Medical information processing apparatus, medical information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce the sense of discomfort felt by a user due to conversation.SOLUTION: A medical information processing apparatus of the embodiment comprises an acquisition unit and a persona generation unit. The acquisition unit acquires personal information about a user, including personal medical care information about the medical care of the user. The persona generation unit generates a persona that realizes a behavior toward the user defined while eliminating any doubt regarding the use of the personal information, based on the acquired personal information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings relate to a medical information processing apparatus, a medical information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In the fields of medicine and healthcare, the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) has attracted attention. For example, in an automatic conversation program that utilizes AI, in response to inquiries from users such as patients, it is possible to respond like a human, for example, by means of a persona, and there is an expectation that it will be possible to provide consultations on users' worries, pains, hardships, etc. 24 hours a day, anywhere. By having a persona empathize with a user who is different from themselves, the user can increase their motivation for treatment and contribute to an improvement in the outcome.

[0003] However, for example, when a persona gives an answer corresponding to information that only the user himself / herself can know, the user may have doubts about whether their personal information has been used. When the user has doubts about the use of their personal information, they may feel a sense of discomfort with the conversation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The problem to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is to reduce the sense of discomfort given to the user by the conversation. However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings are not limited to the above problems. It is also possible to position the problems corresponding to the respective effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described later as other problems.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The medical information processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes an acquisition unit and a persona generation unit. The acquisition unit acquires personal information related to the user, including personal medical information related to the user's medical treatment. The persona generation unit generates a persona that realizes the behavior towards the user defined by eliminating doubts about the use of the acquired personal information, based on the acquired personal information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a medical information processing apparatus, a medical information processing method, and a program according to the embodiment will be described.

[0009] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medical information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The medical information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes, for example, a user terminal 10 and a medical information processing server 100. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a terminal device managed by a user U such as a patient. The user terminal 10 may be a mobile communication terminal held and used by the user U, such as a smartphone or a tablet, or may be a personal computer installed on a desk or the like.

[0010] The user terminal 10 can communicate with the medical information processing server 100 via a network NW such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The network NW may include the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. instead of or in addition to the LAN.

[0011] In the medical information processing apparatus 1, for example, the user U makes inquiries to the user terminal 10 regarding questions about his or her own illness, current mood, future preparations, etc. The user terminal 10 transmits information about the content of the inquiry made by the user U to the medical information processing server 100 via the network NW. The medical information processing server generates an answer to the inquiry of the user U based on the transmitted information and transmits it to the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 reproduces the answer transmitted by the medical information processing server 100 and provides it to the user U.

[0012] The user terminal 10 includes, for example, a communication unit 11, a touch panel 12, a microphone 13, a speaker 14, and a processing unit 15. The communication unit 11 communicates with an external device such as the medical information processing server 100 via the network NW, for example. The communication unit 11 includes, for example, a communication interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card).

[0013] The touch panel 12 functions as, for example, an input interface for the user to input information and an output interface for displaying information such as the information input by the user and the processing result of the processing unit 15. The touch panel 12 displays, for example, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the user to perform various input operations. The touch panel 12 outputs information corresponding to the input operation by the user to the processing unit 15.

[0014] The microphone 13 is a microphone for voice input. The microphone 13 generates input voice information corresponding to the user's utterance. The microphone 13 outputs the generated voice information to the processing unit 15. The speaker 14 is a speaker for sound output. The speaker 14 outputs a voice corresponding to the output voice information generated by the processing unit 15.

[0015] The processing unit 15 is realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software) such as a medical consultation application. The processing unit 15 acquires information related to medical consultation corresponding to the user's operation input by the touch panel 12 or the microphone 13, and transmits it to the medical information processing server 100 using the communication unit 11. The processing unit 15 causes the touch panel 12 to display or the speaker 14 to output a response corresponding to the response information transmitted by the medical information processing server 100 and received by the communication unit 11.

[0016] The medical information processing server 100 includes, for example, a communication interface 110, an input / output interface 120, a storage unit 130, and a processing circuit 140. The communication interface 110 communicates with an external device such as the user terminal 10 via, for example, the network NW. The communication interface 110 includes, for example, a communication interface such as a NIC.

