Virtual Sidekick for Chronic Health Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, face challenges in managing their conditions due to infrequent clinical interactions, and existing automated solutions like virtual health coaches can be perceived as cold and clinical, deterring effective self-management.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented health management platform featuring a virtual sidekick that provides direct and indirect assistance through personalized recommendations, visual cues, and dynamic interactions, simulating a relatable partner to encourage behavioral changes and improve health management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If automated solutions like virtual health coaches are used, then patient self-management support is improved, but the interaction becomes cold and clinical, reducing patient engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual sidekick as an intermediary character that mediates between the clinical health management system and the patient. This virtual character serves as a relatable partner that translates clinical information into personally relevant content, maintaining automation benefits while improving engagement through empathetic, non-clinical interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual sidekick creates a simplified, relatable copy or representation of a supportive health partner. Rather than using actual clinical professionals for continuous interaction, the system employs a virtual avatar that copies the essential supportive functions, making the interaction more approachable while maintaining automated scalability.
2Reliability
If clinical physicians and health coaches provide frequent support, then patient self-management improves, but the complexity and cost of the health management system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the health management system into distinct functional layers: clinical physicians provide high-level guidance, while a virtual sidekick handles continuous patient engagement and education. This segmentation allows clinical professionals to focus on complex decision-making while automated virtual assistance manages routine support, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual sidekick enables patients to access personalized health education and support on-demand without requiring direct clinical intervention. The system provides self-service capabilities where patients can learn about their conditions, receive motivational support, and make informed decisions independently, reducing the need for frequent professional contact.
3Ease of operation
If personalized and relatable support is provided through a virtual sidekick, then patient engagement and motivation are improved, but the computational complexity of simulating and dynamically updating the virtual character increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual sidekick employs dynamic characteristics where its appearance, actions, and communications adapt in real-time based on patient data, context, and interactions. This dynamic behavior creates personalized and relatable experiences without requiring complex artificial intelligence, as the virtual character's state changes are driven by predefined rules responding to patient inputs and health data.
Data Source
AI summary
A user interface for a health management platform is described that includes a virtual sidekick configured to assist a patient in managing a chronic health condition. The virtual sidekick may represent an individual (not necessarily the patient) that is facing similar challenges as the patient such as the same chronic health condition as the patient. In some embodiments, the virtual sidekick can be presented in a virtual scene that includes one or more reverse augmented realty elements that are indicative of a physical context of the patient. For example, the virtual scene may depict visual elements indicative of the patient's physical location and/or weather conditions at the patient's physical location. Data used to personalize and dynamically animate the virtual sidekick to assist the patient in managing a chronic health condition can come from multiple different sources.