Apparatus, method, and program for estimating the quantity of a drug.

Abstract

Based on data regarding the quantity of drugs used at some medical institutions within a region, the total quantity of drugs used at a larger number of medical institutions within that region is estimated. [Solution] The device 100 acquires individual drug data for some medical institutions within the region, which is stored for each medical institution (S201). This individual drug data may include the quantity of the drug and data that allows for the determination of the number of medical institutions for each feature. Next, the device 100 acquires medical institution data for the entire region (S202). This medical institution data may include data that allows for the determination of the number of medical institutions for each feature in the medical institutions throughout the region. Then, for each medical institution, the device 100 corrects the individual quantities included in the individual drug data according to the features of that medical institution to calculate the corrected individual quantities (S203), and estimates the quantity of the target drug in the medical institutions throughout the region based on these corrected individual quantities (S204).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a program for estimating the quantity of drugs.

Background Art

[0002] Medical institutions such as pharmacies purchase drugs from vendors such as wholesalers, and prepare and deliver one or more pharmaceuticals prescribed for a patient who comes to the clinic as needed. Since a medical institution needs to deliver drugs according to the requests of patients, it endeavors to secure sufficient inventory in terms of both types and quantities.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] However, whether a desired quantity of a certain drug can be secured is also affected by the demand for the drug in other medical institutions within the region where a certain medical institution is located, and prediction is not easy.

[0004] The inventors have found that, for example, it is possible to estimate the quantity for the entire region by utilizing data on the quantity of drugs accumulated for each medical institution in a cloud electronic medical record system provided by the applicant.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and its problem is to estimate the quantity of the drug in more medical institutions within the region based on data on the quantity of the drug for some medical institutions within the region.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve this objective, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, comprising the steps of: acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within the region, which includes individual drug data of the drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the drugs and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the some medical institutions; acquiring medical institution data for the multiple medical institutions, which includes at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; calculating a corrected individual quantity for each medical institution by correcting the individual quantity included in the individual drug data according to the feature of the medical institution using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data; and estimating the quantity of the drugs in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the corrected individual quantity for each medical institution.

[0007] Furthermore, a second aspect of the present invention is the method of the first aspect, wherein the medical institution data includes a plurality of medical institution identifiers that identify a plurality of medical institutions, and data that can determine the number of medical institutions for each feature quantity in the plurality of medical institutions included in the medical institution data.

[0008] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention is the method of the first or second aspect, wherein the characteristic quantity is a medical department.

[0009] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is the method of the first or second aspect, wherein the feature quantity is the range of the transaction amount.

[0010] Furthermore, a fifth aspect of the present invention is the method of the fourth aspect, wherein the transaction amount is the order amount or the delivery amount.

[0011] Furthermore, a sixth aspect of the present invention is a method according to any of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the quantity is the order quantity, the delivery quantity, or the prescription quantity.

[0012] Furthermore, a seventh aspect of the present invention is a method according to any of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the individual drug data accumulated for each medical institution is data accumulated in a cloud-based electronic medical record system used by the medical institution.

[0013] Furthermore, an eighth aspect of the present invention is the method according to any of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the medical institution data is data provided by a wholesaler.

[0014] Furthermore, the ninth aspect of the present invention is the method according to any of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the individual quantity is on a monthly basis.

[0015] Furthermore, a tenth aspect of the present invention is a method according to any of the first to ninth aspects, further comprising the step of calculating the average of a plurality of quantities estimated using different features.

[0016] Furthermore, an eleventh aspect of the present invention is a method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, comprising the steps of: acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within the region, which includes individual drug data of the drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the drugs and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the some medical institutions; acquiring medical institution data for the multiple medical institutions, which includes at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; calculating the uncorrected quantity of the drugs for each feature in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the individual quantity for each medical institution; and estimating the quantity by correcting the uncorrected quantity using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data according to the feature.

