Length of adaptive entertainment content during medical procedures

Abstract

Entertainment provided to a patient during an awake medical procedure is adaptively created and updated so that the length of the entertainment matches the length of the medical procedure, even if the length of the medical procedure is extended or shortened during the procedure.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to adaptive entertainment providers, and corresponding methods and computer programs. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, to reduce anxiety and enhance a patient's experience during an awake medical diagnostic or therapeutic procedure, such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, entertainment content, such as movies, may be provided to the patient during the procedure. For example, during an MRI procedure, an in-bore entertainment screen or MRI-compatible movie goggles may be used to display movies to the patient during the procedure.

[0003] Alternatively, audio content such as music, soundscapes, or stories may be provided to the patient using headphones, etc. Audio and video may also be combined with or even augmented with interactive content (i.e., games, etc.). Additionally, video and / or audio content may also relate to patient instructions (movement guides, breathing guides, remaining procedure length, warnings, etc.) that are integrated and / or interleaved with the entertainment media.

[0004] US Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 199023 discloses entertainment sequences for reducing anxiety in patients undergoing a medical procedure, the entertainment sequences being adapted for the medical procedure.

[0005] A problem with known entertainment content providers for use during medical procedures is that the entertainment provided is often not of the same duration as the medical procedure, resulting in a suboptimal experience for the patient. If the movie or audio content is shorter than the medical procedure (e.g., an MRI exam takes 20 minutes and the movie only takes 12 minutes), the doctor, operator, or assistant must start the additional content (e.g., a new movie). This takes time and can interrupt workflow, potentially resulting in a suboptimal patient experience, making the patient think the procedure is over or causing patient movement. This can have detrimental effects on the outcome of the procedure (e.g., blurred scan images requiring rescans or, in extreme cases, missing medical targets during a therapeutic or surgical procedure).

[0006] If the entertainment is longer than the entire medical procedure (e.g., the diagnostic scan takes 3 minutes and the provided movie still has 4 minutes), the patient may not be able to finish it, which may also lead to a suboptimal experience for the patient and, in the case of pediatric patients, an interruption in the workflow (e.g., pediatric patients may not want to leave the scanner in the middle of an entertaining movie).

[0007] Liszio et al., in “A Universe Inside the MRI Scanner: An In-Bore Virtual Reality Game for Children to Reduce Anxiety and Stress,” Proc. Ann. Symp. on Computer Interaction in Play, pp. 46-47 (2020), disclose a virtual reality game that is optimally adapted to the length of a medical procedure by programming the game's runtime to match the length of a typical procedure.

[0008] Producing such entertainment content with an appropriate duration is challenging, in part because the length of the procedure can change while the procedure is in progress; for example, because MRI sequences are added to the MRI scan if the MRI technologist requests a rescan. As artificial intelligence algorithms are maturing at a fast rate, scan quality monitoring during the scan is also maturing, and scan errors are being detected earlier and more regularly; therefore, rescans and adaptive scanning become more common. Thus, the duration of the required movie is not always known before the entertainment content begins, but must be continually updated during playback (and while the medical procedure is in progress) based on new estimates of the duration of the medical procedure.

[0009] One known approach to address this issue is to present the patient with entertainment content that does not contain a narrative or story (landscapes, dolphins swimming in the ocean, nature sounds, etc.) Such short movies or audio content can be played on a loop and the patient can watch it repeatedly if the scan takes a long time, or several unrelated movies or audio files can be combined (e.g. start with a movie clip of swimming dolphins, switch to a movie clip of a desert landscape, etc.) and played until the scan is finished.

[0010] Unfortunately, this solution is not optimally entertaining or immersive. It is known that immersive content, such as engaging and / or narrative movie plots and audio content, can improve patient experience, reduce body movements and therefore improve outcomes and workflow. In general, non-narrative storylines (e.g., watching swimming dolphins) are less immersive than narrative storylines, as patients may become bored, uninterested, distracted, and sometimes annoyed by seeing and hearing very basic or identical content. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] It would therefore be advantageous if the immersive entertainment content could be constantly adapted to the length of a medical procedure, even when the procedure is changed while it is being performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] An embodiment according to the present invention is directed to an adaptive entertainment content provider, corresponding methods and computer programs for providing entertainment sequences to a patient during a medical procedure having an initial procedure length. The content provider includes an entertainment content database including entertainment options, each of which includes at least one fixed content block, each of which includes a section of entertainment content determined to be essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata related to a length of the at least one fixed content block, and at least one optional content block, each of which includes a section of entertainment determined to be non-essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata related to a length of the at least one optional content block. The content provider further includes an initial content provider for creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial entertainment sequence corresponding to the initial procedure length. The creation is achieved by selecting all of the at least one fixed content block from the entertainment content database, determining a length of the fixed entertainment sequence from the data related to the length of the at least one fixed content block, and comparing the length of the fixed entertainment sequence with the initial procedure length. If the length of the fixed entertainment sequence is less than the length of the initial treatment, a length of the remaining content to fill is determined, and further, using metadata regarding the length of the at least one optional content block, one or more of the at least one optional content block are selected such that the combined length of all selected at least one optional content block matches the length of the remaining content.The content provider further includes an update content provider that receives an updated procedure length when the procedure length is changed during the medical procedure and updates the entertainment sequence by adding or removing at least one optional content block from the entertainment content database using metadata regarding the length of the at least one optional content block such that the updated entertainment content has a length that matches the length of the content of the changed procedure. The content provider further includes an entertainment sequence provider that provides the entertainment sequence to the patient.