[0017] The input / output interface 120 includes an input interface and an output interface. The input interface in the input / output interface 120 is realized, for example, by a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a trackball, a switch, a button, a joystick, a camera, an infrared sensor, a microphone, etc. The input / output interface 120 may be realized by a display device (such as a tablet terminal) capable of wireless communication with the main body.

[0018] Note that in this specification, the input interface is not limited to those equipped with physical operation components such as a mouse and a keyboard. For example, an electric signal processing circuit that receives an electric signal corresponding to an input operation from an external input device provided separately from the device and outputs this electric signal to the control circuit is also included in the examples of the input interface.

[0019] The output interface in the input / output interface 120 is realized by a display, a speaker, etc. The output interface displays various information as images on the display or outputs it as sound through the speaker. The input / output interface 120 may integrally realize the input interface and the output interface by a touch panel or the like.

[0020] The storage unit 130 is realized, for example, by semiconductor memory elements such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a flash memory. The storage unit 130 may include non-transitory storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a register. The storage unit 130 stores the persona information 131 generated by the processing circuit 140. The persona is generated for each of a plurality of users U and is stored in the storage unit 130 as persona information 131 in which the user U and the persona are associated.

[0021] The processing circuit 140 includes, for example, an acquisition function 141, a persona generation function 142, a conversation information acquisition function 143, a conversation content generation function 144, and an interaction function 145. The processing circuit 140 realizes these functions, for example, by a hardware processor executing a program stored in a storage device (storage circuit) 130.

[0022] The hardware processor means, for example, a circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (for example, a simple programmable logic device (SPLD) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA)). Instead of storing a program in the storage device (storage unit 130), it may be configured to directly incorporate the program into the circuit of the hardware processor. In this case, the hardware processor realizes its functions by reading and executing the program incorporated in the circuit. The hardware processor is not limited to being configured as a single circuit, and may be configured as one hardware processor by combining a plurality of independent circuits to realize each function. Also, a plurality of components may be integrated into one hardware processor to realize each function.

[0023] The acquisition function 141 acquires information transmitted by an external device such as the user terminal 10 and received by the communication interface 110, for example, personal information of user U transmitted by the user terminal 10. The personal information of user U includes personal medical information related to the medical treatment of user U. The personal medical information of user U includes, for example, information such as the family composition, gender, age (age group), medical condition (including medical history), physical condition, and place of residence of user U when user U is a patient undergoing disease treatment.

[0024] Personal information other than personal medical information includes information that can directly identify user U when recognized by user U. Personal information other than personal medical information includes, for example, the name, address, phone number of user U, and past experiences of user U. The acquisition function 141 generates user information regarding user U based on the acquired personal information. The acquisition function 141 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0025] In the first embodiment, the personal information of user U is transmitted by the user terminal 10, but the personal information of user U may be provided by other means than the user terminal 10. For example, the personal information may be information stored in an electronic medical record or information extracted from conversation content. The personal information of user U may be transmitted by another external device other than the user terminal 10 and received by the communication interface 110, or may be input by the input / output interface 120 of the medical information processing server 100.

[0026] The persona generation function 142 defines (performs prompting) the behavior towards user U (hereinafter referred to as the behavior of the persona) based on the user information regarding the personal information of user U generated by the acquisition function 141. The persona generation function 142 generates a persona that realizes the defined behavior.

[0027] The prompted and defined persona becomes the conversation partner of user U and generates conversation content that encourages user U, resolves user U's doubts, or removes user U's anxiety in response to user U's questions. The persona generation function 142 is an example of a persona generation unit.

[0028] When defining the behavior of the persona, the persona generation function 142 eliminates doubts about the use of the personal information of user U if the personal medical information included in the personal information obtained by the acquisition function 141 contains doubt elements. A doubt element is an element in the conversation content generated by the persona and is an element about which user U has doubts that their personal information has been used.

