GB2449067A

GB2449067A - Lifestyle supporting system and method

Info

Publication number: GB2449067A
Application number: GB0708699A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Reuven Goldshmidt
Original assignee: VITALOG Ltd
Current assignee: VITALOG Ltd
Priority date: 2007-05-06
Filing date: 2007-05-06
Publication date: 2008-11-12
Also published as: GB0708699D0

Abstract

A system 10 for supporting a user's life style such as their fitness or medical condition includes a plurality of users' communications end stations 12, 18, 22 connected through at least two communications bearers such as wireless operators 14, telecom operators 20 or internet 24 to a proactive service server 28 by means of a communications bearers gateway 16, the server having a geographic location unit. A user profile, which is associated with a user upon registering to the service, is preferably periodically updated based on messages received from the user who wishes to be supported in following up an individual regimen tailored for him. Messages reporting the condition in which the user is being are received also from care service providers associated with the user. A set of supporting measures and a set of respective thresholds accommodated to the user are associated with a user according to his profile. The user profile is preferably periodically updated and analyzed, trends and deviations from the anticipated levels derived in accordance with the updated user profiles are automatically estimated. If deviations from the planned levels exceed respective thresholds the system preferably automatically activates respective supporting measures addressed to the respective user. The supporting measures provided could include notices, encouragements, winning a prize, warnings and alerts communicated to the user and/or to respective care service providers and are preferably tailored according to the location of the user.

Description

LIFE STYLE SUPPORTING SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to the field of health care, and in particular to self-lifestyle and health care systems and methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Means for managing lifestyle, diet and physical activity are common.

Normally a user is advised with recommended recipes including substituting nutritious components and or physical activities. The user is provided with means for progress monitoring including encouraging or discouraging responses as required.

US Patent 5,390,238 discloses a home health and communications support system especially suited for elders or disabled patients, for reminding, verifying and dispensing medications. The system includes a communications network server linking among care providing unit or units, user-monitoring stations, medication dispensing and verifying controllers, expert stations and a telephony network. The system employs speech recognition and speech synthesis for the purpose of checking of the weilness of a user and an emergency alarming. Data of medical interest received by means of the user monitoring stations or telephony is recorded, analyzed and trends of the data are derived. Deviations from a prescribed behavior are reported to an expert on an advisory basis (or as required by the doctor's instructions).

US Patent 6,669,631 discloses a system monitoring and supporting a patient having an implanted medical device (IMD) such as pace maker. The system includes user-monitoring stations linked to users' database, expert stations and care service stations, which are all linked through various communications networks and the Internet. A user-monitoring station has a bi-directional link to the IMD for uploading operational data and for its programming.

A profile based on data automatically received from the IMD including data inputs from the user, medical checks and laboratories test results received from respective expert stations and care-provider stations is generated and updated for each user. Such updated user profile is employed for automatically programming the IMD. The system employs a knowledge base and methods such as of expert systems, fuzzy logic, neuron networks, statistical analysis and is data pattern recognition, for fitting and analyzing a user-profile. The system analyzes trends and automatically generates reports to the user, the experts and or care providers, when exceptional medical events, or optional modifications in the care procedure or medications, are identified.

Both above mentioned systems are specifically tailored to home based health care and are too complicated for being used by a roaming user. Therefore a system relating to various aspects of life-style that are significant for the health condition of a roaming user is called for.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a segment of a block diagram of a life style supporting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

S

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention a life style supporting system and method is provided. The system of the invention includes a proactive support server, which is linked to a variety of common messaging or communications service providers by means of a communications bearers' gateway. A number of control and processing units are installed in the server and are linked to a plurality of user end stations by means of a bearers' gateway. A user may receive or transmit messages from, or to, the system by employing any standard massaging or communications system. Life style supporting system of the invention collects, and records data related to a user received from associated care service providers; as well as data received from the user, his or her proxy, such as parents of a kid, or an authorized member of personnel of care service, which are also referred hereinafter by the user. These received and or collected data is related to the physical status of the user as well to activities carried out by the user while following up his or her tailored regimen.

A user profile is adapted to a user upon registering to the support service of the present invention in consideration with his or her personal data, such as his or her age, gender and the type of life style functions he or she wishes to be supported in controlling them. One or more care service providers are respectively associated with a user upon registration, in accordance with his or her profile and his or her choice. Based on the data received the user profile is updated and further stored in the system. The system analyzes trends evolving in a user profile and proactively activates respective supportive measures when

S

an exceptional event in which a respective predefined threshold is exceeded.

Supportive measures include according to the invention a user wining a prize or receiving messages including notices, complements, warnings and/or alerts.

