U.S. patent application number 11/734776 was filed with the patent office on 2007-10-25 for system and method of aggregating and disseminating in-case-of-emergency medical and personal information.
This patent application is currently assigned to VITAL DATA TECHNOLOGY, LLC. Invention is credited to Robert Matthew D'Ambrosia, Edward A. Sicard, Frank Zanka.
Application Number | 20070250348 11/734776 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37836456 |
Filed Date | 2007-10-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070250348 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
D'Ambrosia; Robert Matthew ;
et al. |
October 25, 2007 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD OF AGGREGATING AND DISSEMINATING
IN-CASE-OF-EMERGENCY MEDICAL AND PERSONAL INFORMATION
Abstract
A system for aggregating and disseminating in-case-of-emergency
(ICE) medical information to medical units. The system includes an
ICE medical record server that stores medical records of respective
subscribers, and automatically receive updates from health service
entities visited by subscribers. When contacted by emergency
dispatchers or first responders, the server sends subscribers
medical information to first responders, emergency management
agencies directly, via a dispatcher, or via a computer aided
dispatch (CAD) system. The medical information may be arranged,
emphasized, and/or filtered in a manner relevant to the on-going
emergency. A communication device may wirelessly receive the
medical information and pre-populate a pre-hospital care form with
the information, which may be further orally annotated by the first
responder. The completed PCR may then be sent to a PCR server for
subsequent access by medical units that subsequently treat the
subscriber. The medical server may further assist a public health
agency to disseminate emergency information to selected
subscribers, responders, and public health alerting systems. An ICE
personal server for storing important personal documents is also
disclosed. A PCR server is also disclosed that can disseminate
aggregate PCR information in near real-time to an emergency
management agency (EMA) system for developing incident response
plans during a wide area emergency.
Inventors: |
D'Ambrosia; Robert Matthew;
(Corona Del Mar, CA) ; Zanka; Frank; (Irvine,
CA) ; Sicard; Edward A.; (Newport Beach, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ORION LAW GROUP
3 HUTTON CENTRE, SUITE 850
SANTA ANA
CA
92707
US
|
Assignee: |
VITAL DATA TECHNOLOGY, LLC
Irvine
CA
|
Family ID: |
37836456 |
Appl. No.: |
11/734776 |
Filed: |
April 12, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11223653 |
Sep 8, 2005 |
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11734776 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G16H 10/60 20180101;
G16H 40/67 20180101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/3 |
International
Class: |
G06F 19/00 20060101
G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. A medical record server adapted to: create a medical record data
object including medical information of a subscriber; receive one
or more updates to said medical information from an electronic
medical record (EMR) server of a health service entity that
provided service to said subscriber; modify said medical record
data object to incorporate said one or more updates to said medical
information; receive a request for said updated medical information
from a communication device of a first responder; and send said
updated medical information to said communication device of said
first responder.
2. The medical record server of claim 1, wherein said health
service entity includes a physician practice visited by said
subscriber.
3. The medical record server of claim 1, wherein said health
service entity includes a pharmacy visited by said subscriber.
4. The medical record server of claim 1, wherein said health
service entity includes a hospital visited by said subscriber.
5. The medical record server of claim 1, wherein said one or more
updates to said medical information is received by way of a wide
area network.
6. The medical record server of claim 1, wherein said one or more
updates are received on a periodic basis.
7. The medical record server of claim 1, wherein said one or more
updates are received in response to said subscriber visiting said
health service entity.
8. The medical record server of claim 1, further adapted to send a
request for said one or more updates to said electronic medical
record (EMR) server of said health service entity.
9. A medical record server adapted to: create a medical record data
object including medical information of a subscriber; receive a
request for said medical information from a communication device of
a first responder, wherein said request includes information
related to an on-going emergency experienced by said subscriber;
access said medical information from said medical record data
object in response to said request; arrange, emphasize, and/or
filter said medical information in accordance with said information
related to said on-going emergency; and send said arranged,
emphasized, and/or filtered medical information to said
communication device of said first responder.
10. The medical record server of claim 9, wherein said request
includes an identifier associated with said medical record data
object.
11. The medical record server of claim 10, further adapted to use
said identifier to access said medical information from said
medical record data object.
12. The medical record server of claim 9, wherein said request for
said medical information is received from said communication device
of said first responder by way of a wide area network.
13. The medical record server of claim 9, wherein said arranged,
emphasized, and/or filtered medical information is sent to said
communication device of said first responder by way of said wide
area network.
14. A medical record server adapted to: create a medical record
data object including medical information of a subscriber; receive
a request for said medical information from a communication device
of an emergency dispatcher; access said medical information from
said medical record data object in response to said request; and
send said medical information to said communication device of said
emergency dispatcher.
15. The medical record server of claim 14, wherein said request
includes an identifier associated with said medical record data
object.
16. The medical record server of claim 14, wherein said request for
said medical information is received from said communication device
of said emergency dispatcher by way of a wide area network.
17. The medical record server of claim 14, wherein said medical
information is sent to said communication device of said emergency
dispatcher by way of said wide area network.
18. A medical record server adapted to: create a medical record
data object including medical information of a subscriber; receive
a request for said medical information from a communication device
of an emergency dispatcher, wherein said request includes
information identifying a first responder; access said medical
information from said medical record data object in response to
said request; and send said medical information to a communication
device of said first responder using said information identifying
said first responder.
19. The medical record server of claim 18, wherein said request
further includes information related to an on-going emergency
experienced by said subscriber, and further adapted to send said
information related to said on-going emergency to said
communication device of said first responder.
20. A communication system for use by a first responder,
comprising: a mobile communication unit for wireless communicating
with a pre-hospital care (PCR) server and a medical record server;
and a portable communication unit for wirelessly communicating with
said mobile communication unit.
21. The communication system of claim 20, wherein said mobile
communication unit is adapted to communicate with said pre-hospital
care (PCR) server via a long-distance wireless protocol.
22. The communication system of claim 21, wherein said
long-distance wireless protocol includes a WiFi mesh protocol.
23. The communication system of claim 20, wherein said portable
communication unit is adapted to communicate with said mobile
communication unit via a short-distance wireless protocol.
24. The communication system of claim 23, wherein said
short-distance wireless protocol includes a Bluetooth protocol.
25. The communication system of claim 20, wherein said portable
communication unit comprises a voice capturing module to generate
an audio file from speech received from said first responder.
26. The communication system of claim 25, wherein said portable
communication unit comprises a speech recognition module to
recognize predefined voice commands pertaining to PCR fields from
said audio file.
27. The communication system of claim 26, wherein said portable
communication unit comprises a pre-hospital care (PCR) form module
adapted to: receive medical information of a subscriber from said
medical record server by way of said mobile communication unit;
pre-populate a pre-hospital care (PCR) form with at least some of
said medical information of said subscriber; and add at least some
of said text to said PCR form to generate a filled PCR form.
28. The communication system of claim 27, wherein said portable
communication unit is further adapted to wirelessly transmit said
filled PCR form to said mobile communication unit, and wherein said
mobile communication unit is further adapted to wirelessly transmit
said filled PCR form to said pre-hospital care (PCR) server.
29. The communication system of claim 26, wherein said mobile
communication unit comprises a pre-hospital care (PCR) form module
adapted to: receive medical information of a subscriber from said
medical record server; pre-populate a pre-hospital care (PCR) form
with at least some of said medical information of said subscriber;
receive said text from said portable communication unit; add at
least some of said text to said PCR form to generate a filled PCR
form; and wirelessly transmit said filled PCR form to said
pre-hospital care (PCR) server.
30. The communication system of claim 20, wherein said mobile
communication unit comprises a speech recognition module to
recognize predefined voice commands pertaining to PCR fields from
said audio file received from said portable communication
device.
31. The communication system of claim 20, wherein said mobile
communication unit is further adapted to: receive said audio file
from said portable communication unit; and wirelessly transmit said
audio file to said pre-hospital care (PCR) server.
