Apparatus, method, and program for estimating medication period or medication day of patient

Abstract

To improve estimation accuracy in a method for estimating the medication period or medication day of a patient.SOLUTION: First, an apparatus 100 receives, from a pharmacy terminal 110, prescription information including drug identification information for identifying a drug and a prescribed amount N (N is an integer of at least 2) of the drug (S201). Next, the apparatus 100 requests, on the basis of the drug identification information, the number of effective days per unit associated with the drug from a drug database 104 (S202), and receives the number of effective days per unit (S203). Then, the apparatus 100 estimates an i-th medication day of the drug using the obtained number of effective days per unit (S204), where i is an integer of at least 2 and not greater than N. By repeating this processing, an effective end day at which the effect of the drug ends can be estimated (S207).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a program for estimating a medication period or medication date of a patient. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, patients who have received a diagnosis from a doctor hand over the issued prescription to a pharmacy and receive the medication from a pharmacist. When receiving the medication, the patient also receives medication instructions from the pharmacist. In this way, pharmacists provide guidance to patients so that they can take their medication appropriately, but because patients do not visit pharmacists frequently, the opportunities for pharmacists to provide guidance to patients are limited over the entire period of medication.

[0003] Therefore, it is preferable to estimate the patient's medication period from the contents of the prescription, and to communicate with the patient by sending a notification to the patient's device during the medication period or near the end date of the medication period to encourage appropriate medication. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that calculates the end date of the medication period and sends an email notifying the patient that medication has ended. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-31889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the duration of effectiveness of medications varies depending on the type. For example, alendronate sodium, a bisphosphonate used to treat osteoporosis, is effective for one week with a single dose. Similarly, omariglibtin tablets, used to treat diabetes, are also effective for one week. For these medications, the prescription instructions state "take once daily upon waking for four days." Therefore, if a pharmacy calculates a patient's medication period as four days based on the prescription, there will be a large discrepancy between the actual period and the calculation, making it impossible to communicate with the patient based on the medication period. Furthermore, this calculation also makes it impossible to communicate with the patient based on each day of medication.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to improve the estimation accuracy in a device, method, or program for estimating a patient's medication period or medication date. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve this object, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for estimating a patient's medication period, comprising the steps of receiving prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by a pharmacy, including medication identification information identifying a medication prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the medication (N is an integer of 2 or greater); obtaining the number of effective days per unit associated with the medication based on the medication identification information; and estimating the ith administration date of the medication using the number of effective days per unit, for i between 2 and N.

[0008] In addition, a second aspect of the present invention is a method of the first aspect, further comprising a step of sending viewing information to the pharmacy terminal for viewing all or some of the estimated multiple dosing dates.

[0009] In addition, a third aspect of the present invention is the method of the second aspect, wherein the viewing information is information for displaying the viewing screen so that the estimated date of administration can be distinguished from the duration of effect after that date of administration.

[0010] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is a method according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising the step of sending a message encouraging the user to take the medication on one of the estimated multiple dosing dates or on a date a predetermined number of days before or after that date.

[0011] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the method according to the fourth aspect, wherein the message is transmitted in response to a request from the pharmacy terminal.

[0012] In addition, a sixth aspect of the present invention is a method for estimating a patient's medication period, comprising the steps of receiving prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by a pharmacy, the prescription information including drug identification information that identifies the drug prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the drug (N is an integer of 2 or more); obtaining the number of effective days per unit associated with the drug based on the drug identification information; and estimating the effective end date when the effect of the drug will end using the number of effective days per unit and the prescribed amount N.

[0013] Furthermore, a seventh aspect of the present invention is the method of the sixth aspect, further comprising the step of sending a message urging the patient to receive the medication on the end date of the effect or a predetermined number of days before or after that date.

[0014] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the method of the seventh aspect, wherein the message includes the effect end date.

[0015] In addition, a ninth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a method for estimating a patient's medication period, comprising the steps of receiving prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by a pharmacy, the prescription information including medication identification information identifying a medication prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the medication (N is an integer of 2 or greater); obtaining the number of effective days per unit associated with the medication based on the medication identification information; and estimating the ith administration date of the medication using the number of effective days per unit, for i between 2 and N.

