Computer system and method for increasing patients compliance to medical care instructions

Abstract

The Electronic Compliance Promoter is a computer system for increasing a patient's compliance with medical post-care treatment instructions. The system permits the patient to review the treatment instructions that have been entered into a treatment instructions database by medical personnel at the time of the examination. The system includes a patient-client computer interface, a medical person-client interface, a treatment instructions database, and a compliance-server program. The database contains the post-visit care instructions and other types of information that the patient should have to understand and follow those instructions. The database also has treatment guideline information to assist the doctor in formulating the post-care treatment instructions. The patients client-computer interface provides a knowledge-based means for the patient to review interactively the Doctor's after care instructions, and measures compliance by tracking a patients' use of the specific designated diagnosis related resources. The medical personnel client-computer interface provides a knowledge-based means to designate the post-care medical visit instructions the patient is to follow. The compliance-server program tracks patients compliance and can send messages to patients reminding them to review the post-care treatment instructions. The Electronic Compliance Promoter system provides a means to significantly increase a patient's compliance with medical care instructions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to a computer system and method for providing patients with access to the information they need to understand and follow the post-visit medical care instructions that arise from a visit with a medical practitioner. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] There is a significant problem with patients' failing to follow a medical practitioners post-examination treatment instructions. The terminology we use for this is compliance. While the patient may choose to consciously ignore medically necessary advice, the greater problem is with patients who leave the medical practitioners office without being sufficiently cognizant of the diagnosis or prepared to follow the recommended therapeutic intervention. This long recognized problem has been intractable, defying easy solution, but which can now be addressed due to advances in telecommunications and computer technology. An associated problem is that health care practitioners often fail to com...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] To maximize the usability of the system by patients, we make every attempt to present the information to patients in a manner that is easy for them to access. Towards this end, the system allows the user to specify preferences.

[0017] Having a measurable index of patient compliance and a means to take action based on patient lack of full compliance is one of the key elements of this invention and a primary means to increase a patients compliance to medical care instructions.

[0018] Another important feature of the system is the ease with which complex treatment protocols are presented to the patient. A standard format is utilized, and complex treatment instructions that require multiple actions followed in a sequence of steps which may be time dependent, are presented to the patient in a linear fashion explicitly showing the relationship between the sequence of steps they must follow.

[0019] Another important object of the invention is the wide availability of the system. The patient may access all treatment instructions for all medical examinations from any computer that has a network connection to the Internet.

[0020] An additional feature is that all these treatment instructions are now administered in a similar way, so once the user can successfully understand how to review treatment instructions for any single examination, they understand the means to review the treatment instructions for any examination. This familiarity will reinforce the patient's use of the system and foster better patient compliance.

Problems solved by technology

We do not want to overburden patient's with too much information as this may confuse or otherwise cause them to avoid using the system.

Treatment guidelines change frequently to reflect new research and medications, and it is difficult for the health care practitioner to maintain a comprehensive up-to-date knowledge of the latest treatment guidelines.

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