32. A pre-hospital care (PCR) server adapted to: receive medical
information of a subscriber from a communication device of a first
responder; receive an audio file from said communication device of
said first responder; convert speech in said audio file into text;
and generate a pre-hospital care (PCR) record including said
medical information and said text.
33. A medical record server adapted to: create a database including
a plurality of medical record data object containing medical
information of respective subscribers; receive a request to
disseminate an emergency message based on a selection criteria;
receive a request to disseminate aggregated emergency data based on
a selection criteria; search said database to determine subscribers
that meet said selection criteria; and send said aggregated
emergency data to a selected entity.
34. The medical record server of claim 33, further adapted to:
create a database of first responders; search said database to
determine first responders that meet said selection criteria; and
send said emergency message to said selected first responders.
35. The medical record server of claim 33, wherein said selection
criteria relates to a particular geographical area.
36. The medical record server of claim 33, wherein said selection
criteria relates to a medical or environmental condition.
37. A personal record server adapted to: send a prompt to a
communication device of a subscriber for one or more specific
personal documents; receive said one or more specific personal
documents from said communication device of said subscriber; and
create a personal record data object containing said one or more
specific personal documents.
38. The personal record server of claim 37, further adapted to:
receive a request for said one or more specific personal documents
from a communication device of a requesting party; and send said
one or more specific personal documents to said communication
device of said requesting party.
39. The personal record server of claim 37, wherein said one or
more specific personal documents are respectively one or more legal
documents.
40. The personal record server of claim 37, wherein said one or
more specific personal documents are respectively one or more
mortgage documents.
41. The personal record server of claim 37, wherein said one or
more specific personal documents are respectively one or more
medical record documents.
42. The personal record server of claim 37, wherein said one or
more specific personal documents are respectively one or more
insurance documents.
43. The personal record server of claim 37, further adapted to:
receive information-to-be-distributed and meta tag information from
a third party; select subscribers based on the meta tag
information; and send the information-to-be-distributed to the
selected subscribers.
44. A medical record server adapted to: create a medical record
data object including medical information of a subscriber; receive
a request for said medical information from a computer aided
dispatch (CAD) server; access said medical information from said
medical record data object in response to said request; and send
said medical information to the CAD server.
45. A pre-hospital care record (PCR) server adapted to: receive a
plurality of PCRs from communication devices of first responders;
aggregate the information from the PCRs; and send the aggregated
PCR information to an emergency management agency (EMA) server.
46. An ICE medical record server adapted to: receive a request for
aggregated subscriber medical record information from an EMA
server; access said subscriber medical record information from said
ICE medical record server in response to said request; and send
said subscriber medical information to the EMA server.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) and claims
the benefit of the filing date of U.S. application, Ser. No.
11/223,653, filed on Sep. 8, 2005, and entitled "System and Method
for Aggregating and Providing Subscriber Medical Tnformation to
Medical Units".
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to information management
systems, and in particular, to a system and method for aggregating
and disseminating in-case-of-emergency (ICE) subscriber medical and
personal information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] When a person is in need of medical assistance, a first
responding medical unit (typically referred to as a "first
responder") is dispatched to assist the person with the emergency.
First responders are typically mobile medical units, such as
paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTS). First
responders may also be government emergency medical units, such as
those under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In an
emergency situation, first responders are tasked to provide
preliminary diagnosis and treatment in order to stabilize patients
for subsequent transportation to hospitals, urgent care centers, or
other permanent medical facilities (termed herein as "second
responders").
[0004] In responding to an emergency, a first responder typically
attempts to obtain as much medical information about the patient in
order to assist it in diagnosing and treating the patient. Such
medical information sought typically includes the patient's
demographic information, in-case-of emergency contact information,
health insurance information, current medications, allergic
reactions, pre-existing conditions, primary care information, and
medical history information.
[0005] However, in many emergency medical situations, a patient is
unconscious and unable to provide such medical information to a
first responder. Even if such patient is conscious, the patient may
not be able to provide accurate information because of his/her
emotional and medical state. Another problem with relying on the
patient for medical information is the patient's faulty
recollection. For example, many patients have a difficult time
recalling names and dosage of prescription drugs they are currently
taking or the names of medical procedures they have received in the
past. In any event, the medical unit has to manually enter all that
information into a pre-hospital care record (PCR) form. Further,
when the patient is subsequently transported to a second responder,
a new medical form for the patient may need to be created.
[0006] When responding to a medical emergency, time may be of the
essence. With this in mind, first responders generally have a
better chance of being prepared for the emergency if they know the
condition of the patient as well as his medical history while en
route to the scene. Typically, emergency dispatchers inform first
responders of the nature of the medical emergency and basic
information about the patient, but first responders must wait until
they arrive at the scene to learn the patient's medical history. If
first responders knew the emergency condition and the medical
history of the patient, they may be able to transmit this
information together with the facts gathered at the scene to the
hospital emergency department prior to patient arrival saving
valuable minutes. Generally, a well formed plan is more effective
than spur of the moment decision making, potentially saving lives
by avoiding mistakes.
[0007] When first responders arrive on the scene, they may in times
leave their vehicles and travel long distances to the patient. The
patient may be in an upstairs apartment, on a hiking trail, or in
other remote locations not accessible by vehicle. While roaming
away from their vehicles, first responders may need to be able to
communicate with remote entities to obtain patients medical history
information and transmit at least a partially completed PCR. In
addition, first responders may desire to input information into a
PCR using speech recognition technologies instead of text. Using
voice commands may free up at least one of their hands, which may
be useful in properly assisting a patient.
[0008] With regard to receiving patient's medical history
information, first responders may want to receive only particular
information that is relevant to the undergoing emergency of the
patient. For example, a first responder attending to a patient
suffering a heart attack may not want medical history information
regarding a prior treatment for a broken leg. Instead, the first
responder would desire medical history information related to the
patient's heart, lungs and other affected organs. This would better
assist the first responder in determining the information most
relevant to the condition of the patient.
[0009] In addition to emergency medical services (EMS) systems
providing medical information to hospital emergency medical
personnel, in certain situations, there may be a need to provide
mass casualty information to public health officials. Currently,
there is no automated method to transmit real-time patient outcome
information in aggregated format to public health and emergency
management officials. The result is a lack of information
preventing emergency response planning and incident resource
planning. Also, dissemination of emergency information by public
health officials typically occurs over television or radio
broadcast. The problem with a broadcast is that a specific medical
condition audience cannot be targeted. The result is a general
public emergency message which may or may not be relevant to people
with certain medical conditions in certain geographic
locations.
[0010] There may be a further need to communicate
in-case-of-emergency (ICE) personal information, such as legal
information, to certain people during a time of crisis. For
example, hurricanes and other large scale natural disasters may
cause widespread damage requiring evacuation. During a mass
evacuation, the collection of legal and other important documents
may not be feasible. Many people opt to place such documents in
safety deposit boxes, but as Hurricane Katrina showed, even such
measure may not be adequate. Even if the bank is not submerged,
access to documents may take a long time until the area is declared
safe. Dispossessed families may need access to important documents
shortly after arriving at a safe haven. Additionally, other
information, such as family member locations and contact
information may need to be preserved for communication of such
important documents and relevant information in times of
emergency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] An aspect of the invention relates to a communication system
(e.g., such as a web-based communication network) that provides
essentially "real-time" medical record information of a subscriber
to a medical unit in order to assist the medical unit with
diagnosis and treatment of the subscriber during an on-going
medical emergency. In particular, the communication system
comprises three servers, (hereafter referred to as) an
in-case-of-emergency (ICE) medical record server, an ICE personal
record server, and a Pre-Hospital Care (PCR) server. The three
servers are coupled to user communication devices via a wide are
network. The ICE medical record server contains a plurality of data
objects pertaining to subscribers' medical records. The ICE
personal record server contains a plurality of data objects
pertaining to subscribers' personal records. The PCR server
contains a plurality of data objects pertaining to PCRs of
documented emergencies.