[0029] Examples of doubt elements include the attributes of user U, medical-related information, and other information. Examples of attributes include age, gender, place of origin, place of residence, educational background, current occupation, work history, family composition, language used, etc. Examples of medical-related information include medical history, current medical condition, allergies, height and weight, blood test values, blood type, blood pressure, SOAP (subjective, object, assessment, plan), diagnostic images, etc. Examples of other information include, for example, speaking style, habits of thinking, personality (Positive / Negative), how to respond when stressed, and how to change before and after drinking. The place of origin and place of residence may be classified in the form of urban or rural areas.

[0030] Each element included in the personal information obtained by the acquisition function 141 (hereinafter referred to as personal individual information) can individually become a doubt element. The persona generation function 142 eliminates doubts about the use of personal information, for example, by replacing a part of the personal individual information of user U obtained by the acquisition function 141 with other information. The processing by the persona generation function 142 will be further described later. The persona generation function 142 may perform addition or deletion instead of replacing the personal individual information of user U.

[0031] The persona generation function 142 defines the behavior as a person different from user U while being close to the situation of user U by replacing a part of the personal information of user U with other information to define the behavior of the persona. The persona generation function 142 includes the generated persona in the persona information 131 and stores it in the storage unit 130.

[0032] The persona generation function 142 may generate a persona using social determinants of health (hereinafter referred to as SDH). Based on the concept (perspective) that people's health and illness are affected by social, economic, political, and environmental conditions, a persona can be generated based on SDH.

[0033] SDH includes, for example, social environment, economic status, educational level, place of residence, address, occupation, social status, etc. The persona generation function 142 may generate a persona equivalent to the user U and the SDH. By having a conversation with a persona equivalent to the SDH of the user U, the user U can have a conversation while empathizing with the persona. Examples of the persona to be generated include a persona that behaves like a person with an annual income of 7 million yen, a university graduate, and living in a single-family house.

[0034] Next, the processing flow in the medical information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the medical information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. First, the medical information processing apparatus 1 inputs the personal information of the user by the user U operating the touch panel 12 of the user terminal 10 or speaking toward the microphone (step S11). The personal information includes personal medical information.

[0035] The user terminal 10 transmits the input personal information to the medical information processing server 100 (step S12). The medical information processing server 100 acquires the personal information transmitted by the user terminal 10 by the acquisition function 141. The acquisition function 141 generates user information based on the acquired personal information (step S13).

[0036] The acquisition function 141 provides the generated user information to the persona generation function 142 (step S14). The persona generation function 142 defines the behavior towards the user based on the provided user information (step S15). Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 generates a persona that realizes the defined behavior (step S16), and stores the generated persona in the storage unit 130 including it in the persona information 131 (step S17).

[0037] Subsequently, the processing in the medical information processing server 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing in the medical information processing server 100. The medical information processing server 100 receives the personal information transmitted by the user terminal 10 through the communication interface 110 and acquires it through the acquisition function 141 (step S101).

[0038] Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 determines whether the personal information acquired by the acquisition function 141 includes suspicious elements (step S103). If it is determined that the personal information does not include suspicious elements, the persona generation function 142 proceeds to step S113. If it is determined that the personal information includes suspicious elements, the persona generation function 142 determines whether the personal information includes information related to specific diseases (step S105).

[0039] A specific disease is, for example, a disease in which a difference is observed in the morbidity rate between genders or between regions of residence depending on the presence or absence of suspicious elements. Examples of specific diseases with differences between genders include, for example, breast cancer, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, etc. Examples of specific diseases with differences between regions of residence include, for example, hay fever, etc. A specific disease is an example of individual information with substitution prohibited, which is individual information for which substitution of related relevant individual information is prohibited. Gender and region of residence are examples of relevant individual information related to individual information with substitution prohibited.

[0040] When it is determined that the personal information includes a specific disease, the persona generation function 142 excludes the relevant individual personal information related to the specific disease from the suspicious elements to be replaced (step S107). For example, when the specific disease is breast cancer, the gender is excluded from the suspicious elements, and when the specific disease is hay fever, the place of residence is excluded from the suspicious elements, and the replacement is prohibited. When it is determined that the personal information does not include a specific disease, the persona generation function 142 skips the process of step S107.

