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

Abstract

To appropriately handle an image reading report including incidental findings.SOLUTION: A medical information processing apparatus of an embodiment has an acquisition unit, a specification unit, and a notification unit. The acquisition unit acquires an image reading report. The specification unit specifies a related part related to incidental findings included in the image reading report. The notification unit notifies a requesting doctor of finding information according to the incidental findings including related part information based on the related part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in the present specification and drawings relate to a medical information processing device, a medical information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When diagnosing a patient, for example, a radiologist prepares an image interpretation report. The radiologist prepares the image interpretation report based on medical images obtained as a result of examining the patient. The radiologist may also prepare the image interpretation report by referring to the purpose of the examination provided by the requesting physician. The image interpretation report includes findings regarding the disease obtained based on the examination results, etc., and the provided medical images.

[0003] While many of the findings contained in the radiology reports prepared by radiologists are consistent with the purpose of the examination provided by the requesting physician, there are also findings that are incidentally discovered due to deviations from the purpose of the examination (hereinafter referred to as "incidental"). While requesting physicians are accustomed to seeing findings that are consistent with the purpose of the examination, they rarely have access to information about incidental findings, so there is a risk that they may overlook them. In addition, because the radiology report is notified to the requesting physician, it has been difficult for this information to reach the appropriate physician or other medical professional to handle incidental findings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-032238 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is to enable appropriate processing of radiology reports that include incidental findings. However, the problem to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is not limited to the above problem. Problems corresponding to the effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described below can also be positioned as other problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The medical information processing device of the embodiment has an acquisition unit, an identification unit, and a notification unit. The acquisition unit acquires an interpretation report. The identification unit identifies a related site related to an incidental finding included in the interpretation report. The notification unit notifies finding information corresponding to the incidental finding, including related site information based on the related site. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment of a medical information processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the medical information processing apparatus 100. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the second doctor terminal 20. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the display 11 of the second doctor terminal 20. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of visualized finding information. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the contents of visualized finding information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage environment of a medical information processing device 100 according to an embodiment. The medical information processing device 100 according to an embodiment is included in, for example, a terminal device used by an image-reading doctor. The medical information processing device 100 creates an image-reading report based on an operation by the image-reading doctor in response to a request from the doctor who examined the patient. The doctor is an example of a party requesting the creation of the image-reading report. The image-reading report created by the medical information processing device 100 may include a description of incidental findings.

[0010] The medical information processing device 100 notifies the requesting physician of the interpretation report. If the interpretation report includes incidental findings, the medical information processing device 100 notifies the requesting physician of finding information corresponding to the incidental findings along with the interpretation report. In addition to the request, the medical information processing device 100 also notifies the medical professional who is suitable to handle the incidental finding (hereinafter referred to as the suitable physician) and the supervisor and medical safety office who manage the suitable physician (hereinafter referred to as the administrator) of the finding information. The finding information includes information regarding the incidental findings. The finding information may also include the interpretation report. The suitable physician and the administrator are different from the person who requested the creation. The suitable physician and the administrator are both examples of notified persons.

[0011] The medical information processing device 100 of the embodiment is communicably connected to a first attending physician terminal 10, a second attending physician terminal 20, and an administrator terminal 30 via a network. The first attending physician terminal 10 is a terminal device that can be accessed by, for example, a requesting physician who has examined a patient and requested the creation of an interpretation report. The first attending physician terminal 10 transmits request information to the medical information processing device 100 in response to an operation by the requesting physician.

[0012] The request information includes, for example, examination information indicating the results of an examination of a patient performed by a requesting physician during the patient's consultation. The examination information includes, for example, text information (hereinafter referred to as textual findings information) that is a textual document of the diagnosis results of the requesting physician, and medical images captured by a medical imaging device such as an X-ray CT device or an ultrasound diagnostic imaging device.

