Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RESPONSE CALIBRATION
CROSS REFERENCE
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/705,552 filed
September 25, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety
for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A questionnaire is a series of questions or other prompts for the
purpose of gathering
information from a respondent. A questionnaire may be a research instrument
designed for statistical
analysis of user responses.
[0003] A questionnaire may be presented to a user with the aid of a computer
system having a
graphical user interface (GUI). A GUI is a type of user interface that allows
users to interact with
electronic devices through images and text commands. GUIs can be used, for
example, in
computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players,
mobile phones, gaming
devices, household appliances and office equipment. In some cases, a GUI
represents the
information and actions available to a user through graphical icons and other
visual indicators, such
as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command
labels, voice commands
and responses, brail interface or text navigation.
[0004] There are various issues and limitations associated with questionnaire
systems and methods
currently available. For instance, a questionnaire may present a user with the
following question:
"How large was your lunch?" The questionnaire may present the user with
various response options
to select from, such as "small", "medium" and "large." The user's selection of
one of these options
typically does not provide an individual providing the questionnaire the
ability to interpret the user's
response.
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SUMMARY
[0005] Recognized herein is the need for improved questionnaires and systems
for providing the
questionnaires. For instance, what is needed is a system to provide a user a
questionnaire (e.g.,
guided questionnaire) while readily assessing user response to questions posed
by the questionnaire.
[0006] Typically, it may be difficult to assess a user's response to questions
in a questionnaire. For
instance, if a user is presented with the question "How large was your
lunch?," if the user selects
"medium", the individual providing the questionnaire has no way of determining
what the user
meant by "medium." To the user, "medium" may mean, for example, a half plate,
a full plate, or a
plate and a half of food. In another example, a user may be incapable of
effectively assessing
quantity. For instance, a user's selection of "medium" in one context or point
in time might be
different from the user's selection of "medium" in another context or point in
time. Accordingly,
provided herein are improved questionnaires, systems for providing
questionnaires, and related
methods and computer readable media.
[0007] In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for calibrating user
responses to
questions relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or
mental condition is
provided, the method including: (a) presenting, with the aid of a computer
system and an interactive
display operatively coupled to the computer system, a query to a user, said
query relating to said
user's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or mental condition;
(b) receiving, with the
aid of said computer system and interactive display, a response to said query
from said user; and (c)
interpreting, with the aid of a computer processor, said response based on a
set of reference
information, wherein said set of reference information comprises a pictorial
depiction of portion size
of said dietary consumption, exertion level of said exercise, existing state
of said health condition, or
existing state of said mental condition. The method may include, subsequent to
step (c), monitoring
the health of said user.
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[0008] In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method for calibrating
user responses to
questions relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or
mental condition is
provided, the method including: (a) presenting, with the aid of a computer
system and an interactive
display operatively coupled to the computer system, a query to a user, the
query relating to the user's
dietary consumption, exercise, health condition or mental condition; (b)
receiving, with the aid of the
computer system and interactive display, a response to the query from the
user; and (c) interpreting,
with the aid of the computer system, the response based on a calibration
matrix having a set of
reference information, the reference information generated with the aid of a
pictorial depiction of
portion size of the dietary consumption, exertion level of the exercise,
existing state of the health
condition, or existing state of the mental condition. The method may include,
subsequent to step (c),
monitoring the health of said user.
[0009] In another embodiment, provided herein is a computer readable medium
comprising
machine-executable code implementing a method for calibrating user responses
to questions relating
to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or mental condition,
including: (a) presenting,
with the aid of a computer system and an interactive display operatively
coupled to the computer
system, a query to a user, the query relating to the user's dietary
consumption, exercise, health
condition or mental condition; (b) receiving, with the aid of said computer
system and interactive
display, a response to said query from said user; and (c) interpreting, with
the aid of said computer
system, said response based on a set of reference information, wherein said
set of reference
information comprises a pictorial depiction of portion size of said dietary
consumption, exertion
level of said exercise, existing state of said health condition, or existing
state of said mental
condition. The method for calibrating user responses to questions relating to
dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition, or mental condition may include, subsequent to
step (c), monitoring the
health of said user.
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[0010] In another embodiment, a system for calibrating user responses to
questions relating to
dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or mental condition, is
provided, the system
including: an interactive display configured to present machine-generated
graphical items to a user;
and a computer system operatively coupled to said interactive display, said
computer system having
a memory location comprising machine-executable code implementing, with the
aid of a processor
of said computer system, a method comprising: (a) presenting, with the aid of
said computer system
and interactive display, a query to a user, said query relating to said user's
dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition or mental condition; (b) receiving, with the aid of
said computer system
and interactive display, a response to said query from said user; and (c)
interpreting, with the aid of
said computer system, said response based on a set of reference information,
wherein said set of
reference information comprises a pictorial depiction of portion size of said
dietary consumption,
exertion level of said exercise, existing state of said health condition, or
existing state of said mental
condition. The method may include, subsequent to step (c), monitoring the
health of said user.
[0011] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving reference information, the reference information
is obtained by
providing to a user a choice of at least two pictorial elements, wherein the
pictorial elements depict
portion size, exertion level, existing state of a health condition, or
existing state of a mental
condition.
[0012] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving reference information, the reference information
is utilized to yield a
calibration matrix to calibrate a user's response to a query relating to the
user's dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition or mental condition.
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[0013] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving an interactive display, the interactive display
is a capacitive touch or
resistive touch display.
[0014] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving reference information, the reference information
is obtained or
presented prior to a query to a user relating to the user's dietary
consumption, exercise, health
condition or mental condition
[0015] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving reference information, the reference information
is obtained or
presented subsequent to a query to a user relating to the user's dietary
consumption, exercise, health
condition or mental condition.
[0016] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving reference information, the reference information
is obtained or
presented concurrently with a query to a user relating to the user's dietary
consumption, exercise,
health condition or mental condition.
[0017] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a user's response to a query relating to the
user's dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition or mental condition, the response is interpreted
with the aid of a
calibration matrix residing on a memory location of a computer system.
[0018] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a user's response to a query relating to the
user's dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition or mental condition, the query is presented to the
user with the aid of a
graphical user interface (GUI) on an interactive display.
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[0019] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a GUI, the GUI includes a customizable menu
screen containing a
choice of at least one, two, three, or four of the following applications: (a)
a dietary consumption
component, including information concerning a user's diet and an interface for
entering food, drink
or other related information; (b) an exertion level component having
information related to a user's
activity habits or schedule, and an interface for entering user-specific
activity information, exercise
or other user-specific activity-related information; (c) a health condition
component having
information concerning a user's health, and an interface for responding to
queries or entering
information related to the user's health condition; (d) a mental condition
component having
information concerning a user's mental condition, and an interface for
responding to queries or
entering information related to the user's mental condition; and (e) a
calibration questionnaire
component, wherein a user is presented with at least one choice of pictorial
elements relating to
dietary consumption, exercise, health condition or mental condition, and the
user's choice of a
pictorial element is used to build a calibration matrix to interpret the
user's perception of portion size
of dietary consumption, exertion level of exercise, existing state of health
condition or existing state
of mental condition.
[0020] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a calibration matrix, the calibration matrix
resides on a memory
location of a computer system.
[0021] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a user's response to a question relating to
dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition, or mental condition, the response is interpreted
using an internal
calibration matrix of the user's perception of portion size of said dietary
consumption, exertion level
of said exercise, existing state of said health condition or existing state of
said mental condition.
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[0022] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving an internal calibration matrix, the internal
calibration matrix is stored
on a memory location of a computer system.
[0023] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a customizable menu screen, the customizable
menu screen contains a
choice of at least two of said applications.
[0024] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a system, the system is a point of service
system configured to
perform one or more assays on a sample.
[0025] In some embodiments, in a method, system, or computer readable medium
described above
or elsewhere herein involving a point of service system, the point of service
system is configured to
perform one, two, three or more assays on a sample.
