Monitoring treatment compliance using patient activity patterns

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring compliance of a patient with a prescribed treatment regimen are described. Patient activity is detected unobtrusively with an activity sensor at the patient location, and activity data is transmitted to a monitoring location. Patient speech detected during use of a communication system such as a mobile telephone by the patient may also be used as an activity signal. Patient activity and/or speech is processed at the patient location or monitoring location to identify activity parameters or patterns that indicate whether the patient has complied with the prescribed treatment regimen. The activity sensor and other components at the patient location may be incorporated into, or associated with, a cell phone, computing system, game system, or vehicle system, for example. The system may provide a report to an interested party, for example a medical care provider or insurance company, regarding patient compliance with the prescribed treatment regimen.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 .- 299 . (canceled) 
     
     
         300 . A system comprising:
 an identification signal source configured for association with a subject and configured to generate an identity signal indicative of a presence and an identity of the subject;   a stand-alone microprocessor based device including
 detection means for detecting the identity signal in a vicinity of the stand-alone microprocessor based device; 
 subject identification circuitry configured to determine the presence and identity of the subject from the identity signal; 
 a microphone for sensing an audio signal indicative of at least one of speech or physical activity of the subject; 
 first signal processing circuitry configured to generate a data signal from the sensed audio signal; 
 a clock/timing device for tracking a time of day; and 
 a transmitting device for sending information to a computing system at a monitoring location, the information including time of day, presence or identity of the subject, and the data signal; 
   second signal processing circuitry configured to process the data signal to determine one or more subject parameters indicative of a mental state of the subject; and   notification circuitry for generating a message or alert for transmission to at least one of the subject, a medical care provider, a family member, or another interested party based at least in part upon the determined one or more subject parameters.   
     
     
         301 . A method of monitoring a subject, comprising:
 receiving, with a receiving device at a monitoring location, an audio data signal detected with a microphone in a stand-alone microprocessor based device at a subject location, the audio data signal containing data indicative of at least one of speech or physical activity of a subject;   receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, at least one additional activity data signal indicative of at least one additional activity of the subject;   receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, an identity signal indicative of identity of the subject and presence of the subject in the vicinity of the stand-alone microprocessor based device;   analyzing the audio data signal and the at least one activity data signal with activity analysis circuitry at the monitoring location to determine one or more activity patterns of the subject;   comparing the one or more activity patterns of the subject with one or more characteristic activity patterns; and   transmitting, with reporting circuitry at the monitoring location, at least one notification to a medical care provider, family member, or other interested party based at least in part on the comparison of the one or more activity patterns of the subject with the one or more characteristic activity patterns.   
     
     
         302 . A computer program product comprising:
 a non-transitory machine-readable data storage medium bearing
 one or more instructions for receiving, with a receiving device at a monitoring location, an audio data signal detected with a microphone in a stand-alone microprocessor based device at a subject location, the audio data signal containing data indicative of at least one of speech or physical activity of a subject; 
 one or more instructions for receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, at least one additional activity data signal indicative of at least one additional activity of the subject; 
 one or more instructions for receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, an identity signal indicative of identity of the subject and presence of the subject in the vicinity of the stand-alone microprocessor based device; 
 one or more instructions for analyzing the audio data signal and the at least one activity data signal with activity analysis circuitry at the monitoring location to determine one or more activity patterns of the subject; 
 one or more instructions for comparing the one or more activity patterns of the subject with one or more characteristic activity patterns; and 
 one or more instructions for transmitting, with reporting circuitry at the monitoring location, at least one notification to a medical care provider, family member, or other interested party based at least in part on the comparison of the one or more activity patterns of the subject with the one or more characteristic activity patterns. 
   
     
     
         303 . The system of  claim 300 , wherein the identification signal source includes at least one of an RFID device, a cell phone, an imaging device, or a biometric sensor. 
     
     
         304 . The system of  claim 300 , wherein the subject identification circuitry is configured to determine the presence and identity of the subject by at least one of facial recognition, gait recognition, fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, authentication factor recognition, detection of a security token, device identification, cell phone identification, or RFID identification. 
     
     
         305 . The system of  claim 300 , wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to process the data signal to determine one or more subject parameters indicative of a mental state of the subject. 
     
     
         306 . The system of  claim 305 , wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to perform at least one of thresholding, windowing, or distance computation of one or more subject parameters relative to one or more characteristic threshold or range values for the one or more subject parameters. 
     
     
         307 . The system of  claim 305 , wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to process the data signal to determine one more speech parameters. 
     