[0041] Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 replaces a part of the individual personal information included in the personal information in order to eliminate the suspicion of the use of the personal information (step S109). For example, when the individual personal information includes information such as place of residence, disease, age, gender, family composition, and place of residence, the persona generation function 142 replaces a part of the individual personal information. For example, it reverses the gender, increases or decreases the family composition (number of people). Instead of the mode of replacing a part of the individual personal information, a part of the individual personal information may be deleted.

[0042] The individual personal information to be replaced may be set randomly, for example, or priorities may be assigned to each piece of individual personal information, and the replacement may be performed in order from the individual personal information with a higher priority of replacement. Alternatively, the individual personal information may be replaced with a specific determination intention, or the individual personal information to be replaced may be determined based on the probability that "the personal information has been used" calculated by machine learning or AI. Also, the individual personal information that can identify the user U himself / herself, such as the name and phone number of the user U, may always be the target of replacement or deletion.

[0043] Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 complements the individual personal information not included in the personal medical information (step S111). Examples of the individual personal information not included in the personal medical information include information such as the means of transportation in daily life, the personality and nature of the user U, and the past history of the user U in recent years.

[0044] Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 defines the behavior of the persona based on the personal medical information (step S113), and generates a persona with the defined behavior (step S115). When the personal information includes a specific disease, the behavior towards the user U is defined by replacing the information other than the specific disease among the personal individual information. Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 includes the generated persona of the user U in the persona information 131 and stores it in the storage unit 130 (step S117). In this way, the medical information processing server 100 ends the processing shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] Subsequently, a specific example of defining the behavior of the persona by replacing a part of the personal individual information included in the personal medical information among the personal information to eliminate the suspicion factor will be described. Here, an example of replacing the personal individual information with a specific determination intention will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the personal medical information before replacing the personal individual information and the behavior to be defined.

[0046] For example, for a user whose personal individual information included in the personal medical information is "liver cancer", "37-year-old male", "family of three", "one daughter", and "living in Tochigi Prefecture", and the suspicion factors are "family composition", "place of residence", and "gender". In this case, among the personal individual information, as the behavior of the persona, "37-year-old male" is replaced with "female in her 30s", "one daughter" is replaced with "one son", and "living in Tochigi Prefecture" is replaced with "familiar with Tochigi Prefecture (living outside Tochigi Prefecture)".

[0047] The determination intention of replacing "37-year-old male" with "female in her 30s" is to make the conversation partner (user U, the same below) aware that their own information is not being used by changing the family composition. The determination intention of replacing "one daughter" with "one son" is to make the conversation partner aware that their own information is not being used by behaving in a different gender from the conversation partner.

[0048] The intention of replacing "Residing in Tochigi Prefecture" with "Familiar with Tochigi Prefecture (Residing outside Tochigi Prefecture)" is "Without mentioning the place of residence, show appropriate humanity by behaving in a way that is familiar with the place of residence of the conversation partner." "Without mentioning the place of residence, make a response with a sense of familiarity by speaking of a scene associated with the place of residence of the conversation partner."

[0049] Furthermore, as content to complement individual information not included in personal medical information, individual information such as "The main means of transportation is a car" is complemented. Here, the content complemented as individual information is, for example, an element for realizing a response that can give a greater sense of familiarity to user U.

[0050] Also, for a user whose individual information included in personal medical information is "breast cancer", "28-year-old woman", "unmarried (with a fiancé)", "from Kansai", assume that the suspicious element is "age". In this case, among the individual information, as the behavior of the persona, replace "28-year-old man" with "a woman in her 30s", replace "unmarried (with a fiancé)" with "unmarried", and delete "from Kansai".

[0051] The intention of determining the content to be replaced as these is "By behaving in a way that is of a similar age but different from the conversation partner, make the conversation partner aware that one's own information is not being used." "By speaking in the dialect of the place of origin, make a response with a sense of familiarity." Here, since "breast cancer" is a specific disease, as a suspicious element regarding the specific disease, here, gender is excluded from the suspicious elements. For this reason, define the behavior so that the behavior of the persona does not become the behavior of a man.