[0013] Such entertainment content is provided to the patient in a length that matches the length of the medical procedure, and if something changes during the procedure to lengthen or shorten the procedure, the entertainment length is adapted to match the updated procedure length by inserting or removing optional entertainment content blocks. Thus, the patient always has a full entertainment sequence without having long periods without entertainment or when the entertainment has not yet finished. This improves the patient experience and reduces disruptions to patient movement or workflow.

[0014] In one embodiment, the entertainment sequence comprises visual entertainment such as a movie, a series of pictures, (interactive) game scenes, virtual reality content or drawings, and / or text, and / or auditory entertainment such as music, readings, and / or ambient sounds. The claimed invention is suitable for all mentioned types of entertainment and is best suited to the patient's preferences, unless restricted by the requirements of the actual medical procedure (e.g. games cannot be played if patient movement is undesirable).

[0015] In one embodiment, the medical procedure is a diagnostic scan such as a magnetic resonance scan, a computed tomography scan, a positron emission tomography scan, a single photon emission computed tomography scan, an ultrasound scan, a fluoroscopy, or a surgical or therapeutic procedure in which said patient is conscious, such as a biopsy, a catheterization, a minimally invasive surgery, an image guided treatment or therapy, radiation therapy, proton therapy, injection of a medication or contrast agent, dialysis, etc. These are medical procedures in which the patient is typically conscious and is locally or lightly sedated, and therefore the claimed invention is particularly suited as the patient's own experience and their conscious or unconscious response thereto influences the outcome of the medical procedure. Thus, positively influencing the patient's experience is likely to result in a better outcome of the medical procedure.

[0016] In one embodiment, each of the at least one optional content block includes further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints on the use of the optional data block. The update content provider uses the length metadata and the further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints to add or remove at least one optional content block. Thus, the entertainment provided is updated by adding or removing the most suitable or appropriate optional content block, as some optional content blocks are more interesting to the story or are in a better position for addition or removal.

[0017] In one embodiment, the content provider further includes a user input for receiving user input regarding the initial procedure length, the updated procedure length, the preferred entertainment options, and the patient information. The initial content provider and / or the updated content provider use the user input to select or update the initial entertainment sequence, respectively. Thus, the user can select the most suitable entertainment options for the patient, which will ensure that the patient's experience is as comfortable and appropriate as possible, which will likely result in a better medical procedure outcome.

[0018] In one embodiment, the update content provider further adapts the length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block, allowing for more precise fine-tuning of the length of the complete entertainment sequence when no optional content block is available that matches the desired length to add or remove.

[0019] In one embodiment, the update content provider adapts the length of at least one fixed content block and / or at least one optional content block by removing at least one subsection of the content block, preferably at least one predefined subsection previously determined to be less essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence, and preferably the metadata of the content block includes the start and end points of the at least one subsection, and optionally further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints. This effectively creates a subsection of the content block that is cut to accommodate the desired length of the content block. This subdivision is addressed in the same way as the difference between the fixed and optional content blocks by determining the value of the subsection to the narrative.

[0020] In one embodiment, the update content provider adapts the length of at least one fixed content block and / or at least one optional content block, preferably by changing the playback speed of the content block if the length of the content block needs to be adapted by 30 seconds or less, and preferably the content block includes metadata regarding the appropriateness of changing the speed of the content block, optionally together with the amount by which the length of the content block can be changed. Thus, the length of the content block is somewhat extended or shortened to obtain a length that more closely matches the length of the desired remaining content. This is particularly suitable when the duration of the content block needs to be changed by a relatively short amount of time and / or for content blocks that have repetitive or non-essential content.

[0021] In one embodiment, the initial content provider provides an initial entertainment sequence that ends with an optional content block, allowing the entertainment sequence to be more easily shortened while still providing a satisfying narrative and / or ending, especially later in the medical procedure.

[0022] In one embodiment, the initial content provider and / or the update content provider add and / or remove optional entertainment content blocks using a constraint satisfaction problem model, which is a particularly suitable model for use in determining which blocks to add or remove.

[0023] In one embodiment, the initial content provider and / or the update content provider provide a smooth transition, for example by (cross)fading, between two consecutive content blocks in the entertainment sequence, allowing a more natural and smooth experience for the patient, who is unaware that blocks have been added or removed before or during the medical procedure.

[0024] In one embodiment, the initial treatment length includes a pre-treatment length, defined as the time from the start of the entertainment to the start of the medical treatment. This allows the entertainment to already start during the period before the medical treatment begins, i.e. during the waiting or preparation time, which helps to reduce anxiety, boredom, etc. before the treatment begins and provides a more immersive and uniform experience. All these factors help to make the patient's experience more comfortable, improve the quality of the medical treatment, and increase the chances of the medical treatment being successful.

[0025] Further aspects and embodiments of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description. Numerous additional advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] The invention is illustrated in the drawings.

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an imaging device and a photograph of an exemplary in-bore entertainment provider. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary workflow of a method for providing adaptive entertainment according to the claimed invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows an example embodiment of the adaptation of entertainment sequences according to the claimed invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example embodiment of the adaptation of entertainment sequences according to the claimed invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows an example embodiment of adapting entertainment sequences according to the claimed invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example embodiment of adapting entertainment sequences according to the claimed invention.

