PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from the provisional application number 3726/CHE/2011 filed at Indian Patent Office, Chenriai on 31st October 2011.

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates generally to improved system and method for remote facilitating patient care and more particularly to a system and method for implementing a comprehensive care plan for remote patient monitoring, such that by collecting data from the patient and using the collected data for monitoring and implementation of care plan.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[002] Healthcare services are overloaded with many operations in this modern era. This has made it difficult to fulfil the needs and requirements of the community for which it serves, it also poses numerous barriers. There are situations where a basic medical examination of a subject is desired, but where medical personnel are not always available. Some of the examples include home health care, where people suffer from illness or accident in their homes and physicians or nursing staff are generally not available, medically under-served areas such as rural areas and military areas where military operations frequently occur in remote locations and medical facilities are scarce or nonexistent. Furthermore, there are situations where medical tests and other types of tests have to be conducted, which traditionally requires the presence of patient at the test site. This could be inconvenient and cumbersome for many patients especially when they are elderly, infirm, have difficulty in walking or travelling, living far away from the medical facility or test site, or where the transportation is not readily available.

[003] Furthermore, there are situations where consumers with chronic diseases require someone to help them to comply with treatment regimens such as diet, testing and medication schedules. These consumers regularly schedule and visit clinics where samples are taken and sent to a medical laboratory for testing. Results from these tests are then reported back to the clinic. Given the number of trips the patient takes to the clinic as well as the system for obtaining and reporting test results, the present procedures at specialty clinics are inconvenient, time-consuming and expensive. In addition, patients often miss scheduled appointments and, often times; clinics do not remind patients of their appointments thereby losing any potential compliance assistance from the system. Moreover, patients receive little assistance from the clinic in meeting regimen requirements on a day-to-day basis.

[004] Patent application US 6,733,447 B2 describes a system and a method to remotely monitoring multiple medical parameters comprehending a patient monitoring equipment, a unit to send information, a control device in a monitoring central system, and a system of communication between the patient and the monitoring central system. Monitored signals can include ECG, NIBP, Sp02, breathing, temperature, invasive lines and alarms, among others.

[005] International application WO/2000/049549 Al describes a method and equipment to process, transmit and receive medical data and a site to receive and transmit patient's information, with a central processor, which allows remote medical diagnosis by means of Internet. In this document the system also presents compatibility with several equipments, such as arterial pressure measures, electronic thermometers, electronic stethoscopes, EEG and ECG, adapting the signal processing when the supplied signal is not a digital one.

[006] The solutions disclosed in above cited documents, however do not solve in convenient and effective way some problems such as in case if a patient requires a different measuring system, it would be necessary to acquire specific equipment and to use another system, as the disclosed system does not have the ability of self-adapting to other equipments.

[007] In view of the foregoing, there is an ongoing need for an improved consolidated healthcare system and method which addresses the current drawbacks. Furthermore, software embedded in the healthcare system that can transmit real-time data and simultaneously store the data as a back-up to visualise the past events and thereby saving patients and healthcare professional's time and money by avoiding unnecessary meetings between the two parties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method of monitoring patient using a telemedicine system. In a preferred embodiment, the system supports real time streaming of information over network connection. In particular the telemedicine system allows for real-time streaming of raw, interpreted and processed physiological data which includes textual, audio and video data from the patient-side to the healthcare provider.

[009] The telemedicine system of the exemplary embodiment comprises patient-side device for collecting data from a patient, a provider-side device, and a server coupled to the network connection. The server manages transmission of the data from the patient-side device to the provider-side device. This means that the server may configure the devices to transfer the data directly from one device to the other; may receive the data from the patient-side device and transmit the raw or processed data to the provider-side device; may store the data for later transmission to the provider-side device.

[010] The present invention also allows for daily or periodic monitoring of the patients without the need for the patient to travel to the provider's location. This system allows real time streaming of the patient data. Whether or not the provider is currently accessing the real-time information, the data may be stored in a secured storage device for later access or analysis. The storage device may also be used to store all patient data or information. Thus, the exemplary embodiment may allow for simultaneous storage, retrieval, print, analysis, and play back from anywhere in the world with access to the storage device.

[011] Therefore, the present invention provides an improved telemedicine system and method for facilitating remote patient care and more particularly to a system and method for implementing a comprehensive care plan for remote patient monitoring, such that by collecting data from the patient and using the collected data for monitoring and implementation of care plan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1: illustrates the consolidated Telemedicine system for remote monitoring of patient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[012] The present invention provides a system and method for remote monitoring of patient using a telemedicine system. In a preferred embodiment the telemedicine system allows for remote monitoring of patient that dispenses the presence of a doctor in the location where the patient is, without jeopardizing the agility and the reliability of the assistance, turning the medical service more comfortable and functional to the patient, who can be at home or any other place; and for the doctor, who can have any information quickly, including the patient's medical records. Hence this described telemedicine system for remote monitoring of patients allows for the real-time streaming of raw, interpreted and processed data as well as the textual or audio or video data between the site of remote treatment, where the patients are being monitored by means of medical equipments connected to interface modules and healthcare provider or doctor who wishes to access the data of remote patient.

