US 5,908,383 A · Knowledge-based expert interactive system for pain

Abstract

A computer-implemented Pain Management Advisor (PMA) based on an interactive knowledge-based expert system. The PMA facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain. The PMA system includes three key components: a knowledge-based component for use by the primary care providers; an inductive learning component and case-based reasoning technology for use by the chronic pain patient; and a third component used by primary care providers to consult with pain specialists and to update/modify pain management algorithms. One embodiment includes the steps of: (1) inputting demographic information for a patient into a computer; (2) inputting medical symptom information for the patient into the computer; (3) inputting a pain score into the computer; (4) generating a treatment plan for the patient by the steps of: automatically presenting to a care provider at least one rule-based pain management algorithm based on the demographic and medical symptom information; permitting a care provider to select one of the rule-based pain management algorithms; applying the selected rule-based algorithm to ask the patient questions about pain characteristics of the patient; inputting responses from the patient to such questions into the computer; generating a treatment plan recommendation for the patient based on the responses; (5) permitting a care provider to adopt the treatment plan; (6) generating a prescription and related instructions in accordance with the adopted treatment plan; (7) recording the adopted treatment plan and generated prescription information in the computer as a patient file.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for generating a pain management treatment plan comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting from a computer to a care provider at least one rule-based pain management algorithm based on gathered medical symptom information for the patient and a pain score representing the patient's subjective ranking of the patient's pain;
(b) applying a rule-based algorithm selected by the care provider to ask the patient questions about pain characteristics of the patient;
(c) inputting responses from the patient to such questions into the computer;
(d) generating in the computer a treatment plan recommendation for the patient based on the responses;
(e) generating from the computer prescription information including a prescription and treatment instructions in accordance with the adopted treatment plan.

2 more elements

A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, for pain management, comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

(a) accept medical symptom information for the patient;
(b) accept a pain score from the patient, where the pain score represents the patient's subjective ranking of the patient's pain;
(c) generate a treatment plan for the patient by:
(1) presenting to a care provider at least one rule-based pain management algorithm based on the gathered medical symptom information and the pain score as an indicator of actual pain severity;
(2) permitting a care provider to select one of the rule-based pain management algorithms;
(3) accepting responses from the patient to questions from the selected rule-based algorithm about pain characteristics of the patient;
(4) generating a treatment plan recommendation for the patient based on the responses;
(d) permit a care provider to adopt the treatment plan;
(e) generate prescription information including a prescription and treatment instructions in accordance with the adopted treatment plan;
(f) record the adopted treatment plan and generated prescription information in the computer as a patient file.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Knowledge-based expert interactive system for pain

Life of this patent

Knowledge-based expert interactive system for pain

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16