System and method for providing auditory messages for physiological monitoring devices

• US 9,907,512 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kleiss, James Alan, Barnoski, Karel William
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US14/564,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20160157790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7415 Sound rendering of measured values, e.g. by pitch or volume variation A61B5/741 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

A system includes at least one medical device configured to generate a plurality of messages and a control unit in the at least one device. The control unit is configured to generate an auditory signal corresponding to one of the plurality of messages, wherein the auditory signal is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound properties. The functional relationship includes a plurality of types of auditory messages defining seven unique categories.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one device configured to generate a plurality of messages;

a control unit in the at least one medical device configured to generate an auditory signal corresponding to one of the plurality of messages, wherein the auditory signal is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound properties; and

wherein the functional relationship includes a plurality of types of auditory messages defining seven unique categories that are generated by common semantic experiences of healthcare providers in a medical environment, and

the seven auditory message categories include high criticality, medium criticality, low criticality, reminder, equipment alert, timer, and information/feedback.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the high criticality auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including a rapidly oscillating beat pattern, not harmonious, fast tempo, repetitive (not syncopated), complex (not simple), staccato notes not long in duration, and having acoustic properties including high Loudness, low Articulation Index, low Sharpness and low mean frequency, high Roughness and low Prominence Ratio.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the medium criticality auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including slow (and not fast) tempo, repetitive (and not syncopated rhythm), simple (and not complex), and neither harmonious nor dissonant, and having acoustic properties including lower Loudness and higher Articulation Index than high criticality auditory signals, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, and low Prominence Ratio.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the low criticality auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including neither harmonious nor dissonant, not slow tempo, not complex, electronic timbre (not natural or unique), short (not long) and staccato notes, not low frequency, and having acoustic properties including lower Loudness than medium criticality alarms, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, low Prominence Ratio, low Roughness and low Fluctuation Strength.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the reminder auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including dissonant (not harmonious), complex (not simple), neither slow nor fast tempo, neither repetitive nor syncopated rhythm, electronic timbre, long and staccato notes, high frequency, and having acoustic properties including high Loudness, Sharpness and mean frequency, low Articulation Index, low Prominence Ratio and high Fluctuation Strength.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the equipment alert auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including not harmonious, fast (and not slow) timbre, not natural timbre, not long notes, high (and not low) frequency, and having acoustic properties including a same Loudness and Articulation Index as medium criticality auditory signals, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, high Tonality, high Prominence Ratio and low Roughness.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the timer auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including not dissonant, not harmonious, not fast tempo, not syncopated, short (and not long) notes, low frequency, and having acoustic properties including Loudness equal to low criticality auditory signals, high Articulation Index, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, low Prominence Ratio and low tone level.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the information/feedback message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including approximately a single note, neither harmonious nor dissonant, neither slow nor fast tempo, neither repetitive nor syncopated beat, not complex, not electronic timbre, not long notes, not high frequency, and having acoustic properties including high Articulation Index, low Loudness, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, high tone-to-noise ratio and low tone level.

9. A method for providing auditory messages for a physiological monitoring device, comprising the steps of:

defining a plurality of auditory states representing a plurality of different medical messages or conditions;

detecting one or more medical evens and correlating the medical event to one of the medical messages or conditions;

generating an auditory message corresponding to the detected medical event, wherein the auditory message is configured based on a functional relationship linking psychological sound perceptions in a clinical environment to acoustic and musical sound variables;

outputting audibly the auditory message corresponding to the detected medical event; and

wherein the functional relationship includes a plurality of types of auditory messages defining seven unique categories that are generated by common semantic experiences of healthcare providers in a medical environment, and

the seven auditory message categories include high criticality, medium criticality, low criticality, reminder, equipment alert, timer, and information/feedback.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

the high criticality auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including a rapidly oscillating beat pattern, not harmonious, fast tempo, repetitive (not syncopated), complex (not simple), staccato notes not long in duration, and having acoustic properties including high Loudness, low Articulation Index, low Sharpness and low mean frequency, high Roughness and low Prominence Ratio.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

the medium criticality auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including slow (and not fast) tempo, repetitive (and not syncopated rhythm), simple (and not complex), and neither harmonious nor dissonant, and having acoustic properties including lower Loudness and higher Articulation Index than high criticality auditory signals, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, and low Prominence Ratio.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

the low criticality auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including neither harmonious nor dissonant, not slow tempo, not complex, electronic timbre (not natural or unique), short (not long) and staccato notes, not low frequency, and having acoustic properties including lower Loudness than medium criticality alarms, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, low Prominence Ratio, low Roughness and low Fluctuation Strength.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the reminder auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including dissonant (not harmonious), complex (not simple), neither slow nor fast tempo, neither repetitive nor syncopated rhythm, electronic timbre, long and staccato notes, high frequency, and having acoustic properties including high Loudness, Sharpness and mean frequency, low Articulation Index, low Prominence Ratio and high Fluctuation Strength.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

the equipment alert auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including not harmonious, fast (and not slow) timbre, not natural timbre, not long notes, high (and not low) frequency, and having acoustic properties including a same Loudness and Articulation Index as medium criticality auditory signals, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, high Tonality, high Prominence Ratio and low Roughness.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein:

the timer auditory message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including not dissonant, not harmonious, not fast tempo, not syncopated, short (and not long) notes, low frequency, and having acoustic properties including Loudness equal to low criticality auditory signals, high Articulation Index, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, low Prominence Ratio and low tone level.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein:

the information/feedback message category encompasses auditory signals having musical properties including approximately a single note, neither harmonious nor dissonant, neither slow nor fast tempo, neither repetitive nor syncopated beat, not complex, not electronic timbre, not long notes, not high frequency, and having acoustic properties including high Articulation Index, low Loudness, low Sharpness, low mean frequency, high tone-to-noise ratio and low tone level.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

the step of generating an auditory message includes retrieving the auditory message from one of the seven unique categories of auditory messages arranged in a library of auditory messages stored in a database of the monitoring device.

18. A system, comprising:

a device configured to monitor at least one physiological parameter of a patient;

a control unit; and

a database associated with the control unit, the database including a classification structure for auditory medical messages, the classification structure including seven categories of auditory medical messages that are generated by common semantic experiences of healthcare providers in a medical environment; and

wherein upon detection of a physiological patient parameter having a value exceeding a threshold value, the control unit is configured to select an auditory signal from one of the seven categories and audibly output the auditory signal, and

the seven categories of auditory medical messages include high criticality alerts, medium criticality alerts, low criticality alerts, reminder alerts, equipment alerts, timer alerts, and information/feedback alerts.