Health Monitoring Apparatus and Methods

Abstract

A measurement module for glucose testing includes a glucose testing measurement module housing, a test strip receptacle formed in the housing, and a connector portion formed in the housing and shaped to permit mechanical removable attachment of the housing to a hand-held computer. Electronics determine the amount of glucose present in a sample of body fluid, when the test strip is positioned in the receptacle and the body fluid is placed on a test strip, and communicate the glucose amount to the hand-held computer via the connector portion.

1 .- 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A hand-held processing device, comprising:
 a housing configured to be hand-held;   a memory comprising one or more software programs;   a processor coupled to the housing, wherein the processor is configured to process data associated with monitoring a health condition using the one or more software programs;   a display unit coupled to the housing and in communication with the processor for displaying the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition; and   a communication unit coupled to the housing and in communication with the processor, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive data and/or software programs from a computer and/or network to the hand-held processing device.   
     
     
         30 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the health condition is diabetes. 
     
     
         31 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 30 , wherein the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition comprises data indicative of an analyte concentration in a sample from a subject having the health condition. 
     
     
         32 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 31 , wherein the analyte is glucose. 
     
     
         33 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the processing device comprises a measurement module for testing at least one physical parameter of a subject having the health condition. 
     
     
         34 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 33 , wherein the measurement module comprises a test strip receptacle coupled to the housing and in communication with the housing. 
     
     
         35 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 34 , wherein the test strip receptacle is configured to receive a glucose test strip. 
     
     
         36 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the display unit comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD). 
     
     
         37 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the display unit comprises a touchscreen. 
     
     
         38 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the hand-held processing device is configured to issue one or more communications to a user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         39 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more communications are selected from an audible communication, a vibratory communication, a graphical communication and a textual communication. 
     
     
         40 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more communications indicate that a planned activity is due to begin. 
     
     
         41 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 40 , wherein the planned activity is user entry of data associated with the monitoring of the health condition. 
     
     
         42 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 41 , wherein the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition comprises exercise data. 
     
     
         43 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 41 , wherein the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition comprises dietary data. 
     
     
         44 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 43 , wherein the dietary data comprises meal-related data. 
     
     
         45 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 44 , wherein the meal-related data comprises meal time data. 
     
     
         46 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 44 , wherein the meal-related data comprises carbohydrate value. 
     
     
         47 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 31 , wherein the analyte is glucose, and wherein the display unit is configured to display a communication activatable when the glucose concentration of the sample indicates hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, impending hyperglycemia, or impending hypoglycemia. 
     
     
         48 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the hand-held processing device comprises a PDA, a mobile phone, or a combination PDA/mobile phone. 
     
     
         49 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the hand-held processing device is configured for USB connectivity with a personal computer. 
     
     
         50 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the network is a computer network. 
     
     
         51 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the communication with the computer and/or network is wireless communication. 
     
     
         52 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 51 , wherein the wireless communication is by RF and/or IR. 
     
     
         53 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the communication unit is configured for connection with the internet. 
     
     
         54 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the communication unit is configured for communication with a personal computer, and wherein the processor is configured to synchronize data in the hand-held processing device with data in the personal computer to produce synchronized data. 
     
     
         55 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 54 , wherein the synchronized data comprises time- and/or date-tagged event data. 
     
     
         56 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , further comprising diabetes management software configured to be accessed by a health care professional. 
     
     
         57 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , further comprising a database comprising data associated with the monitoring of the health condition, wherein the database is accessible by a user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         58 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 57 , wherein the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition is event data. 
     
     
         59 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 57 , wherein at least a portion of the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition is manually entered by the user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         60 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 57 , further comprising application software configured to merge the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition with additional data specific for the user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         61 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , further comprising application software configured to store and retrieve data associated with the monitoring of the health condition such that the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition is accessible by a user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         62 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 61 , wherein the application software is configured to receive and store user-entered data associated with the monitoring of the health condition. 
     
     
         63 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 62 , wherein the application software is configured to display one or more pre-defined drop-down lists from which a user can select data associated with the monitoring of the health condition. 
     
     
         64 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 61 , wherein the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition comprises carbohydrate data. 
     
     
         65 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 61 , wherein the data associated with the monitoring of the health condition comprises exercise data. 
     
     
         66 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 64 , wherein the hand-held processing device comprises a food database accessible by a user of the analyte measurement system, wherein the food database comprises carbohydrate values for food items. 
     
     
         67 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 66 , wherein the food database is customizable by the user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         68 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the display unit is configured to display a recommended treatment to a user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         69 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 31 , wherein the hand-held processing device further comprises application software configured to determine a dosage of medication based at least in part on the indicated analyte concentration. 
     
     
         70 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 69 , wherein the analyte is glucose and the medication is insulin. 
     
     
         71 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 31 , wherein the hand-held processing device further comprises application software configured to determine trending of analyte concentration based at least in part on the indicated analyte concentration. 
     
     
         72 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 71 , wherein the trending provides for a rate and/or acceleration of analyte concentration increase or decrease. 
     
     
         73 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 71 , wherein the application software is configured to communicate with the display unit such that visual indicators of analyte concentration trending are displayed to a user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         74 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 29 , wherein the hand-held processing device further comprises application software configured to communicate with the display unit such that a visual representation of data associated with the monitoring of the health condition over time is provided to a user of the hand-held processing device. 
     
     
         75 . The hand-held processing device of  claim 32 , wherein the hand-held processing device further comprises application software configured to communicate with the display unit such that a visual representation of glucose concentration over time is provided to a user of the hand-held processing device.