Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Touch or pain response of skin
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-17
2001-07-10
Winakur, Eric F. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Touch or pain response of skin
Reexamination Certificate
active
06258042
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Healthcare providers are constantly faced with the problem of diagnosing and treating patients suffering from varying levels of pain. Difficulty in properly diagnosing and treating the varying levels of pain results from the patients' inability to accurately describe the pain that they are experiencing. The lack of a uniform system for the patients to use in describing the pain often presents a healthcare provider with very different descriptions for the same levels of pain. These different descriptions sometimes result in ineffective, inadequate or excessive treatments. In addition, the lack of a uniform system for the patients to use in describing their pain results in an inaccurate medical record and an inability to describe the pain and course of treatment accurately for insurance providers.
Traditionally, healthcare providers have used varying devices/methods for measuring the amount and/or intensity of pain that a patient is suffering. The predominant device/method has been categorical pain descriptors, both verbal and/or numerical (i.e. none, mild, moderate, and severe; or 0 through 3). Other devices/methods have employed visual analog scales (VAS) displaying a scale bearing the same or similar verbal and/or numerical categorical pain descriptors. In using either of these devices/methods the healthcare provider asks the patient to describe the pain using the categorical descriptors by presenting the categories to the patient either through oral description or by VAS.
By virtue of the categorical limitations inherent in these devices/methods, a healthcare provider inevitably encounters varying descriptions of the same levels of pain intensity from patient to patient. In the above methods, the categorical descriptors presented by a health care provider may influence a patient. The health care profession is constantly looking for new and better methods to properly diagnose the amount and intensity of pain that a patient is experiencing.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved device by which a health care professional can diagnose the amount and intensity of pain that a patient is experiencing.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved method by which the health care profession can diagnose the amount and intensity of pain that a patient is experiencing.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device that can diagnose the amount of pain that a patient is experiencing without suggesting categorical descriptors to the patient that can influence the patient's disclosure.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a device by which a health care provider can more accurately diagnose the amount and intensity of pain that a patient is experiencing for a more complete and accurate medical record.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward an apparatus and method for the accurate and uniform diagnosis and/or treatment of varying forms of pain that a person is experiencing. More particularly, the present invention is directed toward a measurement device displaying two complimentary scales and bearing a slidable indicator that a person can use to describe the amount and intensity of the pain that the person is experiencing.
The apparatus for the diagnosis and/or treatment of pain is a handheld device in the shape of a two-sided rectangular panel. One side of the panel bears a patient's pain scale that depicts a spectrum of pain ranging from no pain to unbearable pain. The scale is an uninterrupted line that bears no indicators or markings other than at the ends indicating no pain or unbearable pain.
The other side of the panel bears a provider's pain scale divided into discrete intervals numbered 0 through 10. The discrete intervals in turn represent increasing levels of pain described using terms ranging from “no pain” to “constant severe pain.” The discrete intervals correspond to terms used by providers and insurers to identify and treat pain.
The apparatus is provided with an indicator slidably mounted on the panel that wraps around the panel and overlays both scales on each side of the panel. The indicator bears indicator lines that point to specific points along each scale. Each indicator line is connected to the other, such that when one indicator line is moved, the other indicator line is moved in a complimentary manner.
The patient's pain scale and the provider's pain scale are lined up on their respective sides such that when the indicator line for the patient's scale points to no pain, the indicator line for the provider's scale points to 0. Similarly, when the indicator line for the patient's scale points to unbearable pain, the indicator line for the provider's scale points to 10.
In use, the provider presents the patient's pain scale to the patient and has the patient indicate the amount and intensity of pain the patient is or was experiencing by positioning the indicator at a subjective point along the scale. The patient is not permitted to view the provider's pain scale that shows discrete, incremental intervals corresponding to numerical and/or verbal pain descriptors. The health care provider then reads and records the numerical and/or verbal pain descriptor indicated on the provider's pain scale by the slidable indicator. As described above, the slidable indicator points to a position on the provider's pain scale that is the compliment to the position indicated by the patient on the patient's pain scale.
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Azuma Harald
Factor James S.
DiNardo Michael A
Winakur Eric F.
Wingood Pamela L
Yanny Joseph A
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