[0028] The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various process operations and arrangements of process operations. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. For better visualization, certain features may be omitted and dimensions may not be drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The claimed invention is described using in-bore video entertainment during, for example, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan as an example, but is not limited to this or even to one type of MRI procedure. The claimed invention is suitable for many types of entertainment, including but not limited to movies or other visual entertainment such as sequences of photographs, pictures, or text, virtual reality images, (click-through) games, and / or auditory entertainment such as music, spoken word (such as audiobooks), or ambient sounds. The claimed invention is suitable for any medical procedure in which the patient is conscious during all or part of the procedure (e.g., without anesthesia, without local anesthesia, or without delayed anesthesia), such as diagnostic imaging procedures such as MRI, X-ray, computed tomography, ultrasound, positron emission spectroscopy, single photon emission computed tomography, fluoroscopy, and surgical or therapeutic procedures such as biopsy, catheterization, (minimally) invasive surgery, image-guided treatment or therapy, radiation therapy, proton therapy, injection of medication or contrast agent, dialysis, etc.

[0030] In the MRI device 100, a patient 20 on a patient support 102 is placed in a bore 101 of the MRI device 100. The MRI device 100 uses strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves (picked up by receive coils 103) and a processing unit 200 to generate images of the patient's body organs. A schematic set-up is shown in Figure 1a and a photograph of the patient 102 in the bore 101 is shown in Figure 1b.

[0031] As is immediately evident from FIG. 1b, the bore 101 is relatively small and the head coil 103 is placed close to the patient's head, creating a very narrow space that may cause the patient to feel claustrophobic. Furthermore, an MRI scan may take from a few minutes to an hour and a half or more, during which the patient must remain motionless, and the procedure is accompanied by loud regular and irregular noises near the patient's ears. All these factors may make the patient feel uncomfortable, claustrophobic, impatient, or even scared. This is especially true in the case of pediatric and psychiatric patients. To provide distraction and diversion, an in-bore entertainment system 10 may be used to provide entertainment to the patient during the scan. The entertainment system may be, for example, an in-bore display, or a mirror or screen, onto which entertainment content is projected. The entertainment system 10 typically includes headphones (not shown). The headphones may also be used to reduce ambient noise and to interact with the patient 20. The entertainment system 10 also includes means for providing visual information and entertainment, such as an (MRI compatible) in-bore screen, a screen placed outside the bore viewed through a mirror (as shown in FIG. 1b), a screen in the ceiling of the imaging room, 2D or 3D (MRI compatible) (virtual reality) goggles, a projected screen, etc. Again, this means is used to provide entertainment as well as instructions and / or information regarding the scan (e.g. time remaining, scan progress bar) to the patient.

[0032] As explained in the background section of this document, problems can arise if the entertainment duration is not immersive or equal to the duration of the procedure. This can actually lead to a poor patient experience or to the risk of rescans or misdiagnosis due to suboptimal or unusable scan results. While many procedures can be planned and performed according to the plan (performed using an ExamCard containing all relevant and necessary scan data), it often happens that the plan is adapted and the ExamCard is updated during the scan. An ongoing procedure can be extended, for example, because a (partial) rescan needs to be performed in case of patient movement or another irregularity, or because additional scans are planned if additional information is obtained from an ongoing scan during the procedure. Alternatively, an ongoing procedure can be shortened, for example, if the patient requires additional instructions that may cause the entertainment to be paused during the scan (thus reducing the remaining time to provide entertainment) or if a planned follow-up scan is cancelled due to additional information obtained from the ongoing scan.

[0033] The claimed invention provides an adaptive, preferably immersive, entertainment content provider that makes the patient experience more satisfying, soothing and tolerable by ensuring that the length of entertainment provided matches the length of the procedure, even if the procedure length is extended or shortened during a medical procedure. This directly translates into improved image quality, as there is much less motion. This reduces the number of procedures that need to be stopped and restarted due to possible misdiagnosis or interruptions caused by adverse mental states of the patient (such as anxiety, boredom, discomfort, or any other negative mental state that may cause motion).

[0034] The insight underlying the claimed invention is that most entertainment has a sequence of entertainment sections, some of which are essential to tell the story or provide the overall experience, and other sections that are not essential to the central plot but enrich the story by providing more context, side stories, and deepening the character traits. Such an entire entertainment sequence is subdivided into sections (hereafter referred to as blocks in the context of the present invention), and each block is flagged as either essential (fixed content blocks) or not (optional content blocks). In the most basic embodiment, all the entertainment content provided is built using fixed content blocks. If the planned action is longer than the duration of the fixed content blocks, optional content blocks are added between the fixed content blocks.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary flow chart of basic method steps associated with one embodiment of the claimed invention.

[0036] First (step 201), an initial treatment length (L IP ) is determined. This is usually provided manually by the doctor or technician performing the scan (step 201′), but may also be done (semi-)automatically by a processor that calculates the initial treatment length from the treatment-related inputs received.

[0037] Next (step 202), an entertainment option is selected (step 202') by the patient and / or operator from an entertainment database, for example using a fixed or remote screen displaying entertainment categories or topics. The entertainment base can be an on-site or cloud-based server from which content is downloaded or streamed to the entertainment system. Preferably, only options with a fixed block total time equal to or shorter than the initial procedure time are displayed.

[0038] Preferably, the entertainment options to be displayed may further be pre-selected based on patient characteristics such as age and sex. To facilitate this process, several categories are preferably provided. For example, short, medium and long movies with entertainment bases (all but only fixed content blocks) of 10, 30 and 50 minutes, respectively, are provided. Furthermore, possible movie themes and target groups (such as "adults" or "children aged 4-10 years") can be selected. The selected entertainment base should be shorter or the same length as the expected length of the procedure, and is then extended to the desired duration by selecting a content block from a pool of possible optional content blocks. To leave as much flexibility as possible for the possibility of the procedure being shortened, the optional content blocks are preferably added at the end, ensuring that they are well distributed throughout the entertainment sequence.

