Wearable Defibrillator Alert Prioritization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) systems often overwhelm patients with multiple alerts, leading to confusion and potential non-use, as they struggle to prioritize which condition requires immediate attention.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an alert prioritization scheme that prioritizes conditions based on severity and timeliness of user response, ensuring only the highest priority alert is presented until it is resolved, using a processor to manage and suppress lower priority alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the WCD system issues all detected alerts to the patient, then complete information about all conditions is provided, but the patient becomes overwhelmed and confused by multiple alerts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments alerts into different priority levels (first priority, second priority, etc.) based on severity and timeliness of required response. This segmentation allows the system to organize multiple conditions into hierarchical groups, presenting only the most critical alerts to the patient at any given time while maintaining complete information about all conditions in the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different information presentations to different user needs. Critical alerts receive prominent presentation with immediate attention requirements, while less critical alerts are suppressed or presented with lower urgency indicators. This allows the same system to provide both complete information and focused guidance depending on the specific alert condition.
2Loss of information
If the WCD system presents multiple alerts simultaneously, then all conditions are communicated to the patient, but the patient cannot quickly identify which condition requires immediate attention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-establishing priority classifications and response time requirements for different alert conditions before they occur. The system has predetermined which conditions require immediate attention versus those that can wait, allowing for rapid presentation of prioritized information without requiring the patient to analyze multiple unranked alerts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by providing the patient with clear indicators of which alerts require immediate response versus those that can be addressed later. The prioritization system gives feedback about the urgency of each condition, enabling the patient to quickly understand what action is needed first without being overwhelmed by equal-presentation of all alerts.
3Loss of information
If the WCD system provides detailed information about all conditions, then the patient understands all issues, but the complexity of the alert system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the alert system adaptive and flexible rather than static. The system dynamically adjusts which alerts are presented and how they are presented based on priority levels, allowing the complexity of the interface to vary with the severity of conditions. This dynamic approach maintains simplicity for routine conditions while providing comprehensive information when critical issues arise.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of this disclosure are directed to a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (“WCD”) system design in which a WCD implements an alert prioritization scheme to provide the patient with feedback in an order that is less likely to cause confusion. Different conditions (e.g., device status, equipment condition, or physiologic condition) are prioritized based on an analysis of severity of the condition and timeliness of user action needed. The prioritization scheme defines what alert, if any, is presented to the user by the WCD system as a result of various conditions. Generally stated, an alert for the highest priority condition currently detected is presented to the user and maintained until that condition either changes or becomes surpassed in the prioritization scheme.