[0017] Furthermore, a twelfth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to perform a method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, the method comprising: a step of acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within a region, which includes individual drug data of the drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the drugs and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the some medical institutions; a step of acquiring medical institution data for the multiple medical institutions, which includes at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; a step of calculating a corrected individual quantity for each medical institution by correcting the individual quantity included in the individual drug data according to the feature of the medical institution using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data; and a step of estimating the quantity of the drugs in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the corrected individual quantity for each medical institution.

[0018] Furthermore, a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to perform a method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, the method comprising: a step of acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within a region, which includes individual drug data of the drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the drugs and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the some medical institutions; a step of acquiring medical institution data for the multiple medical institutions, which includes at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; a step of calculating the uncorrected quantity of the drugs for each feature in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the individual quantity for each medical institution; and a step of estimating the quantity by correcting the uncorrected quantity using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data according to the feature.

[0019] Furthermore, a 14th aspect of the present invention is a device for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, wherein for some medical institutions within the region, individual drug data of the drugs accumulated for each medical institution is acquired, which includes the individual quantity of the drugs and data that can determine the number of medical institutions for each feature in the some medical institutions; medical institution data relating to the multiple medical institutions, including at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; for each medical institution, the individual quantity included in the individual drug data is corrected according to the feature of the medical institution using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data to calculate a corrected individual quantity, and the quantity of the drugs in the multiple medical institutions within the region is estimated based on the corrected individual quantity for each medical institution.

[0020] Furthermore, a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is a device for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, wherein for some medical institutions within the region, individual drug data of the drugs accumulated for each medical institution is acquired, which includes the individual quantity of the drugs and data that can determine the number of medical institutions for each feature in the some medical institutions; medical institution data relating to the multiple medical institutions, including at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; the device is configured to calculate the uncorrected quantity of the drugs for each feature in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the individual quantity for each medical institution, and to estimate the quantity by correcting the uncorrected quantity using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data according to the feature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, for some medical institutions in a region, individual drug data of drugs accumulated for each medical institution, which includes the individual quantity of the drug and data capable of determining the number of medical institutions for each feature amount in the some medical institutions, is acquired. At the same time, medical institution data regarding a plurality of medical institutions in the region, including at least one medical institution not included in the some medical institutions, which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature amount in the plurality of medical institutions or data capable of determining them, is acquired. By using these data, the quantity of the drug in more medical institutions in the region than the some medical institutions can be estimated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an apparatus for estimating the quantity of a drug according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing a flow for estimating the quantity of a drug according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing a medical institution function based on individual drug data and medical institution data for each feature amount according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 100 acquires, for example, individual drug data regarding drugs accumulated for each medical institution for some medical institutions within a certain region from a cloud electronic medical record system, and acquires medical institution data regarding medical institutions throughout the region from a wholesaler. Although various data may be acquired by communication via an IP network such as the Internet, it is only necessary that the apparatus 100 can acquire them by any other means. Among the medical institutions within a certain region, although only some medical institutions adopt a specific cloud electronic medical record system, by receiving medical institution data regarding medical institutions throughout the region from a wholesaler or the like and using this complementarily, it is possible to estimate the demand for drugs throughout the region. FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which individual drug data is acquired from a medical record system and medical institution data is acquired from a wholesaler, but the data providers are not limited to these.

[0025] The apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 101 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 102 such as a processor or a CPU, and a storage unit 103 including a storage device or a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk, and can be configured by executing a program for performing each process or each operation in the processing unit 102. The apparatus 100 may include one or more devices, computers or servers. Also, the program may include one or more programs, and can be made into a non-transitory program product recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The program is stored in a storage device or a storage medium such as a database 104 accessible via an IP network from the storage unit 103 or the apparatus 100, and instructions included in the program can be executed in at least one processor of the processing unit 102. The data described as being stored in the storage unit 103 below may be stored in a storage device or a storage medium such as the database 104, and vice versa.

