Product and method for analyzing normalized patient voice feedback in an automated collection and analysis patient care system

Abstract

A system and method for analyzing normalized patient voice feedback in an automated collection and analysis patient care system is described. Device measures providing physiological measures collected by an implantable medical device on a substantially continuous basis are received for storage into a patient care record. Voice feedback spoken by an individual patient substantially contemporaneous to the collection of at least one set of the device measures is received. The voice feedback is processed into normalized quality of life measures for storage into the patient care record. The physiological measures and the quality of life measures stored in the patient care record are analyzed relative to at least one of other physiological measures and other quality of life measures to determine a patient status indicator.

1 . Stored patient physiological and voice feedback data for use in automated patient care, comprising: 
 patient information to identify a patient under automated patient care and comprising at least one of treatment profile information and medical history;    a physiological measures set comprising a set of collected device measures providing quantitative physiological data regularly recorded by a medical device and formed by analyzing the collected device measures set through derived measure determination and statistical value calculation into indicators of patient wellness; and    a quality of life measures set providing voice feedback spoken by the patient substantially contemporaneous to the collection of the collected device measures processed into normalized quality of life measures for inclusion with the indicators of patient wellness.    
     
     
         2 . Stored patient physiological and voice feedback data according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the physiological measures set and the quality of life measures set is respectively compared to at least one of a physiological measures set and a quality of life measures set stored for the patient, a patient peer group, and a patient population.  
     
     
         3 . Stored patient physiological and voice feedback data according to  claim 1 , wherein the spoken voice feedback is requested through pre-determined prompts, each such prompt being associated with a quality of life measure and parsing the spoken voice feedback in accordance with a voice grammar and speech vocabulary.  
     
     
         4 . Stored patient physiological and voice feedback data according to  claim 1 , wherein the patient identifying information, the physiological measures set, and the quality of life measures set are organized as a structured record.  
     
     
         5 . Stored patient physiological and voice feedback data according to  claim 4 , wherein the structured record is maintained in a database.  
     
     
         6 . A medical device providing patient physiological and voice feedback data for use in automated patient care, comprising: 
 one or more signal monitors to regularly sense physiological data of a patient under automated patient care as telemetered signals;    a memory store to store the telemetered signals sensed by the signal sensors for a short term; and    an interface to provide external access to the stored telemetered signals, wherein the stored telemetered signals are periodically retrieved and analyzed through derived measure determination and statistical value calculation into indicators of patient wellness and voice feedback spoken by the patient substantially contemporaneous to the collection of the stored telemetered signals is processed into normalized quality of life measures for inclusion with the indicators of patient wellness.    
     
     
         7 . A medical device according to  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the stored telemetered signals and the quality of life measures set is respectively compared to at least one of telemetered signals and a quality of life measures set stored for the patient, a patient peer group, and a patient population.  
     
     
         8 . A medical device according to  claim 6 , wherein the spoken voice feedback is requested through pre-determined prompts, each such prompt being associated with a quality of life measure and parsing the spoken voice feedback in accordance with a voice grammar and speech vocabulary.  
     
     
         9 . A medical device according to  claim 6 , wherein the medical device comprises at least one of a pacemaker, cardioverter defibrillator and event monitor.  
     
     
         10 . A structured record storing patient physiological and voice feedback data for use in automated patient care, comprising: 
 structured data for a patient under automated patient care, comprising at least one of: 
 physiological measures at least one of directly recorded by a medical device and derived from the directly recorded physiological measures; and  
 voice feedback spoken by the patient substantially contemporaneous to the collection of the physiological measures,  
   wherein the structured data is collected with the physiological measures being analyzed through derived measure determination and statistical value calculation into indicators of patient wellness and the voice feedback being processed into normalized quality of life measures for inclusion with the indicators of patient wellness.    
     
     
         11 . A structured record according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the physiological measures set and the quality of life measures set is respectively compared to at least one of a physiological measures set and a quality of life measures set stored for the patient, a patient peer group, and a patient population.  
     
     
         12 . A structured record according to  claim 10 , wherein the voice feedback is requested through pre-determined prompts, each such prompt being associated with a quality of life measure and parsing the spoken voice feedback in accordance with a voice grammar and speech vocabulary.  
     
     
         13 . A process for forming patient physiological and voice feedback data for use in automated patient care, comprising: 
 collecting device measures for a patient under automated patient care and voice feedback spoken by a patient substantially contemporaneous to the collection of the collected device measures,    assembling the collected device measures into at least one of raw and derived physiological measures;    analyzing the raw and physiological measures through derived measure determination and statistical value calculation;    processing the collected voice feedback into normalized quality of life measures; and    forming an indicator of patient wellness from the analyzed raw and derived physiological measures and the normalized quality of life measures.    
     
     
         14 . A process according to  claim 13 , wherein at least one of the analyzed raw and derived physiological measures and the normalized quality of life measures is respectively compared to at least one of analyzed raw and derived physiological measures and normalized quality of life measures stored for the patient, a patient peer group, and a patient population.  
     
     
         15 . A process according to  claim 13 , wherein the spoken voice feedback is requested through pre-determined prompts, each such prompt being associated with a quality of life measure and parsing the spoken voice feedback in accordance with a voice grammar and speech vocabulary.  
     
     
         16 . A computer-readable storage medium holding code for performing the process according to  claim 13.