[0039] Each entertainment option (e.g., one movie) includes at least one (but preferably at least two or more) fixed content blocks (e.g., F-1, F-2, F-3) and at least one (but preferably many) optional content blocks (e.g., O-1, O-2, O-3). Each content block has a specified length, which is stored in the content block's metadata. The entertainment options may be pre-existing visual or audio entertainment or may be created specifically for this purpose. Whether a content block is essential or non-essential to the storyline is preferably pre-determined by a storytelling expert or is determined using machine learning or artificial intelligence algorithms.

[0040] Next (step 203), an Initial Content Provider (ICP), preferably implemented as a program running on an on-site or cloud-based processor, selects and orders all fixed entertainment blocks (F-1, F-2, F-3, etc.) of the selected entertainment options to build a fixed entertainment sequence (Entertainment Base).

[0041] The initial content provider then uses the block length metadata of each content block to sum the lengths of the selected fixed entertainment blocks to arrive at a fixed entertainment content length (L FEC ) to calculate a fixed entertainment sequence length (step 204).

[0042] Next (step 205), the initial content provider determines the difference between the length of the fixed entertainment content and the length of the action to determine the length of the remaining entertainment sequence (L PI -L FEC ) to get the

[0043] Next (step 206), the initial content provider selects, from the at least one available and suitable optional content block, an optional content block with a length that corresponds as closely as possible to the length of the remaining entertainment sequence, using metadata regarding the length of each of the at least one optional content block, or, if there is no optional content block of a suitable length, an optional content block with a length that is shorter than the length of the remaining entertainment sequence is selected.

[0044] Next (step 207), the initial content provider calculates the updated remaining entertainment length (L URE ) is calculated. If the updated entertainment length is still shorter than the initial procedure length, this step is repeated to select one or more blocks until the initial procedure length is reached and an initial entertainment content sequence is obtained. If there is no optional content block of the appropriate length, the content provider redoes step 206, first selecting another optional content block, and then adding one or more other optional content blocks such that their combined length matches the length of the remaining entertainment sequence.

[0045] In practice, it is acceptable for the entertainment length not to be exactly "in seconds" the same as the procedure length. Depending on the procedure and the patient, a few seconds (less than 5, less than 10, less than 20 seconds) is acceptable. For example, waiting for the remaining few seconds is usually not difficult, and in MR imaging, for example, there is often a period between the end of the procedure and the patient leaving the position during the procedure. Once the procedure is completed, it always takes 20-30 seconds for the technician to open the door and slide the table, giving enough time to complete the last part of the entertainment. Furthermore, the last part of the movie could be a fade-out or credit scene, which is not essential. On the other hand, if the entertainment length is slightly shorter than the procedure length, this can provide the patient with closure to the entertainment (e.g., the story ends). However, ending too early can cause body movement, etc. This can be problematic if a critical part of the procedure takes place in the last seconds of the procedure.

[0046] Next (step 208), the initial entertainment content sequence is played to the patient as soon as the medical procedure begins. This can be initiated automatically or manually. If there is no change in the length of the medical procedure during the procedure, the initial entertainment content sequence is played to its end and ends substantially simultaneously with the medical procedure.

[0047] For example, if the length of the medical procedure is shortened or lengthened during the procedure (step 209) for reasons previously discussed, an update content provider (UCP), preferably implemented as a program running on an on-site or cloud-based processor, and optionally within the same program as the initial content provider, may provide an updated length of the procedure (L UP ) or automatically or manually receives information (209') that allows the update content provider to calculate the length of the updated procedure.

[0048] Next (step 210), the update content provider calculates the difference between the initial treatment length and the updated treatment length (L IP -LUP ) is required.

[0049] Next (step 211), if the initial treatment length is less than the updated treatment length (treatment has been extended), the update content provider selects one or more optional content blocks, similar to steps 206 and 207. If the initial treatment length is greater than the updated treatment length (treatment has been shortened), the content updater selects one or more optional content blocks from the initial entertainment content sequence that have not yet been played, whose (combined) length matches the determined difference between the initial and updated treatment lengths, and removes them from the initial entertainment content sequence. Preferably, this is done seamlessly so that it is not noticeable to the patient.

[0050] The resulting updated entertainment content sequence is then provided (212) to the patient until the treatment is completed or the length of the treatment is changed again (in which case the update content provider performs steps 209-211 again).

[0051] Preferably, when creating an initial or updated movie sequence, the initial content provider and / or the update content provider provides a smooth transition between any two consecutive content blocks, such as by fading or cross-fading between the two content blocks.

[0052] 3 shows a schematic diagram of a non-limiting illustrative situation in which the length of a procedure is extended during a medical procedure. In this example, the patient is an infant undergoing an MRI scan. The entertainment content selected from the entertainment database DB is a cartoon about an astronaut elephant, which includes three fixed content blocks F-1, F-2, F-3 and multiple optional blocks O-1, O-2, O-3, O-4, O-5, ... In this example, all content blocks are the same length, i.e., 4 minutes per block.

[0053] Length of initial treatment L IP is determined to be 20 minutes and provided as input to a computer program containing an initial content provider. The combined length of the fixed block lengths (entertainment-based) is 12 minutes. Thus, the remaining length is 8 minutes, which is filled with two optional content blocks O-4 and O-5 to obtain an initial movie sequence whose length exactly matches the length of the initial treatment.

