Portable medical history-taking device

Claim 2

A portable patient-operable pre­operative test selector comprising: power supply means for accepting a battery, electronic circuitry connected to derive operating power exclusively from a battery when installed in said power supply means, said electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of pre-operative questions directed to the determination of which pre-operative diagnostic tests should be undergone by a patient before surgery, reflective display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said pre-operative questions serially on said display means, means operable by an unskilled patient to answer "yes" and "no" to each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, said control program being further arranged for analyzing said answers and determining therefrom which pre-operative diagnostic tests are indicated, and output means for revealing the results of such determination.

Claim 3

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, said results-revealing means comprising a printer drive port.

Claim 4

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, said results-revealing means comprising a printer drive port.

Claim 5

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, said data-­storage means being a readily field-removable-and-­replaceable plug-in device to facilitate updating said series of questions and/or said control program.

Claim 6

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, said data-­storage means being a readily field-removable-and-­replaceable plug-in device to facilitate updating said series of questions and/or said control program.

Claim 7

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, output means for revealing the answers, a second data-­storage means containing said series of questions in a language other than that of said series of questions stored in said first-mentioned data-­storage means, and means operable by a user of said device to select one or the other of said data-storage means according to the language spoken by the patient.

Claim 8

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, output means for revealing the answers, a second data-­storage means containing said series of questions in a language other than that of said series of questions stored in said first-mentioned data-­storage means, and means operable by a user of said device to select one or the other of said data-storage means according to the language spoken by the patient.

Claim 9

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, output means for revealing the answers, the control program being also arranged to echo on the display means each answer made by the patient.

Claim 10

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, output means for revealing the answers, the control program being also arranged to echo on the display means each answer made by the patient.

Claim 11

A device as in claim 5 wherein the means operable by the unskilled patient includes means for controlling whether an answer so echoed on the display will be replaced by another answer or will be stored in the means for storing answers.

Claim 12

A device as in claim 6 wherein the means operable by the unskilled patient includes an answer entry means for causing the answer currently echoed on the display to be stored in the means for storing answers.

Claim 13

A device as in claim 7 wherein the programmable data-processing means is responsive to the control program stored in the control program storage means and operation of the answer entry means by the patient to cause the next of the series of questions to be displayed on the display.

Claim 14

A device as in claim 8 further including control input means operable by a person supervising the patient's use of the test selector to enable a prior one of the series of questions to be displayed on the display and to enable a patient who has already operated the answer entry means to nevertheless replace the patient's answer stored in the means for storing answers with a substitute answer selected by the patient.

Claim 15

A device as in claim 2 wherein the printer drive port is a three-wire printer interface port.

Claim 16

A device as in claim 10 wherein the three-wire printer interface is a snap-­together/snap-apart lightweight three-wire electrical jack for use with a serial printer having a mating plug.

Claim 17

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, output means for revealing the answers, and control input means, operable by a person supervising the patient's use of the device, requiring the person supervising to enter a password code to be activated.

Claim 18

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, output means for revealing the answers, and control input means, operable by a person supervising the patient's use of the device, requiring the person supervising to enter a password code to be activated.

Claim 19

A device as in claim 12 wherein the control input means activated by a supervising person who enters a correct password is for enabling such supervising person to operate the output means.

Claim 20

A device as in claim 12 wherein the control input means activated by a supervising person who enters a correct password is for enabling such a supervising person to print a listing of the stored answers in response to the stored control program.

Claim 21

A device as in claim 12 wherein the control input means activated by a supervising person who enters a correct password is for enabling such supervising person to run diagnostics of the programmable display means and its associated circuitry.

Claim 22

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, said control program being arranged to be responsive to preselected possible answers made by the patient to branch to corresponding specialized questions for the patient.

Claim 23

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, said control program being arranged to be responsive to preselected possible answers made by the patient to branch to corresponding specialized questions for the patient.

Claim 24

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, the output means including means for cooperatively coupling the test selector to a computer system.