[0012] Another aspect of the invention relates to an ICE medical
record server adapted to automatically receive updates to
subscribers' medical records from electronic medical records (EMR)
servers of health service entities, such as physician practices,
pharmacies, and hospitals. In particular, the ICE medical record
server is adapted to create a medical record data object including
medical information of a subscriber; receive updates to the medical
information from an EMR server of a health service entity visited
by the subscriber; modify the medical record data object to
incorporate the updates to the medical information; receive a
request for the updated medical information from a communication
device of a first responder; and send the updated medical
information to the communication device of the first responder.
[0013] Another aspect of the invention relates to an ICE medical
record server suitable for arranging, emphasizing, and/or filtering
medical information requested by first responders based on the
nature of the emergencies. In particular, the ICE medical record
server is adapted to create a medical record data object including
medical information of a subscriber; receive a request for the
medical information from a communication device of a first
responder, wherein the request includes information related to an
on-going emergency experienced by the subscriber; access the
medical information from the medical record data object in response
to the request; arrange, emphasize, and/or filter the medical
information in accordance with the information related to the
on-going emergency; and send the arranged, emphasized, and/or
filtered medical information to the communication device of the
first responder.
[0014] Another aspect of the invention relates to an ICE medical
record server that may send requested medical record information in
response to a request from an emergency dispatcher. In one
embodiment, the medical record server is adapted to create a
medical record data object including medical information of a
subscriber; receive a request for the medical information from a
communication device of an emergency dispatcher; access the medical
information from the medical record data object in response to the
request; and send the medical information to the communication
device of the emergency dispatcher.
[0015] In another embodiment, the medical record server is adapted
to create a medical record data object including medical
information of a subscriber; receive a request for the medical
information from a communication device of an emergency dispatcher,
wherein the request includes information identifying a first
responder and annotations related to the on-going emergency
affecting the subscriber; access the medical information from the
medical record data object in response to the request; and send the
medical information including the annotations to a communication
device of the first responder using the first responder identity
information.
[0016] In yet another embodiment, the emergency dispatcher enters
the patient's ICE identifier and information related to the
on-going emergency to a computer aided dispatch (CAD) server. Using
the patient's ICE number, the CAD server sends the ICE identifier
along with a request for the patient's medical record information
to the ICE medical record server. In response to the request, the
ICE medical record server accesses the patient's record and sends
the corresponding medical information to the CAD server. The CAD
server then broadcasts, or receives, a request for the, subscribers
information, CAD information, and on-going emergency information.
Then, in response to a request from a first responder, the CAD
server then sends the CAD information, subscriber medical record
and on-going emergency information to the first responder.
[0017] Another aspect of the invention relates to a communication
system for use by a first responder that allows the medical unit to
remain fairly mobile while capable of communicating with the ICE
medical record and PCR servers, and allows the medical unit to
annotate a PCR using voice commands. The communication system
comprises a mobile communication unit for wireless communication
with a pre-hospital care (PCR) server and an ICE medical record
server; and a portable communication unit for wirelessly
communicating with the mobile communication unit. The portable
communication unit may communicate with the mobile communication
unit via a short-range wireless protocol, such as Bluetooth. The
mobile communication unit may communicate with the servers via a
long-range wireless and redundant protocol, such as via a WiFi
mesh.
[0018] The portable communication unit may include a speech
capturing module for receiving speech from the first responder and
generating an audio file of the speech. The portable or mobile
communication unit may include a speech recognition module to
generate text from the speech in the audio file. The speech
recognition module may be adapted to recognize a limited set of
voice commands related to particular fields of a PCR form. The
portable or mobile communication unit may include a PCR module to
pre-populate a PCR form with medical information received from the
ICE medical record server and text based on the speech received
from the first responder. The speech recognition module may be
adapted to open and annotate specific fields in a PCR form upon
receiving specific voice commands. For example, the first responder
may say, "blood pressure". Upon recognizing the phrase "blood
pressure", the speech recognition module may prompt the first
responder for the measured blood pressure, receive the audio of the
first responder annunciating the blood pressure measurement, and
then annotate the PCR form with the information. The mobile
communication unit may send the completed PCR to the PCR server for
subsequent access by other medical units. Alternatively, instead of
the speech recognition module located in the portable or mobile
communication unit, it may be located in the PCR server. In such a
case, the mobile communication unit sends the audio file of the
first responder's voice commands or prompts to the PCR server for
conversion into text by speech recognition.
[0019] Another aspect of the invention relates to a PCR server
suitable for generating a PCR from medical information and an audio
file received from a communication device of a first responder. In
particular, the PCR server is adapted to receive medical
information of a subscriber from a communication device of a first
responder; receive an audio file from the communication device of
the first responder; convert speech in the audio file into text;
and generate a pre-hospital care (PCR) record including the medical
information and the text.
[0020] Another aspect of the invention relates to a medical record
server suitable for disseminating emergency medical information to
subscribers meeting a selection criteria. In particular, the
medical record server is adapted to create a database including a
plurality of medical record data objects containing medical
information of respective subscribers; receive a request to
disseminate an emergency message based on a selection criteria;
search the database to determine subscribers that meet the
selection criteria; and send the emergency message to the selected
subscribers. The medical record server may further be adapted to
create a database of first responders; search the database to
determine first responders that meet the selection criteria; and
send the emergency message to the selected first responders,
subscribers and public health alerting systems.
[0021] Another aspect of the invention relates to an ICE personal
record server for electronically storing important personal
documents which can be retrieved in case the originals documents
are lost or destroyed in an emergency. In particular, the ICE
personal record server is adapted to send a prompt to a
communication device of a subscriber for one or more specific
personal documents; receive the one or more specific personal
documents from the communication device of the subscriber; and
create a personal record data object containing the one or more
specific personal documents. The server may be further adapted to
receive a request for the one or more specific personal documents
from a communication device of a requesting party; and send the one
or more specific personal documents to the communication device of
the requesting party. The specific personal documents may relate to
legal, mortgage, medical, and/or insurance matters.
[0022] Yet another aspect of the invention relates to an ICE
personal record server that assists third parties sending relevant
information to selected subscribers. In this regard, the ICE
personal record server receives information-to-be-distributed and
meta tag information from an authorized third party; selects
subscribers based on the meta tag information; and sends the
information-to-be-distributed to the selected subscribers. Thus, as
an example, if an pharmaceutical company want to send specific
research and/or drug to a subscriber or a class of subscribers, the
ICE personal record server may assists the pharmaceutical company
to identify subscriber who may want the information and then to
subsequently send the information to the selected subscribers.
[0023] In yet another aspect of the invention relates to an ICE
medical record server and PCR server that can send aggregate
information to an emergency management agency (EMA) server in
response to a wide area emergency so that the latter can
incorporate near real-time emergency medical services resources
when conducting incident response planning and emergency
management. The ICE medical record server aggregates the
subscribers personal medical records based upon defined criteria
from the EMA server. The ICE medical record server then sends a
plurality of subscriber medical records to the EMA server so that
emergency medical resources can be assessed, allocated, or
dispersed prior to first responder deployment. If the emergency
continues, the PCR server receives a plurality of PCRs from first
responders arriving on scene providing emergency medical treatment.
The PCR server then aggregates the PCRs and first responder
resources, and then sends this information to the EMA server in
near real-time. This would enable near real-time incident response
resource planning and emergency management.
[0024] Other aspects, advantages and novel features of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of the invention when considered in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary
communication system in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
updating an in-case-of-emergency (ICE) subscriber medical record in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary subscriber
medical record in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention.
[0028] FIG. 4A illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
sending arranged, emphasized, and/or filtered subscriber medical
record information to a communication device of a first responder
in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0029] FIG. 4B illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
sending arranged, emphasized, and/or filtered subscriber medical
record information to a PCR system in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 5A illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
providing subscriber medical record information to a first
responder initiated by an emergency dispatcher in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention.
[0031] FIG. 5B illustrates a flow diagram of another exemplary
method of providing subscriber medical record information to a
first responder initiated by an emergency dispatcher in accordance
with another embodiment of the invention.
[0032] FIG. 5C illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
providing subscriber medical record information, CAD information,
and information related to the on-going emergency to a first
responder initiated by a CAD system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0033] FIG. 5D illustrates a flow diagram of another exemplary
method of providing subscriber medical record information, CAD
information, and information related to the on-going emergency to a
PCR server in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention.
