Server device, computer program, and medication instruction supporting method

Abstract

To increase the individual responsiveness of medication instructions provided to patients.SOLUTION: A server device 12 is capable of communicating with a client device to which information is provided. A communication interface 121 receives progress information PG indicating the progress of a patient's condition from a client device 11. A processor 122 generates guidance information GD to be provided when prescribing medicines based on the progress information PG and transmits it to the client device 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server device capable of communicating with a client device that provides information. The present disclosure also relates to a computer program executable by a processor installed in the server device. The present disclosure also relates to a medication instruction support method executed by the client device and the server device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for supporting medication instruction given by a pharmacist to a patient who receives prescribed medication. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6381088 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a need to improve the individualization of medication instructions provided to patients. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect provided by the present disclosure is a server device capable of communicating with a client device to which information is provided, the server device comprising: an interface that receives progress information indicating the progress of a patient's condition from the client device; a processor that generates guidance information to be provided at the time of prescription of a drug based on the history information and transmits the guidance information to the client device; It is equipped with:

[0006] One aspect provided by the present disclosure is a computer program executable by a processor installed in a server device capable of communicating with a client device that provides information, the computer program comprising: When executed, the server device receiving progress information indicating the progress of a patient's condition from the client device; generating guidance information to be provided at the time of prescription of a drug based on the history information; The guidance information is transmitted to the client device.

[0007] One aspect provided by the present disclosure is a method for supporting medication instruction that is executed by a client device that provides information and a server device that is installed in a location remote from the client device, the method comprising: Transmitting progress information indicating the progress of the patient's condition from the client device to the server device; Guidance information to be provided at the time of drug prescription, which is generated based on the progress information, is transmitted from the server device to the client device.

[0008] According to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, the patient's condition can be reflected in the content of medication instructions when prescribing a drug. In other words, medication instructions can be provided when prescribing a drug by adding information such as points to note depending on the patient's condition, in addition to information regarding the dosage and administration described in the package insert of the specific drug to be prescribed. Therefore, the medication instructions provided to patients can be more personalized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates the configuration of a medication instruction system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 illustrates an example of the functional configuration of the client device and the server device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 illustrates an example of a flow of processing executed by the medication instruction system of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 3 illustrates a method for generating the guidance information of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Examples of embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the scale of each illustrated element is changed as necessary to make it recognizable.

[0011] 1 illustrates the configuration of a medication instruction support system 10 according to one embodiment. The medication instruction support system 10 includes a client device 11 and a server device 12.

[0012] The client device 11 is used by a medical institution that provides medication instruction or a patient that receives the medication instruction. Therefore, there may be multiple client devices 11. The client device 11 may be a stationary device that is installed in a specific location, or may be a portable device that can be carried by a user.

[0013] The server device 12 is installed at a location remote from the client device 11. The client device 11 and the server device 12 are configured to be able to perform two-way data communication via a communication network 20.

[0014] The term "medical institution" used in this specification refers to an institution where medical professionals explain medical products to patients. Examples of medical institutions include hospitals, clinics, medical offices, dispensing pharmacies, drug stores, drug stores, and nursing homes. Therefore, the term "medical professionals" used in this specification is used to include not only pharmacists but also doctors and nurses.

[0015] 2, the client device 11 includes a communication interface 111. On the other hand, the server device 12 includes a communication interface 121. Each of the communication interface 111 and the communication interface 121 is a hardware interface configured to enable the above-described two-way data communication.

[0016] The client device 11 includes a user interface 112 and a processor 113. The user interface 112 is a hardware interface that mediates the exchange of information between a user and the processor 113. The user interface 112 and the processor 113 may be mounted in a common housing, or may be provided in a distributed manner in independent housings.

[0017] The user interface 112 is configured to accept input of patient information PT by a user. The patient information PT can be input via a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel input device, a voice input device, or the like. The user may be a medical professional or the patient himself / herself. The patient information PT does not need to be input all at once from the same client device 11. In other words, each element of the patient information PT listed below may be input by a different user from a different client device 11.

[0018] The patient information PT includes at least basic information about the patient. Basic information is information that is collected regardless of the patient's illness or background. Examples of such information include name, gender, age, height, and weight. The basic information only needs to include at least one of these pieces of information.