Claim 25

A medical history-taking device comprising: electronic circuitry including data-storage means for storing a series of questions, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-­purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, and output means for revealing the answers, the output means including means for cooperatively coupling the test selector to a computer system.

Claim 26

A patient-operable test selector comprising: data-storage means for storing a series of questions directed to the determination of which medical tests should be undergone by a patient, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, said control program being further arranged for analyzing said answers and determining therefrom which diagnostic tests are indicated, and output means for revealing the results of such determination, said results-­revealing means comprising a printer drive port, said data-processing means being responsive to the stored control program to set a PRINT flag stored in memory when upon analyzing one or more answers of the patient the control program determines that a certain test should be given and responsive to the set PRINT flag to include the test name in a list of recommended tests printed for the particular patient.

Claim 27

A patient-operable test selector comprising: data-storage means for storing a series of questions directed to the determination of which medical tests should be undergone by a patient, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, said control program being further arranged for analyzing said answers and determining therefrom which diagnostic tests are indicated, and output means for revealing the results of such determination, said results-­revealing means comprising a printer drive port, said data-processing means being responsive to the stored control program to set a PRINT flag stored in memory when upon analyzing one or more answers of the patient the control program determines that a certain test should be given and responsive to the set PRINT flag to include the test name in a list of recommended tests printed for the particular patient.

Claim 28

A patient-operable test selector comprising: data-storage means for storing a series of questions directed to the determination of which medical tests should be undergone by a patient, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, said control program being further arranged for analyzing said answers and determining therefrom which diagnostic tests are indicated, and output means for revealing the results of such determination, said data-­processing means being responsive to the stored control program and one or more answers of the patient to reveal follow-up questions for the patient via the output means.

Claim 29

A patient-operable test selector comprising: data-storage means for storing a series of questions directed to the determination of which medical tests should be undergone by a patient, display means, programmable data-processing means, control program storage means for storing a program for controlling said data-processing means, a special-purpose control program stored therein, said control program being arranged for displaying said questions serially on said display means, means operable by a patient to answer each such question in turn, means for storing such answers, said control program being further arranged for analyzing said answers and determining therefrom which diagnostic tests are indicated, and output means for revealing the results of such determination, said data-­processing means being responsive to the stored control program and one or more answers of the patient to reveal follow-up questions for the patient via the output means.

Claim 30

A portable test selector for use by an untrained patient to complete a medical questionnaire, comprising: read-only memory means for storing (i) a series of preselected medical questions related to determining which tests among a set of preselected tests the patient should undergo, and (ii) a decision table indicating for each of the tests which answers to which questions should cause that test to be determined as one the patient should undergo; scratchpad memory means for storing and reading data; display means for displaying information to the patient; interrogation means for causing the medical questions stored in the memory means to be displayed to the patient by the display means; manual input means for enabling the patient to indicate an answer to a displayed question; and tabulating means for causing the corresponding answer indicated by the patient via the manual input means to be stored as data in the scratchpad memory means.

Claim 31

A portable test selector for use by an untrained patient to complete a medical questionnaire, comprising: read-only memory means for storing (i) a series of preselected medical questions related to determining which tests among a set of preselected tests the patient should undergo, and (ii) a decision table indicating for each of the tests which answers to which questions should cause that test to be determined as one the patient should undergo; scratchpad memory means for storing and reading data; display means for displaying information to the patient; interrogation means for causing the medical questions stored in the memory means to be displayed to the patient by the display means; manual input means for enabling the patient to indicate an answer to a displayed question; and tabulating means for causing the corresponding answer indicated by the patient via the manual input means to be stored as data in the scratchpad memory means.

Claim 32

The device of claim 20 wherein the read-­only memory means is easily removable from the test selector and replaceable to enable updating of the medical questions and decision table.

Claim 33

The device of claim 20 wherein the easily removable and replaceable read-only memory means is a plug-in ROM cartridge.