[0016] In addition, a tenth aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for estimating a patient's medication period, which is configured to receive prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by a pharmacy, including medication identification information identifying a medication prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the medication (N is an integer of 2 or greater), obtain the number of effective days per unit associated with the medication based on the medication identification information, and estimate the ith administration date of the medication using the number of effective days per unit, for i between 2 and N. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, the number of effective days per unit associated with a drug identified by drug identification information included in prescription information is obtained, and the number of effective days is used to estimate the date of the second or subsequent dose, thereby making it possible to estimate the duration or date of administration of a drug prescribed to a patient with greater accuracy than conventional methods. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method flow according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of estimation of the date of administration according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0020] An apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 1. The apparatus 100 communicates with a pharmacy terminal 110 used by a pharmacy and a patient terminal 120 used by a patient via an IP network such as the Internet.

[0021] The device 100 includes a communication unit 101 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 102 such as a processor or CPU, and a storage unit 103 including a storage device or storage medium such as a memory or hard disk, and can be configured by executing a program for performing each process or operation in the processing unit 102. The device 100 may include one or more devices, computers, or servers. The program may include one or more programs, and may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium to form a non-transitory program product. The program may be stored in a storage device or storage medium such as the storage unit 103 or a database 104 accessible from the device 100 via an IP network, and instructions included in the program may be executed by at least one processor of the processing unit 102. Data described below as being stored in the storage unit 103 may actually be stored in a storage device or storage medium such as the database 104, and vice versa.

[0022] First, device 100 receives prescription information including drug identification information for identifying a drug and a prescribed amount N of the drug (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) from pharmacy terminal 110 (S201). Prescription information can be obtained by a pharmacy using pharmacy terminal 110 digitizing a prescription received from a patient, or by the pharmacy receiving prescription information as electronic data from the patient. For example, if the prescription information is "Omarigliptin tablets 25 mg once daily after breakfast, for 4 days," then "Omarigliptin tablets 25 mg" corresponds to the drug identification information, and "for 4 days" corresponds to the prescribed amount N. The drug identification information may be the drug name, as in this example, or may be an identifier corresponding to the drug name.

[0023] Next, based on the drug identification information, the device 100 requests the number of days of effectiveness per unit associated with the drug from the drug database 104 (S202), and receives the number of days of effectiveness per unit (S203). In FIG. 2, the drug database 104 is shown as a device separate from the device 100, but the device 100 may also be equipped with the drug database 104. In either case, it is sufficient if the device 100 can acquire the number of days of effectiveness per unit. The drug database 104 stores correspondence between one or more pieces of drug identification information and the number of days of effectiveness per unit of the drug identified by each piece of drug identification information. For example, for 25 mg omarigliptin tablets, it is conceivable that the number of days of effectiveness per tablet is 7 days.

[0024] Then, device 100 estimates the ith administration date of the drug using the acquired number of effective days per unit (S204), where i is an integer between 2 and N. As an example, if the prescription information includes the prescription date of each drug, or if device 100 can acquire the prescription date of each drug for which the administration period is to be estimated by receiving the prescription date of each drug separately from the prescription information, the next administration date can be estimated by adding the number of effective days of the drug, starting from the prescription date or the day after.

[0025] By repeating this process, it is possible to estimate the end date of the drug effect (S207). If treatment is to be continued, the drug must be received and administered again on the day after the end date of the drug effect. Therefore, the drug receipt date may be estimated as the day after the end date of the drug effect, rather than the end date of the drug effect.

[0026] Each estimated dosing date may be displayed on the pharmacy terminal 110 for viewing by the pharmacist (S205). In the case of N=3, conventionally, three days from the starting date would be estimated as dosing dates. However, according to this embodiment, dosing dates are estimated for each effective period. Figure 3 compares the results of the conventional method with those of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the viewing screen preferably displays dosing dates in a way that distinguishes them from the effective duration after the dosing date. In this example, the dosing period is from January 29 to February 18. To continue treatment, the patient must go to pick up the medication again on February 19. The viewing screen may also include a calendar with multiple dosing dates specified.

[0027] The viewing information transmitted by device 100 to pharmacy terminal 110 may be, for example, an HTML file, which can be used by pharmacy terminal 110 to display a viewing screen on a web browser. Alternatively, the viewing screen may be displayed within an application installed on pharmacy terminal 110.

[0028] The device 100 may receive a medication record of the administration of the drug from the patient terminal 120. In this case, the administration date included in the medication record may be set as the starting date for the next administration date.