[013] In order to more clearly and concisely describe and point out the subject matter of the claimed invention, the following definitions are provided for specific terms which are used in the following written description.

[014] The term "patient" used herein refers to anyone whose biophysical data is being read and not limited to medical patients alone.

[015] The term "Healthcare provider" and "Provider" are used interchangeable and herein refers to any medical provider such as doctor, nurse etc who collects the data at the recipient end.

[016] The system of the exemplary embodiment preferably includes at least one patient-side device for collecting data from a patient, a provider-side device, and a server coupled to the network connection. The server manages transmission of the data from the patient-side device to the provider-side device. This means that the server may configure the devices to transfer the data directly from one device to the other; may receive the data from the patient-side device and transmit the raw or processed data to the provider-side device; may store the data for later transmission to the provider-side device.

[017] With reference to Fig. 1, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention the telemedicine system 100 for remote monitoring of patient comprises a patient-side device 102, a provider-side device 104, a central server 106, network connectivity 108, and computing device 110.

[018] Accordingly, at the patient-side device 102, the technician registers the patient, collects the data such as demographic details, general symptoms in the patient and adds these data into the doctor's worklist, also records it in the health record module. In addition the patient side device 102 comprises plurality of medical equipments which includes and not limited to vital sign monitors such as ECG, Sp02, blood pressure, body temperature, pulse and heart rate. Besides vital sign monitor the patient side device 102 comprises Tele-radiology system, Tele-ophthalmology system, urine sample analyzer, anaemic monitor and blood glucose monitor.

[019] The vital sign monitor monitors the body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, ECG. An advantage of using this vital sign monitor is that it allows examination of any person irrespective of age completely without any hurdles or issues. The Tele-Radiology system allows the storage, usage and analysis of Images of different Imaging modalities over a network. The system consists of communication network, image acquisition system, database for image storage and user interface. This allows doctors or technicians to use and analyze the Images for diagnosis from remote places. They can also make annotations on the Image and related notes. The system is capable of viewing any DICOM compliant image. Additionally various filters are provided to view the specific component of a DICOM image, such as bone, muscle etc. The system also allows uploading of multiple images at once. The Tele-ophthalmology is similar to Tele-radiology which allows remote image acquisition, consultation and diagnosis. Here the image of the patient's eye is captured and shared with remote ophthalmologist for an eye test.

[020] The patient side device 102 also includes urine sample analyser, anaemic monitor and blood glucose monitor. The Urine sample analyzer works on photoelectric colorimetric principle to analyze different components in urine of patient. Here the sample is placed on the test strip and test strips are inserted into the slot provided in the equipment for sample analysis and it analyzes various components such as Bilirubin, Ketone, blood, protein, nitrite, leukocytes, glucose and parameters like specific gravity and pH. After the analysis the test results are automatically printed through a built-in thermal printer. In case of any error during the analysis, the equipment is capable of automatically rectifying the test results by non-specificity, pH, specific gravity and colour. This equipment can be interfaced with other devices through RS-232 port.

[021] The Anaemic monitor continuously monitors haemoglobin level in blood of patient. They use optical sensors to monitor subcutaneous blood using a finger probe. The sensors/transducers convert the electrical data to digital format and display.

[022] The Blood glucose monitor or a glucometer determines the approximate concentration of glucose in the blood of patient. In principle a small drop of blood, obtained by pricking the skin of the patient with a lancet, is placed on a disposable test strip that the meter reads and uses to calculate the blood glucose level. This system also works on calorimetric principle.

[023] Furthermore, the described Telemedicine system 100 is also embedded with a unique algorithm for detection of various infectious diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis. The algorithm for the detection of Tuberculosis utilizes hue, saturation and intensity (HSI) colour model to identify the Tuberculosis causing bacteria Tubercle bacillus. The Tubercle bacilli are rod shaped and may be slightly curved, granular and they occur singly, in pair or groups. The algorithm detects the bacilli in the sample by applying size threshold and by checking neighbouring pixel clusters which eliminates possibility of detecting other artifacts over bacilli. Hence this type of automated system reduces fatigue by providing images on the screen and thereby avoiding visual inspection of microscopic images. Therefore this has a high degree of accuracy, specificity and better speed in detecting Tuberculosis causing bacteria.

[024] The algorithm for detection of malaria utilises histogram based windowing for HSI colour model. The algorithm uses intensity and hue components for the segmentation. The algorithm also proposes to find Parasites inside erythrocyte of the given blood sample by applying size threshold, checking neighbouring pixel clusters. This eliminates the possibility of detecting a Platelet over an erythrocyte. It also provides scope for further development of the algorithm to detect parasites outside erythrocyte by segregating the detected region of interests (ROI) initially. This algorithm uses images of resolution as small as 640 x 480. Hence the algorithm uses following steps to detect malaria parasite effectively. The steps followed are:

1. Image acquisition of slide smear through digital camera from an oil immersion l00x microscopic lens.

2. Segmentation and clustering of all the pixels based on hue and intensity histogram windowing.

3. Elimination of certain huge non parasitic ROIs (Leukocyte nucleus) by applying primary check on physical features such as Size.