Claim 34

The device of claim 20 and further including validity flag means that can be cleared to a first state or set to a second state, and checking means responsive to the interrogation means and the tabulating means for clearing the validity flag to its first state when the display means begins displaying the medical questions to the patient and setting the validity flag to its second state when the tabulating means has stored a full set of answers from the patient in the scratchpad memory means.

Claim 35

The device of claim 20 wherein the medical questions are those requiring an answer of YES or NO or NOT SURE, and the manual input means enables the patient to indicate YES, NO, or NOT SURE as the answer.

Claim 36

The device of claim 20 and further including reporting means responsive to the answers stored in the scratchpad memory and the decision table stored in the read-only memory means for determining for each test if the patient's answers to one or more questions should cause that test to be determined as one the patient should undergo.

Claim 37

The device of claim 25 and further including printer interface means to which a data input line to a printer can be coupled; and report generator means, responsive to the reporting means, for sending as output to the printer interface a list of only the tests which the reporting means has determined are ones the patient should undergo.

Claim 38

The device of claim 20 and further including questionnaire printout means responsive to the medical questions stored in the read-only memory means and the answers stored in the scratchpad memory means for determining for each possible patient answer to which questions the patient gave that answer.

Claim 39

The device of claim 27 and further including printer interface means to which a data input line to a printer can be coupled; and list generator means, responsive to the questionnaire printout means, for sending as output to the printer interface a list of the questions and the patient's answers.

Claim 40

The device of claim 28 wherein the list generator means is for sending the questions and the patient's answers to the printer interface with each question sorted according to the answer given to that question by the patient.

Claim 41

A portable test selector for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing control data, an interrogation script, and a series of question structures, each question structure including a branchflag and one or more pointers to following questions; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answer to the questions exhibited by the display; and (d) control means, responsive to the control data stored in the memory means, for transmitting a series of ques­tions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for receiving and storing a representation of the patient's response, and responsive to the branchflag being set to determine the following question to be asked from a yes pointer in the current question structure if the received response is a YES and from a no pointer in the current question structure if the received response is a NO.

Claim 42

A portable test selector for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing control data, an interrogation script, and a series of question structures, each question structure including a branchflag and one or more pointers to following questions; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answer to the questions exhibited by the display; and (d) control means, responsive to the control data stored in the memory means, for transmitting a series of ques­tions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for receiving and storing a representation of the patient's response, and responsive to the branchflag being set to determine the following question to be asked from a yes pointer in the current question structure if the received response is a YES and from a no pointer in the current question structure if the received response is a NO.

Claim 43

A portable medical history-taking device for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means storing a control program and a series of medical questions, each having one or more pointers to other medical questions; (b) display means for exhibiting the questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; (d) a printer output port; (e) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and generating and sending printer signals to the printer output port for listing the questions displayed to the patient and the patient's answers detected via the keyboard means.

Claim 44

A portable medical history-taking device for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means storing a control program and a series of medical questions, each having one or more pointers to other medical questions; (b) display means for exhibiting the questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; (d) a printer output port; (e) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and generating and sending printer signals to the printer output port for listing the questions displayed to the patient and the patient's answers detected via the keyboard means.

Claim 45

The device of claim 31 in which the printer signals include a Notice on the listing of questions and answers asking the patient to review the answers for correctness.

Claim 46

The device of claim 31 in which the printer signals include a signature line associated with the listing of questions and answers for the patient to sign.

Claim 47

The device of claim 31 in which the printer signals include a manual response line on the listing of questions and answers designating a place for the patient to mark to confirm the answers.

Claim 48

The device of claim 34 in which the manual response line is a line for the patient's signature.

Claim 49

The device of claim 31 in which the control program generates printer signals for at least one follow-up question to the patient.

Claim 50

The device of claim 36 wherein the follow-up questions have associated therewith markings to designate entry places for the patient to mark or write answers.

