| abstract |
An interactive medical test selector for use by a patient is about the size of a book and has a screen for displaying questions to a patient, a limited number of keys by which the patient can enter answers, and a memory device for storing the patient's answers. The test selector is battery-powered for portability and uses a low-power liquid crystal display or the like to display instructions and medical questions to the patient. Only four keys are seen or used by the patient for answering the questions: YES, NO, NOT SURE, and NEXT QUESTION. Additional control keys used by the medical staff are hidden from the patient. The device is controlled by a pre-programmed microcomputer on a chip, and a ROM-based, removeable and replaceable control program which not only collects, but also analyzes the patient's answers and makes appropriate recommendations based on those answers, and drives a remote printer or computer terminal. |