Notices and/or alerts are further transmitted to the respective care service providers as is further described infra. An invitation to a face-to-face meeting with a respective care service provider, such as a specialized MD, is also regarded as a supportive measure and is selectively activated as is further described infra.

One or more expert stations linked to the system provide for tailoring a specific regimen to a user and or a set of events, respective thresholds and respective supporting measures and or messages accommodated to his or her profile.

Optionally different communications bearers are individually designated to a user in accordance with his profile, such that each communication bearer is dedicated to transmitting a respective set of system responses and/or supportive measures.

is Reference is now made to Fig. I for a more detailed description of the configuration of, and exemplary processes and procedures provided by, a life style supporting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Life style supporting system 10 is connectable for the purpose of receiving and/or transmitting messages to users such as user A 12 by means of a wireless communication operator 14 and communications bearer gateway 16.

Messages are received from wireless communication operators 14 employing various techniques using various communications protocols, such as including but not limited to SMS, MMS, J2ME, WAP, SYMBIAN, Windows Mobile and Mobile C. Messages are also received from or transmitted to user B 18 through telecommunications (TELECOM) providers 20 employing for example interactive voice response (IVR), or through the Internet 24. A user may transmit a message by referring to a website of an agent, or the life style support service provider and/or also by e-mailing to a specified address displayed at such website.

Associated care service providers 26, such as a clinical laboratory providing blood and or urine screening, are linked to the proactive supporting server (PSS) 28 through bearer gateway 16. Any such messaging routes, or data and communications channels are referred hereinafter as messaging or communications bearers.

Expert station 29 located at the site in which PSS 28 is located and providing for tailoring a regimen and or personalized profile for messaging or alerting, to a specific user by an expert, is optionally connected to PSS 28 through a standard computer network 30. Typically such an expert is using a remote station such as remote station 31 connected to the system through communications bearer gateway 16. Message interpreting unit 32, user is database 34, analyzer unit 38, geographical unit 40 and response and alert generator unit 42 are installed in addition to communications bearer gateways 16, in PSS 28 and are operated as is further described below.

Help station 43 is provided for assisting a user whose message could not be automatically interpreted. Help station 43 is linked to PSS 28 through standard computer network 30. An operator receives the original message as received and responds the messaging user by calling back through the same communications bearer. Optional remote help stations, not shown, are linkable to the system through bearer gateway 16 and/or the internet.

His or her dialing number and an optional identification code, personal identification number (PIN) and or password, identifies user as is known. A list of active dialing numbers and/or user names, e-mail addresses associated with each user is stored in a respective user file in user database 34. A user may change a communications bearer at any time he or she wishes to do so and amend at any time the list of pre-stored active dialing numbers associated with him. A user may for example transmit a request message and further notify the system that he will be accessible for receiving the responding message by his or her mobile phone. Unidentified messages received from calling numbers different than the pre-stored numbers, are transferred to a back office, not shown, for their identification. The back office identifies known users calling from a new geographical territory, having a new dialing number or employing a new communications operator and responds to PSS 28 accordingly. Normally the back office carries out registration to the service of the invention, billing and associated financial transactions.

Message interpreting unit 32 first interprets a received message.

Messages generated by a user includes for example data related to his or her physical, behavioral, environmental and or medical, condition. Such a message typically includes an indication of a specific function selected from a set of functions available to him, such as loosing weight", "triglycerides control", "fitness control", or "blood pressure control"; and data that is optionally associated with specific key indicating data categories, such as "weight" indicating that the following value means the currently measured value of the weight of the user. Alternatively messages transmitted by a user are edited in a form having a fixed configuration such as a table in which the location of the data indicates its interpretation. Simplified forms especially suitable for mobile end stations, in which graphical icons represents categories selectable by the user are optionally stored in a user end station. A user may select between editing textual messages or to be prompted by the simplified forms in filling in the relevant data. Every interpreted message is immediately acknowledged by the system through the same communications bearer. The interpreted data is presented to the user or the associated service provider for his acknowledgement and/or verification. The user file in user database 34 is augmented with the new acknowledged and/or verified data.

Jo Messages related to a user including data received from associated care service providers are typically formatted in standard forms specifying in designated locations such as in a table the user identity, dates and events related to data including values of measured parameter. Such messages are occasionally received by PSS 28 and interpreted by interpreting unit 32, transferred to user database 34 to update the content of the respective user file.

