Handheld Patient Device with Schematic Body Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices lack an intuitive and user-friendly interface for patients to effectively monitor and report their symptoms, particularly in pain therapy, which hinders accurate symptom tracking and personalized treatment management.
Innovation Solution
A handheld device with a graphic display showing a schematic human body, allowing patients to select and mark affected areas, assign pain values, and store this information for later review, while also enabling wireless transmission of treatment parameters to a stimulation device for personalized pain therapy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional medical device interface is used, then the device structure remains simple, but the ease of operation deteriorates because patients cannot intuitively select and mark affected body areas
Solution Approach 1:
The display is segmented into multiple selectable partial regions corresponding to different body areas. Each partial region can be independently selected and marked, allowing patients to intuitively indicate affected areas without complex navigation through menus or text inputs.
Solution Approach 2:
A schematic diagram copy of the human body is displayed on the graphic display, allowing patients to interact with a visual representation rather than abstract controls. This visual copy enables intuitive selection of body parts by directly touching or pointing to the corresponding area on the display.
2Ease of operation
If a schematic body diagram with selectable regions is implemented, then the ease of operation improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional display and control components
Solution Approach 1:
The graphic display serves multiple functions: it displays the schematic body diagram, shows outlines for selectable regions, provides visual feedback for selected areas, and allows direct input through touch or pointing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate buttons, dials, or menu systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit provides immediate visual feedback by displaying outlines for selectable regions and highlighting selected partial regions. This feedback mechanism is integrated into the display itself rather than requiring separate indicators, maintaining a compact device structure while improving ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If immediate visual feedback is provided for selected regions, then the ease of operation improves, but the use of energy increases due to continuous display updates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit updates the display to show outlines for selectable regions and highlights selected areas only when triggered by patient input. This periodic updating rather than continuous display refresh reduces energy consumption while still providing immediate visual feedback at the moments when the patient interacts with the device.
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld device (10) has a graphic display (12), an interface (18) for wireless data transmission, an input unit (14) for input of control commands, and a control unit (16) connected to the display (12), the interface (18), and the input unit (14). The control unit (16) is designed to display a schematic diagram of a human body on the graphic display (12) and to allow a selection of partial regions of the diagram with the help of the input unit (14).