IL36809A - Multiphasic health screening method and module - Google Patents

Description

MULTIPHASIC HEALTH SCREENING METHOD AND MODULE rnoT □■'ana p a ro ms a n?*T3^ ΠΡ*Ρ This invention concerns method, and apparatus for conducting health, screening tests on humans in a programmed,, primarily automated, manner to thereby, reduce, the efforts and time required by medically trained personnel, especially doctors, to attain the health screening profiles of a large portion of the population.

A portable module houses numerous pieces of testing equipment, substantially all of which are connected to a central control and sequencing panel, which enables the outputs from the testing equipment to be shared by a common array of recorders and encoders. A medical technician operates the module in a semiautomatic mode to gather multiphasic data from one or more individuals coupled to the module „ Output data is progressively accumulated and, at least in part, is transferred onto a composite health form, which can be machine readable. As a result, a multiphasic health profile or "base line" is derived in a few minutes and almost immediately is available to a doctor.

Health screening per se is old in both method and apparatus. Typical in the prior art of health screening -is an individual's annual physical examination. Dependent upon the individual, his prior health background, his financial position, available time, his doctor's laboratOry- fac ilities , etc . , the physical examination might be relatively simple', speedy and of minimal expense; or might be complex, considerably time consuming, and At the present time, it is the opinion of many that^R health screening reaches too small a segment of the Regulation,, is too costly, too time consuming for both the individual and his doctor^ is too limited in its testing ambit and otherwise is deficient in. meeting the health needs of the general public. Such situation exists notwithstanding an increased awareness of a need and .. desire for improved health screening procedures and equipment. Not- only has the medical profession been active in promoting this form of preventative medicine, but governmental agencies, labor unions, management, and insurance companies have encouraged the development and use of improved, accurate yet economic health screening facilities.

Individual doctors, and small groups of doctors of different professional specialities who share common physical facilities, including laboratory equipment and technicians, usually find it too expensive to maintain a complete, or multiphasic, health screening facility.

Moreover, even if many doctors were so equipped, a large segment of the population might not avail themselves of multiphasic- health screening, because of apathy, possibly augmented by time and cost considerations.

If, however, a multiphasic health screening facility could be- brought to the individual, such as to a factory site, an office complex, a college domitory, institutions which house the elderly,, etc. for a period of a few days, cost, yet professionally accurate health screening data, then the health needs of the public would have taken a or ard step;.

In recent years, hospitals have become equipped with patien monitoring apparatus, by which one or a few patients, typically those in intensive care, are electrically connected* by electronic sensors to selected pieces of equipment which continuously monitor such parameters as heart rate, blood pressure and temperature. Such on-line monitoring also can be coupled to remotely positioned recording apparatus. Although such patient monitoring arrangements provide a significant improvement in hospital care, they are not adapted to meet the- needs of multiphasic health screening.