     
         308 . The system of  claim 307 , wherein the one or more speech parameters include one or more of speech volume, frequency of word production, frequency of pauses, frequency of negative value words, frequency of word production, frequency of pauses, frequency of disfluencies, or type:token ratio. 
     
     
         309 . The system of  claim 305 , wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to process the data signal to determine one more physical activity parameters. 
     
     
         310 . The system of  claim 309 , wherein the one more physical activity parameters include one or more of activity performance rate, activity performance time, activity performance frequency, activity performance variability, amplitude of activity, or intensity of the activity. 
     
     
         311 . The system of  claim 300 , wherein the notification circuitry is configured to generate an email notification, generate a notification to be transmitted to a wireless device, store a notification in a data storage device, or generate an audio notification. 
     
     
         312 . The system of  claim 300 , wherein the transmitting device is configured for at least one of transmitting a wireless signal or transmitting a signal via a computing network. 
     
     
         313 . The system of  claim 300 , wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to receive an additional activity data signal from an additional activity sensor, and wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to determine the one or more subject parameters indicative of the mental state of the subject based at least in part on the additional activity signal. 
     
     
         314 . The system of  claim 313 , wherein the second signal processing circuitry is configured to receive the additional activity data signal from an additional activity sensor in a household appliance, an entertainment device or system, game device or system, a vehicle system, medical equipment, a door lock, a personal item, a personal grooming article, a tool or implement, a key, a key fob, a wearable item, a wristwatch, an item of jewelry, eyeglasses, an article of clothing, footwear, a hat, a helmet, a head covering, a hairband, a wallet or a purse. 
     
     
         315 . The method of  claim 301 , wherein receiving at least one additional activity data signal includes receiving an activity data signal from at least one of an audio signal sensor, a biometric sensor, an RFID sensor, an imaging device, a motion capture device, an input device, a keyboard, a pointing device, a touchscreen, a remote controller for an entertainment device or system, a game controller, a user-activated sensor, a wearable sensor, an environmental sensor, an optical sensor, a sensor attached to an item which the patient uses or interacts with, a pressure sensor, a force sensor, a capacitive sensor, a motion sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a physiological sensor. 
     
     
         316 . The method of  claim 301 , wherein receiving the identity signal indicative of identity of the subject and presence of the subject in the vicinity of the stand-alone microprocessor based device includes at least one of receiving at least one of an RFID signal, an image signal, an audio signal, a biometric signal or an activity signal. 
     
     
         317 . The method of  claim 301 , wherein analyzing the audio data signal and the at least one activity data signal with activity analysis circuitry at the monitoring location to determine one or more activity patterns of the subject includes determining one more speech parameters. 
     
     
         318 . The method of  claim 317 , wherein determining the one or more speech parameters includes determining one or more of speech volume, frequency of word production, frequency of pauses, frequency of negative value words, frequency of word production, frequency of pauses, frequency of disfluencies, or type:token ratio. 
     
     
         319 . The method of  claim 301 , wherein analyzing the audio data signal and the at least one activity data signal with activity analysis circuitry at the monitoring location to determine one or more activity patterns of the subject includes determining one more physical activity parameters. 
     
     
         320 . The method of  claim 319 , wherein determining one more physical activity parameters includes determining one or more of activity performance rate, activity performance time, activity performance frequency, activity performance variability, amplitude of activity, or intensity of an activity. 
     
     
         321 . The method of  claim 301 , wherein comparing the one or more activity patterns of the subject with one or more characteristic activity patterns includes performing at least one of a thresholding, windowing, or distance computation of one or more subject parameters relative to one or more characteristic threshold or range values for the one or more subject parameters. 
     
     
         322 . The method of  claim 301 , wherein the audio data signal is indicative of at least one of coherent speech, incoherent speech, singing, shouting, whispering, crying, chanting, a verbal vocalization, or a non-verbal vocalization. 
     
     
         323 . The method of  claim 301 , including receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, an activity signal indicative of proximity of an animal or pet. 
     
     
         324 . The method of  claim 301 , including receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, an activity signal indicative of proximity of an individual other than the subject. 
     
     
         325 . The method of  claim 301 , including determining compliance of the subject with a prescribed treatment regimen. based at least in part on the comparison of the one or more activity patterns of the subject with the one or more characteristic activity patterns. 
     
     
         326 . The method of  claim 301 , including receiving, with the receiving device at the monitoring location, information regarding a prescribed treatment regimen. 
     
     
         327 . The method of  claim 326 , wherein the information regarding the prescribed treatment regimen includes information regarding one or more of therapeutic treatments, medications, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, therapeutic activities, diet, sleep, exercise, or counseling.