Method For Addressing Medical Conditions Through A Wearable Health Monitor With The Aid Of A Digital Computer

摘要

Individuals who suffer from certain kinds of medical conditions, particularly conditions that only sporadically exhibit measurable symptoms, can feel helpless in their attempts to secure access to medical care because, at least in part, they are left to the mercy of their condition to present symptoms at the right time to allow diagnosis and treatment. Providing these individuals with ambulatory extended-wear health monitors that record ECG and physiology, preferably available over-the-counter and without health insurance preauthorization, is a first step towards addressing their needs. In addition, these individuals need a way to gain entry into the health care system once a medically-actionable medical condition has been identified. Here, the ECG and physiology is downloaded and evaluated post-monitoring against medical diagnostic criteria. Medical specialists are pre-identified and paired up with key diagnostic findings, such that an individual whose monitoring data indicates a medical concern will be automatically referred and treated.

主权项

1. A method for addressing medical conditions through a wearable health monitor with the aid of a digital computer, comprising the steps of:
providing a patient with a wearable health monitor comprising a disposable extended wear electrode patch and a monitor recorder, the electrode patch comprising a flexible backing and a plurality of electrocardiographic electrodes comprised on the contact surface of each end of the flexible backing, a non-conductive receptacle affixed to a non-contacting surface of the flexible backing, and a pair of flexible circuit traces affixed at each end of the flexible backing with each circuit trace connecting one of the electrocardiographic electrodes to an electro mechanical docking interface, the monitor recorder comprising a sealed housing adapted to be removably secured into the non-conductive receptacle and electronic circuitry comprised within the sealed housing including an external interface configured to be removably connected to the electrocardiographic electrodes via the electro mechanical docking interface; sensing the patient's physiology through the wearable health monitor over a monitoring period and recording the physiology throughout the monitoring period into a memory onboard the wearable health monitor; downloading the physiology into a computer upon completion of the monitoring period and comparing the physiology to a medical diagnostic criteria; generating with the computer a diagnostic overread that comprises one or more diagnostic findings; determining with the computer the severity of any medical condition indicated by the diagnostic findings; and referring the patient to one or more pre-identified care providers via the computer for facilitated diagnosis as conditioned upon the severity of each such medical condition that exceeds a threshold tolerance level.