[0054] Early in the MRI scan, it is decided to add another MRI sequence. This will extend the procedure by 12 minutes, resulting in an updated procedure length of 32 minutes, which is provided as input to the computer program, which also includes an update content provider. Since the first fixed block F-1 has not yet been played in its entirety, the update content provider can choose from all available, unused optional content blocks and select three optional content blocks O-1, O-2, O-3, which are placed in the movie sequence between the first fixed content block F-1 and the second fixed content block F-2. The updated movie sequence now matches the updated procedure length. If the updated procedure length was decided later in the procedure, fewer optional content blocks are available, since the storyline may not make sense.

[0055] 4 shows a schematic diagram of a similar non-limiting illustrative situation in which the treatment length is shortened during treatment. The same movie is selected, but in this example, 9 minutes into the treatment, it is determined that the final portion of the scan is not necessary, and the initial treatment length L IP was reduced by 4 minutes, and the updated procedure length L UPbecomes 16 minutes long. Because optional content block O-4 has already been played, the only option is to remove optional content block O-5, resulting in a movie sequence that is 16 minutes long. Although optional block O-5 was placed last and was not essential to the main story, the content of such optional end content blocks is designed to ensure that the patient receives a satisfying ending in addition to the main narrative ending (located in fixed block F-3).

[0056] In a more realistic embodiment, the content blocks may vary in length, e.g., 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, etc., to allow more flexibility in adding content or to allow for more initial or updated treatment lengths.

[0057] In Figure 5, a non-limiting example is shown where the length of the initial procedure is 18 minutes. In this case, a sequence of up to 16 minutes was constructed using three fixed content blocks F-1, F-2, F-3 and one optional content block O-4. A second optional content block O-5 is selected to obtain a movie sequence that matches the length of the initial procedure, but with a length of 2 minutes instead of 4 minutes, to fill the remaining time.

[0058] Preferably, the update content provider changes the length of the content block.

[0059] This is achieved by speeding up or slowing down the playback speed of the content blocks. This is particularly appropriate when the change in length of the procedure is small (e.g., less than 30 seconds, less than 20 seconds, less than 10 seconds, less than 5 seconds, less than 3 seconds, or less than 1 second) and there are no blocks available to add or remove short enough to fit this change in length. Of course, some content blocks may be more suitable than others, e.g., scenic ambient images or content blocks with simple motion. If necessary, the pitch of the sound can be modified to match the change in playback speed so that the patient does not notice anything. The speed of the fixed and / or optional content blocks can be changed to obtain the updated movie sequence length.

[0060] In a second embodiment, the update content provider modifies the length of the content block removing portions of the content block. In this case, the content block must already have determined subsections (e.g., sections with no dialogue, or sections with no action, repeated, or continuing) that specify suitable sections that can be removed without losing narrative within the content block or within the entire movie sequence. Such sections are more likely to occur in optional content blocks, but may also be done in suitable fixed blocks.

[0061] FIG. 5 further illustrates a variation of the same situation described in FIG. 3. However, in this case, the updated treatment length has been increased by 30 seconds. Since all available optional content blocks are longer than this, the movie ends early at optional content block O-5, or does not end if additional optional content blocks are added. In this example, optional block O-4, which contains a short scene of a rocket being launched into space without dialogue, and is therefore particularly suitable for the present purpose, is slowed down to extend the length of the content block to 4 minutes and 30 seconds. The sound of the block is automatically adjusted to the appropriate level. The updated movie length will now match the updated treatment length, and in any case the patient will not notice that this scene has been changed. If the treatment is shortened instead, the content block will be played slightly faster (and the pitch will also be corrected) to accommodate this shortened time.

[0062] FIG. 6 shows a similar situation to FIG. 5, but this time the action has been extended by 3 minutes. Although no optional content block with the appropriate additional time is available, the update content provider recognizes that the optional content block O-5 contains three subsections O-5-1 (2 minutes), O-5-2 (1 minute), and O-5-3 (1 minute) (not drawn to scale in this figure) that are subscenes within the content block. The first subsection O-5-1 and the second subsection O-5-2 together have a duration of 3 minutes. The update content provider therefore removes subsection O-5-3 and adds only subsections O-5-1 and O-5-2 to the movie sequence, which now has exactly the same length as the length of the updated action. Preferably, an optional content block with such subsections contains metadata such as the start and end points of the subsections, and preferably prioritization and constraint information. Preferably, the update content provider provides a smooth transition to the next subsection or content block when one or more subsections of an optional block are removed.

[0063] Update content providers can also implement a combination of options to lengthen or shorten movie sequences.

[0064] Preferably, the metadata of the optional content blocks also includes data on usage constraints of the content blocks. In most optional content blocks, the content is related to additional stories or other interesting content and in most cases cannot be freely placed in the entertainment sequence. For example, in the case of a cartoon about an elephant going into space, an optional content block with an elephant floating in space cannot be placed before the rocket launches or after it returns to Earth. Therefore, constraints of dependencies on other content blocks may be added to the metadata. For example, before and / or after which content blocks a particular optional content block can be placed (e.g., when optional block O-2 is played, optional content blocks O-3 and O-4 are "unlocked" and can also be added to the storyline, or when optional content block O-5 is played, optional blocks O-2, O-3 and O-4 are "locked" and cannot be used).