[0052] Also, assume that the personal information included in the personal medical information is "breast cancer", "67-year-old woman", and "medical history: partial resection for breast cancer about 20 years ago". In this case, among the personal information, as the behavior of the persona, "67-year-old male" is replaced with "female in her 60s", and "medical history: partial resection for breast cancer about 20 years ago" is replaced with "medical history: recent partial resection for breast cancer and reconstruction". The intention of the decision for each replacement is to make the conversation partner aware that their own information is not being used by changing the medical history (such as the time and treatment).

[0053] The medical information processing device 1 of the first embodiment acquires personal information regarding the user U, including the personal medical information regarding the user's medical treatment, by the acquisition function 141 in the medical information processing server 100. Further, the persona generation function 142 generates a persona that realizes the behavior towards the user U defined by eliminating the suspicion of the use of the user U's personal information. Therefore, the user U who dialogues with the conversation content generated by the persona is less likely to suspect that their own personal information is being used in the conversation content generated by the persona. Thus, the user U who dialogues with the conversation content generated by the persona of the medical information processing device 1 can reduce the discomfort given to the user U by the conversation.

[0054] (Second Embodiment) Next, the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the medical information processing device 1 of the second embodiment. The medical information processing device 1 of the second embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment in that the processing unit 15 in the user terminal 10 and the processing circuit 140 in the medical information processing server 100 are provided with a conversation information acquisition function 143, a conversation content generation function 144, and a dialogue function 145. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described mainly focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0055] In the medical information processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the processing unit 15 of the user terminal 10 generates conversation information regarding the speech of the user U based on the input voice information generated when the conversation spoken by the user U to the user terminal 10 is input to the microphone 13. The conversation information may be transmitted to the medical information processing server 100 in a voice format such as an online meeting, or may be transmitted to the medical information processing server 100 in a text format such as an email or a chat. The processing unit 15 transmits the generated conversation information to the medical information processing server 100 using the communication unit 11.

[0056] The user U conducts a conversation regarding medical consultation with the user terminal 10 by, for example, making a speech regarding medical consultation to the user terminal 10 and receiving an answer to the speech from the user terminal 10. Therefore, the user terminal 10 inputs the speech of the user U, generates conversation information corresponding to the speech of the user U, and transmits it to the medical information processing server 100.

[0057] The medical information processing server 100 generates conversation content corresponding to the speech of the user U based on the conversation information and transmits it to the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 outputs the conversation content transmitted by the medical information processing server 100 from the touch panel 12 or the speaker 14. Thereafter, the speech of the user U and the output of the conversation content from the user terminal 10 are repeated, and the conversation between the user U and the user terminal 10 proceeds.

[0058] When the conversation information is transmitted by the user terminal 10 in a state where the persona of the user U has not been generated, the medical information processing server 100 first acquires the conversation information by the acquisition function 141 and generates the persona of the user U by the persona generation function 142 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. After generating the persona, when the medical information processing server 100 further acquires the conversation information transmitted by the user terminal 10, the medical information processing server 100 generates conversation content corresponding to the speech of the user U according to the conversation information and transmits it to the user terminal 10. The conversation content is output by the user terminal 10.

[0059] The conversation information acquisition function 143 acquires the conversation information of user U that is transmitted by the user terminal 10 and received by the communication interface 110 after the persona is generated by the persona generation function 142. The acquisition function 141 may also serve as the conversation information acquisition function 143. The conversation information acquisition function 143 is an example of a conversation information acquisition unit.

[0060] The conversation content generation function 144 performs prompting according to the persona generated by the persona generation function 142 based on the medical prediction request of user U included in the conversation information acquired by the conversation information acquisition function 143, and generates a dialogue prompt. The conversation content generation function 144 provides the generated dialogue prompt to the dialogue function 145. The conversation content generation function 144 is an example of a conversation content generation unit.