[0013] The second doctor terminal 20 is a terminal device that can be accessed by a suitable doctor. The suitable doctor is selected from among doctors in charge of multiple departments based on incidental findings such as incidentally recognized lesions included in the radiology report. The second doctor terminal 20 acquires the finding information notified by the medical information processing device 100.

[0014] The administrator terminal 30 is a terminal device that can be accessed by an administrator who manages the qualified doctors. The administrator may be, for example, the superior of the qualified doctor or a medical safety office that periodically checks whether or not any oversights have occurred in the finding information. The administrator terminal 30 acquires the finding information notified by the medical information processing device 100.

[0015] The medical information processing device 100 includes, for example, a communication interface 110, an input interface 120, a display 130, a processing circuit 140, and a memory 150. The communication interface 110 communicates with external devices such as a first attending physician terminal 10, a second attending physician terminal 20, and an administrator terminal 30 via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The communication interface 110 includes, for example, a communication interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card).

[0016] The input interface 120 accepts various input operations from a user such as a radiologist, converts the accepted input operations into electrical signals, and outputs the electrical signals to the processing circuitry 140. For example, when a user performs an input operation, the input interface 120 generates information corresponding to the input operation. The input interface 120 outputs the generated information corresponding to the input operation to the processing circuitry 140.

[0017] The input interface 120 includes, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a trackball, a switch, a button, a joystick, a touch panel, etc. The input interface 120 may be, for example, a user interface that accepts audio input from a microphone, etc. The input interface 120 may also have a display function as the display 130, such as a touch panel, for example.

[0018] In this specification, the input interface is not limited to an interface having physical operation parts such as a mouse, keyboard, etc. For example, an example of an input interface also includes an electrical signal processing circuit that receives an electrical signal corresponding to an input operation from an external input device provided separately from the device and outputs this electrical signal to a control circuit.

[0019] The display 130 is a display unit that displays various types of information. For example, the display 130 displays images generated by the processing circuit 140, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for receiving various input operations from the user, etc. For example, the display 130 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc.

[0020] The processing circuitry 140 includes, for example, an acquisition function 141, a specification function 142, and a notification function 143. The processing circuitry 140 realizes these functions by, for example, a hardware processor (computer) executing a program stored in a memory (storage circuitry) 150.

[0021] The hardware processor refers to a circuit such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD)), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0022] Instead of storing the program in the memory 150, the program may be directly embedded in the circuit of the hardware processor. In this case, the hardware processor realizes its functions by reading and executing the program embedded in the circuit. The program may be stored in the memory 150 in advance, or may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed into the memory 150 from the non-transitory storage medium by inserting the non-transitory storage medium into a drive device (not shown) of the medical information processing device 100.

[0023] The hardware processor is not limited to being configured as a single circuit, but may be configured as a single hardware processor by combining multiple independent circuits to realize each function, or multiple components may be integrated into a single hardware processor to realize each function.

[0024] The memory 150 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, a hard disk, or an optical disk. These non-transitory storage media may also be realized by other storage devices connected via a communication network, such as a network-attached storage (NAS) or an external storage server device. The memory 150 may also include other non-transitory storage media, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a register.

[0025] The memory 150 stores, for example, anatomical landmarks (hereinafter referred to as ALDs) set at multiple locations inside the patient's body. ALDs are anatomical landmarks that represent the positions of the patient's structures and features. The ALDs for the patient may be set in an image (two-dimensional image or three-dimensional image) of the patient, or may be set in an image of a human body model and applied to the patient.

[0026] The acquisition function 141 acquires the request information by generating an interpretation report in accordance with the request information transmitted by the first attending physician terminal 10. The acquisition function 141, for example, acquires the request information transmitted by the first attending physician terminal 10. The acquisition function 141 displays the examination information included in the acquired request information on the display 130, or causes the printer to print it on printing paper.

