Systems and methods for automated healthcare services

Abstract

Healthcare services can be automated utilizing a system that recognizes at least one characteristic of a patient based on images of the patient acquired by an image capturing device. Relying on information extracted from these images, the system may automate multiple aspects of a medical procedure such as patient identification and verification, positioning, diagnosis and/or treatment planning using artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques. By automating these operations, healthcare services can be provided remotely and/or with minimum physical contact between the patient and a medical professional.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for providing automated healthcare services, comprising:
 at least one image capturing device configured to capture one or more images of a patient; and   a control unit configured to:
 receive the one or more images of the patient generated by the at least one image capturing device; 
 analyze the one or more images to identify at least one characteristic of the patient; 
 complete, automatically, one or more aspects of a medical procedure for the patient in accordance with the at least one characteristic of the patient, wherein the one or more aspects of the medical procedure that are automatically completed include remotely controlling a medical device associated with the medical procedure or remotely providing instructions regarding the medical procedure to the patient; and 
 provide feedback regarding the patient or the medical procedure to a receiving device isolated from the patient. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one image capturing device comprises a digital camera or a thermal sensor, and the one or more images of the patient comprise a photo of the patient taken by the digital camera or a thermal image of the patient generated by the thermal sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein remotely controlling the medical device comprises transmitting a control signal to the medical device for adjusting an operating parameter of the medical device. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the operating parameter of the medical scanner relates to at least one of a scan location, a scan direction or a scan range. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions remotely provided to the patient comprise instructions for positioning the patient for the medical procedure. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine a spatial relationship between the at least one image capturing device and the medical device associated with the medical procedure, the control unit further configured to complete the one or more aspects of the medical procedure based on the spatial relationship. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one image capturing device is associated with a first coordinate system, the medical device is associated with a second coordinate system, and the control unit being configured to determine the spatial relationship between the at least one image capturing device and the medical device associated with the medical procedure comprises the control unit being configured to convert coordinates in the first coordinate system to coordinates in the second coordinate system. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine a parameter associated with the medical procedure based on the spatial relationship between the at least one image capturing device and the medical device, the control unit further configured to overlay the one or more images of the patient with an indication of the parameter and cause a representation of the overlaid one or more images to be displayed on the receiving device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more aspects of the medical procedure are automatically completed for the patient without requiring a medical professional to make physical contract with the patient. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving device is located in a separate room from the patient. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to:
 extract, from the one or more images of the patient, positional information of the patient relating to the medical procedure; and   determine whether the patient is in a ready position for the medical procedure based on the positional information extracted from the one or more images.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to acquire the one or more images of the patient over a period of time, determine a position of the patient in each of the one or more images, and determine whether the patient is in the ready position by comparing the position of the patient in each of the one or more images. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the instructions remotely provided to the patient include position adjustment instructions to the patient in response to determining that the patient is not in the ready position for the medical procedure. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine, based on the one or more images captured by the at least one image capturing device, whether the patient has followed the adjustment instructions. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to determine, based on the one or more images of the patient, an identity of the patient. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the control unit is further configured to retrieve medical information of the patient based on the identity of the patient. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to use a neural network to identify the at least one characteristic of the patient from the one or more images of the patient. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the patient includes at least one of a height of the patient or a body shape of the patient. 
     
     
         19 . A device for providing automated healthcare services, comprising:
 at least one processor configured to:   receive one or more images of a patient generated by an image capturing device;   analyze the one or more images to identify at least one characteristic of the patient;   complete, automatically, one or more aspects of a medical procedure for the patient in accordance with the at least one characteristic of the patient, wherein the one or more aspects of the medical procedure that are automatically completed include remotely controlling a medical device associated with the medical procedure or remotely providing instructions regarding the medical procedure to the patient; and   provide feedback regarding the patient or the medical procedure to a receiving device isolated from the patient.   
     
     
         20 . A method for providing automated healthcare services, the method comprising:
 receiving one or more images of a patient generated by an image capturing device;   analyzing the one or more images to identify at least one characteristic of the patient;   completing, automatically, one or more aspects of a medical procedure for the patient in accordance with the at least one characteristic of the patient, wherein the one or more aspects of the medical procedure that are automatically completed for the patient include remotely controlling a medical device associated with the medical procedure or remotely providing instructions regarding the medical procedure to the patient; and   providing feedback regarding the patient or the medical procedure to a receiving device isolated from the patient.