[0019] The patient information PT may include information indicating a chief complaint. A chief complaint refers to the most important medical condition or state (symptom, symptom, etc.) that a patient is complaining about or experiencing.

[0020] The patient information PT may include information indicating the history of the present illness. The history of the present illness is detailed information related to the chief complaint, including at least one of the date of onset, severity, duration of onset, course, treatment history, and impact on daily life.

[0021] The patient information PT may include information indicating a medical history. The medical history refers to the history of illnesses and treatments the patient has received up to now. The medical history may include at least one of a serious illness, a history of surgery, and a history of trauma.

[0022] The patient information PT may include information indicating family history, which refers to the illnesses currently being treated and past medical history of the patient's family or relatives.

[0023] The patient information PT may include information indicating a social history. The social history may include information about the patient's social status and environmental factors that contribute to the development of the disease. Examples of social information include marital status, occupation, eating and exercise habits, and whether and how much they smoke or drink.

[0024] The patient information PT may include information indicating a medication history. The medication history may include prescription medications used by the patient, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) medications, supplements, alternative medicines, etc. The medication history may include drug usage, dosage, route of administration, dosage form, duration of treatment, etc.

[0025] The patient information PT may include information indicating a history of allergies to drugs, foods, pets, and environmental factors (dust, pollen, etc.), as well as a history of adverse reactions to drugs.

[0026] The patient information PT may include information indicating physical findings. Physical findings are the results of a physical examination by a medical professional, and may include vital signs as well as findings indicating the state of organs, nerves, and skin.

[0027] The patient information PT may include information indicating test results, which are the results of various tests, and may include at least one of specimen tests such as blood and urine tests, physiological tests such as electrocardiograms, and imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans.

[0028] The patient information PT may include prescription drug information, which indicates newly prescribed medications that are not included in the medication history or that are scheduled to be newly prescribed.

[0029] The processor 113 is configured to transmit the patient information PT received by the user interface 112 from the communication interface 111 to the server device 12.

[0030] The server device 12 includes a processor 122 and a storage 123. The storage 123 is a storage device realized by a semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, or the like. The processor 122 is configured to store the patient information PT received by the communication interface 121 in the storage 123. The processor 122 and the storage 123 may be mounted in a common housing, or may be provided in a distributed manner in multiple independent housings.

[0031] 3 illustrates an example of the flow of a method for supporting medication instruction executed by the client device 11 and the server device 12. The term "medication instruction" used in this specification means the act of providing guidance information to ensure the appropriate use of a prescribed drug when (or before) the drug is handed over to a patient. The guidance information may include an explanation of the drug's usage, dosage, precautions for use, and possible side effects associated with use.

[0032] As described above, patient information PT is input through the user interface 112 of the client device 11 (STEP 11). The patient information PT may be input when filling out a medical questionnaire following a first visit to a medical institution or when a drug is prescribed, or may be input prior to the first visit. When the patient information PT is input when a drug is prescribed, the patient information PT includes the above-mentioned prescribed drug information.

[0033] Next, the processor 113 of the client device 11 transmits the patient information PT to the server device 12 through the communication interface 111 (STEP 12).

[0034] The processor 122 of the server device 12 stores the patient information PT received through the communication interface 121 in the storage 123 (STEP 21).

[0035] The patient information PT stored in the server device 12 may be transmitted to the client device 11 based on a call instruction, and the patient information PT updated in the client device 11 may then be transmitted to the server device 12.

[0036] As illustrated in Fig. 2, the user interface 112 of the client device 11 is configured to also accept input of progress information PG by the user (STEP 13 in Fig. 3). The progress information PG is information indicating the progress of the patient since the last time a drug was prescribed. The term "progress of the patient" used in this specification means whether or not there has been a change in the patient's condition, the items that have changed, the amount of change, etc.

[0037] The progress information PG may also be input via a keyboard, mouse, touch panel input device, voice input device, etc. The user may be a medical professional or the patient himself / herself. The progress information PG does not need to be input all at once from the same client device 11. In other words, each element of the progress information PG listed below may be input by a different user from a different client device 11.