[0026] In one embodiment described herein, a computer-implemented method is
provided for
calibrating user responses to questions relating to dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition, or
mental condition. The method comprises (a) presenting, with the aid of a
computer system and an
interactive display operatively coupled to the computer system, a query to a
user, said query relating
to said user's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental
condition; (b) receiving,
with the aid of said computer system and interactive display, a response to
said query from said user;
and (c) interpreting, with the aid of a computer processor, said response
based on a set of reference
information, wherein said set of reference information comprises pictorial
depictions displayed to
the user showing portion size of said dietary consumption, exertion level of
said exercise, existing
state of health condition and/or existing state of mental condition, wherein
the set of reference
information is generated by i) the user selecting pictorial depictions that
best matches their
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qualitative descriptions and ii) mapping quantitative information associated
with the user selected
pictorial depictions to quantify the user qualitative descriptions.
[0027] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a
simplified form that are
further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not
intended to identify key
features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it
intended to be used to limit the
scope of the claimed subject matter.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0028] All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this
specification are herein
incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual
publication, patent, or patent
application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by
reference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] In the drawings,
[0030] FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example of a method for providing a
questionnaire to a user;
[0031] FIGs. 2A and 2B show an illustrative example of a method for presenting
a questionnaire to
a user;
[0032] FIG. 3 shows an illustrative example of a calibration matrix;
[0033] FIGs. 4A and 4B show an illustrative example of a system having a point
of service device
in communication with other devices;
[0034] FIG. 5 shows an illustrative example of a graphical user interface;
[0035] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a graphical
user interface having a
survey for collecting information as to a user's dietary consumption;
[0036] FIG. 7 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a graphical
user interface in which
the user selects "Ham, Sliced";
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[0037] FIG. 8 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a reference
question for interpreting
the information provided by the user in FIG. 7;
[0038] FIG. 9 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a graphical
user interface having a
survey for collecting information on a user's bike riding activity;
[0039] FIG. 10 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot showing the
intensity "moderate";
[0040] FIG. 11 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a reference
question for
interpreting the information provided by the user in FIG. 10;
[0041] FIG. 12 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a graphical
user interface having a
survey for collecting information on a user's condition; and
[0042] FIG. 13 shows an illustrative example of a screenshot of a reference
question for
interpreting the information provided by the user in FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] While various embodiments have been shown and described herein, it will
be obvious to
those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example
only. Numerous
variations, changes, and substitutions may occur to those skilled in the art
without departing from the
systems and methods provided herein.
[0044] The term "health condition," as used herein, refers to physiological
condition and/or mental
condition. Mental condition may include the mood or mental state (e.g.,
depression) of a subject.
[0045] The term "point of service system," as used herein, refers to a system
that is capable of
providing a service (e.g. testing, monitoring, treatment, diagnosis, guidance,
sample collection, ID
verification, medical services, non-medical services, etc.) at or near the
site or location of the
subject. In some situations, a point of service system provides a service at a
predetermined location,
such as a subject's home or work, a grocery store, or a drug store. A point of
service system can
include one or more point of service devices.
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[0046] The term "subject," as used herein, refers to an individual whose
health is being monitored
or that is in need of treatment or monitoring. In some instances, a subject is
an individual receiving
or in need of treatment and who is under the care of, or being acted upon by,
a point of service
system. A subject may include a patient. In some cases, the subject is a human
patient. A subject
can be a user of a point of service device (or system), or a user of a
computer system associated with
the point of service device. In some cases the terms "subject" and "user" can
be used
interchangeably.
[0047] The term "cloud computing" (or "cloud"), as used herein, refers to a
system in which shared
resources, software and information are provided to computers and other
devices as a utility over a
network, such as the Internet. A cloud can include a distributed network.
Shared resources may
include various computer systems, such as servers, that may be provided in a
distributed fashion but
are operatively coupled to one another.
[0048] The term "dietary consumption," as used herein, refers to a substance
(solid, liquid, or semi-
solid) that is ingested (or consumed) by a user, or which the user plans on
ingesting. Analysis of
dietary consumption in some cases can include information relating to a drug
(or medication)
consumed, supplement (e.g., vitamin) or a metabolite thereof consumed,
cholesterol consumed, fat
consumed, protein consumed, fiber consumed, carbohydrate consumed, salt
consumed, and/or liquid
consumed. Analysis of dietary consumption can be aided with bar-coded
information or
downloadable information on the composition of a food product, or
photograph(s) of the food and/or
liquid consumed, such as a meal.
[0049] The term "exercise," as used herein, refers to an activity of a user
that helps enhance or
maintain the physical fitness of that user. A user's exercise can include
sports activities, workout
routines (e.g., jogging, running), physical labor, and other training
activities.
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[0050] The term "health condition," as used herein, refers to the physical
condition of a subject.
Health condition can include the level of functional and/or metabolic
efficiency of the subject.
[0051] The term "mental condition," as used herein, refers to the condition of
the mind of a subject,
including, without limitation, psychological state and/or emotion of the
subject.
[0052] In some embodiments, provided herein are systems and methods for
enabling a ready
assessment of user responses to questionnaire questions. Methods provided
herein, which can be
implemented by systems provided herein, enable the calibration of user
responses to questions posed
during a questionnaire (or survey) to improve the accuracy of the
interpretation of user responses to
the questions. In some situations, this permits the system to determine what
the user means by a
particular response, such as quantity or quality.
[0053] In some embodiments, systems are provided to enable a user to collect
physiological data
measuring changes in various physiological parameters, such as, for example,
blood pressure, pulse
rate, oxygen saturation, electrophysiology, iris dilation, and skin
conductivity in response to
questions. Such physiological data can supplement questionnaire questions
collected from the user.
Such information can be used to monitor the health of the user, or in some
cases to diagnose and/or
treat the user.
Questionnaire methods
[0054] In some embodiments, provided herein are methods for calibrating user
responses to one or
more questions. The questionnaire includes one or more questions that are
interpreted with the aid
of a user's response to one or more reference questions. In some situations,
the reference questions
are used to build a calibration matrix, which is subsequently used to
interpret user response to
questions provided in the questionnaire. In some cases, the questionnaire
includes questions relating
to a user's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental
condition.
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[0055] In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for calibrating user
responses to
questions relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or
mental condition comprises
presenting a query to a user (or subject) with the aid of a computer system
and an interactive display
operatively coupled to the computer system. The query may relate to the user's
dietary
consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental condition, or in some
cases the query can
relate to other factors related to the user, such as the subject's sleep
(e.g., sleep pattern), mood,
exercise history, stress levels, health history, hormone status, and/or
menstrual cycle. Next, with the
aid of the computer system and interactive display, a response to the query is
received from the user.
A processor is then used to interpret the response based on a set of reference
information. In some
embodiments, the set of reference information comprises a representation of
portion size of the
dietary consumption, exertion level of the exercise, existing state of health
condition and/or existing
state of mental condition. The representation can be pictorial, audible, or a
combination thereof,
such as video. In some cases, the set of reference information comprises a
pictorial depiction of
portion size of the dietary consumption, exertion level of the exercise,
existing state of health
condition and/or existing state of mental condition.
[0056] In some cases, the reference information is obtained by providing to
the user a choice of at
least 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, or 8, or 9, or 10, or 15, or 20, or 30,
or 40, or 50, or 100 pictorial
elements. The pictorial elements may depict the portion size, the exertion
level, the existing state of
the health condition, and/or the existing state of the mental condition.
[0057] In some embodiments, the reference information is obtained prior to the
query. That is, a
device or system implementing the query presents a reference question to the
user prior to the actual
query. In other embodiments, the reference information is obtained subsequent
to the query. In such
cases, the device or system implementing the query presents the reference
question to the user after
the actual query. In other embodiments, the reference information is obtained
concurrently with the
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query. In such cases, the device or system implementing the query presents the
user with the actual
query and the reference question at the same time (e.g., in the same page).
[0058] In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for calibrating user
responses to
questions relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or
mental condition, comprises
presenting, with the aid of a computer system and an interactive display
operatively coupled to the
computer system, a query to a user, the query relating to the user's dietary
consumption, exercise,
health condition and/or mental condition. Next, with the aid of the computer
system and interactive
display, a response to the query is received from the user. Next, with the aid
of the computer
system, the response is interpreted based on a calibration matrix having a set
of reference
information. The reference information may be generated with the aid of a
pictorial depiction of
portion size of the dietary consumption, exertion level of the exercise,
existing state of health
condition and/or existing state of mental condition.