The use of on-line monitoring has been considered for health screening purposes.; however, it introduces problems, not necessarily medical in nature but in the form of inefficient data processing. Existing health screening devices generate several forms of data output, some of which are digital and easily suited for direct recording in data processing equipment. However, other outputs are graphic in nature, and yet still others do" not provide compatibility with conventional encoding and decoding formats. Moreover, data processors are expensive, somewhat bulky and not especially portable. Additionally, the ultimate task of decoding the health information from many individuals could be a difficult if not insurmountable As a consequence* there has been and nov exists an increasin need for a health screening procedure and facility^ which is relatively portable* yet sufficiently complete so as to encompass several phases of health screening: and thereby be "multiphasic*; while* at the eame time it provides speedy* low cost screening* with a final data output that is easily decoded and or otherwise placed into the hands of the individual's doctor almost immediately* Accordingly , th>e unvention provides a semi-automatic;^ multiphasic health screening method for human individuals comprising the steps ofs orienting at least two individuals, adjacent to a multiphasic healt screening module having therein a plurality of different electronically operable health parameter measuring test devices coupled to a common group of test readout recorders* whereby the entire screening is accomplished adjacent the moduleI electronically coupling each individual to the on module by w of a plurality of sensors and leads which transmit a plurality of different health parameters to at l^ast some of the test devices in the module automatically s lecting a predetermined sequence of health screening tests to be performed on each individual by use of the test devices said selecting including the step of directing electrically which tes is being performed upon each individual* such that at any one time a different test is being directed to each individual performing each selected test for a relatively short period of time* and only once per Individual by way of said automatically selecting; encoding, at least in part by the readout reoorders, the data results from each test prior to advancing to the next test; and automatically enabling next of the predetermined sequence of accomplishing said steps ef performing - t multiphasic health testing method for human individuals j-, comprising the steps o t orienting at least two individuals adjacent to a modular console having therei a plurality of different health parameter measuring instruments and readout recording means; electrically coupling each individual to the console by way of a plurality of sensors and leads which transmit a plurality of different health parameters to at least some of the test instruments in the consolel selecting a predetermined sequence of tests to be performed on each individual by use of the test instruments directing electrically which test is being performed upon each individual* such that at an one time a differen test is being directed to each individual; performing each selected test or a relatively short period of time* and only once per individual by way of said selectin t encoding into the readout recorders, the data results from each test prior to advancing to the next test; advancing to the next of the predetermined sequence of health tests and then accomplishing said steps of directing, performing and encodin for such next test* Furthermore, the invention provides a multiphasic health screening module comprising* cabinetry* a plurality of different medical testin means for measuring medical health parameters housed within said cabinetry* a common electric power input to said module and said testing means* a plurality of test data recording means interconnected in common to at least some of said plurality of testing means* means fo couplin said testing means to a plurality of individuals to be tested* central control means* including a central control panel which interconnects said testing means with said recording means' and with sa d couplin means* said central control means further including and said recording means* operatio , selection means also being^ on said central control panel said selecting means including interconnecting means which defines a sequential., repetition-* free mode of programmed testing by said central control means, whereb a plurality of multiphasic health screening tests can be obtained by means of said module only in a sequentially'. programmed mode,, and said control panel Includes direction control means interconnected to said coupling means,, said testing means and said recording means*, for selectively directing test to a particular individual* while at the same time another test can be directed to another particular Individual, whereby a plurality -of individuals can be coterminously screened by '.said module*,,' In a further development of the invention there is . provided a multiphasic health screening apparatus comprising*, cabinetry* a plurality of different medical testing means and data recording means housed within, said eabinetry for measuring and recordin medical health parameters, means for coupling said testing means to a plurality of individuals to be tested, central control means, including a central control panel which interconnects said testing means with said recording means and =w&&KXBK&dxsseBj^£ng3a8eftitHxaad with said coupling means, said central control means further including test selecting means connected to said testto means and said recording meaner and including interconnecting means which defines a sequential, repetition-free mode of testing by use of said central control means, and said central control means includes direction control means Interconnected to said coupling means,, said testing means and said recording means, for selectivel directing a test to a particular individual* while at the same time. whereby a plurality of individuals can be ootermlnously screened by said apparatus.

The preferred embodiments of this invention will now be described* by way of example, with Reference to the drawings accompanying this specification in which? Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a major portion of the subject module; and Figure 2 is a front view of the central control panel of the module. ¥ith reference to Figure 1, the subject .multiphasic health screening module is designated by the general reference number 10 and is housed in portable cabinetry 12. The overall size can be approximately seven feet long, five feet high andxthraexfcetxhigh and three feet deep; however, the size and configuration could be varied depending upon the e teneiveness of the desired testing procedure and thus 6 the total amount and necessary- configu ations' of individual testing instruments mounted within the cabinetry. The disclosed- embodiment could be augmented-by- mo e' test equipment; however, the invention will be clear by the following disclosure.