[0038] The progress information PG may include basic information that identifies the patient and can be associated with the patient information PT, as well as information indicating the progress of at least one of the patient's chief complaint, social history, medication history, physical findings, and test results. Additionally, the progress information PG may include information related to medication status. The medication status may include information such as whether the dosage and administration instructions provided in the medication instructions at the time of the previous prescription were followed, and whether the patient has discontinued medication on their own initiative.

[0039] The processor 113 is configured to transmit the progress information PG received by the user interface 112 from the communication interface 111 to the server device 12 (STEP 14 in FIG. 3).

[0040] The processor 122 of the server device 12 is configured to generate guidance information GD to be provided to the patient during medication instructions given when a drug is prescribed, based on the progress information PG received by the communication interface 121 (STEP 22 in Figure 3).

[0041] Specifically, the processor 122 reads out the patient information PT that identifies the same patient as the patient indicated by the basic information included in the progress information PG from the storage 123. Then, the processor 122 generates the guidance information GD based on the patient information PT and the progress information PG for that patient.

[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the patient information PT and the progress information PG may contain N and M items, respectively, that may be referenced when generating the guidance information GD. In this case, the generated guidance information GD may contain (N x M) information elements. For example, if the progress indicated in the third item in the progress information PG is confirmed for the second item in the patient information PT, the information element identified by "information 23" will be included in the guidance information GD. The number of information elements included in the guidance information GD may be multiple, depending on the number of referenced items.

[0043] As an example, if a "specific change" contained in the progress information PG is found in the "symptoms" contained in the patient information PT, the guidance information GD is generated to include information elements related to "items to check regarding the symptoms."

[0044] As another example, if it is recognized that the "period of taking" included in the progress information PG for the "medication currently being taken" included in the patient information PT has reached a specific value, guidance information GD is generated to include information elements related to "items to check regarding the occurrence of side effects."

[0045] As another example, if the progress information PG indicates that the medication status included in the patient information PT is not being continued as instructed, guidance information GD is generated to include information elements such as an explanation of the importance of continuing medication correctly and an explanation of the risks of discontinuing medication at one's own discretion.

[0046] The processor 122 is configured to transmit the generated guidance information GD from the communication interface 121 to the client device 11 (STEP 23 in FIG. 3).

[0047] The processor 113 of the client device 11 is configured to output the guidance information GD received by the communication interface 121 from the user interface 112 (STEP 15 in FIG. 3). In other words, the user interface 112 is configured to provide the guidance information GD to the user. The guidance information GD can be output via a display device, a printer, or the like.

[0048] Since the guidance information GD is intended to be provided at the time of medication instruction, the destination of the guidance information GD must include at least the client device 11 used by the medical staff. However, the guidance information GD may also be transmitted to the client device 11 used by the patient to check the content of medication instruction, for example.

[0049] According to the configuration of this embodiment, the patient's condition can be reflected in the content of medication instructions when prescribing a drug. In other words, medication instructions can be provided when prescribing a drug by adding information such as points to note depending on the patient's condition, in addition to information regarding the dosage and administration described in the package insert of the specific drug being prescribed. Therefore, the medication instructions provided to patients can be more personalized.

[0050] Therefore, it is preferable that the progress information PG input to the client device 11 includes information on changes that have occurred in the patient as a result of using the prescribed drug at the time of previous prescription. Such changes may include improvement or worsening of symptoms related to the main complaint, the occurrence of symptoms other than the main complaint, the occurrence of side effects, etc.

[0051] With this configuration, information relating to the patient's progress since the previous drug prescription, particularly information that is estimated to have a high correlation with medication, can be reflected in the content of medication instructions to be given when future drugs are prescribed.

[0052] The guidance information GD provided to the patient preferably includes information about changes in the patient's behavior since the previous prescription, such as dietary and exercise habits, and the level of smoking and alcohol consumption.

[0053] By providing not only important points regarding the usage and dosage of prescribed medications, but also information that encourages patients to change their behavior, medication instructions can be more personalized to prevent symptoms from worsening.

[0054] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the client device 11 can receive progress information PG indicating the progress of the patient since a drug prescription accompanied by medication instructions using the guidance information GD was given, and transmit it to the server device 12 (STEP 16).