[0061] The conversation content generation function 144, for example, determines the personality of user U and generates a dialogue prompt for the persona to behave in a manner suitable for the personality of user U. For example, the personality of user U is set to any of the 16 personalities classified by the psychological personality classification MBTI. For example, when user U is a person with an ENFJ-type personality, the conversation content generation function 144 generates dialogue prompts such as "Please act as a person with an ENFJ-type personality" and "Please act as a person with an ESTP-type personality". The personality of user U may be set by a personality diagnosis (personality classification) such as Jung or Enneagram.

[0062] By having the persona act like a person with the same ENFJ personality type as user U, it enables a conversation with a sense of familiarity. On the other hand, by having the persona act like a person with a different ESTP personality type from user U, it is possible to conduct a conversation that makes it less likely for user U to suspect that their personal information is being used. Therefore, the conversation content generation function 144, for example, usually generates a dialogue prompt in which the persona acts like a person with the same ENFJ personality type as user U when the persona acts like a person with a different ESTP personality type from user U and has a distant conversation, such as using honorifics. Instead of the conversation content generation function 144, the persona generation function 142 may generate a persona that acts according to these dialogue prompts.

[0063] The dialogue function 145 performs prompting according to the provided dialogue prompt and generates response content for the speech of user U (user U's request for medical prediction). The conversation content generation function 144 may also serve as the dialogue function 145. The conversation content generation function 144 determines the suitability of the response content generated by the dialogue function 145 as conversation content.

[0064] When the dialogue function 145 determines that the suitability is not low, it transmits the response content to the user terminal 10 as conversation content. The conversation content transmitted by the dialogue function 145 to the user terminal is transmitted to the user terminal 10 in a voice format like an online meeting when the user terminal 10 transmits conversation information to the medical information processing server 100, or in a text format such as email or chat. The format in which the dialogue function 145 transmits the conversation content may be the same as or different from the format in which the user terminal 10 transmits the conversation information.

[0065] The dialogue function 145 may be, for example, one capable of prompting such as a chat-form AI, or one obtained by fine-tuning a large language model or the like. Fine-tuning is a method of adjusting an existing language model and making it learn in the adjusted part to realize the required response.

[0066] When the conversation content generation function 144 determines that the generated response content is not suitable as conversation content, it causes the interaction function 145 or the persona generation function 142 to redefine the response content or the behavior towards the user U. The conversation content generation function 144 repeats the process of causing the interaction function 145 or the persona generation function 142 to redefine the response content or the behavior towards the user U until the conversation content is transmitted to the user terminal 10.

[0067] Next, the processing of the medical information processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the medical information processing apparatus 1 according to the twelfth embodiment. In the medical information processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the same processing as that of the first medical information processing apparatus is performed to generate the persona of the user U. Here, an example will be described in which the user U asks about a medical prediction as information related to medical care and the content of the question is used as conversation information.

[0068] Subsequently, in the medical information processing apparatus 1, the user terminal 10 inputs a statement of the user U including a request for medical prediction related to medical care (step S21). The request for medical prediction is, for example, the content of "Will I be alive in three years?". The user terminal 10 transmits the conversation information including the input statement of the user U to the medical information processing server 100 (step S22).

[0069] The medical information processing server 100 acquires the conversation information transmitted by the user terminal 10 through the conversation information acquisition function 143. The conversation information acquisition function 143 extracts the request for medical prediction of the user U from the statements of the user U included in the acquired conversation information (step S23). The conversation information acquisition function 143 requests the conversation content generation function 144 for a response to the extracted medical prediction (step S24).

[0070] The conversation content generation function 144 generates a medical prediction in response to a request (step S25). For example, the conversation content generation function 144 selects another user (hereinafter referred to as the reference user) whose medical condition is similar to that of the user U, and calculates the future medical outcome of the user U based on the actual medical situation of the reference user, statistical information in the world, etc., to generate a medical prediction (step S26).

[0071] In addition to making medical predictions using the actual results of the reference user, medical predictions may also use simulated conversations with the reference user. Alternatively, the medical prediction may be a prognosis prediction of the user U (for example, for the user U who has undergone a clinical trial, a prediction of what the results of the clinical trial will be), or the content of a clinical trial (an experiment using a virtual user U).