[0059] FIG. 1 shows a method 100 for providing a questionnaire to a user
provided herein. The
questionnaire can be implemented with the aid of systems and devices provided
herein. A system or
device includes one or more processors for executing machine-readable code
implementing the
method 100. The machine readable code is stored in a memory location of the
system or device. In
some cases, the machine readable code is stored in remote system and, in some
situations, executed
in the remote system.
[0060] In a first step 101, a system implementing the questionnaire presents a
user with a query
having one or more questions (e.g., "How are you feeling today?"). The
questions can be presented
to the user with the aid of graphical, textual, audio, and/or video elements,
such as a video of an
actor or animation asking the user a question. These elements can be provided
to the user with the
aid of an interactive display of a system or device implementing the method
100. Next, in a second
step 102, the user inputs a response into the system implementing the method
100 (e.g., "I am
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feeling moderately well"). The user can input the response using an
interactive display or other
input device of the system, such as a touch screen (e.g., capacitive touch
screen, resistive touch
screen), voice activation and/or gestures. Next, in a third step 103, the
system interprets the response
based on one or more reference information. In some cases, the system
determines what the user
meant by the user's response in the second step 102. In an example, the system
interprets what the
user means by "moderately well" in the context of well-being. Next, in a
fourth step 104, the system
determines whether there are additional questions to present to the user in
the questionnaire. Steps
101-103 can then be repeated as necessary to present additional questions to
the user.
[0061] In some embodiments, interpreting the user's response includes
providing the user a
reference question and receiving a response from the user to the reference
question. With reference
to FIG. 1, during the third step 103, the system interprets the user's
response using one or more
responses received from the user to reference questions posed to the user. In
step 105, the user is
presented with a reference question (e.g., "Which picture most closely
approximates the mood
'moderately well'?"). Next, in step 106, the user selects a picture from the
options. In some
embodiments, steps 105 and 106 are repeated, such as to gain an assessment of
user responses to
various types of questions relating to the user's dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition
and/or mental condition, or to collect additional responses to interpret the
user's response 103. The
system then uses the user's response to the reference question to interpret
the user's response 103.
[0062] The reference (or calibration) question can be used to interpret a
user's response. In some
embodiments, the reference information can include a pictorial depiction of
portion size of dietary
consumption, exertion level of exercise, existing state of health condition
and/or existing state of
mental condition. The reference question can be presented to the user at least
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 9 ,
10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, or more times per questionnaire session ("session"),
or every other session,
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or once per a group of sessions, or periodically, such at least every 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30,
or more days.
[0063] FIGs. 2A and 2B show an illustrative example of a method for presenting
a questionnaire to
a user. In FIG. 2A, in a first screen, the user is presented with a question
201, namely "What was the
size of your apple?" The user is presented with three options 202, namely
"Small", "Medium" and
"Large." The user selects "Medium." With reference to FIG. 2B, in a second
screen, the system
presents the user with a reference (or calibration) question 203, namely
"Which picture best
approximates a medium apple?" In some embodiments, the calibration question
gauges the user's
perception of quantitative or qualitative factors, such as portion size. The
system also presents the
user with five images of apples, at least one of which may correspond with the
user's definition of
the term "Medium." Alternatively, the system can first present the user with
the reference question
203, and subsequently present the user with the question 201. As another
alternatively, the reference
question 203 and question 201 can be presented simultaneously (e.g., on the
same screen). The
user's selection of one of the images 204 enables the system to interpret the
user's response to the
question 201. In some embodiments, this can be used to normalize other
responses, such as other
responses related to the user's diet. The number below each of the images 204
is a numeric
representation of the image 204, which may be hidden from the user. For
instance, the number "3"
represents the apple in the middle.
[0064] Although FIG. 2B provide five images to calibrate the size of an apple,
the calibration
question can present the user with any number of apples, such as at least 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, or 7, or 8,
or 9, or 10, 20, 30, 40, or more apples of varying sizes. FIGs. 2A and 2B are
described in the
context of apples, but FIGs. 2A and 2B can be applied to other contexts, such
as to other foods or
consumable substances, exercise, health condition and mental conditions.
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[0065] In some embodiments, an image of an object may be presented on a
screen, wherein the
image on the screen has the same height, length, and/or width as a dimension
of the actual object
which is the presented as an image (e.g. if the real height of an apple is 8
cm, an image of that apple
on a screen also has a height of 8 cm). In some embodiments, an image of an
object may be
presented on a screen with an image of a reference object of a standard size
(e.g. a tennis ball, a
United States quarter, a ruler) at the same scale. By presenting an image of
an object on a screen
with an image of a reference object of a standard size at the same scale, a
user may readily associate
a certain size of an image on a screen with the dimensions of the actual
object corresponding to the
image on the screen. This may be useful, for example, if the image of an
object on a screen has a
different height, length, and/or width than a dimension of the corresponding
actual object (e.g. if the
real height of an object is 10 cm, but an image of that object on a screen
only has a height of 2 cm).
[0066] In some embodiments, a user is presented with a reference question
once. The user's
response to the reference questions is used in subsequent questionnaire
questions. As such, a
questionnaire question may not be necessarily followed by a calibration
questions in each instance.
[0067] In some situations, the system makes use of responses to calibration
questions for
interpreting user responses to subsequent questionnaire questions. The system
can ask the user
calibration questions at predetermined intervals or at pseudo-random points
during the questionnaire
to assess the accuracy of the calibration responses.
[0068] The system can present a user with a reference question within a
particular category (e.g.,
dietary consumption, exercise, health condition or mental condition) and
receive a response from the
user. This provides category-specific calibration. For subsequent
questionnaire questions within the
same category, the system uses the category-specific calibration to interpret
user responses.
[0069] Calibration questions and/or options for a user (or subject) to choose
from within a
calibration question can be fixed based on the user's responses to prior
calibration or questionnaire
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questions, or may vary based on the user's responses. In some cases, response
choices presented to
the user for a calibration question is a function of the user's response to a
questionnaire question
(see, e.g., Example 3).
[0070] In some situations, calibration questions are used to assess the
internal consistency of the
user. This can permit the system to flag instances in which the user inputs a
response to a
questionnaire question that is inconsistent with the user's responses to other
questions. The system
may calibrate flagged response more frequently. In other situations, the
calibration question may
preclude the need for selecting an image that corresponds to a response to a
question. For example,
with reference to FIGs. 2A and 2B, once the system has been calibrated, the
calibration of FIG. 2B
can be skipped and the system may use a prior response to a calibration
question to determine what
the user means by "Medium."
[0071] In some situations, the system builds and/or updates a calibration
matrix having responses to
calibration questions. The calibration matrix can include columns having
calibration items, such as
food items or activity level, and rows for quantity or degree of exertion, to
name a few examples.
Pictorial responses to questions (see, e.g., FIG. 2B) can be represented by
numbers. For example, a
small apple and medium apple can be represented by the numbers 1 and 3,
respectively. The system
can include a plurality of calibration matrixes for different types of
questions, such as questions
relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and mental
condition. A calibration
matrix can be stored on a memory location of the system.
[0072] In some embodiments, a calibration matrix is located in a memory
location of the system,
such as a hard drive or data storage unit (e.g., database) of the system. The
calibration matrix can
thus be an internal calibration matrix. In other embodiments, the calibration
matrix is an external
calibration matrix that is located in a memory location of a remote computer
system, which can be
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accessed by the system using a network. In an example, the calibration matrix
is stored in the cloud
and accessed by the system using wired or wireless network connectivity.
[0073] FIG. 3 shows an example of a calibration matrix 300 provided herein.
The matrix includes
columns and rows orthogonal to the columns, and cells at the intersections of
columns and rows.
The matrix 300 is for the category dietary consumption, which can relate to
food items ingested by a
user. The rows have values that correspond to potential sizes of food items,
namely "Small,"
"Medium," and "Large." The columns have numeric representations of images
selected by the user
that correspond to the sizes. For instance, the cell at row "Small" for
"Apple" has the number 1,
which corresponds to the left-most image in FIG. 2B, and the cell at row
"Medium" has the number
3, which corresponds to the middle image in FIG. 2B.