[0034] FIG. 6A illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary
communication device of a first responder in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0035] FIG. 6B illustrates a table depicting some examples of
predefined pre-hospital care record (PCR) fields for speech
recognition in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention.
[0036] FIG. 6C illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
annotating a pre-hospital care record (PCR) using voice commands in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0037] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
receiving and disseminating emergency information from a public
health agency to subscribers in accordance with another embodiment
of the invention.
[0038] FIG. 8A illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
receiving, storing, and providing in-case-of-emergency (ICE)
personal information in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention.
[0039] FIG. 8B illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
disseminating third party information to selected subscribers in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
[0040] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of
sending aggregate subscriber medical information and PCR records to
an emergency management agency (EMA) server in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary
communication system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. In summary, the communication system 100 includes one or
more servers adapted to receive in-case-of-emergency (ICE) medical
and personal information related to subscribers, and provide such
information to authorized requesting parties, such as first
responders, second responders, public health officials, emergency
management officials, subscribers, and persons designated by
subscribers. The communication system 100 comprises a wide area
network (WAN) 102, such as the Internet, to facilitate the
communication of information between the various entities of the
system 100.
[0042] In particular, the communication system 100 comprises an ICE
medical record server 104 for storing medical history information
of subscribers, and providing the information to authorized
parties, such as first responders, upon request. For example, when
a subscriber is in a medical emergency situation, a first responder
(e.g., a paramedic, emergency medical technician (EMT), FEMA agent,
etc.) obtains an in-case-of-emergency (ICE) identifier from the
subscriber. The ICE identifier may be located on the subscriber,
for example, in the form of a wallet-size card, bracelet, dog tag,
radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, and/or in others
forms.
[0043] Using a communication device 120, the first responder
transmits the ICE identifier to the ICE medical record server 104
via the WAN 102. In response, the ICE medical record server 104
accesses the subscriber's medical record data object using the ICE
identifier, and sends the corresponding medical information to the
communication device 120 of the first responder via the WAN 102.
Having the medical record information of the subscriber on hand,
the first responder may be able to better diagnose and treat the
subscriber.
[0044] In another embodiment, the first responder, using the
communication device 120, transmits the subscriber ICE identifier
as well as information related to the on-going emergency (e.g., a
code) to the ICE medical record server 104 via the WAN 102. Using
the ICE identifier, the ICE medical record server 104 accesses the
subscriber's medical record data object. Using the on-going
emergency code, the ICE medical record server 104 arranges,
emphasizes, and/or filters the information in the subscriber's
medical data object. The ICE medical record server 104 sends the
arranged, emphasized, and/or filtered medical record information to
the communication device 120 of the first responder via the WAN
102. For example, if the on-going emergency is that the
subscriber's is undergoing a heart attack, the ICE medical record
server 104 may arrange the information so that heart-related
information is displayed first on the first responder's
communication device 120, and/or the heart-related information is
highlighted, bold, underscored etc. when displayed by the first
responder's communication device 120, and/or information related to
other medical conditions (e.g., a broken bone) not related to the
heart may not be sent to the first responder's communication device
120.
[0045] The ICE medical record server 104 is further adapted to
disseminate a subscriber's medical record information at the
request of an emergency dispatcher (e.g., a 911 dispatcher). For
example, a subscriber (or someone on behalf of the subscriber )
calls an emergency dispatcher with a medical emergency, and
provides the dispatcher with the subscriber's ICE identifier as
well as information related to the emergency. Using a communication
device 118, the dispatcher transmits the ICE identifier to the ICE
medical record server 104 via the WAN 102. In response to receiving
the ICE identifier, the ICE medical record server 104 sends the
subscriber medical record information to the communication device
118 of the dispatcher. The dispatcher may then annotate the
information to include a brief description of the emergency
situation. Using the communication device 118, the dispatcher may
send the annotated or original medical record information to the
communication device 120 of the first responder via the WAN 102. In
this way, the first responder may have the subscriber's medical
record information as well as information related to the on-going
emergency while en route to the subscriber.
[0046] In another embodiment, the dispatcher, using the
communication device 118, enters the subscriber's ICE identifier
and information related to the on-going emergency into a computer
aided dispatch (CAD) system 128. The CAD system or server 128 sends
the subscriber's ICE identifier with a request for information to
the ICE medical record server 104. In response, the ICE medical
record server 104 accesses the subscriber medical record data
object using the ICE identifier and sends the corresponding medical
information to the CAD server 128. The CAD server 128 then sends
the subscriber's medical record information, CAD information (e.g.,
location of injured, time, etc.), and information to the first
responder related to the on-going emergency. In this embodiment,
the first responder may request and receive the subscribers medical
record information, CAD information, and on-going emergency
information from the CAD server 128 using its communication device
120, while en route to the subscriber.
[0047] Upon the communication device 120 of the first responder
receiving the subscriber medical information, the communication
device 120 may automatically pre-populate a PCR form with at least
some of the subscriber medical information. The first responder may
further annotate the PCR with information related to the
subscriber's current medical condition and any treatment provided
to the subscriber. Using the communication device 120, the first
responder may then send the completed PCR to the PCR server 108 via
the WAN 102 for subsequent access by a second responder (e.g., a
hospital) and/or other authorized parties. Alternatively, or in
addition to, the first responder may send the completed PCR using
its communication device 120 directly to a communication device 122
of a second responder via the WAN 108. After the first responder
transports the subscriber to the second responder, the second
responder using the information in the completed PCR provides
further diagnosis and treatment to the subscriber.
[0048] As discussed in more detail further, the communication
device 120 of the first responder may include the ability to
capture voice to allow the first responder to orally annotate PCRs.
The communication device 120 may further include speech recognition
capability to convert the first responder's speech communication
into text. The communication device 120 can subsequently annotate a
PCR with the text. Alternatively, the communication device 120 may
be able to send the pre-populated PCR with an audio file containing
the first responder's oral annotation to the PCR server 108 via the
WAN 108. The PCR server 108 may include speech recognition to
convert the audio file into text, and subsequently annotate the PCR
with the text. The voice capture and/or speech recognition
capabilities allow the first responder to annotate the PCR
essentially hands free. In some situations, this may be very useful
since the first responder may require both hands to effectively
diagnose and treat the subscriber.
[0049] Also, as discussed in more detail further, the communication
device 120 may comprise a portable communication unit carried
personally by the first responder, and a mobile communication unit
located in an emergency vehicle of the first responder. The
portable communication unit communicates wirelessly with the mobile
communication unit, for example, by a short-range wireless
technology, such as Bluetooth. The mobile communication unit
communicates wirelessly with the ICE medical record server 104 and
the PCR server 108, for example, by a long-range, redundant
wireless technology, such as a WiFi mesh. In such configuration,
the first responder may roam beyond the emergency vehicle in order
to gain access to the subscriber in need of medical assistance,
while capable of communicating with the servers 104 and 108 to
access the subscriber's medical record and to upload the PCR.
[0050] The ICE medical record server 104 may receive subscriber
medical record information directly from a subscriber and/or by way
of an electronic medical record (EMR) server of a health service
entity, such as a physician practice, pharmacy, and/or hospital.
For example, during enrollment of a subscriber, the ICE medical
record server 104 receives medical information from the subscriber
communication device 110 via the WAN 102. Using the medical
information received, the ICE medical record server 104 creates a
medical record data object containing the medical information of
the subscriber. Also, during the enrollment process, the ICE
medical record server 104 generates and sends an ICE identifier
associated with the medical record data object to the enrolling
subscriber communication device 110 via the WAN 102. The subscriber
generally keeps the ICE identifier on hand as discussed above.
Using the communication device 110, the subscriber may send updates
to his/her medical record to the ICE medical record server 104 via
the WAN 102.