[0027] The radiologist operates the input interface 120 to input information for generating an interpretation report based on the examination information displayed on the display 130 or printed on a printing sheet. The acquisition function 141 generates and acquires the interpretation report in response to the input operation of the radiologist. The acquisition function 141 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0028] The identification function 142 identifies a relevant site related to an incidental finding included in an image interpretation report. For example, when operating the input interface 120 to create an image interpretation report, the image interpretation physician determines whether the findings include an incidental finding. If the image interpretation physician determines that the findings include an incidental finding, the image interpretation physician operates the input interface 120 according to the incidental finding.

[0029] An incidental finding is, for example, a finding that appears to be a tumor in the lungs when the requesting physician is an orthopedic surgeon and the purpose of the examination is to check the condition of a rib fracture. The radiologist may determine whether a finding is incidental based on criteria other than the purpose of the examination, such as the relationship between the requesting physician and the discovered finding, the timing of the discovery, or the relationship between the finding and the patient. The identification function 142 may identify incidental findings based on its own judgment, instead of the judgment of the radiologist.

[0030] When an incidental finding is included in an image interpretation report, the identification function 142 identifies a related site related to the incidental finding. For example, the identification function 142 identifies the related site based on an annotation location related to the incidental finding. For example, the identification function 142 specifies the annotation location based on an instruction from a user such as an image interpretation physician. The identification function 142 extracts the ALD closest to the specified annotation location (hereinafter referred to as the nearest ALD) and identifies the related site based on the extracted nearest ALD. The identification function 142 is an example of an identification unit.

[0031] The notification function 143 notifies the user of finding information including related site information related to the related site identified by the identification function 142. The notification function 143 generates, for example, finding information including an incidental finding specified by the identification function 142 or information about the related site identified by the identification function 142. When the finding information includes an incidental finding, the notification function 143 selects an appropriate doctor based on the content of the incidental finding. When the notification function 143 selects an appropriate doctor, it identifies the administrator who manages the appropriate doctor, for example, the appropriate doctor's supervisor or a management center.

[0032] The notification function 143 transmits the generated finding information to an external terminal. For example, the notification function 143 transmits the generated finding information to the first attending physician terminal 10 and notifies the requesting physician of the finding information. For example, when the finding information includes an incidental finding, the notification function 143 transmits the generated finding information to the second attending physician terminal 20 and the manager terminal 30 in addition to the first attending physician terminal 10. The notification function 143 notifies the appropriate physician or the manager of the appropriate physician of the finding information including the incidental finding by transmitting the generated finding information to the second attending physician terminal 20 and the manager terminal 30. The notification function 143 is an example of a notification unit.

[0033] Next, a description will be given of processing in the medical information processing device 100. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the medical information processing device 100. The medical information processing device 100 creates an interpretation report in the acquisition function 141 (step S101). When creating the interpretation report, the acquisition function 141 acquires request information sent by the requesting doctor.

[0034] The acquisition function 141 displays the text finding information and medical images included in the request information on the display 130. The radiologist operates the input interface 120 to create an interpretation report while viewing the display on the display 130. The acquisition function 141 creates an interpretation report in response to the input operation of the input interface 120 by the radiologist viewing the display on the display 130.

[0035] The radiology report includes, for example, the examination type, examination information, patient information, report information, textual finding information, diagnosis, and reference medical images. The examination type literally indicates the type of examination, such as "CT." The examination information includes information such as the examination area, examination method, admission / examination time, requesting physician, and requesting department. The patient information includes information such as the patient's name, patient ID, patient gender, date of birth, and age. The report information includes information such as the examination date, report date, and emergency classification.

[0036] The textual findings information shows the results of the interpretation by the radiologist. Examples of textual findings include text sentences such as "A compression fracture was observed in Th11, which is thought to be a fresh fracture," and "A tumor and a possible tumor were found in the lung." The diagnosis content shows the diagnosis by the radiologist, such as "compression fracture of the thoracic vertebrae."

