Apparatus and methods for medical patient role playing / simulation activity

Abstract

A health care apparatus ( 10 ) and methods for rendering audio visual content to a medical patient in the patient's home, in which a content element storage ( 22 ) stores a plurality of audio visual content elements ( 28 ) to be rendered to the patient, including role playing simulation content elements ( 40 ) in which in which the patient is presented with a situation involving an issue related to a medical condition confronted by a character ( 42 ) and in which the patient provides input related to the character's situation.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments, the invention is now claimed to be: 
     
         1 . A system of rendering audio visual health care content to a patient with a medical condition, said system comprising:
 a content element storage operatively coupled with a communications network and adapted to store a plurality of audio visual content elements to be rendered to the patient, the plurality of audio visual content elements including a plurality of role playing simulation content elements in which the patient is presented with a situation involving an issue related to a medical condition confronted by a character and in which the patient provides input related to the character's situation;   itinerary arrangement system operatively coupled with the content element storage and adapted to:
 select one or more stored content elements based on the medical condition of the patient, the selected content elements including an interactive survey or quiz content element and a role playing simulation content element, to be rendered to the patient in a given viewing session as part of a defined care plan, the role playing simulation content element selected based on a patient response to the interactive survey or quiz content element; 
 arrange the selected content elements into a serially ordered itinerary with the interactive survey or quiz content element and the role playing simulation content element arranged to correspond to a chronology of the defined care plan, wherein the interactive survey or quiz content element is arranged before the role playing simulation content element; 
   a user interface operatively coupled with the communications network and with a display device, the user interface being operable by the patient to render the selected content elements to the patient according to the serially ordered itinerary by the display device.   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the itinerary arrangement system is further adapted to select the stored content elements based on a generic care plan template and input from the user interface. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the itinerary arrangement system is further adapted to:
 select an educational content element to be rendered to the patient as part of the defined care plan in a given viewing session; and   arrange the selected content elements into the serially ordered itinerary for presentation to the patient with the educational content element presented to the patient before both the role playing simulation content element and the interactive survey or quiz content element.   
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 3 , wherein select portions of the educational content element are rendered to the patient by the display device in response to the patient incorrectly answering a question of the interactive survey or quiz content element, the select portions relevant to the question. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the itinerary arrangement system is further adapted to:
 select a character selection content element to be rendered to the patient as part of the defined care plan in a given viewing session, the character selection content element including images and names for a plurality of characters and allowing the patient to select one of the characters; and   arrange the selected content elements into a serially ordered itinerary for presentation to the patient with the character selection content element presented to the patient before the role playing simulation content element but after the interactive survey or quiz content element.   
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 5 , wherein the itinerary arrangement system is further adapted to select a character introduction content element to be rendered to the patient after the character selection content element and before the role playing simulation content element, the character introduction content element including an image of the selected character and information about the selected character. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the character introduction content element includes audio of the selected character. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the itinerary arrangement system is further adapted to select a situation of the day, the situation of the day being a role playing simulation content element specifically selected for the current day; and
 wherein the user interface is further operable to render the situation of the day to the patient.   
     
     
         9 . A method of rendering audio visual health care content to a patient with a medical condition, said method:
 storing by at least one processor a plurality of audio visual content elements to be rendered to a the patient, the plurality of audio visual content elements including a plurality of role playing simulation content elements in which the patient is presented with a situation involving an issue related to a medical condition confronted by a character and in which the patient provides input related to the character's situation;   selecting by the at least one processor one or more stored content elements on the medical condition of the patient, the selected content elements including an interactive survey or quiz content element and a role playing simulation content element, to be rendered to the patient in a given viewing session as part of a defined care plan, the role playing simulation content element selected based on a patient response to the interactive survey or quiz content element;   arranging by the at least one processor the selected content elements into a serially ordered itinerary with the interactive survey or quiz content element and the role playing simulation content element arranged to correspond to a chronology of the defined care plan, wherein the interactive survey or quiz content element is arranged before the role playing simulation content element;   rendering by the at least one processor a display of the selected content elements to the patient according to the serially ordered itinerary.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , further including:
 selecting the stored content elements based on a generic care plan template and input from the user interface.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 9 , further including:
 selecting an educational content element to be rendered to the patient as part of the defined care plan in a given viewing session;   arranging the selected content elements into the serially ordered itinerary for presentation to the patient with the educational content element presented to the patient before both the role playing simulation content element and the interactive survey or quiz content element.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , further including:
 rendering select portions of the educational content element to the patient in response to the patient incorrectly answering a question of the interactive survey or quiz content element, the select portions relevant to the question.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 9 , further including:
 selecting a character selection content element to be rendered to the patient as part of the defined care plan in a given viewing session, the character selection content element including images and names for a plurality of characters and allowing the patient to select one of the characters; and   arranging the selected content elements into a serially ordered itinerary for presentation to the patient with the character selection content element presented to the patient before the role playing simulation content element but after the interactive survey or quiz content element.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , further including:
 selecting a character introduction content element to be rendered to the patient after the character selection content element and before the role playing simulation content element, the character introduction content element including an image of the selected character and information about the selected character.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the character introduction content element includes audio of the selected character. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 9 , further including:
 selecting a situation of the day, the situation of the day being a role playing simulation content element specifically selected for the current day; and   rendering the situation of the day to the patient.   
     
     
         17 . A method of providing health care to a patient, the method comprising:
 defining by a at least one processor a care plan that includes features to assist the patient with defined health issues, the defining including electronically inputting patient information for the patient into a generic care plan template;   selecting by the at least one processor one or more new content elements of the care plan based on progress in understanding of the patient regarding the defined health issues; and   providing by the at least one processor a role playing session as part of the care plan.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , further including:
 selecting an interactive survey or quiz content element;   rendering the selected interactive survey or quiz content element to the patient; and   selecting the one or more new content elements based on a patient response to the selected interactive survey or quiz.   
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , further including:
 selecting an educational content element and a role playing simulation content element as part of the new content elements;   arranging the educational content element temporally before the role playing simulation content element in the care plan.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 17 , further including:
 selecting an interactive survey or quiz content element and a role playing simulation content element as part of the new content elements;   arranging the interactive survey or quiz content element temporally before the role playing simulation content element in the care plan.