[0051] The ICE medical record server 104 may receive subscriber's
medical record information from the subscriber's health management
organization (HMO), preferred physician organization (PPO),
physician, pharmacist, and/or hospital with the consent from the
subscriber. For example, when a subscriber enrolls with a health
organization, the subscriber may consent or request for the
in-case-of-emergency (ICE) service provided by the ICE medical
record server 104. The organization may subsequently establish a
medical record for the subscriber on the ICE medical record server
104. As the subscriber visits physicians, pharmacies, and/or
hospitals, medical information of the subscriber may be
automatically sent as updates to the ICE medical record server 104
from electronic medical record (EMR) servers of these entities.
[0052] For example, when the subscriber visits a physician for a
skin rash condition, information related to that condition and
treatment may be automatically sent to the ICE medical record
server 104 by the physician practice EMR server 112 via the WAN
102. Similarly, when the subscriber receives a new drug from a
pharmacist, information related to the drug may be automatically
sent to the ICE medical record server 104 by the pharmacy EMR
server 114 via the WAN 102. As another example, when the subscriber
visits a hospital for a medical condition, information related to
that condition and treatment may be automatically sent to the ICE
medical record server 104 by the hospital EMR server 116 via the
WAN 102. In this way, the information in the subscriber's medical
record is kept up-to-date without the subscriber having to manually
update the information.
[0053] The ICE medical record server 104 may also assist in
disseminating emergency and public awareness information to
selected subscribers and/or first responders in response to
instruction received from a public health official. For example, a
public health official may have detected an outbreak of a
particular illness in a particular geographical region. The public
health official may want to alert people that are susceptible to
such illness and that reside in that particular geographical region
of the outbreak of the illness so that they can take pre-cautionary
measures.
[0054] Using a communication device 124, the public health official
sends information related to the public health issue to the ICE
medical record server 104 via the WAN 102. The information may
include the description of the illness or emergency, the number of
people affected by the illness or emergency, the location of the
people affected by the illness or emergency, etc. Based on the
information, the ICE medical record server 104 searches its
database to determine which subscribers to alert based on the
received information from the public health official. After making
this determination, the ICE medical record server 104 sends alerts
to the communication devices of the subscribers, first responders,
and public health alerting systems via the WAN 102. These
constituents, now being informed of the on-going illness outbreak
or emergency, can take pre-cautionary measures, and/or provide
emergency services and management.
[0055] The communication system 100 further comprises an ICE
personal record server 106 for storing important personal
information of subscribers for use in case of an emergency. The
subscriber may use the personal record as a personal vault for
securely storing information in case the original information is
destroyed in an emergency. Such information may include life
insurance policies, mortgage documents, wills, deeds, family member
location and contact information, etc. Using the communication
device 110, the subscriber may create a personal record, send
personal information to, and access the personal information via
the WAN 102. In this way, the information is secured, even in case
of emergency, and the subscriber can obtain accesses to it
virtually anytime. The ICE personal record server 106 may also be
able to direct information from third parties to selected
subscribers meeting an input selection criteria.
[0056] The communication system 100 further comprises a PCR server
108 and ICE medical record server 104 that can send aggregate
information to an emergency management agency (EMA) server 126 in
response to a wide area emergency so that the latter can develop an
incident response plan. In this regard, the ICE medical record
server 104 sends subscribers' aggregated medical record information
to the EMA server 126 in responding to a request from the EMA
server 126. During an emergency, first responders PCR information
is then aggregated by the PCR server 108 and sent to the EMA server
126 from which a public health organization can develop an incident
response plan to deal with the wide area emergency.
[0057] The communication system 100 described herein is merely an
exemplary embodiment. The servers and the communication devices may
be coupled to the WAN 102 each by way of a wired and/or wireless
communication link. Although the servers 104, 106, and 108 are
shown as separate servers, it shall be understood that the servers
may be virtual servers running on the same machine, separate
servers running on respective machines, or any combination thereof.
The communication devices may be any device capable of sending and
receiving data to and from the servers by way of the WAN. Such
communication devices include desktop computers, laptop computers,
cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA), mobile data
terminals, etc.
[0058] In more detail, the following describes an exemplary method
of automatically updating a subscriber medical record stored in the
ICE medical record server 104; an exemplary method of sending
subscriber medical record information to a first responder that is
arranged, emphasized, and/or filtered based on the on-going
emergency; a couple of exemplary methods of providing subscriber
medical record information to a first responder initiated by an
emergency dispatcher; an exemplary voice capture and/or speech
recognition wireless communication device of a first responder; an
exemplary method of receiving and disseminating emergency
information initiated by a public health agency; and an exemplary
method of storing and retrieving in-case-of emergency personal
record documents in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention.
[0059] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 200
of updating a subscriber's medical information stored in the ICE
medical record server 104 in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. According to the method 200, the subscriber enrolls for
the service provided by the ICE medical record server 104 (block
202). The subscriber may enroll directly with the server 104 or may
enroll through a mass-enrollment initiated by a health care
institution. For example, using the communication device 110, the
subscriber may access an enrollment document provided by the server
104, complete the enrollment document including providing the
subscriber's medical history information, and send the enrollment
document to the server 104 via the WAN 102. Once the enrollment
information is verified and approved, the server 104 creates a
subscriber medical record data object and generates an identifier
for the data object (block 204). The server 104 then sends an
enrollment confirmation including ICE identifier to the
communication device 110 of the subscriber. As discussed above, the
ICE identifier is used by a first responder to gain access to the
subscriber's medical record information during an emergency
involving the subscriber.
[0060] Alternatively, or in addition to, the subscriber may enroll
for the service provided by the ICE medical record server 104
through a mass enrollment initiated by a health care institution,
such as a health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred
physician provider (PPO), health insurance provider, etc. In this
regard, the subscriber enrolls for health care service with the
health care institution (block 202). During enrollment, the health
care institution may ask the subscriber to sign an information
release form so that the institution can provide the subscriber
medical information to the server 104. This may be in compliance
with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA), Privacy Act of 1974 & 1988, and/or other applicable
laws, rules, and regulations, governing the release of medical
information to third parties. Once the release is obtained, the
health care institution enrolls the subscriber and possible others
in a mass enrollment process, and sends the medical information to
the server 104. The server 104 creates medical record data objects
for the subscriber and other enrollees, and sends the corresponding
identifiers to the institution (block 204).
[0061] The subscriber and/or the health care institution informs
the subscriber's physicians, pharmacies, and hospitals of the
subscriber's enrollment for service provided by the ICE medical
record server 104. The respective electronic medical record (EMR)
servers 112, 114, and 116 of the subscriber's physician, pharmacy,
and hospital are adapted to send updates to the subscriber's
medical record data object to the server 104 via the WAN 102 as the
subscriber visits these entities (block 206). The server 104, in
turn, receives the new information, and updates the subscriber's
data object accordingly (block 208). The EMR servers 112, 114, and
116 may send the information in a number of ways, such as
periodically (e.g., once a month or quarter), after each visit by
the subscriber, upon receiving a request from the server 104, etc.
In this way, the information in the subscriber's medical record
data object is kept current without the subscriber manually
updating the information. The information being current generally
helps first responders to better diagnose and treat
subscribers.
[0062] FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary subscriber
medical record in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. As discussed above, the exemplary subscriber medical
record includes information that is typically requested by a
pre-hospital care record (PCR) form. This would facilitate the
seamless transfer of the information from the ICE medical record
server 104 to the first responder's communication device 120, and
subsequently to the PCR server 108 and the second responder's
communication device 122. In particular, the subscriber medical
record may be organized into several field types, for example,
subscriber's file access information, subscriber's demographic
information, subscriber's in-case-of emergency contact information,
subscriber's medical insurance and primary care information, and
subscriber's health information.
[0063] For each field type, there may be several fields containing
certain information about the subscriber. For instance, within the
subscriber's file access information, the fields may include
"subscriber's password" for accessing and editing the file, a
"restricted use password" for providing third party restricted
access to the file (e.g., time limited, or number of access
limited), and a "third party access" which provides information as
to who has previously access the file. Each of the fields includes
a data format. For example, for these three fields, the data format
may be alpha-numeric. In this example, the subscriber's password is
"ABC123", the restricted use password is "CBS456", and the third
party access is "John Gage, Station 51, Los Angeles, Apr. 25, 2006,
15:24."