[0074] In some situations, the system provides the user direct comparisons to
objects of given sizes,
which can be used to supplement calibration data. In an example, the system
asks the user to select
the larger (or smaller) of two items.
[0075] A plurality of matrixes can be used to calibrate user responses to
questions in various
categories. A calibration matrix can be used to calibrate user responses to
questionnaire questions
relating to the user's mental condition (e.g., mood), exercise (e.g., level of
activity) and/or health
condition (e.g., sick). Calibration matrixes are not limited to the categories
provided herein;
calibration matrixes for other categories may be provided.
[0076] Questionnaires (or surveys) described herein can be implemented on any
computer system
having one or more processors, such as central processing units (CPUs). In
some cases, a
questionnaire is performed by a point of service device (see below) that, in
some cases, is configured
to processes a sample of a subject. In other cases, a questionnaire is
performed by a computer
system that may not be a point of service device, but can be in communication
with the point of
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service device or can be in communication with a server which is communication
with the point of
service device, such as through a network.
Systems
[0077] In some embodiments, provided herein are systems for implementing
questionnaires (or
surveys). A system can be a point of service system (or device). In some
embodiments, a system for
calibrating user responses to questions relating to dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition, or
mental condition includes an interactive display and a computer system
operatively coupled to the
interactive display. For example, the interactive display can be in
communication with the computer
system with the aid of a bus of the computer system, or a network. The
interactive display is
configured to present machine-generated graphical items to a user. The
computer system includes a
memory location comprising machine-executable code implementing, with the aid
of a processor of
the computer system, methods provided herein.
[0078] In an example, the memory location comprises machine-executable code
implementing a
method comprising presenting, with the aid of the computer system and
interactive display, a query
to a user, the query relating to the user's dietary consumption, exercise,
health condition and/or
mental condition. Next, with the aid of the computer system and interactive
display, a response to
the query is received from the user. With the aid of the computer system, the
response is interpreted
based on a set of reference information. The set of reference information
comprises a pictorial
depiction of portion size of the dietary consumption, exertion level of the
exercise, existing state of
health condition, and/or existing state of mental condition.
[0079] The interactive display can be a capacitive touch or resistive touch
display. The display can
have other functionality, such as the capability to collect biometric
information from the user. For
instance, the display can be used to measure the user's body-fat percentage
with the aid of two-point
touch through one or both hands of the user (e.g., the user places two fingers
on the display). The
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display can also have chemical or electrical sensors to sense factors specific
to the user (or subject)
that may help identify the state or health condition of the subject.
[0080] In some embodiments, a point of service device can include a display
having a user
interface (UI). In some situations, the user interface is provided to a user
through a graphical user
interface (GUI) that may enable a subject to interact with device. The display
can thus be an
interactive display. Examples of displays and/or user interfaces include a
touch screen, video
display, LCD screen, CRT screen, plasma screen, light sources (e.g., LEDs,
OLEDs), IR LED based
surfaces spanning around or across devices, modules or other components,
pixelsense based surface,
infrared cameras or other capture technology based surfaces, projector,
projected screen, holograms,
keys, mouse, button, knobs, sliding mechanisms, joystick, audio components,
voice activation,
speakers, microphones, a camera (e.g., 2D, 3D cameras), multiple cameras
(e.g., may be useful for
capturing gestures and motions), glasses/contact lenses with screens built-in,
video capture, haptic
interface, temperature sensor, body sensors, body mass index sensors, motion
sensors, and/or
pressure sensors. Any description herein of a display and/or user interface
may apply to any type of
display and/or user interface.
[0081] A display may provide information to a user of the device (e.g., point
of service device). A
user interface may provide information to and/or receive information from the
operator (or user). In
some embodiments, such information includes visual information, audio
information, sensory
information, thermal information, pressure information, motion information, or
any other type of
information. Sound, video, and color coded information (such as red LED's
indicating a module is
in use) may be used to provide feedback to users using a point of service
system or information
system, or interfacing with a system through touch or otherwise. In some
embodiments, a user
interface or other sensor of the device detects if someone is approaching the
device, and causes the
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device to "wake up" (i.e. become activated). The user interface or other
sensor can also be used to
put the system to "sleep" if no users are detected.
[0082] In some cases, a graphical user interface (GUI) is presented on an
interactive screen
containing a choice of at least one of the following applications: (a) a
dietary consumption
component, including information concerning the user's diet and an interface
for entering food,
drink or other related information; (b) an exertion level component having
information related to the
user's activity habits or schedule, and an interface for entering user-
specific activity information,
exercise or other user-specific activity-related information; (c) a health
condition component having
information concerning the user's health, and an interface for responding to
queries and/or entering
information related to the user's health condition; (d) a mental condition
component having
information concerning the user's mental condition, and an interface for
responding to queries and/or
entering information related to the user's mental condition; and (e) a
calibration questionnaire
component, wherein the user is presented with at least one choice of pictorial
elements (including
text, video and/or sound) relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health
condition and/or mental
condition, and the user's choice of a pictorial element is used to build a
calibration matrix to
interpret the user's perception of portion size of the dietary consumption,
exertion level of the
exercise, existing state of health condition, or existing state of mental
condition. In some situations,
the GUI comprises a customizable menu screen, which can permit a user or other
individual (e.g., a
health care provider, such as a doctor) to customize the menu screen.
[0083] Point of service systems (or devices) provided herein can be as
described in U.S. Patent
Application No. 13/244,947 to Holmes et al. and PCT application Ser. No.
PCT/1J52012/057155
entitled ("SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MULTI-ANALYSIS") filed Sept. 25, 2012,
which are
both fully entirely incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. A point
of service system may
perform one or more, 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, 10 or more,
20 or more, 30 or
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more, 40 or more, 50 or more, or 100 or more assays on a sample. In some
cases, a point of service
system can perform sample processing, subsequent data processing and, in some
cases, data analysis.
In other cases, a point of service system can perform sample processing and
transmit pre-processed
data to a remote system for data processing and, in some cases, analysis.
[0084] FIG. 4A illustrates an example of point of service system (or device)
400 having a display
401. The display is configured to provide a user interface 402, such as a
graphical user interface
(GUI), to a subject. The display 401 can be a touch display, such as a
resistive-touch or capacitive-
touch display. The point of service system 400 is configured to communicate
with a remote device
403, such as, for example, a personal computer, Smart phone (e.g., Apple
iPhone0, Android-
enabled telephone), tablet (e.g., Apple iPad0), or server. The point of
service system 400 has a
central processing unit (CPU) 404, memory 405, communications module (or
interface) 406, hard
drive 407 and data repository 408. The memory 405, communications module 406,
hard drive 407
and data repository 408 are operatively coupled to the CPU 404. The data
repository 408 can
include a memory and hard drive. In some situations, the data repository 408
is precluded. In some
embodiments, the point of service system 400 includes a camera 409 (or in some
cases a plurality of
cameras, such as for three-dimensional imaging) for image and video capture.
The point of service
system 400 may include a sound recorder for capturing sound. Images and/or
videos may be
provided to a subject with the aid of the display 401. In other embodiments,
the camera 409 may be
a motion-sensing input device (e.g., Microsoft Kinect0).
[0085] The camera 409 can be a two-dimensional camera or a three-dimensional
camera. The
camera 409 can capture still images and/or a video feed, in addition to sound.
In some cases, the
camera 409 is a thermal imaging camera, adapted to collect infrared radiation
(IR) and correlate the
collected light with the temperature of, for example, a user in view of the
camera 409. In some
cases, the camera 409 is a lens-less camera, such as a computation camera
(e.g., Frankencamera).
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[0086] The point of service system 400 is configured to implement
questionnaire methods
described herein. For instance, the point of service system 400 can implement
the method 100
provided in FIG. 1. Questionnaire questions can be presented to a user
remotely from the point of
service system 400, such as with the aid of a network and user interface
(e.g., GUI) of the remote
device 403.
