Program, information processing system, and information processing method

Abstract

This invention provides a program, information processing system, and method for realizing a medical communication system that supports multiple medical communication schedules for a single patient. [Solution] In an information processing system, a server device for medical communication, which exchanges medical-related information including patient explanations, receives first tag information through communication with a patient-side terminal device, determines a first schedule for first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information, registers the determined first schedule information in association with the patient's identifier, and when it further receives second tag information through communication with the patient-side terminal device, determines a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information, registers the determined second schedule information in further association with the patient's identifier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method for performing medical communication.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a medical communication system has been realized that performs medical communication for exchanging medical-related information by communicating with a terminal device on the patient side. According to such a medical communication system, by providing medical-related content (for example, videos, messages, electronic documents, response forms, etc.) to the terminal device on the patient side according to a predetermined schedule, patient explanations (for example, hospital admission explanations, anesthesia explanations, obstetrics explanations, examination explanations, health check explanations, etc.) can be at least partially automated, and the burden on medical staff required for patient explanations can be reduced.

[0003] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes a treatment plan creation device that creates a treatment plan covering two or more disease classifications as a treatment plan for a patient.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Traditional medical communication systems are based on the premise of automating patient explanations for only one medical event per patient. For example, if the medical event is hospitalization for childbirth, medical content related to childbirth and hospitalization is provided to the patient's terminal device according to a predetermined schedule. A problem with such traditional medical communication systems is that they cannot handle multiple medical communication schedules for a single patient. Therefore, they cannot handle cases such as a patient who is expecting a baby also starting treatment for breast cancer.

[0006] Furthermore, while the prior art described in Patent Document 1 creates treatment plans that can accommodate multiple disease classifications, treatment and medical communication are entirely different concepts, and such prior art cannot be applied to a medical communication system.

[0007] Therefore, this disclosure aims to provide a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method that realize a medical communication system that supports multiple medical communication schedules for a single patient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The program according to the first aspect of this disclosure causes an information processing device for medical communication, which exchanges medical-related information including patient explanations through communication with a patient-side terminal device, to execute: a first decision process that, upon receiving first tag information through communication with the patient-side terminal device, determines a first schedule for first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information; a first registration process that registers the information of the determined first schedule in association with the patient's identifier; and, upon further receiving second tag information through communication with the patient-side terminal device, executes a second decision process that, upon receiving second tag information, determines a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information; and a second registration process that registers the information of the determined second schedule in further association with the patient's identifier.

[0009] An information processing system according to a second aspect of this disclosure is an information processing system for performing medical communication, which involves exchanging medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with a patient-side terminal device, and comprises: a first decision processing unit that, upon receiving first tag information through communication with the patient-side terminal device, determines a first schedule for first medical communication regarding a first medical event of the patient based on the received first tag information; a first registration processing unit that registers the information of the determined first schedule in association with the patient identifier; a second decision processing unit that, upon further receiving second tag information through communication with the patient-side terminal device, determines a second schedule for second medical communication regarding a second medical event of the patient based on the received second tag information; and a second registration processing unit that registers the information of the determined second schedule in further association with the patient identifier.

[0010] An information processing method relating to a third aspect of this disclosure is an information processing method executed by an information processing system for performing medical communication, which involves exchanging medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with a patient-side terminal device, and comprises: a first decision step of determining a first schedule for a first medical communication regarding a first medical event of the patient based on the first tag information received through communication with the patient-side terminal device; a first registration step of registering the information of the determined first schedule in association with the patient identifier; a second decision step of determining a second schedule for a second medical communication regarding a second medical event of the patient based on the second tag information received through further communication with the patient-side terminal device; and a second registration step of registering the information of the determined second schedule in further association with the patient identifier. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a program, an information processing system, and an information processing method can be provided to realize a medical communication system capable of handling multiple medical communication schedules for a single patient. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example configuration of a server device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of information stored by the server device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the operation flow of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the operation flow of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The information processing system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The information processing system according to the embodiment is also a medical communication system that performs medical communication by exchanging medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with the patient's terminal device. In the drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0014] (1) Example of system configuration Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0015] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a server device 100 and a terminal device 200A. The server device 100 and the terminal device 200A are connected to a network 5. The network 5 includes the Internet. The network 5 may also include a LAN (Local Area Network) and / or a WAN (Wide Area Network). The server device 100 can communicate with the terminal device 200A via the network 5.