[0064] Within the subscriber's demographic information field type,
the fields may include subscriber's last name, middle initial (MI),
first name, gender, date of birth, age, height, weight, home
address, home and work telephone numbers, email address, and social
security number (SSN). Each of the fields includes a data format.
For example, the last name, middle initial (MI), first name, and
home address may have an open text data format allowing a
subscriber to enter text into the corresponding fields. The gender,
height, and state may have a drop down data format. Whereas, the
date of birth, age, weight, zip code, telephone numbers, and SSN
may have a numeric data format. An example subscriber's demographic
information field for subscriber, John M. Doe, is shown.
[0065] Within the subscriber's in-case-of-emergency contact
information field type, the fields may include the ICE identifier,
contact name, contact telephone numbers, contact email address,
relationship to the subscriber, and comments. The ICE identifier
includes a read-only random alphanumeric data format. The contact
sequence, name, email, relationship and comments may have an open
text data format. And, the contact telephone numbers may have a
numeric data format. As this example illustrates, subscriber, John
M. Doe, has listed Jane W. Doe, his wife, as the primary
in-case-of-emergency contact, and Tom Doe, his father, as the
secondary in-case-of-emergency contact.
[0066] Within the subscriber's medical insurance and primary care
information field type, the fields include insurance carrier,
policy number, group number, secondary insurance, policy number for
the secondary insurance, group number for the secondary insurance,
the primary physician, and the primary physician's telephone
number. All of the fields in this field type may have an open text
data format, except for the primary's physician telephone number,
which may be of the numeric type. As this example illustrates,
subscriber, John M. Doe, has Global Health Net as his primary
insurance, CureAll Health Group as his secondary insurance, and Dr.
Jacque T. Prescott as his primary care physician.
[0067] Within the subscriber's health information field type, the
fields may include primary condition, blood type, current
medication, dosage, frequency, allergies, allergic reactions, past
medical histories, and comments. All of the fields of this field
type may have an open text data format. In this example, the
subscriber, John M. Doe, has diabetes as his primary condition, has
A+as his blood type, takes 2.5-500 mg of Glucovance twice a day, is
allergic to penicillin, has allergic reactions to latex, has a past
history of heart disease, and also has limited mobility. It shall
be understood that the medical record is merely an example, and the
amount and nature of the information it contains may vary.
[0068] FIG. 4A is a flow diagram of an exemplary method 400 of
sending subscriber medical record information to first responders
in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. When a
first responder arrives at a subscriber in-distress, the first
responder obtains the subscriber's ICE identifier and information
related to the on-going emergency. Using the communication device
120, the first responder sends the subscriber's ICE identifier and
information related to the subscriber's medical emergency to the
ICE medical record server 104 via the WAN 102 (block 402). In
response, the ICE medical record server 104 accesses the
subscriber's medical record data object using the ICE identifier
(block 404). The ICE medical record server 104 then arranges,
emphasizes and/or filters the subscriber medical record information
in accordance with the on-going medical emergency (block 406). The
server 104 then sends the arranged, emphasized, and/or filtered
information to the communication device 120 of the first responder
via the WAN 102 (block 408).
[0069] FIG. 4B is a flow diagram of an exemplary method 450 of
sending subscriber medical record information to a PCR server 108
in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The method
450 is similar to the method 400 previously discussed in that it
includes the operations of the first responder requesting
subscriber's medical record information from the ICE medical record
server 104 (block 402), the ICE medical record server 104 accessing
the information from a local database (block 404), the ICE medical
record server 104 arranging, emphasizing, and/or filtering the
information in accordance with the on-going emergency (block 406),
and the ICE medical record server 104 sending the information to
the communication device of the first responder (block 408).
Additionally, the first responder sends a pre-populated PCR
including the subscriber's medical record information to or
manually enters the information into the PCR system or server 108
(block 452).
[0070] For example, if the subscriber is suffering a heart attack,
the ICE medical record server 104 may arrange the information so
that the subscriber's heart-related medical information (e.g.,
prior heart attacks, prior medical treatment including bypass,
valve replacement, installing of a pacemaker device, historical
blood pressure and rate information, diabetes, etc.) is displayed
first on the communication device 120 of the first responder.
Alternatively, or in addition to, the information may be configured
so that it is emphasized on the first responder's communication
device 120. For example, the heart-related medical information may
be displayed on the device 120 in bold, underlined, in a different
font and/or color, etc. Alternatively, or in addition to, some
information in the subscriber's medical record may be filtered so
that it is not sent to the communication device 120 of the first
responder. For example, information related to a broken bone injury
and treatment of the subscriber may not be sent to the device 120
since it may not be relevant to the subscriber's heart attack.
[0071] FIG. 6A illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method
500 of providing subscriber medical record information to a first
responder initiated by an emergency dispatcher in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention. In many cases, a first
responder is alerted about an emergency from an emergency
dispatcher receiving a 911 telephone call from the subscriber or
someone on behalf of the subscriber. It would be useful for the
emergency dispatcher to assist in the first responder obtaining the
subscriber's medical record information while en route to the
subscriber. This would allow the first responder to be better
informed about the subscriber's medical history when the first
responder arrives at the emergency scene.
[0072] According to the method 500, an emergency dispatcher
receives a 911 telephone call regarding an emergency experienced by
a subscriber, and obtains the subscriber's ICE identifier in
addition to information related to the on-going emergency (block
502). Using the communication device 118, the emergency dispatcher
sends the ICE identifier to the ICE medical record server 104 via
the WAN 102 (block 504). In response to receiving the subscriber's
ICE identifier, the ICE medical record server 104 accesses and
sends the medical record information to the communication device
118 of the emergency dispatcher (block 506). The emergency
dispatcher may then annotate the medical information to document
the on-going emergency, and send the annotated information to the
communication device 120 of the first responder via the WAN 102
(block 508). As discussed above, forewarned of the condition of the
subscriber and having access to the subscriber's ICE medical record
should allow the first responder to formulate a more effective plan
of action for dealing with the emergency.
[0073] FIG. 5B illustrates a flow diagram of another exemplary
method 550 of providing subscriber medical record information to a
first responder initiated by an emergency dispatcher in accordance
with another embodiment of the invention. In the prior example, the
emergency dispatcher obtained the subscriber medical record
information, annotated it with the on-going emergency, and forward
it to the first responder. In this example, the emergency
dispatcher sends the ICE identifier, information related to the
on-going emergency, and information identifying the first responder
to the ICE medical record server 104. In response, the server 104
sends the subscriber medical record information including any
annotation received from the emergency dispatcher directly to the
communication device 120 of the first responder.
[0074] More specifically, the emergency dispatcher receives a 911
telephone call regarding an emergency experienced by a subscriber,
and obtains the subscriber's ICE identifier in addition to
information related to the on-going emergency (block 552). The
emergency dispatcher then obtains information identifying a first
responder assigned or to be assigned to handle the emergency (block
554). For example, the emergency dispatcher may have that
information on-hand, or obtain it by contacting the organization
that will dispatch the first responder. Using the communication
device 118, the emergency dispatcher sends the subscriber's ICE
identifier, information related to the on-going emergency, and
information identifying the first responder to the ICE medical
record server 104 via the WAN 102 (block 556). In response to
receiving the information, the ICE medical record server 104, using
the first responder's identity information, sends the subscriber's
medical record information including the emergency annotations to
the communication device 120 of the first responder (block 558).
Again, forewarned of the condition of the subscriber and having
access to the subscriber's ICE medical record should allow the
first responder to formulate a more effective plan of action for
dealing with the emergency.