To be positioned adjacent the cabinetry 12 would be one or more seats for the individuals who are being tested. The term "individual" is employed rather than "patient" to emphasize the fact that the subject invention is designed primarily for use in an otherwise non-medical environment by a technician. Reclining chairs or chaise lounges provide suitable seating comfort, while enabling the arms and legs of a test individual to be available' for the easy attachment of test sensing electrodes and elements. Both the module and the seats are designed for transport in a small truck, so that the only set up time required would be that of rolling the/module and seats to any desired site and plugging the module into a standard electrical wall sockets On each side of the cabinetry 12 are electrical recepticales 14 for sensor leads (not shown), which are to be coupled to the reclining test individual. The lower protion of the cabinetry, as at 16, is provided with storage space for housing some portions of the testing devices, as well as their sensors, health forms, etc.

Projecting from the main body of the cabinetry is a desk-like shelf 18 for use by the operating technician tester, 20, a pulmonary sens.or 22,. and. the, ear phones 24 of an audiometer 2'6. A central pp.rt.ion '23 of. the shelf 18, is slidable, . inv/ard from the,. p.o.s.it.ion . illustrated:, so as. to-- make accessible a tape recorder 30, which is mounted' in a drawer 32, also illustrated in its forward position.

In the upper middle of the module 10 is a central control panel 34, which is illustrated in greater detail in Figure 2 and subsequently will be discussed.

Above the control panel is an oscilloscope 36. Below and to the left of the control panel is a strip chart recorder 38. The tape recorder 30, the oscilloscope 36 and the strip chart recorder 38 are interconnected to the control panel and, to the extent desired, interconnected with all the test equipment so as to be used as desired as output, recorders with any of the testing devices.

To the left of the control panel 34 is an electrocardiography analyzer 40, which, when enabled via the control panel, is operable selectively by its selector switch 42 for receipt of the five standard ECG parameters, from respective sensors attached to the test individual connected into one of the recepticales. If desired, the more complete twelve lead ECG response could be obtained by bypassing the selector switch 42 and/or augmenting it by providing, in conjunction with the control panel, a switching matrix, such as by relays, which would approriately select the various sensor leads and permit the responses to be transduced, as by the Above the ECG analyzer 40 is a phonocardiograph 44 for the monitoring of heart sounds. To the right thereof, above, the control panel, is an ECG amplifier with meter scale 46 that advises the technician of heart or pulse rate.

To the right of the oscilloscope is a galvanic skin response device- 48, below which is a blood pressure monitor 50. Above and to the right thereof is a pulmonary function monitor 52, the sensor of which 22 was previously mentioned. Adjacent thereto is the readout portion 54 of an automatic height and weight recorder, not illustrated, which would be placed on the floor next to the module 10.

Although not individually emphasized above, all of the above mentioned equipment have a common power input, they are controlled via the control panel 34, and to the extent necessary, they have sensor connections at the receptacles 14, and have selective access to the output recorders 30, 36 and 38.

Next considering the control panel 34, shown in detail in Figure 2, at the right end thereof is a key operated power on-off switch 56, which is connected to the standard voltage, alternating current input line of the module. Below the switch 56 is a progressive counter 58, which identifies the test individual for purposes of correlation with the health form and any other data and bookkeeping purposes,, The counter can be manually advanced and reset on demand; also, it can be connected of the control panel, such that each time the test sequence is started for an individual by use of the ON button, the counter 58- is advanced.

At the upper right of the array of control buttons is a WARNING light 62 which signals an alarm condition when an improper amount of electric current, potential, etc. is applied to the sensing leads connected to the receptacles 14, or upon a power surge into the module, or a malfunction of any of the testing devices. The first of these conditions is, of course, the most important with respect to the safety of the test individual. Accordingly, not only will the warning light be turned on, but also a highly sensitive-, fast acting safety switch will be activated to remove all electric power from the receptacles 14. Activation of the alarm system can also disable the "on" condition set by the ON button 60. In this event, a RESET button 64 would have to be depressed after the alarm condition was removed and before the ON button 60 again could be effective in closing its associated switch. In a preferred embodiment, each button in the control array would be connected to its respective test device in such manner that a malfunction in a test device would cause a lamp behind the button 60 to flash on and off. Of course, an audible alarm can be triggered in conjuction with the above mentioned visual alarm and the automatic disabling safety switches.