[0037] The reference medical image includes, for example, one or more medical images selected by the radiologist from among the multiple medical images included in the request information. The reference medical image includes, for example, an image that was crucial when the radiologist presented findings or made a diagnosis, or an image that is appropriate for assisting in explaining the contents of findings. Although the reference medical image may not be included in the radiology report, in this example, multiple reference medical images are included in the radiology report. The image is

[0038] The acquisition function 141 visualizes the created image interpretation report and displays it on the display 130. If the image interpretation report displayed on the display 130 includes an incidental finding, the image interpretation physician points out the incidental finding by operating the input interface 120. When the image interpretation physician points out the incidental finding, the image interpretation physician operates the input interface 120 to indicate the annotation location in the key image.

[0039] A key image is, for example, a reference medical image with a designated annotation location among multiple reference medical images included in an interpretation report. There may be one key image or multiple key images. A key image is associated with, for example, a finding or a diagnosis. In the description of this flowchart, a key image may be included in an interpretation report, but may not be included in the interpretation report. The medical information processing device 100 determines whether an incidental finding has been indicated based on the operation of the input interface 120 by the interpretation physician (step S103).

[0040] If it is determined that no incidental findings have been indicated, the medical information processing apparatus 100 ends the processing shown in Fig. 2. If it is determined that an incidental finding has been indicated, the medical information processing apparatus 100 causes the acquisition function 141 to specify an annotation location in the key image based on an instruction from the radiologist (step S105).

[0041] Next, the identifying function 142 compares the position indicated by the annotation location with the positions of the multiple ALDs, and identifies the ALD closest to the annotation location specified by the radiologist (hereinafter referred to as the closest ALD) (step S107). Next, the identifying function 142 identifies a related site related to the incidental finding based on the identified ALD (step S109).

[0042] The identification function 142 uses textual findings included in the identified recent ALD and the radiology report to identify the relevant region. For example, since the ALD corresponds to the region corresponding to "lungs" and the radiology report contains the character "lungs," the relevant region is identified as "lungs." The relevant region may be any specific region of the human body, and may be a region other than an organ such as the "lungs," such as a specific part of a bone, muscle, or blood vessel.

[0043] Next, the notification function 143 generates finding information including incidental findings and related areas, selects an appropriate doctor suitable for treating the incidental findings, and selects the second attending doctor terminal 20 and the manager terminal 30 to which the finding information is to be sent. The notification function 143 sends the finding information to the selected second attending doctor terminal 20 and manager terminal 30, and notifies the appropriate doctor and the manager of the finding information (step S111).

[0044] Next, the notification function 143 determines whether or not the reminder end information transmitted by the second doctor terminal 20 and the manager terminal 30 has been acquired (step S113). The reminder end information will be explained in the flow shown in Figure 3. If it is determined that the reminder end information has not been acquired, the notification function 143 determines whether or not the reminder time has arrived (step S115).

[0045] If the notification function 143 determines that the reminder time has not arrived, it repeats the process of step S115, and if it determines that the reminder time has arrived, it returns the process to step S111 and notifies the appropriate doctor and the administrator of the finding information as reminder information. If reminder end information is acquired in step S113, the medical information processing device 100 ends the process shown in FIG.

[0046] The notification function 143 may adjust the reminder time depending on the type of the second attending physician terminal 20 and the administrator terminal 30 that sent the finding information. For example, if the destination of the finding information is the second attending physician terminal 20, the reminder time may be set to every day, and if reminder end information has not been acquired, the reminder information may be sent every day.

[0047] For example, if the destination of the finding information is the administrator terminal 30 of the superior of the suitable doctor, the reminder interval may be set to one week, and if the destination of the finding information is the medical safety office, the reminder interval may be set to two weeks, with the reminder information being sent every week or every two weeks, respectively. Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the finding information, notified information indicating that the suitable doctor has been notified of the finding information may be sent to the administrator terminal 30. Also, an upper limit may be set for the interval at which the reminder information is sent.

