Remote site medical intervention system

An interactive intervention system for monitoring a subject seeking improved physical performance, comprising:

• a trainee station for use by a subject in physical skill training and including a computer processor;
• a supervisor station for use by a supervisor including a computer processor, said trainee station and said supervisor station coupled via a concurrent communications network said supervisor station containing a set of preselected rules for determining a goal for improved physical performance;
• sensors for collecting information from the subject relating to movements performed by the subject while the patient is undergoing physical skill training, the sensors coupled to the trainee station and providing said information to said trainee station as electrical signals;
• synthesis means for summarizing said information received at the sensors, the trainee station communicating said synthesized information to the supervisor station in real time;
• a trainee input device coupled to the trainee station enabling the subject to communicate in real time with the supervisor at the supervisor station;
• a supervisor output device coupled to the supervisor station to output to the supervisor said synthesized information and communications received from the subject at the trainee station;
• a supervisor input device coupled to the supervisor station enabling the supervisor to communicate in real time with the subject at the trainee station;
• a trainee output device coupled to the trainee station to output to the subject said synthesized information and communications received from the supervisor station;
• and
• software means accepting as input the information received at the sensors and determining for the subject a goal to be achieved during training, said goal being determined according to one of the preselected rules and based upon the input physiological information and positional information and said goal communicated to the subject at the trainee output device while the trainee is undergoing skill training.

An interactive intervention system for monitoring a patient suffering from neurological disorders of movement and assisting in patient rehabilitation, comprising:

• a patient station for use by a patient in rehabilitative training and including a computer processor;
• a supervisor station for use by a medical professional including a computer processor, said patient station and said supervisor station coupled in a concurrent communications network;
• sensors for collecting movement information from the patient relating to movements performed by the patient while the patient is undergoing rehabilitative training, the sensors coupled the patient station and providing the movement information to said patient station as electrical signals;
• a supervisor output device coupled to the supervisor station to output the movement information to the medical professional;
• a patient output device coupled to the patient station to output the movement information in graphical form to the patient;
• a neural network for analyzing patient responses to standard tests performed in rehabilitative training to determine a type of neurological disorder, said patient responses received at the sensors;
• and
• an expert system, receiving input from the neural network and the sensors, for determining a training task and a set of subgoals for that task to be achieved during rehabilitative training, said training task and a first one of the subgoals output to the patient at the patient output device while the patient is undergoing rehabilitation and said subgoal being modified based upon collected movement performed by the patent.

An interactive intervention system for concurrently monitoring of a plurality of patients at remote locations, comprising:

• a plurality of patient stations, each patient station for use by one of the plurality of patients and including a computer processor;
• a plurality of first sensors for collecting physiologic information from a patient, each one of the first sensors coupled to one of the patient stations and providing said physiologic information to said patient station as electrical signals;
• a plurality of second sensors for collecting physical information from the patient, each one of the second sensors coupled to one of the patient stations and providing said positional information to said patient station as electrical signals;
• a plurality of patient input devices, each coupled to one of the patient stations, for allowing said patient to send real time messages via the patient station;
• a plurality of patient output devices, each coupled to one of the patient stations, for allowing said patient to receive real time messages at the patient station;
• and
• a supervisor station, coupled in a concurrent communications network and located remotely with respect to each one of the plurality of patient stations, the supervisor station including
• a computer processor,
• a set of preselected rules for determining a goal for patient rehabilitation,
• a supervisor input device to send real time messages to said patient stations,
• a supervisor output device for receiving real time messages from said patient stations, and
• software means accepting said physiologic information and said positional information from said patient stations and determining for each patient a goal to be achieved, said goal being determined according to one of the preselected rules and based upon the input physiological information and positional information and said goal communicated to the appropriate patient by the supervisor station without human intervention in real time while the patient is undergoing rehabilitation.

In a concurrent communications network, a computer-based method for monitoring a patient suffering from neurological disorders of movement and assisting in patient rehabilitation comprising the steps of:

• at a supervisor station, determining a task for the patient, the task having a goal and storing a set of preselected rules to modify that goal;
• receiving the task from the supervisor station;
• instructing a patient to perform the task;
• collecting physiologic information from the patient as the patient performs that task;
• electronically communicating the physiologic information to the supervisor station;
• collecting positional information from the patient as the patient performs the task;
• communicating the positional information to the supervisor station;
• at the supervisor station, outputting the physiologic information and the positional information to a medical professional;
• automatically modifying the goal to be achieved, said goal modified according to one of the preselected rules and based upon the collected positional information and the collected physiologic information;
• and
• communicating the modified goal to the patient while the patient is undergoing rehabilitation.

In a concurrent communications network, a computer-based method for monitoring a trainee with a skill deficiency and assisting in movement training, comprising the steps of:

• at a computer station, obtaining information about the trainee from a database;
• receiving a test from the computer station;
• instructing a trainee to perform the test;
• collecting physiologic information from the trainee as the trainee performs the test;
• electronically communicating the physiologic information to the computer station;
• collecting positional information from the trainee as the trainee performs the test;
• communicating the positional information to the computer station;
• at the computer station, evaluating the physiologic information and the positional information received to identify the extent of the trainee's skill deficiency;
• at the computer station, determining a trainee improvement protocol comprising tasks with each task comprising a set of subgoals;
• and
• electronically communicating the tasks and a first one of the subgoals to the trainee.