[0065] Preferably, the metadata of the optional content blocks also includes data regarding prioritization of the content blocks. Some optional content blocks may have a greater added value to the main story than others, and therefore are selected by the initial or update content provider before optional content blocks that add less value to the story. For example, a priority score can be assigned to each optional content block, or subdivision within a content block. These scores are accessed by the initial or update content provider to select the optimal optional content block to add to the entertainment sequence.

[0066] Table 1 shows an example storyline for the story "Ollie Goes to Space" that is split into three fixed content blocks and eleven optional content blocks to form movie sequences with lengths ranging from 7 minutes (entertainment-based for all fixed content blocks only) to 22.5 minutes (all fixed content blocks and all optional content blocks). [Table 1] TIFF0007618060000002.tif83170

[0067] Table 2 shows an illustrative example of metadata for optional content blocks for the storyline "Ollie Goes to Space". This metadata has constraints and prioritization (higher prioritization scores mean more interesting additions to the storyline). In this example, optional blocks with constraints that they must follow another optional block (O-7 and O-6, or O-10 and O-11) can only be unlocked if an optional block that must follow itself is selected. Optional content blocks with constraints that they must follow a fixed content block (e.g., O-1, O-2, O-3, O-4, O-5, O-8, O-9) can be freely selected between "after" and "before" constraints. Preferably, at least one optional content block that does not have a "before" constraint (e.g., O-9, O-10, or O-11) is selected. Such blocks can be used as end blocks of the sequence, and can also be easily removed if the medical procedure is shortened at a later stage. [Table 2]

[0068] The claimed invention may be technically implemented using constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs), with dynamic CSPs being particularly suitable.

[0069] A CSP is defined by 1) a set of variables, 2) a set of possible values ​​(domain) for each variable, and 3) constraints (relationships between the variables) that limit the combinations of allowable values.

[0070] A constraint satisfaction problem is solved if there exists a complete consistent instantiation of the variables (also called a solution), which is typically discovered by reasoning and search.

[0071] In the context of the claimed invention, all entertainment content blocks are considered to be variables. The value of a block can be, for example, 0 (not in the entertainment sequence), 1 (present, not played), or 2 (played). A unary constraint (including a single variable) is, for example, that initially all fixed blocks receive value 1. If during playback the entertainment sequence needs to be adapted, a unary constraint is that all played blocks (and currently active blocks) receive value 2. Another unary constraint is that a variable consisting of the duration of all content blocks with value 1 should have a duration between the remaining estimated scan time + 0 and 30 seconds. Binary constraints (involving pairs of variables) can be used to check dependencies between content blocks. A typical binary constraint that needs to be instantiated and checked for each content block is (for example, using information similar to the example listing in Table 2): "For each block (X) where X≠2, if before (Y) and Y=2, then X=0". Once all hard constraints are satisfied by inference, the values ​​of the remaining open variables are filled by exploration.

[0072] For example, the preference that O-7 is more fun than O-6 (a soft constraint) may be expressed explicitly by the cost of each variable assignment, or it may be expressed implicitly by structuring the search so that the preferred option is found first.

[0073] The patient starts enjoying entertainment already while waiting for the start of the treatment (e.g. in the MR device while the scan is being set up, and even in the waiting room before entering the treatment room), and preferably continues this seamlessly when the scan starts. The waiting time may also be included in the initial treatment length as the length before the treatment starts. It is defined as the time from the start of the entertainment (e.g. initiated by the doctor or the patient after selection) to the start of the actual treatment. Therefore, the length of the adaptive entertainment is introduced to cover possible delays or shortening of this waiting time as well. Problems of patient movement and adverse emotions (anxiety, boredom, anxiety, etc.) while waiting do not directly cause possible complications during the treatment, but the patient is more likely to start the treatment in a more relaxed state, which increases the chances of the treatment being successful.

[0074] In a particular variant of the claimed invention, all content blocks are optional content blocks and no fixed blocks are defined, in which case the selected optional block that starts the entertainment sequence is defined as a fixed content block in the context of the claimed invention.

[0075] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

[0076] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

[0077] In this document, when the term content block is used without the prefix "fixed" or "optional", this usually indicates that both are relevant, or it is clear from the context which type of content block is being used.