4. Grouping of all the closely lying ROIs.

5. Application of size check for malaria parasite and its different stages in the ROI.

6. Checking if the ROI lies inside an erythrocyte.
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[025] Therefore, this automated system reduces fatigue by providing images on the screen and avoiding visual inspection of microscopic images. The system has a high degree of accuracy, specificity and better speed in detecting and analyzing the parasites. This achieves the goal of assisting the healthcare professionals as a screening tool rather than replacing them.

[026] In operation in the described Telemedicine system 100, initially the technician present at the patient-side device 102 gathers physiological data from the patient such as body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, ECG using vital sign monitor. Further the data collected are shared with the doctors or healthcare practitioner at the remote end through which they determine the physiological condition of the patient. Accordingly, the patient side device 102 is coupled to a computing device 110, where in the computing device 110 for communicating with the healthcare practitioner at the provider side 104 through broadband or wireless connectivity 108. The computing device 110 includes a device manager 112 which establishes the communication with the data interpretation module 114 when the technician at the patient side registers the patient data. The device manager 112 is a protocol running on the computing device 110 communicates with the data interpretation module 114 and then analysis and interprets the collected data and displays the data graphically. Further the data is streamed and communicated to the provider side 104 through streaming manager which streams the data and transmits to the provider via network connectivity 108.

[027] By receiving the data from the patient-side device 102, a healthcare provider will able to monitor the patient's physiological condition for research, performing analysis, diagnosing the patient, providing treatment in real-time to the patient, etc. Based on the analysis the doctor would prescribe the medication for the patient and same is transferred back to the patient-side where the patient is present.

[028] Accordingly, the Telemedicine system 100 of the present invention may also allow for the real-time streaming of textual or audio or video data from a patient to a healthcare provider. For example, the devices on the patient or provider sides may allow for various forms of communication including, but not limited to instant messaging, an integrated e-mail system, real-time video, and real time audio. Preferably, the communications are through web-cam, which facilitates remote video consultation via a broadband or wireless network 108.

[029] Furthermore, whether or not the healthcare-provider is currently accessing real-time streamed information, the data received from the patient side device 102 may be stored in a secured storage device at the central server 106 for later access, replay, and/or analysis. The central server 106 may also be used to store all patient data or information, and integrate the data, whether as raw data, trended data, or summary data, into any electronic medical records system. Thus, the exemplary embodiment may allow for simultaneous storage, retrieval, print, analysis, and play back from anywhere in the world with access to the central server 106. This beneficially allows a provider to seek expert consultation for clinically difficult cases, by sharing the patient history and medical test results online. Further, storage of the data allows for the creation of statistical databases, including development of a database of biomedical test results. For example the results of routine medical tests may be stored from the biomedical device directly into the patient's electronic medical record. Furthermore, the electronic medical records include images captured from ophthalmologic equipment and DICOM images- apart from medical history and lab reports also patient demographic data.

[030] Therefore, the present invention provides simple solution through which a non doctor at a distant healthcare centre can record the patient problems or sufferings which are then transferred to a remote district or a city healthcare centre. With this data of the patient, the doctor at the healthcare centre can prescribe medication or treatment to the remote patient. Hence, the invention provides rural patient healthcare delivery model, possibility of mass disease surveillance, improved capability to take preventive measures proactively - based on study of past medical records of a region and in a season.

CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

1. A system for network based monitoring of data comprising a patient-side device for collecting physiological data from a patient, the said patient-side device being operatively coupled to network connectivity; a provider-side device coupled to the said network, the said provider-side device receives the data from the patient-side device; and a central server coupled to the network, communicating with both the patient-side device and provider-side device thereby managing the transmission, storage, retrieval and streaming of real time data from the patient-side device to the provider-side device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the patient-side device comprises plurality of medical instruments such as vital sign monitors, tele-radiology system, tele-ophthalmology system, urine sample analyzer, anaemic monitor and blood glucose monitor in order to collect the data from the patient.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the patient-side device further comprises a computing device in order to communicate with the healthcare practitioner at the provider-side via network connectivity.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the computing device comprises a device manager to establish communication with the data interpretation module through which the technician at the patient-side registers the patient data.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the device manager is a protocol running within the computing device communicating with the data interpretation module which analyses and interprets the collected data by the patient-side device and displays the data graphically.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprises an algorithm for detection of various infectious diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the algorithm for detection of Tuberculosis utilises Hue, Saturation and Intensity (HSI) colour model to identify the Tuberculosis causing bacteria Tubercle bacillus.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the algorithm for detection of Malaria utilises histogram based windowing HSI colour model to identify the Malaria causing parasite.

9. A method for network based monitoring of physiological data, comprising collecting the data from the patient utilizing patient-side device, managing the transmission of the physiological data from the said patient-side device to the provider-side device, the data being transmitted utilizing network connectivity and storing the data at a central site such as central server.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the central server stores the patient data and integrates the data as raw data, trended data or summary data into any electronic medical records.