[0029] The device 100 may also transmit a message to the patient terminal 120 prompting the patient to take the drug on the estimated dosing date or a predetermined number of days before or after the estimated dosing date (S206). While it is preferable to transmit the message on or before the dosing date, it may also be transmitted on a day after the estimated dosing date, since it is desirable to take the drug even if it is delayed in the event of a missed dose. The device 100 may automatically transmit the message according to a program stored in the memory unit 103. Alternatively, the pharmacist using the pharmacy terminal 110 may request the device 100 to send a message from a viewing screen displayed on the pharmacy terminal 110, and the device 100 may then transmit the message in response to the request. The message may be transmitted via email, SMS, SNS, or other communication means. The message may include the next dosing date. The predetermined number of days may be, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days.

[0030] The device 100 may also transmit a message prompting the patient to receive the medication on the estimated end date of the medication effect or a predetermined number of days before or after the estimated end date of the medication effect (S208). From the perspective of continuing treatment, it is preferable to send the message on or before the end date of the medication effect. However, since it is desirable to receive the medication even if delayed, the message may be sent on a day after the estimated end date of the medication effect. An example of a message may be, "Your medication is running low, please come and pick it up." The message may also include information related to the importance of medication compliance in diseases requiring continuous treatment, such as osteoporosis and diabetes, or a URL for accessing such information, thereby enhancing patient medication adherence. The message may also include the end date of the medication effect. The predetermined number of days may be, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days.

[0031] In this way, by estimating the period or date of taking the medication prescribed to the patient with greater accuracy than before, it becomes possible to communicate with the patient as needed according to the period of medication.

[0032] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, unless the word "only" is used, such as "based only on," "only in accordance with," "only in the case of," or "with reference only," this specification assumes that additional information may be taken into consideration. Also, as an example, it should be noted that the phrase "do b when a" does not necessarily mean "always do b when a" or "do b immediately after a" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the phrase "each a constituting A" does not necessarily mean that A is composed of multiple components, but includes the case where the component is singular.

[0033] Also, just to be clear, even if there is an aspect of a method, program, terminal, device, server, or system (hereinafter referred to as a "method, etc.") that performs an operation different from that described in this specification, each aspect of the present invention is directed to an operation that is identical to one of the operations described in this specification, and the existence of an operation different from that described in this specification does not make the method, etc. outside the scope of each aspect of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 100 devices 101 Communications Department 102 Processing section 103 Storage section 104 Drug Database 110 Pharmacy terminal 120 Patient terminals

Claims

1. 1. A method for estimating a patient's medication duration, comprising: receiving prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by the pharmacy, the prescription information including drug identification information that identifies a drug prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the drug (N is an integer of 2 or more); obtaining a number of days of efficacy per unit associated with the medication based on the medication identification information; estimating the ith administration date of the drug using the number of days of effect per unit, for i between 2 and N inclusive; Includes:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, The method further includes a step of transmitting viewing information for viewing all or some of the estimated plurality of dosing dates to the pharmacy terminal.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, The viewing information is information for displaying the viewing screen so that the estimated administration date can be distinguished from the duration of effect after the administration date.

4. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: The method further includes a step of sending a message prompting the user to take the medication on any one of the estimated multiple dosing dates or a day a predetermined number of days before or after that date.

5. 5. The method of claim 4, The message is sent in response to a request from the pharmacy terminal.

6. 1. A method for estimating a patient's medication duration, comprising: receiving prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by the pharmacy, the prescription information including drug identification information that identifies a drug prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the drug (N is an integer of 2 or more); obtaining a number of days of efficacy per unit associated with the medication based on the medication identification information; a step of estimating an effective end date when the effect of the drug ends using the number of effective days per unit and the prescribed amount N; Includes:

7. 7. The method of claim 6, The method further includes a step of sending a message prompting the patient to receive the medication on the end date of the effect or a predetermined number of days before or after the end date.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, The message includes the effect end date.

9. A program for causing a computer to execute a method for estimating a patient's medication duration, comprising: receiving prescription information from a pharmacy terminal used by the pharmacy, the prescription information including drug identification information that identifies a drug prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the drug (N is an integer of 2 or more); obtaining a number of days of efficacy per unit associated with the medication based on the medication identification information; estimating the ith administration date of the drug using the number of days of effect per unit, for i between 2 and N inclusive; Includes.

10. 1. A device for estimating a patient's medication duration, comprising: receiving prescription information including drug identification information for identifying a drug prescribed to the patient and a prescribed amount N of the drug (N is an integer of 2 or more) from a pharmacy terminal used by the pharmacy; Obtaining a number of effective days per unit associated with the drug based on the drug identification information; The system is configured to estimate the ith administration date of the drug using the number of effective days per unit, for i between 2 and N inclusive.

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