[0016] The server device 100 is an information processing device that performs information processing according to this embodiment. The server device 100 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or PC, or it may be logically implemented by cloud computing (distributed computing). In other words, the server device 100 may consist of one computer or multiple computers.

[0017] The terminal device 200A is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal device, wearable terminal device, or notebook PC. The terminal device 200A may also be a fixed terminal device such as a desktop PC. The terminal device 200A has a user interface and an interface with the network 5. The user interface includes display means (display), input means (operation input means, microphone, and / or camera, etc.), and output means (speaker, etc.). The operation input means may include, for example, at least one of a touchpad (which may be a touch panel display), a mouse, and a keyboard. The interface with the network 5 includes at least one of a wired communication interface and a wireless communication interface.

[0018] Terminal device 200A is the terminal device 200 used by the patient, that is, the patient's terminal device. Terminal device 200A may be a terminal device 200 provided by a medical facility such as a hospital, but in this embodiment, we mainly assume that terminal device 200A is a smartphone or tablet owned by the patient. Terminal device 200A has an application (software) installed for medical communication with server device 100. This application may be a general-purpose communication app or a communication app specifically for medical communication. Note that "patient" refers not only to patients in the literal sense of being ill, but also to healthy people who visit a medical institution (medical facility). A medical facility is a hospital or clinic, but in the following, we mainly assume that the medical facility is a hospital.

[0019] In this embodiment, the server device 100 provides a medical communication service for exchanging medical-related information (e.g., medical-related content) including patient explanations through communication with the terminal device 200A on the patient side. Such a medical communication service provides medical-related content (e.g., videos, messages, electronic documents, response forms, etc.) to the terminal device 200A on the patient side according to a predetermined schedule, thereby at least partially automating patient explanations (e.g., hospitalization explanations, anesthesia explanations, obstetrics explanations, examination explanations, health check explanations, etc.) and reducing the burden on medical staff required for patient explanations.

[0020] The server device 100 according to this embodiment realizes a medical communication system corresponding to a plurality of medical communication schedules for one patient. The medical communication schedule is a schedule of medical communication regarding a medical event. The medical event may be a patient's hospitalization or the implementation of a medical act on the patient. The server device 100 can set a medical communication schedule for each of the plurality of medical events and perform medical communication until the scheduled date of the medical event in parallel. For example, in a case where a patient with a planned delivery starts treatment for breast cancer, the server device 100 can provide medical-related content for patient explanations for delivery to the terminal device 200A on the patient side according to a predetermined schedule, and also provide medical-related content for patient explanations for breast cancer treatment to the terminal device 200A on the patient side according to a predetermined schedule.

[0021] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when a patient faces a plurality of medical events, it is possible to integrate the individually managed medical communication schedules and realize an optimized medical communication schedule. Thereby, information transmission to the patient and information collection from the patient can be unified.

[0022] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment may further include a terminal device 200B for a provider of medical-related content, i.e., a device on the provider side of medical-related content. The hardware configuration of terminal device 200B is the same as that of terminal device 200A. Providers of medical-related content include pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and other providers of services for medical institutions. Server device 100 provides medical-related content received from terminal device 200B on the provider side to terminal device 200A on the patient side. The timing of providing medical-related content to terminal device 200B on the provider side may be determined based on information from terminal device 200B on the provider side of medical-related content.

[0023] The server device 100 may provide the terminal device 200A with question information regarding the evaluation of medical communication with the patient-side terminal device 200A, obtain answer information regarding said question information from the terminal device 200A, and provide feedback based on the answer information to the terminal device 200B on the provider side of medical-related content. This makes it possible to improve medical communication and medical-related content.

[0024] (2) Example of server device configuration Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of the server device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0025] The server device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a processing unit 130. The communication unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the processing unit 130 are interconnected by a bus or the like (not shown in the figure).

[0026] The communication unit 110 communicates with other devices (e.g., terminal devices 200) via the network 5 under the control of the processing unit 130. The communication by the communication unit 110 may be wired communication or may include wireless communication. The storage unit 120 is composed of various types of memory, such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and auxiliary storage devices. The program executed by the processing unit 130 is stored, for example, in the ROM and / or auxiliary storage devices of the storage unit 120. The processing unit 130 is composed of one or more processors.