[0026] Specifically, the device 100 first acquires individual drug data for some medical institutions within the region, which is accumulated for each medical institution (S201). An example of individual drug data is shown in Table 1 below. Although only six records are shown here, it is preferable to acquire a large number of individual drug data within the target area for quantity estimation.

[0027] [Table 1]

[0028] Individual drug data may include a medical institution identifier that identifies a medical institution, a drug identifier that identifies a drug, the quantity of the drug, and data that allows for the determination of the number of medical institutions for each feature. The medical institution identifier may be a symbol such as pharma_id or a medical institution name such as a pharmacy name. The drug identifier may also be a symbol that identifies the drug or a drug name. The quantity may be the order quantity, delivery quantity, or prescription quantity. Individual drug data may further include the period for which the quantity was recorded, such as year and month.

[0029] Features include, as will be described later, the medical department, the range of concentration rates, the range of transaction amounts, the range of patient numbers, and the range of prescription numbers. Medical departments include general internal medicine, respiratory medicine, otolaryngology, etc. The concentration rate is the percentage of the hospitals that issued the most prescriptions among all the hospitals that received prescriptions from the medical institution. Transaction amounts include order amounts, delivery amounts, etc. Medical departments are themselves features of the medical institution and are data that can determine those features, while the concentration rate and transaction amounts are data that can determine the range of concentration rates and the range of transaction amounts, respectively, which are features of the medical institution. The same applies to the range of patient numbers and the range of prescription numbers.

[0030] Next, the device 100 acquires data on medical institutions for the entire region (S202). The medical institution data may include the number of medical institutions for each feature in the medical institutions for the entire region, or data that allows for direct or approximate determination of these numbers. For example, in the example of medical institution data shown below, if the feature is medical department, the number of medical institutions for each medical department can be determined by counting the number of medical institutions for each medical department.

[0031] [Table 2]

[0032] Table 2 shows only partial records, but in practice, it is desirable to include records for all healthcare institutions in the target region. Furthermore, wholesalers do business with numerous healthcare institutions in each region, and it is desirable that the healthcare institution data provided by wholesalers include data for all healthcare institutions in each region, but it is also acceptable if it does not strictly include all of them, but rather represents data that approximates the data for all healthcare institutions in each region.

[0033] The medical institution data may include multiple medical institution identifiers that identify multiple medical institutions, and data that allows for the determination of the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions included in the medical institution data. If the multiple medical institutions included in the medical institution data represent all medical institutions in the entire region, the number of medical institutions for each feature determined based on the medical institution data will strictly represent the number of medical institutions for each feature in the entire region. If not all medical institutions are included, it will approximately represent the number of medical institutions for each feature in the entire region. Since the medical institution data complements the individual drug data for each medical institution, the multiple medical institutions included in the medical institution data will include at least one medical institution that is not included in the multiple individual drug data obtained.

[0034] The medical institution data may further include drug identifiers that identify drugs. In this case, the number of medical institutions based on the medical institution data can be the number of medical institutions for each drug and each feature. Alternatively, if medical institution data is selectively acquired for drugs that are the subject of quantity estimation, the number of medical institutions based on the medical institution data will be the number of medical institutions for each feature of that drug, even if the medical institution data does not include drug identifiers.

[0035] Next, the device 100 corrects the individual quantities included in the individual drug data for each medical institution according to the characteristic quantities of that medical institution and calculates the corrected individual quantities (S203). An example using the medical department as a characteristic quantity is explained below.