[0055] In this case, the processor 122 of the server device 12 may execute feedback to the algorithm that generates the guidance information GD based on the received progress information PG (STEP 24). For example, if the progress information PG indicates that the patient's condition worsened as a result of the provision of certain guidance information GD, the algorithm is modified to suppress the provision of that guidance information GD. On the other hand, if the patient's condition improved as a result of the provision of that guidance information GD, the algorithm is modified to increase the priority of that guidance information GD.

[0056] Thereafter, the process proceeds to STEP 22, where the processor 122 generates new guide information GD based on the modified algorithm and transmits it to the client device 11.

[0057] According to this configuration, changes in the patient that occur after a drug prescription accompanied by drug administration guidance using the guidance information GD can be reflected in the content of drug administration guidance to be given when a drug is prescribed in the future.

[0058] The processor 113 of the client device 11 and the processor 122 of the server device 12, each having the various functions described above, may be realized by a general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with a general-purpose memory. Examples of the general-purpose microprocessor include a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. Examples of the general-purpose memory include a ROM and a RAM. In this case, the ROM may store a computer program that executes the above-described processes. The ROM is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium on which a computer program is stored. The general-purpose microprocessor specifies at least a portion of the program stored in the ROM, expands it on the RAM, and executes the above-described processes in cooperation with the RAM. The computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or may be downloaded from an external server device via a communication network and then installed in the general-purpose memory. In this case, the external server device is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable medium on which a computer program is stored.

[0059] Each of the processors 113 and 122 may be realized by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the computer program, such as a microcontroller, an ASIC, or an FPGA. In this case, the computer program is pre-installed in a memory element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. The memory element is an example of a computer-readable medium on which a computer program is stored. Each of the processors 113 and 122 may also be realized by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

[0060] The configurations described above are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the present disclosure. Each configuration example may be appropriately modified or combined with other configuration examples without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0061] The configurations listed below also form part of this disclosure. Item 1: A server device capable of communicating with a client device to which information is provided, an interface that receives progress information indicating the progress of a patient's condition from the client device; a processor that generates guidance information to be provided at the time of prescription of a drug based on the history information and transmits the guidance information to the client device; Equipped with Server device. Item 2: The history information includes information regarding changes that have occurred in the patient as a result of taking a drug prescribed at a previous time. Item 1. The server device according to item 1. Item 3: The guidance information includes information regarding changes in the patient's behavior since a previous drug prescription was given. Item 3. The server device according to item 1 or 2. Item 4: When the interface receives progress information indicating the progress of the patient's condition since the time of the drug prescription, the processor performs feedback to reflect the progress information in the generation algorithm of the guidance information. 4. The server device according to any one of items 1 to 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 11: Client device, 12: Server device, 121: Communication interface, 122: Processor, GD: Guidance information, PG: Progress information

Claims

1. A server device capable of communicating with a client device to which information is provided, an interface that receives progress information indicating the progress of a patient's condition from the client device; a processor that generates guidance information to be provided at the time of prescription of a drug based on the history information and transmits the guidance information to the client device; Equipped with Server device.

2. The history information includes information regarding changes that have occurred in the patient as a result of taking a drug prescribed at a previous time. The server device according to claim 1 .

3. The guidance information includes information regarding changes in the patient's behavior since a previous drug prescription was given. The server device according to claim 1 .

4. When the interface receives progress information indicating the progress of the patient's condition since the time of the drug prescription, the processor performs feedback to reflect the progress information in the generation algorithm of the guidance information. The server device according to claim 1 .

5. A computer program executable by a processor installed in a server device capable of communicating with a client device that provides information, When executed, the server device receiving progress information indicating the progress of a patient's condition from the client device; generating guidance information to be provided at the time of prescription of a drug based on the history information; transmitting the guidance information to the client device; Computer program.

6. A method for supporting medication instruction that is executed by a client device that provides information and a server device that is installed in a location remote from the client device, comprising: Transmitting progress information indicating the progress of the patient's condition from the client device to the server device; transmitting guidance information to be provided at the time of prescription of a drug, which is generated based on the history information, from the server device to the client device; How to support medication instructions.

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