[0048] Alternatively, the notification method may be changed depending on the destination of information such as finding information. For example, an email containing the finding information may be sent to the appropriate doctor, and only a list of the findings notified may be sent to the administrator, with an alert being output from the administrator terminal 30. In this case, the administrator can collectively manage the statuses of other managed persons other than the appropriate doctor.

[0049] Next, the processing in the second attending doctor terminal 20 when the finding information transmitted by the medical information processing device 100 is acquired will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing in the second attending doctor terminal 20. The second attending doctor terminal 20 acquires the finding information transmitted by the medical information processing device 100 (step S201). The finding information transmitted to the second attending doctor terminal 20 includes incidental findings.

[0050] When the second attending physician terminal 20 acquires the finding information, it displays on the display overlooked finding acquisition information to notify the qualified physician that the finding information has been acquired. The qualified physician can recognize that the finding information has been acquired by looking at the screen showing the overlooked finding acquisition information. When the qualified physician confirms that the finding information has been sent, he or she performs an operation on the input interface indicating that the transmission of the finding information has been confirmed (hereinafter, a confirmation operation). The confirmation operation includes, for example, an operation on a confirmation switch displayed on the display.

[0051] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen of the display 11 of the second doctor terminal 20. Fig. 4 shows the display screen of the display 11 that displays the overlooked finding acquisition information. The overlooked finding acquisition information is displayed, for example, in an overlooked finding information display area ME11, a confirmed switch SW11, an alarm clear switch SW12, and the like.

[0052] The overlooked finding information displays overlooked information regarding finding information that has been overlooked by a qualified physician among the finding information transmitted by the medical information processing device 100, in this case, overlooked information titled "Radiology Report Overlooked." Although only one overlooked finding information is shown in FIG. 4, if there is a plurality of finding information or if the finding information includes a plurality of incidental findings (incidental findings at a plurality of locations), a plurality of pieces of overlooked finding information may be displayed. In this case, the overlooked finding information is displayed, for example, in association with each incidental finding (incidental findings at each of a plurality of locations).

[0053] The screen displayed on the display 11 may include other information. The other information may include, for example, information about notification recipients. Notification recipients may include, for example, the requesting physician, the medical department manager, and medical safety information. The list of requests may, for example, include only the requesting physician (themselves). Notifiers related to the medical department manager may, for example, include a list of medical departments. Notifiers related to medical safety may, for example, include a list of the entire hospital.

[0054] The second attending physician terminal 20 generates confirmation information when the qualified physician performs a confirmation operation on the confirmation switch SW11 while the oversight finding acquisition information is displayed on the display 11. If multiple pieces of oversight information are displayed on the display 11, the second attending physician terminal 20 generates confirmation information for all of the oversight information when the qualified physician performs a confirmation operation on the alarm clear switch SW12.

[0055] The second doctor terminal 20 determines whether or not confirmed information has been generated in accordance with the confirmed operation of the qualified doctor (step S203). If the second doctor terminal 20 determines that confirmed information has been generated, it generates reminder end information and transmits it to the medical information processing device 100 (step S209). The second doctor terminal 20 thus ends the process shown in FIG. 3.

[0056] When the second doctor terminal 20 determines that the confirmed information has not been generated, it confirms the treatment policy for the incidental finding established by the qualified doctor (step S205). The second doctor terminal 20 confirms the treatment policy for the incidental finding by, for example, referring to the information written in the medical record created by the qualified doctor.

[0057] Next, the second doctor terminal 20 confirms that the appropriate doctor has performed the processing according to the processing policy confirmed by the appropriate doctor, or has explained the patient according to the processing policy (step S207). Processing according to the processing policy includes, for example, ordering images or placing a reservation order for incidental findings, and recording the results of the treatment in the medical record prepared by the appropriate doctor.