User of the life style supporting system of the invention may initiate an inquiry or ask for an advise by transmitting a request message or by employing a special request form available at the user region within the web site in the internet. Request message when identified by message interpreting unit is transferred to adviser unit 38 for further processing and handling. A request message is indicated by a respective code and contains the relating function selected from a list of functions available to this user. Simplified forms accommodated to a number of typical requests are optionally stored in mobile end stations of users. For example a default request form by which a user is prompted to use natural language in phrasing his or her request can substitute a coded request message. Exemplary request is asking for an advised diet for the remaining part of the day after breaking the diet for a hot dog and a bier at 11 in the morning. Similarly a user may request a face-to-face meeting with an expert, or ask for an address of a care service provider capable for a specific service to be rendered. In cases in which adviser unit 38 succeeds in associating a sample inquiry selected from a set of frequently asked questions stored in the system, a corresponding response is transmitted to the user employing the same communications bearer in which the request message has been transmitted. In cases that a request has to be responded by an expert such as when medical question related to modifying the timing of taking a medicament or its dose, adviser unit transfers the request to the respective expert station and follows up continuously for an answer to be issued. In cases that such association of known question or addressing a question to an expert fail, adviser unit 38 transfer the request to help station 36 who is available and alerts its operator, or to the help station whose input queue is minimal in length. A hierarchical directory of frequently asked question, not shown, is accessible to a user at any time he accesses the system through the Internet.

The configuration of a file of a user, the items recorded and the frequency at which updated data related to such items are required, are derived from the regimen tailored to this specific user. Therefore analyzer unit 40 triggers response and alert generator 44 to transmit an inquiry prompting the user to provide missing data whenever the time elapsed from the last update of such data exceeds the respective time limit. Analyzer unit 40 is triggered on to fit an updated user profile to the augmented data and analyze it, when time elapsed I0 from the last analysis exceeds a respective time limit stored in that user file.

Specific parameters values, ranges and data trends are estimated, based on the statistically analyzed and cross-correlated data and in accordance with recognized health and behavioral guidelines stored in the system. Values of parameters deviating from their normal range and/or having values exceeding their respective thresholds are indicated. In cases in which such deviations are detected by analyzer 40 the relevant data are transferred to the response and alert generator which is further turned on to generate a massage addressed to the user and/or the respective care service provider accordingly. Occasionally, experts by means of an expert station updates these guidelines in accordance with opinions of recognized and well-established opinion leaders, as well as certified data normally available in public databases, related technical conferences and publications.

Life style support system of the invention provides a roaming user with optional associated care service providers located within the geographical territory from which he messages. A roaming user can notify the system and provide his or her itinerary whenever he or she wishes to do so. The back office indicates the new geographical territory to geographical unit 42 accordingly.

Unidentified messages, which are further identified by the back office and are transmitted from remote geographical territory relative to the location of a user's address, are accordingly indicated to geographic unit 42. Geographic unit 42 routinely checks the area from which a message received by a wireless messaging system is transmitted. Geographic unit 42 initiates a message to be further edited and transmitted to the respective user by response and alert generator 44. Such proactively initiated message addressed to a new corner to the area details him for example with the medical clinics capable for the kind of medical care he needs, which are available within the geographical territory, restaurants and or stores specialized with the products related to his or her specific diet, nearby pharmacies and/or notify him that one or more coupons for free training sessions in a nearby fitness club are waiting for him. The respective care service providers are notified accordingly.

Personalized messages and alerts are sent to a user by response and alert generating unit 44. Such messages includes but are not limited to acknowledgements to received messages, encouragement to users who has not succeeded in reaching a goal, warnings addressed to sloppy and/or failing users, reminders, alerts and notices including information and or guiding tips related to his or her progress. Response and alert generating unit 44 edits such messages and/or alerts to suite the profile of a user and select a messaging bearer as indicated in the user file stored in user database 34.

EXAM PLE

Updating a user profile and activating supporting measures in accordance with the present invenon can be better explained by a few exemplary cases related to strictly keeping diet. Let users A and B be respectively a ten years old child and a female lady aged 35 years, who are basically healthy except for having an excessive weight and are therefore i2-registered to be supported in loosing weight; let user C be a male aged 40 who is basically healthy except for having an excessive weight and somewhat high level of triglycerides, who is interested in loosing weight, improving his general physical fitness and lowering the level of triglycerides. User C is therefore registered to be supported in loosing weight, improving physical fitness and controlling his triglycerides level. Let user D be a 55 years old lady recovering from a coronary implantation and needs support in gaining confidence and getting into a moderate physical activity; who is therefore registered to a general life style support suitable for people suffering from a coronary disease.