[0036] First, let's assume that for 18 pharmacies in a certain region, individual drug data for the drug "Xofluza 20mg tablets" is obtained from a cloud-based electronic medical record system, and medical institution data for 119 pharmacies in the same region is obtained from a wholesaler. Then, the number of pharmacies for each medical specialty (pediatrics, respiratory medicine, general internal medicine, and otolaryngology) is calculated from the individual drug data and medical institution data, and the number of medical institutions based on the individual drug data is corrected by multiplying by 119 / 18, resulting in the diagram shown in Figure 3. In the example in Figure 3, according to the data from the medical record system, the proportion of pharmacies specializing in general internal medicine is the highest, while according to the data from the wholesaler, the proportion of pharmacies specializing in respiratory medicine is the highest. Thus, since the data from the medical record system is expected to be biased as it only covers a portion of the pharmacies in the region, a correction coefficient is determined to match or approach the feature distribution based on the data from the wholesaler, which covers a larger number of pharmacies, and these correction coefficients are used to correct the individual quantities included in the individual drug data for each pharmacy.

[0037] For example, in the example in Figure 3, according to the data from the medication history system, there are 6 pharmacies specializing in respiratory medicine, and multiplying this by 119 / 18 gives 39.7. According to the data from wholesalers, the number is 64. In this case, the quantities included in the individual drug data for pharmacies specializing in respiratory medicine can be corrected as follows. Individual quantity after correction = Individual quantity × (119 / 18) × (64 / 39.7) =Individual quantity×(64 / 6)

[0038] The device 100 then estimates the total quantity of the target drug in all medical institutions in the region based on the corrected individual quantities for each medical institution (S204). By using the corrected individual quantities for each medical institution, the total quantity for the region can be estimated by augmented estimation.

[0039] In the above explanation, the medical department was used as a feature. When using a range of concentration rates as a feature, the concentration rate from 0.0 to 1.0 can be divided into multiple ranges, and the range of concentration rates can be determined as a feature of a medical institution based on the concentration rate values ​​included in the individual drug data of each medical institution. The same applies when using ranges of transaction amounts, patient numbers, prescription numbers, etc., as features. Furthermore, the quantity of drugs may be estimated using multiple features and the final quantity may be estimated by averaging those quantities.

[0040] Furthermore, while the above explanation adjusts individual quantities for each medical institution, it is also possible to first sum the individual quantities for each medical institution, calculate the unadjusted quantities for each feature within the region, and then adjust these unadjusted quantities according to the features to estimate the quantity of drugs within that region.

[0041] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, unless the word "only" is used, such as "based only," "depending only," "in the case of only," or "referencing only," it is assumed in this specification that additional information may also be considered. Also, as an example, the statement "if a, then b" does not necessarily mean "always b in the case of a" or "b immediately after a," unless explicitly stated otherwise. In addition, the statement "each a constituting A" does not necessarily mean that A is composed of multiple components, but includes the possibility that the component is singular.

[0042] Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention described above are included in the disclosure herein, in any way that they are not inconsistent with each other.

[0043] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, even if there are aspects of operation in some method, program, terminal, device, server, or system (hereinafter referred to as "method, etc.") that differ from the operation described herein, each aspect of the present invention is intended to cover the same operation as any of the operations described herein, and the existence of operation different from the operation described herein does not mean that such method, etc. is outside the scope of each aspect of the present invention.

[0044] Furthermore, the "start" and "end" shown in Figure 2 are merely examples, and do not necessarily mean that the method according to this embodiment will always start or end in the illustrated procedure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 100 devices 101 Communications Department 102 Processing Unit 103 Storage section 104 Databases

Claims

1. A method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, A step of acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within a region, which includes individual drug data for the aforementioned drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the aforementioned drug and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned medical institutions. The steps include obtaining medical institution data relating to the aforementioned multiple medical institutions, which include at least one medical institution not included in the aforementioned partial medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; For each medical institution, the steps include: correcting the individual quantities included in the individual drug data according to the characteristic quantities of the medical institution, using the number of medical institutions related to the characteristic quantities determined by the medical institution data, to calculate the corrected individual quantities; A step of estimating the quantity of the drug in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the corrected individual quantity for each medical institution. Includes.