[0058] After confirming the treatment plan and the completion of the processing or explanation to the patient according to the treatment plan, the second doctor terminal 20 generates reminder end information and transmits it to the medical information processing device 100 (step S209). The second doctor terminal 20 thus ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0059] After transmitting the reminder end information, the second doctor terminal 20 may generate reminder restart information and transmit it to the medical information processing device 100. For example, if the treatment plan includes follow-up observation and the follow-up observation states "same as last time," the second doctor terminal 20 may transmit the reminder restart information to the medical information processing device 100 when there is a statement such as "follow-up observation in x months."

[0060] The medical information processing device 100 that has received the reminder resumption information may resume processing, for example, from step S111 in Fig. 2. If the treatment plan includes follow-up, the medical information processing device 100 may increase the interval between reminder information, and may not send reminder information until, for example, it is approximately the time when the follow-up is to end.

[0061] Next, we will explain the finding information created by the medical information processing device 100, transmitted to the second attending physician terminal 20, and notified to the appropriate physician. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of visualized finding information. The finding information displayed on the display 11 of the second attending physician terminal 20 is displayed, for example, in a first display area GA10, a second display area GA20, and a third display area GA30.

[0062] A body mark BM and the first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4 are displayed in the first display area GA10. The body mark BM is information that depicts an image of the patient's body. The first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4 are images that are associated with the display image in order to specify the display image to be displayed large in the first display area GA10.

[0063] The first thumbnail image SN1 corresponds to a display image of the body mark, the second thumbnail image SN2 corresponds to an enlarged image of the body mark BM from the chest to the pelvis, the third thumbnail image SN3 corresponds to a display image of the heart, and the fourth thumbnail image SN4 corresponds to a display image of the chest.

[0064] The body mark BM and the first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4 display numbers associated with hyperlinks. For example, the body mark BM displays numbers such as "2," "9," and "16," the first thumbnail image SN1 displays the number "3," and the third thumbnail image SN3 displays the number "4." By specifying the first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4, it is possible to appropriately display, for example, images to be displayed in an emergency or images to be followed.

[0065] A list of finding information is displayed in the second display area GA20. In the list of finding information, a plurality of pieces of finding information including text finding information and key images are listed. The list of finding information is linked to the first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4 displayed in the first display area GA10.

[0066] Linking the first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4 with the body mark BM makes it easier for a qualified doctor to visually recognize where in the patient a lesion or other incidental finding is located and for which position the radiology report has been created. When observing the progress of a lesion included in an incidental finding, the progress may also be displayed in the second display area GA20.

[0067] The third display area GA30 displays textual finding information linked to the body mark BM displayed in the first display area GA10, such as the requesting department, requesting physician, examination purpose, technician's comments, image reading physician, and findings by the image reading physician. The third display area GA30 also displays medical reference images such as key images.

[0068] When an input operation is performed to specify the body mark BM displayed in the first display area GA10 or the number displayed in the first thumbnail image SN1 to the fourth thumbnail image SN4, textual finding information corresponding to the specified number is displayed in the third display area GA30.

[0069] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the contents of visualized finding information. In the example shown in Fig. 6, a first message image MA11, a second message image MA21, and a third message image MA31 are displayed in the third display area GA30. Fig. 6 shows the image displayed when, for example, an input operation is performed to specify the number "9-2" displayed in the first display area GA10 while the first message image MA11 and the second message image MA21 are displayed in the third display area GA30. When an input operation is performed to specify the number "9-2," a third message image MA31 related to the specified site X corresponding to "9-2" is displayed in the third display area GA30.

[0070] The designated region X is, for example, a region related to an incidental finding, but may also be a region other than a related region. For example, the designated region X shown in "9-2" indicates a region of the liver, and is marked with a circle. In the radiology report, a disease of the liver is an incidental finding. Marking the designated region X with a circle indicates that, in view of the content of the findings included in the radiology report, an incidental finding (a finding outside the purpose of the examination) has been extracted, and further indicates that the region requires the results of ALD or image analysis.