Jo The first three users barely need a support from an expert dietician except for outstanding situations; user C might require in addition in special situations an expert in physical training. Therefore the detection of such special situations for the first three users is automatically accomplished by the system of the invention, when a parameter such as the weight of any of these users is retained almost constant along a period of time exceeding a respective predefined time interval, or when the detailed reports received from any of them indicate an unbalanced diet or a shortage in one or more essential constituents, such as vitamins. In such cases the system proactively notifies the users as well as the respective expert about the exceptional situation in which any of these users is being. The system further respectively prompt any of them to increase the rate of weighing and reporting, and/or increase the quantities of the missing constituents, or decrease the quantities of the excessive constituents, by suggesting substituting food products and respective quantities and timing for consuming them.

Encouraging messages respectively promising prizes to be awarded such as a computer game to user A, or a fashionable shirt to users C-D, when a predefined milestone will be achieved are transmitted to all four users when the trends derived from their reporting have the right tendency in accordance with their user profiles as planed. The parents and/or friends of user A will be prompted as well to take part in such encouragement. However users C and D needs occasionally to go through lab screening tests. The analysis of their user profiles involves cross correlating the levels reported in such lab tests with the planed levels as well. In cases in which deviations in such levels from the planed levels according to the respective user profile occur, both users will be first automatically encouraged by the system to modify their diet to include substitutes enriched with, or respectively lacking such, constituents. However following a cross correlating check of the quantities, types and timing of medications reported to be taken by user D a notice will be further transmitted is first to the MD who is associated with user D and according to her response, or when no improvement is detected or the level of changes is lower than expected according the user profile of user D, the specialized MD is automatically alerted by the system as well.

While roaming, user D will be associated with a health care clinic and medical laboratory for periodically carrying out medical and lab screening tests and User C will be presented with such an option as well, whereas the first three users might be interested in being associated with specialized suppliers of food products and therefore will be presented with such suppliers. jL

Claims

1. A system for supporting life-style of users including a proactive service server (PSS) for managing follow up of responses of users to a tailored regimen, said system comprising a communications bearer gateway installed in said PSS, wherein said communications bearer gateway connected to at least two communications bearers for receiving messages from, and proactively transmitting messages to, said users through, and wherein said users Jo respectively have end stations linked to any of said at least two communications bearers, and wherein said PSS is further linked to at least one care service provider, and wherein said PSS comprises a geographic unit for supporting said users while roaming.

2. A system for supporting life style as in claim 1, wherein said PSS further comprises a response and alert generator unit for editing said transmitted messages.

3. A system for supporting life style as in claim 1, wherein said PSS further comprises an interpreting unit for interpreting a message received from a user.

4. A system for supporting life style as in claim 1, wherein said PSS further comprises a user database for storing data related to said users. Is

5. A system for supporting life style as in claim 4, wherein said PSS further comprises an analyzer unit for respectively updating user profiles based on said stored data.

6. A system for supporting life style as in claim 1, wherein said PSS is further linked to at least one expert station for at least updating health and behavioural guidelines stored in said system.

7. A system for supporting life style as in claim 6, wherein said expert station is remote.

8. A system for supporting life style as in claim 1, wherein said PSS is linked to at least one help station for at least assisting in interpreting said received message.

9. A system for supporting life style as in claim 8, wherein said help station is remote.

10. A method for supporting a user following up a tailored regimen of lifestyle by means of a system for supporting lifestyle connected through communications bearers to end stations of users, said method comprising the steps of a. tailoring a set of thresholds and a set of respective supporting measures to be addressed to said user; b. designating specific communications bearers through which messages associated with respective supporting measures addressing said user are to be transmitted; c. receiving messages containing data related to said user following up said regimen; d. detecting an event in which one of said threshold has been exceeded thereby proactively activating a respective supporting measure, and wherein said system for supporting life style comprises a proactive service server (PSS) having a communications bearer gateway linked to at least two communications bearers, and wherein said PSS further comprises a user database in which said data and said user profile are respectively stored, and wherein said PSS further comprises a geographical unit for supporting said user while roaming.

11. A method as in claim 10, and wherein said supporting measures include any of the activities selected from a group of activities consisting of a user winning a prize, a user receiving a message, and wherein said message including any of the following, a notice, a complement, a warning and alert, and wherein said supporting measures including any operation selected from a group of operations consisting of a care service provider receiving any of the following, an empty group. a notice, a warning and an alert, and wherein said supporting measures include any combination of said activities and said operations, and wherein said care service provider is associated with said user. I-i

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein one of said activities prompts said user to provide specified data.

513. A method as in claim 11, wherein one of said activities notifies said user about a care service provider being available for him.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein one of said threshold is exceeded by said user entering a new geographical region. 1 C)

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein one of said thresholds is exceeded by receiving a predefined request from said user.

16. A method as in claim 10, wherein said user transmits said received messages.

17. A method as in claim 10, wherein a care service provider transmits said received messages, and wherein said care service provider associated with said user.