Below the RESET button 64 are LEFT CHAIR and RIGHT connected to the receptacles 14 and to each of the test devices having leads connectable to the receptacles 14. In the illustrated embodiment, two- individuals" can be tested at a time; one in the left chair or reclining seat who is" connectable to leads from the left side receptacle and one in the right seat, who is connectable to leads from the right side receptacle 14. Accordingly, whenever a particular test is to be performed on a particular individual, the associated chair and test button both must be depressed to enable their respective control switches.

A column 70 of readout control buttons respectively marked SCOPE,. TAPE, and CHART is provided for the selection of the desired readout mode and its associated devices, earlier referred to as the oscilloscope 36, the tape recorder 30, and the strip chart recorder 38. One or more of these readout devices can be activated at any one time. To conserve upon the use of tape and chart paper and, more importantly, to avoid the recording of useless, or otherwise uncles ired data, it is recommended that the scope first be enabled alone to act as a preliminary monitor. When the test data, as seen on the scope, appears stable and/or otherwise significant for permanent recording, then the tape and/or chart devices would be enabled by their respective control buttons. At the bottom of the column 70 is a RESET button which is connected to each of the above disclosed readout devices particular test, the recording device or- devices can be reset for the next test in the sequence.

The remaining" control buttons- on the central ' control panel 34 define an array 72, in which each testing device and/or test procedure is represented" b a selection button which, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises fifteen buttons, not including the ON button 60, but including a REVIEW button 74. These buttons and their respectively associated switches can be connected for two different modes of operation (i) a random sequence selection or (ii) a predetermined sequence select ion.

In the random sequence mode (i), the operating technician is free to select any test after the completion of any test. To do this, the technician would depress a first button, such the GSR button, to enable the galvanic skin response test to commence. At the completion of this first test, the GSR button is again depressed to inactivate the GSR device 48. Of course, during this test the recording instruments 30, 36 and 38 also would have been selectively activated and subsequently reset, and the technician would have made appropriate data entry on the health form. Thereafter, the testing procedure is free to commence again for any desired test0 In the predetermined sequence select mode (ii), the array of control buttons would have its associated array of controlled switches interconnected in a release and latch configuration, such that the release of any specific a test, would enable only the sequent ially- next push button to be effective in latchin its switch to enable the .nex 8θ¾μεηίί3ΐ test. Although the release and latch arrangement could be connected to operate automatically as & step switch that is automatically- advanced", it would be preferred to retain the step advancing control^ in the hands of the technician.

If the predetermined sequence control mode (ii) is employed, there may develop a situation in which an already completed test should be repeated, either because a review of the test results indicates a possible inaccuracy or, more likely, because another intervening test has indicated the possibility of some form of health condition, whereupon a recheck of the prior test could provide some additional or verifying data. In such circumstances, the REVIEW button 74 would be selected and would disable the predetermined sequence control and enable random selection of any test button and its test procedure.' Quite possible a hybird of the random sequence (i) and the predetermined sequence (ii) modes would be desired. For example, the MIX PHONO button calls for the phono-cardiograph response to be superimposed upon the response of a specific portion of- the ECG test procedure. Thus, it might provide more accurate data analysis if the phonocardiograph, the mixed phonocardiography and the ECG tests were sequentially obtained. Hence, these three tests would be connected by the control panel 34 and its remaining tests would be operable in the- random sequence" mode (i) .

The health form, not illustrated,, would fee. filled in progressively by the technician as the sequential testing progressed and would be reviewed by the technician at the end of the testing program, or any portion of it, to ascertain if any test should be repeated while the test individual still is coupled to the sensors. As a result, as soon as the last test and a review are completed, the health form, the strip chart and the tape recorded data all can be put together physically in a common envelope or the like and be ready for a doctor's analysis. The entire testing procedure would have been completed in a relatively few minutes, and needless to say in a manner which should cost a small amount compared to the prevalent costs of multiphasic health screening examinations.