[0078] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the words "a" or "an" in the singular do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0079] The computer program may be stored / distributed on any suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless communication systems. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope. Further notes regarding the embodiments of the present invention are given below. (1) An adaptive entertainment content provider for providing entertainment sequences to a patient during a medical procedure having an initial procedure length, the adaptive entertainment content provider comprising an entertainment content database, an initial content provider, an update content provider, and an entertainment sequence provider; The entertainment content database includes, for each of the at least one entertainment option: at least one fixed content block, each of which includes a section of entertainment content determined to be essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block; at least one optional content block, each of the at least one optional content block including a section of entertainment determined to be non-essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata regarding a length of the at least one optional content block; The initial content provider: selecting all of said at least one fixed content block from said entertainment content database; determining a length of a fixed entertainment sequence from the data relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block and comparing the length of the fixed entertainment sequence with a length of the initial procedure; if the length of the fixed entertainment sequence is less than the length of the initial treatment, determining a length of remaining content to fill; Change creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial treatment corresponding to a length of the initial treatment by selecting one or more of the at least one optional content block using the metadata related to a length of the at least one optional content block such that a combined length of all selected at least one optional content block matches a length of the remaining content; The update content provider: receiving an updated procedure length when the procedure length is changed during the medical procedure; updating the entertainment sequence by adding or deleting at least one optional content block from the entertainment content database using the metadata regarding the length of the at least one optional content block, such that the updated entertainment content has a length that matches a length of the changed action content; The entertainment sequence provider is an adaptive entertainment content provider that provides the entertainment sequences to the patient. (2) The entertainment sequence comprises: Visual entertainment, such as movies, sequences of pictures, (interactive) game scenes, virtual reality content or drawings, and / or texts; and / or Auditory entertainment such as music, readings, and / or ambient sounds; The adaptive entertainment content provider according to (1), comprising: (3) The medical treatment is: diagnostic scans such as magnetic resonance scans, computed tomography scans, positron emission tomography scans, single photon emission computed tomography scans, ultrasound scans, fluoroscopy, or The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 or 2, wherein the procedure is a surgical or therapeutic procedure in which the patient is conscious, such as a biopsy, catheterization, minimally invasive surgery, image-guided treatment or therapy, radiation therapy, proton therapy, injection of medication or contrast agent, dialysis, etc. (4) each of the at least one optional content block includes further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints on use of the at least one optional content block; An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (3), wherein the update content provider adds or removes the at least one optional content block using the metadata regarding length and the further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints. (5) a user input component for receiving user input regarding the initial treatment length, an updated treatment length, preferred entertainment options, and patient information; An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (4), wherein the initial content provider and / or the update content provider respectively use the user input to select or update the initial entertainment sequence. (6) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (5), wherein the update content provider further adapts a length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block. (7) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in (6), wherein the update content provider adapts a length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block by removing at least one subsection of the content block, preferably at least one predetermined subsection previously determined to be less essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence, and preferably the metadata of the content block includes start and end points of at least one subsection and, optionally, further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints. (8) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in (6) or (7), wherein the update content provider preferably adapts the length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block by changing the playback speed of the content block if the length of the content block needs to be adapted in 30 seconds or less, and preferably the content block includes metadata regarding the appropriateness of changing the speed of the content block, optionally together with the amount by which the length of the content block can be changed. (9) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (8), wherein the initial content provider provides an initial entertainment sequence that ends with an optional content block. (10) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (9), wherein the initial content provider and / or the update content provider add and / or remove optional entertainment content blocks using a constraint satisfaction problem model. (11) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (10), wherein the initial content provider and / or the update content provider provide a smooth transition between two successive content blocks in the entertainment sequence, for example by (cross)fading. (12) An adaptive entertainment content provider as described in any of (1) to (11), wherein the initial treatment length includes a pre-treatment length defined as the time from the start of the entertainment to the start of the medical treatment. (13) A method for adaptively providing entertainment sequences to a patient during a medical procedure having an initial procedure length, the method comprising: selecting an entertainment option from an entertainment content database, the entertainment content database including, for each of the at least one entertainment option: at least one fixed content block, each of which includes a section of entertainment content determined to be essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block; a selecting step including: at least one optional content block, each of the at least one optional content block including a section of entertainment determined to be non-essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence, and metadata regarding a length of the at least one optional content block; creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial entertainment sequence corresponding to a length of the initial procedure; selecting all of said at least one fixed content block from said entertainment content database; determining a length of a fixed entertainment sequence from the data relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block and comparing the length of the fixed entertainment sequence with a length of the initial procedure; if the length of the fixed entertainment sequence is less than the length of the initial treatment, determining a length of remaining content to fill; further comprising: creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial treatment corresponding to a length of the initial treatment by selecting one or more of the at least one optional content block using the metadata related to a length of the at least one optional content block such that a combined length of all selected at least one optional content block matches a length of the remaining content; receiving an updated procedure length when the procedure length is changed during the medical procedure; updating the entertainment sequence by adding or deleting at least one optional content block from the entertainment content database using the metadata regarding the length of the at least one optional content block, such that the updated entertainment content has a length that matches a length of the changed action content; providing said entertainment sequence to said patient; A method comprising: (14) A computer program product which, when executed on a processor, performs the steps of the method described in (13), whereby the step of selecting an entertainment option from an entertainment content database may be in direct response to user input. (15) An initial content provider of an adaptive entertainment content provider according to (1), (5), (9), (10), or (11); An update content provider of an adaptive entertainment content provider according to (1), (5), (6), (7), (8), (10), or (11); The computer program according to (14),

Claims

1. 1. An adaptive entertainment content provider for providing entertainment sequences to a patient during a medical procedure having an initial procedure length, the adaptive entertainment content provider comprising an entertainment content database, an initial content provider, an update content provider, and an entertainment sequence provider; The entertainment content database includes, for each of the at least one entertainment option: at least one fixed content block, each of which includes a section of entertainment content determined to be essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block; at least one optional content block, each of the at least one optional content block including a section of entertainment determined to be non-essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata regarding a length of the at least one optional content block; The initial content provider: selecting all of said at least one fixed content block from said entertainment content database; determining a length of a fixed entertainment sequence from the data relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block and comparing the length of the fixed entertainment sequence with a length of the initial procedure; if the length of the fixed entertainment sequence is less than the length of the initial treatment, determining a length of remaining content to fill; further comprising: creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial treatment corresponding to a length of the initial treatment by selecting one or more of the at least one optional content block using the metadata related to a length of the at least one optional content block such that a combined length of all selected at least one optional content block matches a length of the remaining content; The update content provider: receiving an updated procedure length when the procedure length is changed during the medical procedure; updating the entertainment sequence by adding or deleting at least one optional content block from the entertainment content database using the metadata regarding the length of the at least one optional content block, such that the updated entertainment content has a length that matches a length of the changed action content; The entertainment sequence provider is an adaptive entertainment content provider that provides the entertainment sequences to the patient.

