Clinical management system for chronic illnesses using telecommunication

Abstract

Patients with chronic illnesses resist using conventional automated healthcare management systems to supply necessary clinical data because such systems feel impersonal, preferring to actually visit a clinic where the patient interacts with various healthcare practitioners. In this invention, the patient interacts with a clinical management system via a series of initial GUI screens that replicate the experience of actually visiting the clinic. Additional screens allow the patient to submit clinical information, to communicate with that patient's healthcare practitioner and other healthcare practitioners, to access management information that aids the patient in managing that patient's chronic illness, and to access educational information regarding that chronic illness. The clinical management system may be used to manage a plurality of different chronic illnesses while providing a consistent look and feel to the screens. At least one appearance characteristic can be altered to indicate the particular chronic illness to which a screen applies.

1 . A graphical healthcare management system usable by a user having at least one chronic illness to manage clinical information stored in a database about the at least one chronic illness, comprising:
 a first set of a plurality of graphical user interface screens, comprising:
 a first subset of at least one graphical user interface screen usable by the user to input or review clinical data obtained from the user usable to manage at least one of the user's at least one chronic illness, the clinical data being stored in the database, and 
 a second subset of at least one graphical user interface screen usable by the user to access management information usable to manage at least one of the user's at least one chronic illness, the management information derived from the clinical data obtained from the user and stored in the database; and 
   a second set of graphical user interface screens that graphically depict a clinic that the user would visit to manage, supply or review the management information and the clinical data for at least one of the at least one chronic illness, the second set of graphical user interface screens simulating an interaction of the user with the clinic, wherein the first set of graphical user interface screens are accessible through the second set of graphical user interface screens.   
     
     
         2 . The graphical healthcare management system of claim I, wherein each of the first set of graphical user interface screens comprises:
 a frame portion that includes a plurality of selectable icons; and   a central data area that is bracketed by the frame portion, wherein at least one of data and information that is displayed in the central data area is determined at least in part based on a selected one of the selectable icons of the frame portion.   
     
     
         3 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of selectable icons of the frame portion includes at least some of at least a messages icon, a clinical data icon, an educational information icon, a contacts icon, a logout icon, a sponsor icon, and a patient information icon. 
     
     
         4 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 3 , wherein: the second subset of at least one graphical user interface screens
 includes a messages screen; and the messages screen is accessed in response to the messages icon being selected.   
     
     
         5 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 4 , wherein the messages screen includes at least some of:
 an alerts portion that displays a first set of information derived from the clinical data to the user;   a messages portion that displays a second set of information derived from the clinical data to the user, and   a reminders' portion that displays reminder information regarding management of at least one of the user's at least one chronic illness.   
     
     
         6 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 5 , wherein the first set of information displayed in the alerts portion includes critical information regarding management of one of the user's at least one chronic illness that is derived from the clinical data stored in the database. 
     
     
         7 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 6 , wherein the critical information includes at least some of at least:
 information regarding missing critical data; and   information regarding clinical data parameters that have values outside of defined ranges for the user.   
     
     
         8 . The graphical healthcare management System of  claim 5 , further comprising at least one selectable icon embedded in the first set of information displayed in the alerts portion, each at least one selectable icon being associated with a portion of the first set of information, wherein, in response to one of the at least one embedded selectable icon being selected, additional information associated with the associated portion of the first set of information for that selected embedded selectable icon is displayed to the user. 
     
     
         9 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 8 , wherein the additional information is displayed in a further screen of the second subset of at least one graphical user interface screens, the further screen displayed in place of the messages screen and comprising the frame portion and the central data area, the additional information displayed in the central data area. 
     
     
         10 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 8 , wherein the additional information is displayed in a separate window displayed over the messages screen. 
     
     
         11 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 5 , wherein the second set of information displayed in the messages portion includes non-critical information regarding management of one of the user's at least one chronic illness that is derived from the clinical data stored in the database. 
     
     
         12 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 11 , wherein the non-critical information includes at least some of at least:
 information regarding values of clinical data parameters of clinical data supplied by the user;   information regarding values of clinical data parameters of other clinical data; and   indications of quality of management of the displayed clinical data parameters based on the displayed values.   
     
     
         13 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 5 , further comprising at least one selectable icon embedded in the second set of information displayed in the messages portion, each at least one selectable icon being associated with a portion of the second set of information, wherein, in response to one of the at least one embedded selectable icon being selected, additional information associated with the associated portion of the second set of information for that selected embedded selectable icon is displayed to the user. 
     
     
         14 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 13 , wherein the additional information is displayed in a further screen of the second subset of at least one graphical user interface screens, the further screen displayed in place of the messages screen and comprising the frame portion and the central data area, the additional information displayed in the central data area. 
     
     
         15 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 13 , wherein the additional information is displayed in a separate window displayed over the messages screen. 
     
     
         16 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 5 , wherein the reminder information displayed in the reminders portion includes at least some of at least upcoming office visit appointments, upcoming examination appointments. overdue office visit appointments and overdue examination appointments. 
     
     
         17 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 4 , wherein, in response to the messages icon being selected, the messages screen is displayed in place of a currently displayed graphical user interface screen of the first set of graphical user interface screens. 
     
     
         18 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 3 , wherein: the first subset of at least one graphical user interface screens includes at least one of at least:
 at least one user supplied clinical data display screen, a laboratory test clinical data display screen,
 a medications data display screen, 
 a blood pressure data display screen, 
 an exercise data display screen 
 a data summary screen, and 
 a messages list display screen; 
   each at least one graphical user interface screen of the first subset comprises:   a first toolbar comprising a plurality of selectable icons, each selectable icon associated with one of the graphical user interface screens of the first subset of at least one graphical user interface screen, and   a data display portion in which data stored in the database can be displayed to the user; and   a predetermined one of the at least one user supplied clinical data display screen, the laboratory test clinical data display screen, the medications data display screen, the blood pressure data display screen, the exercise data display screen, the data summary screen, and the messages list display screen is accessed in response to the clinical data icon being selected.   
     
     
         19 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one user supplied clinical data display screen displays in the data display portion clinical data supplied by the user and stored in the database, the user supplied clinical data obtained by the user using a user-operated medical device. 
     
     
         20 . The graphical healthcare management system of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one user supplied clinical data display screen includes at least one of at least: a tabular clinical data display screen;
 a linear graph clinical data display screen;   a histogram clinical data display screen;   a pie chart clinical data display screen; and   a multiple pie chart clinical data display screen:   wherein each at least one graphical user interface screen of the at least one user supplied clinical data display screen comprises a second toolbar comprising a plurality of selectable icons, each selectable icon associated with one of the at least one user supplied clinical data display screen.