[0075] FIG. 5C illustrates a flow diagram of another exemplary
method 570 of providing subscriber medical record information, CAD
information, and information related to the on-going emergency to a
first responder in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. According to the method 570, the emergency dispatcher
receives a 911 telephone call and obtains information related to
the on-going emergency and the subscriber's ICE identifier (block
572). The emergency dispatcher then enters the subscriber's ICE
identifier and information related to the on-going emergency into
the CAD system 128 (block 574). The CAD server 128 then sends the
ICE identifier to the ICE medical record server 104 for the purpose
of retrieving the subscriber's medical record information (block
576). In response, the ICE medical record server 104 sends the
subscriber's medical record information to the CAD server 128
(block 578). The CAD server 128 then automatically sends the
CAD-related information, such as the location of the victim, time
of the reporting of the emergency, etc., the subscriber medical
record information and other emergency information related to the
on-going emergency to the first responder (block 580).
Alternatively, the CAD server 128 can receive a request from the
communication device 120 of the first responder (block 582), and
then send the information to the first responder's communication
device 120 (block 584).
[0076] FIG. 5D illustrates a flow diagram of another exemplary
method 590 of providing subscriber medical record information, CAD
information, and information related to the on-going emergency to a
PCR server in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
The method 590 is similar to the method 570 previously discussed in
that it includes the operations of an emergency dispatcher
receiving a 911 telephone call and obtaining information the
on-going emergency information and subscriber's ICE identifier
(block 572), the emergency dispatcher entering the ICE identifier
and on-going emergency information related into the CAD system 128
(block 574), the CAD server 128 sending the ICE identifier to the
ICE medical record server 104 for the purpose of retrieving the
subscriber's medical record information (block 576), and the ICE
medical record server 104 sending the information to the CAD server
128 (block 578). The CAD server 128 may then receive a request for
the subscriber's medical record information, CAD information, and
on-going emergency information from the PCR server 108 (block 592),
and then send the information to the PCR server 108 (block
594).
[0077] FIG. 6A illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary
communication system 600 in accordance with another embodiment of
the invention. As discussed above, during an emergency, the first
responder may receive the subscriber's medical record information
from the ICE medical record server 104. The communication device
120 of the first responder, or communication device 122 of the
second responder, may then pre-populate a pre-hospital care (PCR)
form with at least some of the information received from the server
104. The first responder, or second responder, then begins to
diagnose and treat the subscriber. While diagnosing and treating
the subscriber, the first responder typically needs to document the
diagnosis and treatment of the subscriber. This documentation is
added to the PCR form for subsequent transmission to a medical
facility to which the subscriber will be transported.
[0078] The ability of the communication device 120 to pre-populate
a PCR form with the subscriber's medical record information helps
the first responder substantially. However, for information that is
gathered at the emergency scene, typically that information had to
be entered manually. This would require a first responder to type
all that information into the communication device, which could
take up substantial time and detract the first responder's focus
from the subscriber. Accordingly, the communication system 600
further assists in the first responder in documenting the
emergency, and allowing the first responder to maintain substantial
mobility.
[0079] In particular, the communication system 600 comprises a
portable communication unit 602 adapted to be carried by the first
responder, and a mobile communication unit 604 to be located in the
vehicle used by the first responder. The portable communication
unit 602 may communicate with the mobile communication device 604
via a short-distance wireless communication protocol, such as
Bluetooth. The mobile communication unit 604, in turn, may
communicate with an ICE medical record server 104 and a PCR server
108 via a redundant long-distance wireless communication protocol,
such as a WiFi mesh. Such a system 600 would allow a first
responder to roam away from his/her vehicle in order to assist the
subscriber if located in an area in which the vehicle cannot gain
access to (e.g., a wooded area, inside a building, etc.).
[0080] The portable communication unit 602 may also have voice
capturing and/or speech recognition capabilities. For example, with
regard to voice capturing, the portable communication unit 602 may
include a microphone to generate an analog audio signal of the
first responder's speech annotation, a signal conditioner to
condition the audio signal, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to
convert the conditioned analog signal into a digital audio signal,
and an audio compression unit to compress the audio signal and
generate an audio file in, for example, .wav or mp3 format. With
regard to speech recognition, the portable communication unit 602
may include a speech recognition module to convert the compressed
or uncompressed audio into text. The portable communication unit
602 may further include a PCR module to add the text into a PCR
that also contains the subscriber's medical record information
previously received from the ICE medical record server 104. The
portable communication unit 602 includes a short-range wireless
transmission model (e.g., Bluetooth) to send the annotated PCR to
the mobile communication unit 604, which, in turn, wirelessly
relays the PCR to the PCR server 108.
[0081] In an alternative embodiment, the PCR module may be instead
located in the mobile communication unit 604. In such a case, the
mobile communication unit 604 receives the text from the portable
communication unit 602, and adds the text to the PCR. The mobile
communication unit 604 includes a wireless transmission unit for
transmitting the PCR to the PCR server 108.
[0082] In yet another alternative embodiment, the speech
recognition and PCR modules are located in the mobile communication
unit 604. In such a case, the mobile communication unit 604
receives either the compressed or uncompressed audio file from the
portable communication unit 602, converts the audio file into text
using the speech recognition module, adds the text into the PCR
using the PCR module, and sends the PCR to the PCR server 108 via
the wireless transmission module.
[0083] In still another alternative embodiment, the speech
recognition module may be located in the PCR server 108. In such a
case, the mobile communication unit 604 receives the compressed or
uncompressed audio file from the portable communication unit 602,
and wirelessly transmits it to the PCR server 108. The mobile
communication unit 604 also transmits the subscriber medical record
information to the PCR server 108. The PCR server 108, in turn,
includes a speech recognition module to convert the audio file into
text, and a PCR module to add the text and the subscriber's medical
record information to a PCR. The PCR server 108 may send, upon
authorized request, the completed PCR to the communication device
122 of a second responder and/or the communication device 120 of
the first responder, via the WAN 102.
[0084] In summary, the exemplary communication system 600 is
adapted to utilize a wireless mesh networking technology to extend
the range a first responder may travel while still maintaining
communications with the ICE medical record server 104 and PCR
server 108. The decentralized nature of a wireless mesh network is
desirable in case of large scale catastrophes because the system
should dynamically by-pass nodes that are damaged or destroyed.
Once the first responder's communication device reaches an uplink
node, the first responder can access the ICE medical record server
and/or PCR server.
[0085] The speech recognition module further enhances the "hands
free" capability of the first responder's remote communication
device, by converting verbal communication into text. As discussed,
the speech recognition module may be implemented client side or
server side. On the client side, the speech recognition module may
be a component of the portable communication unit 602 or a part of
the mobile communication unit 604. On the server side, the speech
recognition module can be a component of the PCR server 108.
Whichever the embodiment, the first responder's data is updated to
the PCR server 108 where the annotation is accessible as text
data.
[0086] FIG. 6B illustrates a table depicting some examples of
predefined pre-hospital care record (PCR) fields for speech
recognition in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
In any of the above devices, a speech recognition module may be
adapted to recognize a predefined set of voice commands indicative
of particular fields of the PCR. For example, the speech
recognition module may be adapted to recognize such voice commands
as "chief complaint", "assessment", "procedure", "blood pressure",
"pulse", "respiration", "responsiveness" and/or others. As
explained in more detail in the following example, a first
responder annunciates the voice commands to cause the speech
recognition module to identify the PCR field to which the following
oral information received from the first responder pertains.
[0087] FIG. 6C illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method
600 of annotating a pre-hospital care record (PCR) using voice
commands in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
According to the method, the speech recognition module receives a
voice command to enable the speech recognition feature from the
first responder (block 652). Any of the above devices may include a
"hard" or "soft" button to enable this feature. In response, the
speech recognition module prompts the first responder to annunciate
a predefined PCR field (block 654). This could be a visual or oral
prompt. Thereafter, the speech recognition module receives the
voice command from the first responder (block 656). The speech
recognition module then attempts to recognize the voice command
(block 658).
[0088] If the speech recognition module cannot recognize the voice
command, the speech recognition module displays and/or annunciates
a message indicating that the voice command received was not
recognized (block 660). Thereafter, the speech recognition module
returns to block 654 in an attempt to receive a new voice command
from the first responder. If, on the other hand, the speech
recognition module recognizes the voice command, the module prompts
the first responder to annunciate information corresponding to the
recognized predefined field. For example, the voice command could
have been "pulse", and thus the annunciated information received
could have been 92 (pulses per minute). Then speech recognition
module 664 may then perform speech recognition to convert the
received information into text (block 665). The speech recognition
module then annotates the PCR with the text information (block
668). The speech recognition module then returns to block 654 to
receive another predefined voice command. This process continues
until the first responder completes the PCR with voice commands or
decides to enter additional information manually with a
keyboard.