Claim 51

A portable medical history-taking device for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said device comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including series of questions, each having one or more corresponding pointers to other questions; said questions including at least one that asks the patient's sex and at least one which is relevant to only one sex; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; (d) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and (e) matching means, responsive to patient's answer, as detected by the keyboard means, to the question about the patient's sex, for limiting the display means to exhibit only questions relevant to the patient's sex.

Claim 52

A portable medical history-taking device for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said device comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including series of questions, each having one or more corresponding pointers to other questions; said questions including at least one that asks the patient's sex and at least one which is relevant to only one sex; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; (d) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and (e) matching means, responsive to patient's answer, as detected by the keyboard means, to the question about the patient's sex, for limiting the display means to exhibit only questions relevant to the patient's sex.

Claim 53

The device of claim 38 in which the matching means includes means for automatically storing an indication of which questions were not asked because not relevant to the patient's sex.

Claim 54

A portable test selector for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including series of questions, each having one or more corresponding pointers to other questions; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; and (d) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and (e) branching means for determining the following question to be asked from (i) a first pointer corresponding to the current question if the patient's answer is a first response, and (ii) from a second pointer corresponding to the current question if the patient's answer is a second response.

Claim 55

A portable test selector for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including series of questions, each having one or more corresponding pointers to other questions; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; and (d) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and (e) branching means for determining the following question to be asked from (i) a first pointer corresponding to the current question if the patient's answer is a first response, and (ii) from a second pointer corresponding to the current question if the patient's answer is a second response.

Claim 56

A portable test selector for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including series of medical questions, each having a corresponding branchflag and one or more corresponding pointers to other medical questions; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; and (d) control means responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and (e) branching means responsive to the branchflag of a current question being SET for determining the following question to be asked from (i) a first pointer corresponding to the current question if the received response is a YES, and (ii) from a second pointer corresponding to the current question if the received response is a NO.

Claim 57

A portable test selector for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including series of medical questions, each having a corresponding branchflag and one or more corresponding pointers to other medical questions; (b) display means for exhibiting medical questions to the patient; (c) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; and (d) control means responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitt­ing a series of questions to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, and (e) branching means responsive to the branchflag of a current question being SET for determining the following question to be asked from (i) a first pointer corresponding to the current question if the received response is a YES, and (ii) from a second pointer corresponding to the current question if the received response is a NO.

Claim 58

A portable medical history-taking device for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including a first set of medical questions in a first language and a second set of the same medical questions in a second language; (b) language selection means for enabling selection of either the first or second set of questions; (c) display means for exhibiting the selected set of questions to the patient; (d) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; (e) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitting a series of questions in the selected set to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, (f) means including a port to which a printer can be connected, for generating printer signals for a listing of the questions displayed and the patient's answers as detected by the keyboard means, and responsive to said language selection means to print said questions form the selected set for use by a doctor, (g) said language selection means being operable to make different selections prior to displaying and prior to printing said questions, whereby said patient has a choice of either language and said doctor has an independent choice of either language.

Claim 59

A portable medical history-taking device for use by a patient to complete a medical questionnaire, said selector comprising: (a) memory means for storing a control program including a first set of medical questions in a first language and a second set of the same medical questions in a second language; (b) language selection means for enabling selection of either the first or second set of questions; (c) display means for exhibiting the selected set of questions to the patient; (d) keyboard means for detecting the patient's answers to the questions; (e) control means, responsive to the control program stored in the memory means, for transmitting a series of questions in the selected set to the display means for exhibit, and responsive to the keyboard means for storing a representation of the patient's responses, (f) means including a port to which a printer can be connected, for generating printer signals for a listing of the questions displayed and the patient's answers as detected by the keyboard means, and responsive to said language selection means to print said questions form the selected set for use by a doctor, (g) said language selection means being operable to make different selections prior to displaying and prior to printing said questions, whereby said patient has a choice of either language and said doctor has an independent choice of either language.