[0072] For example, the conversation content generation function 144 determines the disease of the user U based on the personal information of the user U, and obtains the 3-year survival probability of the determined disease based on statistical information in the world. Here, for example, assume that the 3-year survival rate of the disease of the user U is 20%. In this case, the 3-year survival rate is a low value of 50% or less. Therefore, the conversation content generation function 144 generates, for example, a dialogue prompt such as "Please generate a response to encourage patients with a low 3-year survival rate" (step S26) and provides it to the dialogue function 145.

[0073] The conversation content generation function 144 may generate conversation content by a persona with a way of thinking that is likely to be different from that of the user U. For example, while the user U's statement is "I want to be quietly watched over by my family and end peacefully", the conversation content generation function 144 may say, "I want to disappear quietly alone like a cat", etc.

[0074] The dialogue function 145 generates response content according to the provided dialogue prompt (step S28). The response content is, for example, response content such as "You must be concerned about the survival rate in the world. There are people around you who support you. If you take one step at a time, you will surely move in a good direction." The dialogue function 145 provides the generated response content to the conversation content generation function 144 (step S29).

[0075] The conversation content generation function 144 confirms the appropriateness of the response content provided by the dialogue function 145 from the perspective of whether it is appropriate as a medical conversation and can be provided to the user U as conversation content (step S30). If it is determined that the response content can be provided to the user U as conversation content, the conversation content generation function 144 transmits the provided response content to the user terminal 10 as conversation content (step S31).

[0076] The user terminal 10 outputs the transmitted conversation content from the touch panel 12 or the speaker 14 (step S32) to proceed with the conversation with the user U. The content of the conversation content is, for example, "You must be concerned about the survival probability in the world. There are many people around you who support you. If you take one step at a time, you will surely move in a good direction."

[0077] As a result of the appropriateness confirmation in step S30, if it is determined that the response content is not appropriate as a medical conversation and cannot be provided to the user U as conversation content, the conversation content generation function 144 confirms the appropriateness of the persona's behavior (step S33). The conversation content generation function 144 determines the behavior of the persona based on, for example, the activity of the conversation (the amount of response from the user U, response speed, response content), the magnitude of Positive / Negative expressions, changes in the voice of the user U, intonation, and the usage of honorifics.

[0078] When the conversation content generation function 144 determines that the behavior of the persona is appropriate, it requests the dialogue function 145 to regenerate the response content (step S34). The conversation content generation function 144 determines, for example, whether it is necessary to change the behavior as a persona from the conversation between the user U and the user terminal 10. The dialogue function 145 generates response content in response to the request of the conversation content generation function 144 (step S28).

[0079] When the conversation content generation function 144 determines that the behavior of the persona is inappropriate, it requests the persona generation function 142 to redefine the behavior of the persona (step S35). When requesting the redefinition of the behavior of the persona, the conversation content generation function 144 presents the conditions for the redefinition. The conditions for the optimal state may be, for example, "Please do not use negative expressions" and "Please respond in a rough manner rather than in a polite language from here on."

[0080] The persona generation function 142 redefines the behavior of the persona in response to the request by the conversation content generation function 144 (step S36). Subsequently, the persona generation function 142 provides the redefined persona (prompt) to the dialogue function 145 (step S37). The dialogue function 145 generates response content using the provided persona (step S28). The medical information processing server 100 repeats the process of generating response content until it transmits the conversation content to the user terminal 10. In this way, the medical information processing server 100 ends the process shown in FIG. 6.

[0081] The medical information processing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment has the same operational effects as the medical information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. Here, when the conversation content including the content using the user's personal information is output by the user terminal 10, the user may feel a sense of discomfort with the medical information processing apparatus 1 and may reduce the motivation for treatment.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the utterances of user U and response content. For example, assume that user U, thinking that he wants to talk to someone in the same situation as himself, speaks to user terminal 10, saying, "I have received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and am in shock." At this time, if a response such as "I have also received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer" comes from user terminal 10, user U will, for example, feel as if he is the same as himself.