[0089] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 700
of providing emergency medical information to selected subscribers
and first responders in response to a request received from a
public health agency in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. As previously discussed, public health agencies, such as
the Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA), may want to convey
public health information to subscribers and first responders. Such
information may include disease outbreaks in a certain geographical
area, adverse environmental condition (e.g., toxic fumes, radio
activity) in a certain geographical area, and catastrophes (e.g.,
the breaking of a levy) in a certain geographical area. The public
health agency may want to communicate such information to
subscribers, first responders and/or public health alerting systems
so that they can take pre-cautionary measures as well as prepare
for the emergency. As discussed below, the ICE medical record
server 104 may assist in disseminating such information.
[0090] According to the method 700, the ICE medical record server
104 receives a request to disseminate public health information
from the communication device 124 of a public health official via
the WAN 102 (block 702). In response, the ICE medical record server
104 determines whether the public health official is authorized to
disseminate the requested information (block 704). If the server
104 determines that the public official is not authorized, the
server 104 denies the request (block 706).
[0091] If the server 104 determines that the public health official
is authorized, the ICE medical record server 104 prompts for and
subsequently receives public health information which is to be
disseminated including a selection criteria (block 708). The
selection criteria may include the affected geographical areas,
routes of evacuation, location of command centers, etc. The ICE
medical record server 104 then searches its database to determine
subscribers and/or responders that meet the selection criteria
(block 710). The ICE medical record server 104 may then send
emergency-related medical or public health information to the
communication devices of subscribers, responders (first and/or
second) and public health alerting systems via the WAN 102 (block
712).
[0092] For example, suppose an outbreak of meningitis has occurred
in Corpus Christi, TX. FEMA may deem the outbreak only sufficiently
dangerous to those residing within a certain perimeter around the
city. Instead of providing an alert via local radio or television,
which may cause widespread panic, FEMA may wish to direct the
precautionary emergency public health only to subscribers residing
in the designated area. In this regard, the ICE medical record
server 104 would alert only those subscribers and responders in
those zip codes via their communication devices. The alerts may be
adapted to include email, cell phone text, voice mail, etc. sent to
the subscribers' and responders' communication devices.
[0093] FIG. 8A illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method
800 of receiving, storing, and providing in-case-of-emergency (ICE)
personal information in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. As discussed above, a subscriber may create and use an
ICE personal record as a personal vault for securely storing
information in case the original information is destroyed in an
emergency. Such information may include life insurance policies,
mortgage documents, wills, deeds, etc. Using the communication
device 110, the subscriber enrolls with the ICE personal record
server 106 to create a personal medical record data object,
receives a prompt from the server for specific personal
information, sends the prompted personal information to the server
106, and access or have a designated party access the personal
information from the server 106 via the WAN 102. In this way, the
information is secured, even in case of emergency, and the
subscriber or one designated by the subscriber to gain access to it
virtually anytime.
[0094] According to the method 800, a subscriber, using the
communication device 110, sends a request to enroll for the service
provided by the ICE personal record server 106 via the WAN 102
(block 802). The ICE personal record server 106 receives the
request and creates a personal record data object for the
subscriber (block 804). The ICE personal record server 106 may send
generate and send an identifier for the personal record data object
to the communication device 110 of the subscriber. In addition to
sending the identifier, the ICE personal record server 106 prompts
the subscriber for specific information and documents (block 806).
The specific information and documents are those that may be needed
at a time of emergency. For example, the server 106 may prompt the
subscriber for a designated contact person, legal information
and/or documents, insurance policy information and/or documents,
mortgage information and/or documents. In response to the prompt,
the subscriber uploads the prompted personal information to the ICE
personal record server 106. The subscriber personal record server
106 then receives the and stores personal information from the
communication device 110 via the WAN 102 (block 808).
[0095] Subsequently, possibly during an emergency, the ICE personal
record server 106 receives a request for personal information from
the subscriber or a party authorized by the subscriber (block 810).
The server 106 then determines whether the requester is authorized
to receive the requested information (block 812). If not, the
server denies the request (block 814). If the requester is
authorized, the server 106 sends the requested personal information
to the requester via the WAN 102 (block 816). Alternatively, or in
addition to, the server 106 may send the requested information to
the contact person identified in the subscriber personal
record.
[0096] FIG. 8B illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method
850 of disseminating third party information to selected
subscribers in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
The method 850 may be implemented by the ICE personal record server
106 to disseminate information from third parties to subscribers
selected on the basis of the information contained in his/her
personal file. As an example, a pharmaceutical company may want to
send information regarding a new medical research and/or drug to
subscriber having a certain medical condition. With the method 850,
the ICE personal record server 106 assists the pharmaceutical
company in identifying such subscribers and disseminating the
relevant information to them.
[0097] More specifically, according to the method 850, the ICE
personal record server 106 receives a request to send specific
information to subscribers from a third party (block 852). In
response, the ICE personal record server 106 determines whether the
third party is authorized (block 854). If the personal record
server 106 determines that the third party is not authorized, the
server 106 sends a message denying the request to the third party
(block 856). Otherwise, the ICE personal record server 106 prompts
for and receives the information to be distributed from the third
party (block 858). In the example above, the information to be
distributed may be related to a new drug for the cure of breast
cancer.
[0098] The ICE personal record server 106 then prompt for and
receives meta tag regarding information to be distributed from the
third party (block 860). For example, the meta tag may specify
breast cancer policy. In response, the ICE personal record server
106 selects subscribers based on the meta tag (block 862). In this
example, the ICE personal record server 106 selects subscribers
having been previously diagnosed with breast cancer or a family
history of breast cancer. The ICE personal record server 106 then
sends the information to be distributed to the subscribers (block
864).
[0099] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 900
of sending aggregate subscriber medical information and PCR records
to an emergency management agency (EMA) server in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention. The method 900 may be
applicable to wide area emergency where there may be a need to
relay aggregate information regarding victims, or potential
victims, and/or required emergency medical resources to the EMA
server 126 for further dissemination to public health agencies. In
this regard, the method 900 entails the ICE medical record server
104 receiving a request from the EMA server 126 for a plurality of
subscribers' medical records in response to a wide area emergency
(block 902). The ICE medical record server 104 aggregates the
subscribers' medical records based on a defined criteria from the
EMA server 126 (block 904). The ICE medical record server 104 then
sends the aggregated subscribers medical records to the EMA server
126 (block 906).
[0100] Then a determination as to whether the wide area emergency
continues (block 908). If the emergency no longer exists, the
system 104 and 108 goes idle with respect to the emergency (block
910). If, on the other hand, the emergency continues, the PCR
server 108 receives a plurality of PCRs from first responders
treating the subscribers affected by the wide area emergency (block
912). The PCR server 108 then aggregates the PCR information, and
sends it to the EMA server (block 914). The EMA server 126 compiles
the information, from which an emergency management agency may
generate an incident response plan to identify emergency medical
resources required deal with the wide-spread emergency event. The
EMA server 126 may send multiple requests for subscribers' medical
records and PCR information as indicated by the arrow connecting
block 914 to 902.
[0101] As discussed above, the communication system 100 facilitates
the communication of medical information so as to deal with
individual or wide spread emergencies in various different manners.
Any entity (104-128) of the system 100 may communicate any of the
above discussed information with any other one or more entities of
the system 100 directly or via any one or more entities of the
system 100 to achieve a particular objective with respect to
subscribers' medical and personal information, and dealing with
emergencies and public health in general.
[0102] While the invention has been described in connection with
various embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is
capable of further modifications. This application is intended to
cover any variations, uses or adaptation of the invention
following, in general, the principles of the invention, and
including such departures from the present disclosure as come
within the known and customary practice within the art to which the
invention pertains.
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