[0087] With reference to FIG. 4B, the point of service system 400 is
configured to be in network
communication with other devices through a network 410, which may be an
intranet and/or the
Internet. In the illustrated example, the point of service system 400 is in
network communication
with a first computer system 411, second computer system 412 and third
computer system 413 that
are located remotely from the point of service system 400. One or more of the
computer systems
411, 412 and 413 may enable other users to access the point of service system
400 remotely. In
some situations, one or more of the computer systems 411, 412 and 413 are data
repositories for
storing user information. In some cases, one or more of the computer systems
411, 412 and 413 are
configured to enable data processing (e.g. analysis of questionnaire
responses) remotely from the
point of service system 400.
[0088] The point of service system 400 can communicate with the network 410
and with the
computer systems 411, 412 and 413 with the aid of the communications module
406 of the point of
service system 400. The communications module 406 can include a wired or
wireless interface for
wired or wireless communication with the network 410, respectively.
[0089] In some cases, the point of service system 400 is configured to
communicate with the
network 410 through a wireless network access point 414. The wireless network
access point 414
can be configured for communication using various wireless modes of
communication, such as, for
example, 2G, 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), WiFi or Bluetooth. The
communications module
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406 of the system 400 can enable the system 400 to wirelessly communicate with
the wireless
network access point 414.
[0090] The remote device 403 can communicate with the point of service system
400 via a wireless
interface of the point of service system 400, which may be included in the
communications module
406. In an example, wireless communication can be via WiFi or Bluetooth
connectivity. As shown
in FIG. 4A, the remote device 403 communicates directly with the point of
service system 400. In
FIG. 4B, the remote device 403 communicates with the point of service system
400 via the wireless
network access point 414. In an example, the remote device 403 communicates
with the point of
service system 400 through the wireless network access point 414 and
subsequently the network
410. In another example, the remote device 403 communicates with the network
410 and
subsequently with the wireless network access point 414 that is in wireless
communication with the
system 400 either directly or with the aid of another wireless network access
point (not shown).
[0091] One or more sensors may be incorporated into the point of service
system 400 and/or user
interface 402. The sensors may be provided on the system housing, external to
the system housing,
or within the system housing. Any of the sensor types describing elsewhere
herein may be
incorporated. Some examples of sensors include optical sensors, sound,
imaging, temperature
sensors, motion sensors, depth sensors, pressure sensors, electrical
characteristic sensors, gyroscopes
or acceleration sensors (e.g., accelerometer), and pulse oximeter.
[0092] In an example, the point of service system 400 includes an
accelerometer that detects, for
example, when the point of service system 400 is being moved or when the point
of service system
400 is not disposed on a preferable or ideal surface (e.g., horizontal
surface), such as when the
system has tipped over. In another example, the accelerometer detects when the
system is being
moved. In such circumstances, the point of service system 400 may shutdown to
prevent damage to
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various components of the system 400. Prior to shutting down, the point of
service system 400 may
take a picture of a predetermined area on or around the system 400 with the
aid of the camera 409.
[0093] The user interface 402 (e.g., graphical user interface) provides a
questionnaire to a subject
(or user). The questionnaire can include one or more questions. The
questionnaire can be a guided
questionnaire, including a series of questions of or related to a subject's
dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition and/or mental condition. In addition, the user
interface 402 can display
information relating to the operation of the point of service system 400
and/or data collected from
the system 400. The user interface 402 may display information relating to a
protocol that may be
performed on the point of service system 400. The user interface 402 may
include information
relating to a protocol provided from a source external to the point of service
system 400, or provided
from the point of service system 400. The user interface 402 may display
information relating to a
subject and/or health care access for the subject. For example, the user
interface 402 may display
information relating to the subject identity and medical insurance for the
subject. The user interface
402 may display information relating to scheduling and/or processing operation
of the point of
service system 400.
[0094] The user interface 402 may be capable of receiving one or more inputs
from a user of the
point of service system 400. For example, the user interface 402 is capable of
receiving responses to
questions provided to a subject as part of a questionnaire. In addition, the
user interface 402 can
receive instructions about one or more assay or procedure to be performed by
the point of service
system 400. The user interface 402 may receive instructions from a user about
one or more sample
processing steps to occur within the system 400. The user interface may
receive instructions about
one or more analytes to be observed.
[0095] The user interface 402 is capable of receiving information relating to
the identity of a
subject. The subject identity information may be entered by the subject or
another operator of the
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device or imaged or otherwise captured by the user interface 402 itself. Such
identification may
include biometric information, issued identification cards, or other uniquely
identifiable
physiological (e.g., biological) or identifying features, materials, or data.
The user interface 402 may
include one or more sensors that assist with receiving identifying information
about the subject. The
user interface 402 may have one or more questions or instructions pertaining
to the subject's identity
to which the subject may respond. In some cases, the user interface 402 may
request a password
and/or security question(s) from the subject.
[0096] In some embodiments, the user interface 402 is configured to display a
questionnaire to a
subject. The questionnaire can include questions about the subject's dietary
consumption, exercise,
health condition and/or mental condition. The questionnaire can be a guided
questionnaire having
one or a plurality of questions presented to the subject through one or more
screens, as displayed on
the display 401 or a display of a remote device, such as the remote device
403. The plurality of
questions may be presented to the subject sequentially (i.e., one after
another). The questionnaire
may be presented to the subject with the aid of one or a combination of text,
images, video or sound.
In some situations, the user interface 402 is a graphical user interface and
the questionnaire is
presented to the subject on the display 401 with the aid of one or more of
textual, graphical, audio
and video elements.
[0097] In some cases, the remote device 403 comprises a camera that is
configured retrieve visual
and/or auditory information relating to the dietary consumption, exercise,
health condition and/or
mental condition of a user. Such visual and/or auditory information (e.g.,
image, video, sound) can
be used to respond to questionnaire questions, or to collect information to
enable the system 400 to
monitor the dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental
condition of the user. In
an example, the camera of the remote device (e.g., iPhone0) can be used to
capture an image of a
food item. The image can be subsequently directed to the system 400 or
directed to a remote system,
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such as the cloud. The system 400 can subsequently use the image as a response
to a questionnaire
question (e.g., if the user was asked by the system 400 to take a picture of a
"large" apple).
Alternatively, the system 400 can analyze such information collected by the
remote device 403 to
determine portion size of the dietary consumption, exertion level of the
exercise, existing state of
health condition and/or existing state of mental condition. In an example, the
system 400 can
analyze an image of a food item captured by a camera of the remote device 403
to estimate the
portion size of the food item and, in some cases, the caloric information of
the food item.
[0098] The system 400 can use information collected by a user, such as with
the aid of the remote
device 403, to supplement the user's responses to questionnaire questions, or
in some cases to test
the user's responses for accuracy. The system 400 can use such user input to
update or otherwise
refine a calibration matrix of the user. In some cases, such user input
includes photographs (or
pictures) of items that related to the user's dietary consumption, exercise,
health condition and/or
mental condition. Such user input can be provided with reference data, such as
a reference image of
an item having known dimensions (e.g., diameter, thickness). In some cases,
the reference data and
user input can be provided in the same frame.
[0099] For example, the system 400 can request that the user take a picture of
a "large apple" and
the user can take a picture of what the user find to be a large apple. The
system 400 can request that
the user take a reference picture of an item for which the system 400 has
readily identifiable
dimensions, such as the picture of a coin (e.g., United States Quarter). The
reference picture can be
used to determine a size of the picture of the apple. The reference picture
can be provided in the
same frame as the picture of the apple. The system 400 can then compare the
picture of the "large
apple" taken by the user with responses to calibration questions directed at
apple sizes to determine
whether the system's calibration is acceptable or unacceptable. In the latter
case, the system can
update the system's calibration as to apple sizes in view of the user's
response. For example, the
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system 400 can digitize the picture of the apple taken by the user, assign the
picture a numerical
value that is indicative of the size of the apple in the picture, correlate
the size with how the user
perceives the apple (e.g., "large apple"), and input the numerical value in a
calibration matrix (see,
e.g., FIG. 3) of the system under "large apple."
[00100] A user interface, such as a graphical user interface (GUI), can be
implemented on the
display 401 of the system 400, or on a display of the remote device 403, or a
display of the first
computer system 411, second computer system 412 and/or third computer system
413.