2. The method according to claim 1, The aforementioned medical institution data includes multiple medical institution identifiers that identify multiple medical institutions, and data that allows for the determination of the number of medical institutions for each feature in the multiple medical institutions included in the medical institution data.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned feature is the medical department.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned feature is the range of transaction amounts.

5. The method according to claim 4, The aforementioned transaction amount is either the order amount or the delivery amount.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The aforementioned quantity is the order quantity, delivery quantity, or prescription quantity.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The individual drug data accumulated by each medical institution is data stored in the cloud-based electronic medical record system used by that medical institution.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The aforementioned medical institution data was provided by a wholesaler.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The aforementioned individual quantities are on a monthly basis.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The process further includes the step of calculating the average of multiple quantities estimated using different features.

11. A method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, A step of acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within a region, which includes individual drug data for the aforementioned drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the aforementioned drug and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned medical institutions. The steps include obtaining medical institution data relating to the aforementioned multiple medical institutions, which include at least one medical institution not included in the aforementioned partial medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; A step of calculating the uncorrected quantity of each characteristic of the drug in the multiple medical institutions within the region, based on the individual quantity for each medical institution, The steps include: estimating the quantity by correcting the uncorrected quantity using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data, according to the feature; and Includes.

12. A program for causing a computer to perform a method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, wherein the method is: A step of acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within a region, which includes individual drug data for the aforementioned drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the aforementioned drug and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned medical institutions. The steps include obtaining medical institution data relating to the aforementioned multiple medical institutions, which include at least one medical institution not included in the aforementioned partial medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; For each medical institution, the steps include: correcting the individual quantities included in the individual drug data according to the characteristic quantities of the medical institution, using the number of medical institutions related to the characteristic quantities determined by the medical institution data, to calculate the corrected individual quantities; A step of estimating the quantity of the drug in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the corrected individual quantity for each medical institution. Includes.

13. A program for causing a computer to perform a method for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, wherein the method is: A step of acquiring individual drug data for some medical institutions within a region, which includes individual drug data for the aforementioned drugs accumulated for each medical institution, and which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the aforementioned drug and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned medical institutions. The steps include obtaining medical institution data relating to the aforementioned multiple medical institutions, which include at least one medical institution not included in the aforementioned partial medical institutions, and which includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them; A step of calculating the uncorrected quantity of each characteristic of the drug in the multiple medical institutions within the region, based on the individual quantity for each medical institution, The steps include: estimating the quantity by correcting the uncorrected quantity using the number of medical institutions related to the feature determined by the medical institution data, according to the feature; and Includes.

14. A device for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, For some medical institutions within the region, we acquire individual drug data for the aforementioned drugs accumulated for each medical institution, which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the aforementioned drug and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned medical institutions. The data pertaining to the aforementioned multiple medical institutions, which includes at least one medical institution not included in the aforementioned partial medical institutions, includes medical institution data that includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them. For each medical institution, the system is configured to calculate a corrected individual quantity by correcting the individual quantity included in the individual drug data according to the characteristic quantity of that medical institution using the number of medical institutions related to that characteristic quantity determined by the medical institution data, and then to estimate the amount of the drug in the multiple medical institutions within the region based on the corrected individual quantity for each medical institution.

15. A device for estimating the quantity of drugs in multiple medical institutions within a region, For some medical institutions within the region, we acquire individual drug data for the aforementioned drugs accumulated for each medical institution, which includes data that can determine the individual quantity of the aforementioned drug and the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned medical institutions. The data pertaining to the aforementioned multiple medical institutions, which includes at least one medical institution not included in the aforementioned partial medical institutions, includes medical institution data that includes the number of medical institutions for each feature in the aforementioned multiple medical institutions or data that can determine them. The system is configured to calculate the uncorrected quantity of each characteristic of the drug at multiple medical institutions within the region based on the individual quantity for each medical institution, and then to estimate the quantity by correcting the uncorrected quantity using the number of medical institutions related to that characteristic, which is determined from the medical institution data, according to the characteristic.

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