Apparatus and method for providing a conscious patient relief from pain and anxiety associated with medical or surgical procedures

A patient interface apparatus for providing feedback for use in managing the delivery of drugs to a patient, said patient interface apparatus comprising:

• means for querying the responsiveness of a patient, said means providing a stimulus to the patient, said stimulus indicating an instruction to the patient to make a response after the providing of said stimulus;
• means for receiving said response from the patient to said stimulus;
• means for deriving a level of responsiveness from response times of said patient to said stimulus;
• and
• means for generating and transmitting a signal regarding said level of responsiveness.

An integrated patient interface apparatus for use in providing patient feedback to an electronically controllable drug delivery system, said system including an electronic controller which manages the delivery of drugs to a patient, said patient interface apparatus comprising:

• a portion for interfacing with a patient receiving drug delivery from the electronically controllable drug delivery system;
• a sensory stimulus device coupled to said portion, said stimulus device capable of being activated to produce a sensory stimulus;
• a patient response device coupled to said portion, said response device being capable of identifying a voluntary response by the patient to a produced sensory stimulus emanating from said sensory stimulus device;
• a patient health monitor coupled to said electronic controller and adapted to provide a signal reflecting a monitored health condition of the patient;
• and
• means for electronically communicating with an electronic controller of a drug delivery system;
• wherein
• said sensory stimulus device is adapted to provide said produced sensory stimulus to the patient, said produced sensory stimulus prompting the patient to respond voluntarily using said patient response device, wherein a value reflecting a level of responsiveness of the patient can be calculated from timing of a patient response following a produced sensory stimulus, and wherein information concerning said level of responsiveness is transmitted by said means for electronically communicating.