[00101] Textual, graphical, audio and video elements can be presented to a
subject with the aid of
hardware and/or software configured to generate and display (or provide) the
textual, graphical,
audio and video elements. The software can include, for instance, a web
browser implementing
(e.g., compiling) machine executable instructions in the form of machine-
readable code, such as
hypertext markup language (e.g., HTML 5), JavaScript, C sharp, Java/J++, C++
(or other object-
oriented code). In some situations, such software is rendered with the aid of
a Web browser,
Adobe Flash , or the like. Graphical elements can include images, widgets and
icons that aid in
implementing the questionnaire.
[00102] The user interface 402 may be capable of receiving additional
information relating to the
subject's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental
condition. The additional
information may be entered directly by the subject or another operator of the
system 400. The
subject may be prompted by one or more questions or instructions from the user
interface and may
enter information in response. The questions or instructions can relate to
qualitative aspects of the
subject's life (e.g., how the subject is feeling). In some embodiments, the
information provided by
the subject is qualitative and not quantitative. In some instances, however,
the subject may also
provide quantitative information, such as, for example, the subject's weight.
In some cases,
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information provided by the subject may pertain to one or more analyte levels
within a sample from
the subject.
[00103] In some embodiments, the system 400 is configured to communicate with
one or more
peripheral devices configured to collect information as to the subject's
dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition and/or mental condition. The one or more peripheral
devices can be
selected from a weight scale, blood pressure monitor, glucose monitor, hear
rate monitor, electronic
device with a camera, pulse oximeter, and/or other local analytical system.
The electronic device
with the camera may include image recognition software; alternatively, the
system 400 or remote
server can include image recognition software to enable the system 400 to
recognize the subject's
food from a picture taken by the electronic device.
[00104] In some cases, during questionnaire (or survey) the point of service
system 400 can also
collect information relating to therapy and/or medications undergone or
currently taken by the
subject. The user interface 402 may prompt the subject using a survey or
similar technique. In such
a case, the questionnaire can include graphics, images, video, audio, and/or
other media.
[00105] The questionnaire may have a fixed set of questions and/or
instructions, or, alternatively,
questions that are not fixed and which can vary based on the user's responses.
In some cases the
questionnaire can provide the user with a fixed set of questions, while in
other cases the questions
can vary. In an example, the point of service system 400 has a machine
learning algorithm that
learns from a subject's responses to questions, including reference questions,
and provides additional
questions based on the subject's responses. In some cases the questions vary
based on the
information gleaned from the system 400 in response to the user's previous
questions. The survey
(e.g., the sequence and/or content of the questions) may dynamically change
depending on the
subject's answers. In an example, if the system 400 determines that the
subject is being inconsistent
as to the subject's responses to reference questions, the system 400 can ask
follow-up questions.
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[00106] Identifying information about the subject and/or additional
information relating to the
subject can be stored in the system 400 and/or transmitted to an external
device or cloud computing
infrastructure through the network 410, for example. Such information may be
useful in analyzing
data relating to a sample collected from the subject, or for monitoring a
subject's health or well-
being. Such information may also be used by insurance providers to make
decisions as to the
subject's insurance coverage (e.g., premiums).
[00107] The user interface 402 and/or sensors of the system 400 may be capable
of collecting
information relating to the subject or an environment of or relating to the
subject. For example, the
system 400 may collect information through a screen, thermal sensor, optical
sensor, imaging
device, motion sensor, depth sensor, pressure sensor, electrical
characteristic sensor, acceleration
sensor (e.g., accelerometer), any/or other type of sensor described herein or
known in the art. In an
example, the optical sensor may be or be part of a camera (such as, e.g., the
camera 409). The
optical sensor may capture one or more static images of the subject and/or
video images of the
subject.
[00108] With the aid of the camera 409 the system 400 may collect an image of
the subject. The
image may be a 2D image of the subject. The system 400 may collect a plurality
of images of the
subject that may be used to determine a 3D representation of the subject. The
system 400 may
collect a one-time image of the subject. The system 400 may collect images of
the subject over time.
The system 400 may collect images with any frequency. In some embodiments, the
system 400 may
continually collect images in real-time. The system 400 may collect a video of
the subject. The
system 400 may collect images relating to any portion of the subject,
including, but not limited to,
the subject's eye or retina, the subject's face, the subject's neck, the
subject's hand, the subject's
fingertip, the subject's torso, and/or the subject's overall body. The images
collected of the subject
may be useful for identifying the subject and/or for diagnosis, treatment,
monitoring, or prevention
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of a disease for the subject. In some instances, images may be useful for
determining the subject's
height, circumference, weight, or body mass index. The system 400 may also
capture the image of a
subject's identification card, insurance card, or any other object associated
with the subject.
[00109] In some situations, the camera 409 can be used to enable a user to
communicate with
another user, such as a healthcare provider. The system 400 can permit the
user to communication
with another user in a synchronous fashion such that the communication is
live, or in an
asynchronous fashion. Under asynchronous communication, the system 400
collects a sound, image
and/or video of the user and transmits the collection sound, image and/or
video to a remote system of
another user who can then review collected sound, image and/or video at a
later point in time.
[00110] The point of service system 400 may also collect audio information
from the subject. Such
audio information may include the subject's voice or the sound of one or more
biological processes
of the subject. For example, the audio information can include the sound of
the subject's heartbeat
or a sound associated with the subject breathing.
[00111] The point of service system 400 may collect biometric information
about a subject. For
example, the point of service system 400 can collect information about the
subject's body
temperature. In another example, the point of service system 400 can collect
information about the
subject's pulse rate. In some instances, the point of service system 400 can
scan at least a portion of
a tissue or body part of the subject, such as the subject's retina,
fingerprint or handprint. In some
cases, the point of service system 400 may determine the subject's weight. The
point of service
system 400 may also collect a sample from the subject and sequence the
subject's genes (e.g., DNA)
or a portion thereof. The point of service system 400 may also collect a
sample from the subject and
conduct a proteomic analysis thereon. Such information may be used in the
operation of the system
400. Such information may relate to the diagnosis or the identity of the
subject. In some
embodiments, the point of service system 400 may collect information about the
operator of the
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system who may or may not be different from the subject. Such information can
be useful for
verifying the identity of the operator of the system.
[00112] In some instances, such information collected by the point of service
system 400 can be
used to identify the subject. The subject's identity may be verified for
insurance or treatment
purposes. The subject identify may be tied to the subject's medical records.
In some instances, the
data collected by the point of service system 400 from the subject and/or
sample may be linked to
the subject's records. The subject identity may also be tied into the
subject's health insurance (or
other payer) records. Compliance with drug dosing regimes can be ascertained
by the frequency
with which the medication is renewed, as communicated from pharmacy databases.
[00113] In some instances, such information, including medical records, can be
augmented with the
subject's responses to questionnaire questions. This can permit a healthcare
provider to correlate the
subject's health and/or mental condition with the subject's responses to
questionnaire questions that
relate to the subject's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or
mental condition.
[00114] Responses to questionnaire questions can be used to determine a
subject's eligibility. In an
example, an individual arrives at a point of service location and performs an
eligibility test to see if
the individual is eligible for one or more tests. The individual may then be
pre-screened and can
answer one or more questions provided by a questionnaire. The questionnaire
can include reference
questions, as described elsewhere herein. The questionnaire can include
questions about the
subject's lifestyle (e.g., diet, exercise, habits) and/or medical history. A
physician can perform a
physician check of the individual. In some situations, the questionnaire
includes questions about the
subject's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental
condition. The subject's
health condition may be related to the subject's physiological condition. The
subject's mental
condition may be related to the subject's mood or other mental condition, such
as depression. The
questionnaire may be a guided questionnaire, having a plurality of questions
of or related to the
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subject's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental
condition that are presented
to a user in a predetermined order. In some situations, the questionnaire is
presented to the subject
with the aid of a system (or sub-system) of the point of service system 400
configured to learn from
the subject's responses and tailor subsequent questions in response to the
subject's responses. In
some cases, questionnaire results can also be used to prepare the SPU for any
expected
complications in sample processing and/or chemical assays. In an example, a
subject identifying
him or herself as a smoker can trigger a flag for expected high hematocrit,
thereby requiring careful
extraction of plasma from the centrifuged sample.