It is believed that those knowledgeable in electronic . equipment, particularly the .equipment employed in the medical testing field, will find the hereinabove presentation more than sufficient to appreciate the teachings of the invention and thereby to be able to practice same. Although specific electrical control schematics have not been- illustrated, the operational description thereof should be enabling to those skilled in the art.

Claims (9)

C L A I S :

1. A semi-automatic, multiphasic health screening method for human individuals comprising the steps of: orienting at least two individuals adjacent to a multiphasic health screening module having therein a plurality of different electronically operable health parameter measuring test devices coupled to a common group of test readout recorders, whereby the entire screening is accomplished adjacent the module; electronically coupling each individual to the one module by way of a plurality of sensors and leads which transmit a plurality of different health parameters to at least some of the test devices in the module; automatically selecting a predetermined sequence of health screening tests to be performed on each individual by use of the test devices said selecting including the step of directing electrically which test is being performed upon each individual, such that at any one time a different test is being directed to each individual; performing each selected test for a relatively short period of time, and only once per individual by way of said automatically selecting; encoding, at least in part by the readout recorders, the data results from each test prior to advancing to the next test; and automatically enabling the performing of the next of the predetermined sequence of health tests and then accomplishing said steps of performing and encoding. - 15 -

2. The method according to claim 1 further -* including monitoring electronically the data results orior to said encoding, and enabling by vay of electronic controls said encoding only after acceptable data has been monitored*

3. The method according to anyone of claims 1 and, 2 including programming electronically said selecting in an automatic and sequentially predetermined mode.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said programming causes said repeating to override the predetermined sequence of said selecting. - 16 -

5.2flt* A semi-automatic , multiphasic health testing method for human individuals comprising the steps of: orienting at least two individuals adjacent to a modular console having therein a plurality of different health parameter measuring instruments and readout recording means ; electrically coupling each individual to the console by way of a plurality of sensors and. leads which transmit a plurality of different health parameters to at least some of the test instruments in the console; selecting a predetermined sequence of tests to be performed on each individual by use of the test instruments; directing electrically which test is being performed upon each individual, such that at any one time a different test is being directed to each individual; performing each selected test for a relatively short period of time, and only once per individual by way of said selecting; encoding into the readout recorders, the data results from each test prior to advancing to the next test; advancing to the next of the predetermined sequence of health tests and then accomplishing said steps of directing, performing and encoding for such next test. - 1 7 -

6. ¾. A multiphasic health screening module comprising: cabinetry, a plurality of different medical testing means for measuring medical health parameters housed within said cabinetry, a common electric power input to said module and said testing means, a plurality of test data recording means interconnected in common to at least some of said plurality of testing means, means for coupling said testing means to a plurality of individuals to be tested, central control means, including a central control panel which interconnects said testing means with said recording means and with said coupling means, said central control means further including programmed selecting means connected to said testing means and said recording means, operation selection means also being on said central control panel, said selecting means including interconnecting means which defines a sequential, repetition-free mode of programmed testing by said central control means, whereby a plurality of multiphasic health screening tests can be obtained by means of said module only in a sequentially programmed mode, and said control panel includes direction control means interconnected to said coupling means, said testing means and said recording means, for selectively directing a test to a particular individual, while at the same time another test can be directed to another particular individual, whereby a plurality of individuals can be coterminous ly screened by said module.

7. module according to claim 6 wherein said ■'·, recording devices include a test output monitor for determining the acceptability of test data output, and aaid selecting arrangement includes structure for enabling said monitor prior to the enabling of a remainder of the recording devices, and structure for enabling at least a portion of such remainder upon a determination that acceptable test data is being generated by way of a test device*

8. A module according to anyone of claims 6 or 7 wherein said testing device selecting arrangement includes a control for enabling the repeating any desired test, independent of the test sequential mode*

9. 2φ A multiphasic health screening apparatus comprising: cabinetry, a plurality of different medical testing means and data recording means housed within said cabinetry for measuring