Optimizing behavioral change based on a population statistical profile

Abstract

A system for directing behavior of a first patient of a plurality of patients towards a behavioral objective includes a patient behavioral path calculator, a patient goal calculator, and a patient monitoring processor. The system also includes an information communication processor and a statistical processor. The patient behavioral path calculator calculates a patient behavioral path based on a statistical profile. The patient goal calculator calculates patient goals along the patient behavioral path toward a behavioral objective. The statistical processor can modify the statistical profile based on a response to a targeted message sent by the information communication processor.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for directing behavior of a first patient of a plurality of patients towards a behavioral objective, the method comprising:
 calculating, with a patient behavioral path calculator, a first behavioral path to the behavioral objective for the first patient based on an initial state of the first patient and a statistical profile of the plurality of patients;   selecting, with a patient monitoring processor, a type of targeted message, wherein the type of targeted message includes a positive reinforcement targeted message or a negative reinforcement targeted message;   generating, with the patient monitoring processor, a first targeted message based on the calculated behavioral path and the selected type of targeted message;   sending, with an information communication processor, the first targeted message to motivate the first patient to achieve the behavioral objective and elicit a first response representative of a result thereof;   modifying, with the statistical processor, the statistical profile based on the first response;   re-calculating, with the patient behavioral path calculator, the first behavioral path to the behavioral objective for the first patient based on the modified statistical profile of the plurality of patients;   re-selecting, with the patient monitoring processor, the selected type of targeted message based on the first response representative of the result thereof; and   generating, with the patient monitoring processor, a second targeted message based on the re-calculated first behavioral path and the re-selected type of targeted message.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating, with the statistical processor, the statistical profile of the plurality of patients, the statistical profile being operative, for an input of the first patient, to produce the most likely output from among a modeled patient-population, based on a comparison of the input of the first patient with the modeled patient-population, to allow the system to determine types of behavior modification treatments that are successful in achieving a particular behavioral goal based at least in part on a statistical distribution indicating a likelihood of a predicted outcome; and   modifying, with the statistical processor, the statistical profile based on the first response, the modified statistical profile being further operative, for the first response, to produce the most likely output from among the modeled patient-population, updated based on the first response, to allow the system to predetermine the types of behavior modification treatments that are successful in achieving a particular behavioral goal based at least in part on a statistical distribution indicating a likelihood of the predicted outcome.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 establishing a first session with the first patient, wherein the sending of the first targeted message comprises sending the first targeted message to the first patient during the first session;   establishing a second session with the first patient;   sending, with the information communication processor, the second targeted message to the first patient during the second session to motivate the first patient to achieve the behavioral objective and elicit a second response from the first patient representative of a result thereof; and   modifying, with the statistical processor, based on the second response, the modified statistical profile based on the second response.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining an upper fault limit and a lower fault limit based on the statistical profile of the plurality of patients, each of the upper fault limit and the lower fault limit comprising a variability estimate with respect to the first behavioral path. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 determining a relationship between the first response and the upper fault limit and the lower fault limit; and   triggering, based on the determination of the relationship, an intervention when the upper fault limit or the lower fault limit is crossed.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising defining a first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals along the calculated first behavioral path for achieving the behavioral objective. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising re-defining a previously defined first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals using the re-calculated first behavioral path for achieving the behavioral objective, where the previously defined first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals were previously based on the calculated first behavioral path. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating a second behavioral path to the behavioral objective for a second patient of the plurality of patients based on an initial state of the second patient and the modified statistical profile of the plurality of patients;   determining a third targeted message based on the second behavioral path;   sending the third targeted message to motivate the second patient to achieve the behavioral objective of the second behavioral path and elicit a second response representative of a result thereof; and   modifying, based on the second response, the modified statistical profile.   
     
     
         9 . A system for directing behavior of a first patient of a plurality of patients towards a behavioral objective, the system comprising:
 a patient behavioral path calculator operative to calculate a first behavioral path to the behavioral objective for the first patient based on an initial state of the first patient and a statistical profile of the plurality of patients.   a patient monitoring processor coupled with the patient behavioral calculator operative to select a type of targeted message, wherein the type of targeted message includes a positive reinforcement targeted message or a negative reinforcement targeted message, wherein the patient monitoring processor is further operative to generate a first targeted message based on the calculated first behavioral path and the selected type of targeted message;   an information communication processor coupled with the patient monitoring processor operative to send the first targeted message to motivate the first patient to achieve the behavioral objective and to receive a first response representative of a result thereof; and   a statistical processor coupled with the information communication processor operative to modify the statistical profile based on the first response from the first patient,   wherein the patient behavioral path calculator further operative to recalculate the first behavioral path to the behavioral objective for the first patient based on the modified statistical profile of the plurality of patients,   wherein the patient monitoring processor is further operative to re-select the selected type of targeted message based on the first response and generate a second targeted message based on the recalculated first behavioral path and the re-selected type of targeted message.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising a patient goal calculator coupled with the patient behavioral path calculator and operative to calculate a first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals along the first behavioral path for achieving the behavioral objective. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the patient monitoring processor selects the first targeted message based on a first intermediate behavioral goal of the first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a patient goal analyzer coupled with the patient monitoring processor operative to determine whether the first intermediate behavioral goal has been achieved based on the first response. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a failure prevention mechanism coupled with the patient goal analyzer operative to intervene when the first patient fails to achieve the first intermediate behavioral goal. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the patient goal calculator is further operative to recalculate a previously calculated first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals along the recalculated first behavioral path for achieving the behavioral objective, and
 wherein the previously calculated first plurality of intermediate behavioral goals were calculated based on the calculated first behavioral path.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the statistical processor is operative to further calculate the statistical profile of the plurality of patients based on provided statistical information. 
     
     
         16 . A system for directing behavior of a first patient of a plurality of patients towards a behavioral objective, the method comprising:
 means for calculating a first behavioral path to the behavioral objective for the first patient based on an initial state of the first patient and a statistical profile of the plurality of patients;   means for selecting a type of targeted message, wherein the type of targeted message includes a positive reinforcement targeted message or a negative reinforcement targeted message;   means for generating a first targeted message based on the calculated behavioral path and the selected type of targeted message;   means for sending the first targeted message to motivate the first patient to achieve the behavioral objective and elicit a first response representative of a result thereof; and   means for modifying the statistical profile based on the first response;   means for re-calculating the first behavioral path to the behavioral objective for the first patient based on the modified statistical profile of the plurality of patients;   means for re-selecting the selected type of targeted message based on the first response; and   means for generating a second targeted message based on the re-calculated first behavioral path and the re-selected type of targeted message.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising means for calculating the statistical profile of the plurality of patients, the statistical profile being operative, for an input of the first patient, to produce the most likely output from among a modeled patient-population, based on a comparison of the input of the first patient with the modeled patient-population, to allow the system to determine types of behavior modification treatments that are successful in achieving a particular behavioral goal based at least in part on a statistical distribution indicating a likelihood of a predicted outcome. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising means for determining an upper fault limit and a lower fault limit based on the statistical profile of the plurality of patients, each of the upper fault limit and the lower fault limit comprising a variability estimate with respect to the first behavioral path. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising means for determining a relationship between the first response and the upper fault limit and the lower fault limit. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , further comprising means for triggering, based on the determination of the relationship, an intervention when the upper fault limit or the lower fault limit is crossed.