[00115] In some embodiments, lifestyle recommendations may be made to the
subject by the point
of service system 400 and/or a system associated with the point of service
system 400. Such
recommendations may be provided prior to, concurrently with, or subsequent to
the subject
completing the questionnaire. Such recommendations may be made based on the
information
gathered within the questionnaire, medical records, biochemical data, and/or
test results. For
example, the system could provide information to a subject about how the
subject's perception of a
level or amount relating to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition
and/or mental condition
relates to a quantifiable standard. In some embodiments, a point of service
system 400 and/or a
system associated with the point of service system 400 may help educate a
subject regarding his or
her health or other condition.
[00116] In some embodiments, the point of service system 400 interprets
subject responses to
questions with the aid of reference information comprising a pictorial
depiction of portion size of the
dietary consumption, exertion level of the exercise, existing state of health
condition and/or existing
state of mental condition. The reference information may be included in a
calibration matrix stored
in a memory location (e.g., cache, hard drive, flash memory) of the system
400. Alternatively,
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subject responses can be interpreted with the aid of a server located remotely
from the point of
service system 400. The server can include a calibration matrix.
[00117] In some situations, the point of service system 400 and/or health care
personnel can collect
biometric information about the subject being monitored, such as, e.g., blood
pressure, weight, body
temperature. This may be coupled with a test of a sample collected from the
subject, which may be
processed by the point of service system 400. All of the information may be
linked and may be
accessible by the clinical decision support system. In some embodiments, all
the information may
be linked within a single subject's records. Such procedures may be useful for
annual checkups or
preventative care. Such procedures may also be useful for diagnosing,
treating, and/or monitoring a
disease.
[00118] In some embodiments, the point of service system 400 is operatively
coupled to one or more
sensors for making qualitative or quantitative measurements of a subject. Such
measurements may
relate to the subject's dietary consumption, exercise, health condition and/or
mental condition. The
one or more sensors can be selected from weight sensors, eye sensors, body
temperature sensors,
blood pressure sensors, heart rate sensors, brain wave sensors, humidity
sensors and pH sensors. In
an example, a subject's weight scale is configured to communicate with the
point of service system
400 during or subsequent to the subject taking a measurement of the subject's
weight. The point of
service system 400 can collect the subject's weight and store that in a memory
location, in some
cases with a timestamp associated with the point at which the subject's weight
was measured.
Alternatively, the weight scale can transmit information relating to the
subject's weight to the remote
device 403, which can subsequently transmit the information to the system 400.
[00119] Information as to a user's dietary consumption, exercise, health
condition and/or mental
condition can be maintained in a user profile. In some cases, the profile can
be maintained in a
memory location of a device or system implementing the methods provided
herein, such as, for
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example, the system 400 of FIGs. 4A and 4B. In other cases, the profile can be
maintained in a
memory location of a computer system remote from the device of system
implementing the method
provided herein. In some situations, the profile can be accessed by the user
and edited, updated or
deleted.
[00120] In some situations, details as to a user's dietary consumption,
exercise, health condition
and/or mental condition can be provided by a device associated with the user.
For instance, the
distance a user has walked, which may be relevant to an activity of the user,
can be provided by a
device having an accelerometer or pedometer and software for recording
distance travelled. Such a
device can be in communication with a device for keeping a record of the
user's dietary
consumption, exercise, health condition and/or mental condition, such as the
system 400. Such a
system can be in communication with a system for collecting such information
and for updating a
user's profile. For instance, the information can be uploaded to the system
400 and used to update
the user's activity diary.
[00121] As an example, the intensity of the user's activity can be measured
using an accelerometer,
which can be included in a portable electronic device (e.g., iPhone). The
intensity information can
be transferred to a device or system keeping a record of the user's dietary
consumption, exercise,
health condition and/or mental condition, such as the system 400, and further
calibrated with the aid
of reference information. In some situations, the intensity information can be
calibrated on the
portable electronic device using the methods described above.
[00122] In some cases, the system 400 includes various sub-systems to collect
physiological data
from a user (or subject). Examples of sub-systems include, without limitation,
a blood pressure cuff,
pulse oximeter, temperature sensor (e.g., thermometer), lie detector, and iris
scanner for measuring
iris dilation. The sub-systems can be included in the system 400, or coupled
to the device as
peripheral devices.
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[00123] The system (or device) 400 can be as described in U.S. Patent
Application No. 13/244,946
to Holmes ("SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COLLECTING AND TRANSMITTING ASSAY
RESULTS") and U.S. Patent Application No. 13/244,947 to Holmes et al.
("SYSTEMS AND
METHODS FOR MULTI-ANALYSIS") , which applications are entirely incorporated
herein by
reference. For instance, the system 400 can include a plurality of modules
mounted on a support
structure. An individual module of the plurality of modules can comprise a
sample preparation
station, assay station, and/or detection station. In addition, the system 400
can be configured to
perform (a) at least one sample preparation procedure selected from the group
consisting of sample
processing, centrifugation, separation, and chemical processing, and (b)
multiple types of assays
selected from the group consisting of immunoassay, nucleic acid assay,
receptor-based assay,
cytometric assay, colorimetric assay, enzymatic assay, electrophoretic assay,
electrochemical assay,
spectroscopic assay, chromatographic assay, microscopic assay, topographic
assay, calorimetric
assay, turbidmetric assay, agglutination assay, radioisotope assay,
viscometric assay, coagulation
assay, clotting time assay, protein synthesis assay, histological assay,
culture assay, osmolarity
assay, and combinations thereof The multiple types of assays are performed
with the aid of isolated
assay units contained within the system 400.
[00124] In some situations, the system 400 can access a network with the aid
of systems and
methods disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 13/244,836 to Balwani
("NETWORK
CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS AND METHODS"), which application is entirely incorporated
herein
by reference.
[00125] Information can be exchanged to and from a user with the aid of a
graphical user interface
implemented on a system or device provided herein. In some embodiments, a
graphical user
interface includes a plurality of icons or buttons. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary
graphical user
interface (GUI) 500, as can be implemented on the point of service system 400
or a remote computer
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system, such as the remote device 403. The GUI 500 includes a diet module 501,
activity module
502, diary module 503, physiological data module 504, question module 505, and
prescription
database module 506. Each module can be implemented using an application (or
"app") configured
to be executed or otherwise implemented on an operating system of a device
hosting the GUI 500.
[00126] Each of the modules 501-506 can aid in collecting information from a
subject by presenting
a subject with a series of questions, such as with the aid of a guided
questionnaire (or survey), as
described herein. The diet module 501 can be used to collect dietary
information from a subject.
Dietary information can include details as to the material (edible or
inedible) the subject has
consumed (e.g., liquid, solid, or semi-solid material) or is contemplating
eating or drinking. The
activity module 502 can be used to collect information as to the subject's one
or more activities, such
as exercise routines and sports. The diary module 503 can be used to collect
information as to a
subject's daily routines, such as the subject's past activities, current
activities or future activities, in
addition to the subject's thoughts and recollections. The physiological data
module 504 can be used
to collect information relating to a subject's physiological data, such as,
for example, temperature,
heart rate, oxygen saturation, and/or skin conductivity. The question module
505 is used to enable a
subject to ask the system or a healthcare provider a question, such as a
question relating to the
subject's health. The prescription database module 506 is used to assist the
subject in fulfilling a
prescription, such as by ordering one or more drugs at a pharmacy, which may
be in communication
(e.g., network communication) with a device having the modules 501-506.
[00127] The question module 505 can enable a user to initiate a conversation
with a system, such as
to ask the system questions (e.g., health related questions). In an example,
the system 400 is
provided at a pharmacy or other professional location (e.g., doctor's office
waiting room, hospital
lobby) and the system 400 provides the user questions and answers to determine
whether a drug
regimen or treatment of the user may require modification, and if so,
recommend to that user that the
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user should consult a doctor or healthcare provider for further information on
the user's drug
regimen.
[00128] The modules 501-506 can be implemented on a point of service device,
such as the point of
service system 400, or a remote computer system, such as the remote device
403. Each module can
be linked to a questionnaire (or survey) having one or more questions and, in
some cases, one or
more reference (or calibration) questions, as described herein.