[0083] Subsequently, assume that user U speaks, saying, "I have been told that I have three years to live. I have abdominal pain, back pain, and loss of appetite." At this time, if a response such as "I also have three years to live. My stomach and back hurt, and food just goes through my throat" comes back from user terminal 10, user U is more likely to feel that only someone in the same situation as himself is responding. In this case, for example, even if user U is undergoing treatment for the illness, it may cause a decrease in user U's motivation for treatment.

[0084] In this regard, the medical information processing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment generates conversation content in response to the query of user U by the conversation content generation function 144 and transmits it to user terminal 10, and user terminal 10 outputs the conversation content to user U. The conversation content is generated by the behavior of a persona that is suitable for the personality of user U and behaves in a way that eliminates doubts about the use of personal information.

[0085] For example, when user U speaks, saying, "The side effects of the anticancer drug are tough," user terminal 10 gives a response such as "That must be tough. Why don't you talk to the doctor to see if you can reduce the side effects?" Further, when user U speaks, saying, "I'm a little lonely because my grown-up child hasn't come to visit me," user terminal 10 gives a response such as "If you like, I can always be a listener." Therefore, user U can feel a sense of fulfillment in getting medical advice, so user U can enhance the motivation when undergoing treatment.

[0086] In the second embodiment, the persona of the user U may be generated in advance and included in the persona information 131 and stored in the storage unit 130. When the persona information 131 including the persona of the user U is stored in the storage unit 130, the persona may be redefined based on the conversation information transmitted by the user U.

[0087] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, by having an acquisition unit that includes personal medical information related to the medical treatment of the user and acquires personal information about the user, and a persona generation unit that generates a persona that realizes the behavior towards the user defined by eliminating doubts about the use of the personal information based on the acquired personal information, it is possible to reduce the sense of discomfort given to the user by the conversation.

[0088] Although several embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0089] 1 Medical information processing device 10 User terminal 11 Communication unit 12 Touch panel 13 Microphone 14 Speaker 15 Processing unit 100 Medical information processing server 110 Communication interface 120 Input / output interface 130 Storage unit 131 Persona information 140 Processing circuit 141 Acquisition function 142 Persona generation function 143 Conversation information acquisition function 144 Conversation content generation function 145 Interaction function NW Network U User

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that includes personal medical information related to the medical treatment of a user and acquires personal information about the user; A persona generation unit that generates a persona that realizes the behavior towards the user defined by eliminating doubts about the use of the personal information based on the acquired personal information. The medical information processing device is provided with the acquisition unit and the persona generation unit. Medical information processing device.

2. The acquisition unit further includes a conversation information acquisition unit that acquires conversation information of the user, and a conversation content generation unit that generates conversation content for the user's speech by the persona. The medical information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a conversation content generation unit. The medical information processing device according to claim 1.

3. The persona generation unit defines the behavior towards the user by replacing, adding, or deleting a part of the personal individual information included in the personal information with other information. The medical information processing device according to claim 1.

4. There is set substitution-prohibited individual information which is personal individual information prohibited from substitution of related related personal individual information. The persona generation unit defines the behavior towards the user by substituting information other than the substitution-prohibited individual information among the personal individual information. The medical information processing device according to claim 3.

5. The conversation content generation unit generates response content for the user's speech based on prompting according to the persona. The medical information processing device according to claim 2.

6. The conversation content generation unit performs the prompting based on the medical prediction of the user. The medical information processing device according to claim 5.

7. The conversation content generation unit determines the suitability of the generated response content as conversation content to be provided to the user, and redefines the response content or the behavior towards the user when the suitability is low. The medical information processing device according to claim 5.

8. The conversation content is output by a user terminal used by the user. The medical information processing device according to claim 2.

9. A computer includes personal medical information related to the medical treatment of a user, acquires personal information about the user, generates a persona that realizes the behavior towards the user defined by eliminating doubts about the use of the personal information based on the acquired personal information. Medical information processing method.

10. A computer is caused to acquire medical information related to the medical treatment of a user, including personal information of the user. A program that causes a persona to be generated that realizes the behavior towards the user defined by eliminating suspicions of the use of the personal information based on the obtained medical information. Program.

Images