Physiological Measurement Quality Feedback for Reliable Heart Rate Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical examination devices, such as digital stethoscopes and pulse oximeters, struggle with determining heart rate accuracy due to ambient noise, patient movement, and lung sounds, and lack quality assurance in recorded data, while existing systems fail to provide real-time feedback for improving data quality during non-instantaneous physiological measurements.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a processor to analyze physiological data in real-time, providing feedback on data quality and guiding users to improve data acquisition by repositioning sensors, offering visual, auditory, or vibrational indications, and transmitting diagnosis-enabling data to medical practitioners for remote diagnosis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physiological measurements are conducted by non-medical practitioners using simple devices, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to ensure proper technique and data quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to the user during physiological measurements by analyzing the quality of acquired data and delivering guidance on proper sensor placement and measurement technique. This feedback loop enables non-medical practitioners to perform measurements with precision comparable to medical professionals while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
An automated analysis system acts as an intermediary between the simple measurement device and the non-medical practitioner, evaluating data quality and providing expert-level guidance. This intermediary component bridges the gap between simple device operation and precise measurement requirements without adding complexity to the user interface.
2Measurement precision
If real-time analysis of physiological data is performed to ensure diagnosis-enabling quality, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy increases due to continuous processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial analysis in real-time by focusing computational resources on critical quality parameters that most impact diagnostic value. Rather than analyzing all aspects of physiological data continuously, the system selectively monitors key indicators and performs comprehensive analysis only when needed, reducing energy consumption while maintaining data quality.
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of data quality is implemented during physiological measurements, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional processing and feedback mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system performs self-validation by automatically analyzing the quality of its own acquired data and identifying when measurements meet diagnostic criteria. This self-service capability enables continuous quality monitoring without requiring additional complex external validation systems, maintaining reliability while limiting complexity growth.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for physiological measurement of a physiological process of a body of a patient, the system comprising: at least one physiological sensor operable to collect, at a plurality of different times during a physiological measurement, physiological data from the body of the patient, the physiological data resulting at least from the physiological process; a processor operable to: determine many-valued quality scores for the collected physiological data, each indicative of a suitability of the respective physiological data for the analysis of the physiological process; provide an indication that the physiological measurement was successful in response to determining that an accumulative amount of times, out of the plurality of different times, for which the determined many-valued quality score fulfilled a predetermined criterion, exceeded a predetermined amount; and provide at least part of the physiological measurement to a diagnosing entity.