[0071] The third message image MA31 displays findings related to the liver. Furthermore, in the first display area GA10, a schematic image PX showing a schematic diagram corresponding to the specified region X showing the liver is displayed superimposed on the second thumbnail image SN2. In this way, a diagram related to incidental findings may also be displayed in the area displaying thumbnails in the first display area GA10.

[0072] The appropriate doctor can check the findings of the radiologist and formulate a course of action for or implement a course of action for incidental findings while looking at the display 11. The appropriate doctor can easily search for the findings of the radiologist, including incidental findings for parts of the patient's body, and display them in the third display area GA30 of the display 11 by performing an input operation to specify the number in the body mark BM displayed in the first display area GA10.

[0073] The medical information processing device 100 of the embodiment uses the specifying function 142 of the processing circuitry 140 to specify a related site related to an incidental finding included in an image interpretation report, and notifies a doctor or other person who is qualified to handle the incidental finding of the related site information using the notification function. Therefore, when an image interpretation report including an incidental finding is created, it becomes easier to take appropriate measures for the incidental finding.

[0074] According to at least one embodiment of the medical information processing device described above, by having an acquisition unit that acquires an interpretation report, an identification unit that identifies related sites related to incidental findings included in the interpretation report, and a notification unit that notifies finding information corresponding to the incidental finding including related site information based on the related sites, it is possible to appropriately process an interpretation report including an incidental finding.

[0075] 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, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10. First attending physician terminal 11 Display 20 Second doctor terminal 30 Administrator terminal 100 Medical information processing device 110 Communication Interface 120 input interface 130 Display 140 Processing Circuit 141 Acquisition Function 142 Specific Functions 143 Notification function 150 memory BM Body Mark GA10 1st display area GA20 2nd display area GA30 3rd display area MA11 1st message image MA21 2nd message image MA31 3rd message image ME11 Findings information display area PX Schematic Image SN1 1st thumbnail image SN2 2nd thumbnail image SN3 3rd thumbnail image SN4 4th thumbnail image SW11 Confirmed switch SW12 Alarm clear switch X designated area

Claims

1. an acquisition unit for acquiring an interpretation report; an identifying unit that identifies a related site related to an incidental finding included in the radiology report; a notification unit that notifies the patient of finding information corresponding to the incidental finding, including related site information based on the related site. Medical information processing equipment.

2. the identifying unit identifies a relevant site based on an annotation portion related to the incidental finding; The medical information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the specifying unit specifies the annotation location based on an instruction from a user. The medical information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. the identifying unit extracts a nearest anatomical landmark that is closest to the annotation location from among predetermined anatomical landmarks, and identifies the related region based on the nearest anatomical landmark; The medical information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. The finding information includes information on a body mark indicating the relevant site. The medical information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. The finding information further includes text finding information linked to the relevant part in the body mark. The medical information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The notification unit notifies a reminder of the finding information when a reminder time has come. The medical information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. The acquisition unit the notification unit terminates the notification of the reminder when it acquires reminder termination information issued by the notified person who has been notified of the finding information. The medical information processing device according to claim 7 .

9. The image interpretation report is created based on a request from a requester, The recipient of the finding information is different from the person who requested the creation of the information. The medical information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. The recipients of the findings information include medical professionals who are suitable for dealing with the findings information and managers who manage the medical professionals. The medical information processing device according to claim 1 .

11. The computer Obtain the interpretation report, Identifying a relevant region related to an incidental finding included in the image interpretation report; notifying the patient of finding information corresponding to the incidental finding, including relevant site information based on the relevant site; Medical information processing method.

12. On the computer, Obtain the interpretation report, Identifying a relevant region related to an incidental finding included in the image interpretation report; notifying the patient of finding information corresponding to the incidental finding, including relevant site information based on the relevant site; program.

Images