[00129] In another embodiment, provided herein is a computer readable medium
comprising
machine-executable code implementing a method for calibrating user responses
to questions relating
to dietary consumption, exercise, health condition, or mental condition. The
method can be any
method described herein. In some embodiments, the method comprises presenting,
with the aid of a
computer system and an interactive display operatively coupled to the computer
system, a query to a
user, the query relating to the user's dietary consumption, exercise, health
condition and/or mental
condition. Next, with the aid of the computer system having a computer
processor (also "processor"
herein) and interactive display, a response to the query from the user is
received. With the aid of the
computer system, the response is interpreted based on a set of reference
information. The set of
reference information comprises a pictorial depiction of portion size of the
dietary consumption,
exertion level of the exercise, existing state of health condition, and/or
existing state of mental
condition.
[00130] A questionnaire can be implemented on a system having a processor and
a memory location
having machine-executable code implementing a method. Aspects of devices,
systems and methods
provided herein can be embodied in programming. Various aspects of the
technology may be
thought of as "products" or "articles of manufacture" typically in the form of
executable code and/or
associated data that is carried on or embodied in a type of machine readable
medium. "Storage" type
media may include any or all of the tangible memory of the computers,
processors or the like, or
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associated modules thereof, such as various semiconductor memories, tape
drives, disk drives and
the like, which may provide non-transitory storage at any time for the
software programming. All
or portions of the software may at times be communicated through the Internet
or various other
telecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, may enable
loading of the
software from one computer or processor into another, for example, from a
management server or
host computer into the computer platform of an application server or an
intensity transform system.
Thus, another type of media that may bear the software elements includes
optical, electrical and
electromagnetic waves, such as used across physical interfaces between local
devices, through wired
and optical landline networks and over various air-links. The physical
elements that carry such
waves, such as wired or wireless links, optical links or the like, also may be
considered as media
bearing the software. As used herein, unless restricted to non-transitory,
tangible "storage" media,
terms such as computer or machine "readable medium" refer to any medium that
participates in
providing instructions to a processor for execution.
[00131] Hence, a machine readable medium, such as computer-executable code,
may take many
forms, including but not limited to, a tangible storage medium, a carrier wave
medium or physical
transmission medium. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical
or magnetic disks,
such as any of the storage devices in any computer(s) or the like, such as may
be used to implement
the databases, etc. shown in the drawings. Volatile storage media include
dynamic memory, such as
main memory of such a computer platform. Tangible transmission media include
coaxial cables;
copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus within a
computer system.
Carrier-wave transmission media may take the form of electric or
electromagnetic signals, or
acoustic or light waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF)
and infrared (IR) data
communications. Common forms of computer-readable media therefore include for
example: a
floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic
medium, a CD-ROM,
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DVD or DVD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards paper tape, any other
physical storage
medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a ROM, a PROM and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,
any
other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave transporting data or
instructions, cables or links
transporting such a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer
may read
programming code and/or data. Many of these forms of computer readable media
may be involved
in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to a processor
for execution.
Example 1
[00132] FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a graphical user interface (GUI) having a
survey for collecting
information as to a user's dietary consumption. The information can be
collected from the user. The
GUI can be implemented by a system having an interactive display, such as the
system 400 of FIGs.
4A and 4B. The GUI can permit a user to input various breakfast, lunch, dinner
and snack items.
For instance, the user can input a breakfast item by pressing "+ Add
breakfast." The GUI shows an
empty "meal diary," which the user can populate by pressing any of "+ Add
breakfast," "+Add
lunch," "+ Add dinner," and "+Add snacks."
[00133] For instance, the user can select "+Add lunch" to provide details as
to what the user
consumed for lunch. The system then asks the user to indicate what the user
consumed for lunch
(e.g., with the aid of a text input box or drop-down menu with options). The
system then asks the
user to indicate the quantity consumed.
[00134] With reference to FIG. 7, in an example, the user selects "Ham,
Sliced" for lunch. The
system then asks the user for the "Amount" and "Units" of ham consumed. The
user provides "1"
and "Serving" as inputs for the amount and units, respectively. The system
then asks the user a
calibration (or reference) question to interpret what the user means by a
single serving. With
reference to FIG. 8, in a new screen, the system asks the user "How big is 1
serving of sliced ham?"
The system provides the user three options ("Picture 1," "Picture 2," and
"Picture 3") of different
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sizes to choose from. The user selects the picture that best approximates a
single serving of sliced
ham.
[00135] The system presents the user with various GUI menu items to enable the
user to add food,
remove food, or edit a response. The user may add other foods to the user's
food diary by pressing
"Add Food to Diary" GUI menu item. The user can modify or edit responses to
any of the questions
by pressing the "Back" GUI menu item.
Example 2
[00136] FIG. 9 is a screenshot of a graphical user interface (GUI) having a
survey for collecting
information on a user's bike riding activity. The information can be collected
from the user. The
GUI can be implemented by a system having an interactive display, such as the
system 400 of FIGs.
4A and 4B. In the illustrated example, the user selects "Bike Riding" from
various activity options
and the system asks the user to input "Duration," "Intensity," and "Distance."
The GUI provides the
user questions to assist the user in inputting the requested information, such
as "How much time did
the activity take?" The user can provide the information in the boxes with the
questions.
[00137] The GUI provides the user various GUI menu items, such as navigating
to a previous screen
("Back") and viewing an activity list of the user ("My Activity List"). The
GUI also provides the
user the option to input other activities by pressing "+ Add to Activity
List."
[00138] In FIG. 10, the user selects the "Intensity" field and chooses from
various options to
characterize the intensity of the user's bike riding activity. The user
selects "moderate" as the
intensity and selects "Save Detail" to proceed to the next step.
[00139] With reference to FIG. 11, the system asks the user a reference
question to interpret what
the user means by "moderate." The system provides the user three picture
options ("Picture 1,"
"Picture 2," and "Picture 3") to choose from, at least one of which may
approximate moderate
intensity. For instance, "Picture 1" may show a user walking, "Picture 2" may
show a user jogging,
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and "Picture 3" may show a user sprinting. The user selects the picture that
best approximates
moderate intensity for the user.
Example 3
[00140] FIG. 12 is a screenshot of a graphical user interface (GUI) having a
survey for collecting
information on a user's mental condition, such as mood. The GUI can be
implemented by a system
having an interactive display, such as the system 400 of FIGs. 4A and 4B. In
the illustrated
example, the system has asked the user to select an integer from 1 to 10 that
captures the user's
mood, with 1 corresponding to "Very Poor" and 10 corresponding to "Very Good."
The user selects
6. The system then permits the user to proceed along the survey by pressing
"Next." With reference
to FIG. 13, the system then asks the user a reference question to interpret
what the user means by
well-being 6, as selected by the user in FIG. 12. The system provides the user
three picture options
("Picture 1," "Picture 2," and "Picture 3") to choose from, at least one of
which may approximate
well-being 6. For instance, "Picture 1" may show an individual with a sad
facial expression,
"Picture 2" may show an individual with a neutral facial expression, and
"Picture 3" may show an
individual with a smile. The user selects the picture that best approximates
well-being number 6.
[00141] In some cases, the picture options change based on the user's response
to questionnaire
questions and/or calibration questions. For instance, the three picture
options presented to the user
for well-being 1 can be different from the three picture options presented to
the user for well-being
6.
While the above is a complete description of the preferred embodiments of the
present invention, it
is possible to use various alternatives, modifications and equivalents.
Therefore, the scope of the
present invention should be determined not with reference to the above
description but should,
instead, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with their
full scope of
equivalents. Any feature, whether preferred or not, may be combined with any
other feature,
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whether preferred or not. The appended claims are not to be interpreted as
including means-plus-
function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a
given claim using the phrase
"means for." It should be understood that as used in the description herein
and throughout the
claims that follow, the meaning of "a," "an," and "the" includes plural
reference unless the context
clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and
throughout the claims that
follow, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on" unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise.
Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims follow,
terms of "include" and
"contain" are open ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or
method steps.
Finally, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that
follow, the meanings of
"and" and "or" include both the conjunctive and disjunctive and may be used
interchangeably unless
the context expressly dictates otherwise. Thus, in contexts where the terms
"and" or "or" are used,
usage of such conjunctions do not exclude an "and/or" meaning unless the
context expressly dictates
otherwise.
43
