Patent ID: 8370176

Claim:
A method for interactively managing and refining a diet prescribed to a patient by a diet manager, to promote conformance to the prescribed diet, the method comprising: providing a portable interactive terminal to said patient; a central processing unit accessible by said diet manager, said interactive terminal and central processing unit communicating via a communication link; storing on the interactive terminal: i) at least one dietary order received from the diet manager, ii) a food database including a range of food products which conform to the prescribed diet, and, iii) a food detail database including graphic and numerical food detail information on each food product in the food database, activating a program on the interactive terminal by said patient's command to perform a first operational cycle which is repeated for each meal to be consumed by the patient, said first operational cycle including the steps of: said patient activating said terminal and choosing from said food database at least one food product to be consumed; said terminal retrieving and displaying the graphic and numerical food detail information on the chosen food product stored in the food detail database; said patient selecting a quantity of the chosen food to be consumed from the displayed food detail information; said program then: storing the identity of the chosen food and the quantity of the chosen food in the food detail database, hereafter the food detail data, and, comparing the food detail data to the at least one prescribed dietary order to determine conformance with said prescribed dietary order; storing the determination of conformance in the food detail database, as part of the food detail data; displaying the determination to the patient, the determination permitting the patient to plan further meals; and, transmitting, on request, the food detail data to the central processing unit; wherein said diet manager performs a second operational cycle, asynchronously executed in relation to the first operational cycle, the second operational cycle repeated according to a schedule determined by said diet manager, wherein said second operational cycle includes the steps of: acquiring from said interactive terminal the food detail data and storing the food detail data on the central processing unit; said diet manager accessing the food detail data, reviewing the accessed food detail data for conformance with the at least one patient dietary order, and determining whether an updated dietary order should be prepared, and if so, preparing an updated dietary order, storing the updated dietary order on said central processing unit; and, transmitting said updated dietary order from the central processing unit to the interactive terminal via said communication link.