2. The entertainment sequence comprises: Visual entertainment, such as a movie, a sequence of pictures, a game scene, virtual reality content or drawings, and / or text; and / or Auditory entertainment such as music, readings, and / or ambient sounds; 2. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1, comprising:

3. The medical procedure comprises: diagnostic scans such as magnetic resonance scans, computed tomography scans, positron emission tomography scans, single photon emission computed tomography scans, ultrasound scans, fluoroscopy, or 3. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 or 2, wherein the procedure is a surgical or therapeutic procedure in which the patient is conscious, such as a biopsy, catheterization, minimally invasive surgery, image-guided treatment or therapy, radiation therapy, proton therapy, injection of medication or contrast agent, dialysis, etc.

4. each of the at least one optional content block includes further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints on the use of the at least one optional content block; 2. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1, wherein the update content provider uses the metadata regarding length and the further metadata regarding prioritization and / or constraints to add or remove the at least one optional content block.

5. a user input component for receiving user input regarding the initial treatment length, an updated treatment length, preferred entertainment options, and patient information; The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 , wherein the initial content provider and / or the update content provider use the user input to select or update the initial entertainment sequence, respectively.

6. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 , wherein the update content provider is further configured to adapt a length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block.

7. 7. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 6, wherein the update content provider adapts a length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block by deleting at least one subsection of the fixed content block and / or the optional content block.

8. 7. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 6, wherein the update content provider adapts a length of the at least one fixed content block and / or the at least one optional content block by changing a playback speed of the fixed content block and / or the optional content block.

9. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 , wherein the initial content provider provides an initial entertainment sequence that ends with an optional content block.

10. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 , wherein the initial content provider and / or the update content provider use a constraint satisfaction problem model to add and / or remove optional entertainment content blocks.

11. 2. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1, wherein the initial content provider and / or the update content provider provide a smooth transition between two successive content blocks in the entertainment sequence by fading.

12. The adaptive entertainment content provider of claim 1 , wherein the initial treatment length includes a pre-treatment length defined as the time from the start of the entertainment to the start of the medical treatment.

13. 1. A method of operation of an adaptive entertainment content provider for adaptively providing entertainment sequences to a patient during a medical procedure having an initial procedure length, the adaptive entertainment content provider having an entertainment content database, an initial content provider, an update content provider, and an entertainment sequence provider, the method comprising: the initial content provider selecting an entertainment option from the entertainment content database, the entertainment content database including, for each of at least one entertainment option: at least one fixed content block, each of which includes a section of entertainment content determined to be essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block; a selecting step including: at least one optional content block, each of the at least one optional content block including a section of entertainment determined to be non-essential to provide a coherent entertainment sequence, and metadata regarding a length of the at least one optional content block; said initial content provider creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of said initial entertainment sequence corresponding to a length of said initial procedure; selecting all of said at least one fixed content block from said entertainment content database; determining a length of a fixed entertainment sequence from the data relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block and comparing the length of the fixed entertainment sequence with a length of the initial procedure; if the length of the fixed entertainment sequence is less than the length of the initial treatment, determining a length of remaining content to fill; further comprising: creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial treatment corresponding to a length of the initial treatment by selecting one or more of the at least one optional content block using the metadata related to a length of the at least one optional content block such that a combined length of all selected at least one optional content block matches a length of the remaining content; receiving an updated procedure length when the procedure length is changed during the medical procedure, the update content provider; updating the entertainment sequence by the update content provider adding or removing at least one optional content block from the entertainment content database using the metadata regarding the length of the at least one optional content block, such that the updated entertainment content has a length that matches a length of the changed action content; providing the entertainment sequence to the patient by the entertainment sequence provider; A method of operation comprising:

14. A method for adaptively providing entertainment sequences to a patient during a medical procedure having an initial procedure length, when executed on a processor, the method includes the steps of selecting an entertainment option from an entertainment content database, the entertainment content database including, for each of at least one entertainment option, at least one fixed content block including a section of entertainment content determined to be essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata related to a length of the at least one fixed content block, and at least one optional content block including a section of entertainment content determined to be non-essential to providing a coherent entertainment sequence and metadata related to a length of the at least one optional content block. and creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial action corresponding to a length of the initial action, by selecting all of the at least one fixed content block from the entertainment content database, determining a length of a fixed entertainment sequence from data relating to a length of the at least one fixed content block, comparing the length of the fixed entertainment sequence with a length of the initial action, and determining a length of remaining content to fill if the length of the fixed entertainment sequence is shorter than the length of the initial action, and further selecting one or more of the at least one optional content block using the metadata relating to the length of the at least one optional content block such that a combined length of all selected at least one optional content block matches the length of the remaining content.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising: a computer program product for performing steps of a method comprising: creating an initial entertainment sequence having a length of the initial entertainment sequence corresponding to a length of the initial procedure; receiving an updated length of the procedure when a length of the procedure is changed during the medical procedure; updating the entertainment sequence by adding or removing at least one optional content block from the entertainment content database using the metadata regarding a length of the at least one optional content block such that the updated entertainment content has a length that matches a length of the changed procedure content; and providing the entertainment sequence to the patient, whereby the step of selecting an entertainment option from an entertainment content database is in direct response to user input.

15. An initial content provider of an adaptive entertainment content provider according to claim 1, 5, 9, 10 or 11; An update content provider of an adaptive entertainment content provider according to claim 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 or 11; 15. The computer program of claim 14, comprising:

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