more threshold conditions are based on numerical Criticality Values.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the signal at least one alert if the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value exceeds one or more thresholds includes escalate the signaling according to increasing Criticality Values for the subject.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein signal at least one alert if the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value exceeds one or more thresholds includes at least one or more of signal with light, sound, or movement.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein signal at least one alert if the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value exceeds one or more thresholds includes signal at least one of temporal or location information of the subject.

30. The system of claim 1, further including:

record results of the at least one input regarding one or more characteristics of the subject;

in response to compare the at least one input regarding the subject with a Characteristic Value dataset.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a sensor array, sensor network, sensor node, body area network, or personal area network.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are in operable communication with at least one database network.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are in operable communication with at least one computing device.

34. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an electric potential sensor, high input impedance electrometer, electromagnetic sensor, radiofrequency sensor, microwave sensor, micropower impulse radar sensor, ultrasonic sensor, imager, camera, laser, infrared sensor, or audio sensor.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the imager includes at least one of a thermal imager, light imager, or ultrasonic imager.

36. 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, or implanted physiologic sensors.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the fluid detector includes at least one microfluidic or other microchip fluidics device.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the respiration detector includes at least one of a remote imager or a direct pressure sensor.

39. The system of claim 7, wherein the one of the one or more sensors is configured to scan the subject.

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

41. 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.

42. The system of claim 1, further including initiating or modifying medical treatment based on the Criticality Value of the subject.

43. The system of claim 1, further including initiating medical treatment to the subject most in need of medical attention, based on the Queue Status Indicator value of each subject.

44. The system of claim 1, further including transmitting the location and physiological data of the subject most in need of medical attention, based on the Queue Status Indicator value of each subject, to at least one healthcare worker in the same room.

45. A system in a healthcare facility room, comprising:

one or more input/output devices having a non-transitory signal bearing medium operable to receive at least one input regarding one or more characteristics of the subject based on one or more sensors located in furniture configured to support the subject;

compare the at least one input regarding 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;

generate a Criticality Value for the subject based on a weighted determination of the subject'"'"'s one or more Characteristic Values compared with other subjects in a queue;

assign a Queue Status Indicator value based on the comparison of the subject'"'"'s Criticality Value with the Criticality Value dataset and transmitting the location and physiological data of the subject most in need of medical attention to an entity associated with the healthcare facility room.