[0027] (2.1) Example of memory unit configuration An example configuration of the storage unit 120 according to this embodiment will be described. The storage unit 120 includes a hospital information DB 121, an automatic task information DB 122, a content information DB 123, a patient information DB 124, and a schedule information DB 125. Note that the hospital information DB 121, the automatic task information DB 122, and the content information DB 123 may be configured as a single DB.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3(a), the hospital information DB121 stores a hospital ID that identifies hospitals capable of providing medical communication, and a department ID that identifies each department (e.g., clinical department) belonging to that hospital. For each hospital, the hospital information DB121 stores the information shown in Figure 3(a).

[0029] The automated task information DB122 stores content information, including a tag ID (also referred to as "tag information"), an automated task ID, a hospital ID, timing information, and a content ID, as shown in Figure 3(b). The tag ID is an ID that identifies the corresponding medical event. The automated task ID is an ID that identifies the automated medical communication task related to the corresponding medical event. An automated task is the automated content of medical communication consisting of a series of tasks for conveying and collecting information to a patient. The information of the automated task corresponds to the medical communication schedule information. The timing information is information that indicates the timing of each task. The timing of each task may be defined as a number of days (or months) before the scheduled date of the medical event, or as the registration date or a number of days (or months) after the registration date. The content information is information about the content of the medical-related content provided to the patient in each task, and includes the ID (content ID) of each medical-related content provided. The content information may also include the content of questions asked to the patient after the provision of the medical-related content (for example, "Did you understand?"). The automated task information DB122 stores information for each medical event, as shown in Figure 3(b).

[0030] As shown in Figure 3(c), the content information DB123 stores a content ID, hospital ID, media type, title, and URL for each piece of medical-related content. The media type is, for example, a video, message, electronic document, or response form. The title is the title of the medical-related content, for example, "hospitalization," "examination," "procedure," or "medical interview." The URL is the URL of the medical-related content. Medical-related content may include manufacturer-related content reviewed by healthcare professionals (for example, medical-related content provided by pharmaceutical companies or medical device manufacturers).

[0031] As shown in Figure 3(d), the patient information DB124 stores, for each patient, a patient ID to identify the patient, the patient's name, the IDs of the hospital and department where the patient will receive medical treatment (hospital ID and department ID), a tag ID, information on the registration date of the medical communication schedule for the patient (registration date information), and information on the scheduled date of the patient's medical event (scheduled date information). If multiple medical communication schedules are set for one patient, the patient information DB124 stores a set of tag ID, registration date information, and scheduled date information for each medical communication schedule. If the multiple medical communication schedules are for different hospitals, the patient information DB124 may store a hospital ID for each medical communication schedule. If the multiple medical communication schedules are for different departments (clinical departments), the patient information DB124 may store a department ID for each medical communication schedule.

[0032] As shown in Figure 3(e), the schedule information DB125 stores, for each medical communication schedule, the patient ID of the patient to whom the medical communication schedule is set, the hospital ID, the automation task ID, the content information (including the content ID) of each medical-related content provided to the patient, and the timing of when each medical-related content is provided (timing of each task).

[0033] (2.2) Example of Processing Unit Configuration An example configuration of the processing unit 130 according to this embodiment will be described. In the following description of the embodiment, it is assumed that two medical communication schedules are set for one patient. However, three or more medical communication schedules may be set for one patient.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the processing unit 130 executes the program (software) stored in the storage unit 120 to realize the functions of the first decision processing unit 131, the first registration processing unit 132, the second decision processing unit 133, the second registration processing unit 134, the third decision processing unit 135, the communication processing unit 136, and the feedback processing unit 137. Each of these units performs information processing using the information stored in the storage unit 120. Each of these units may also communicate with the terminal device 200 via the communication unit 110.

[0035] When the first decision processing unit 131 receives first tag information through communication with the patient's terminal device 200A, it refers to the automatic task information DB 122 based on the received first tag information and determines the first schedule for the first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event. The first schedule is the schedule for medical communication up to the scheduled date of the first medical event.

[0036] The first tag information may be information encoded in a first two-dimensional code read by the patient's terminal device 200A. The two-dimensional code may be a QR code (registered trademark). The first decision processing unit 131 may receive the first tag information read and decoded from the first two-dimensional code by the patient's terminal device 200A. The first two-dimensional code may be presented to the patient by a healthcare worker in a hospital, for example. When the patient reads the first two-dimensional code using the camera on the communication application of the terminal device 200A, the terminal device 200A decodes the first tag information (tag ID) from the first two-dimensional code and transmits the first tag information to the server device 100. The server device 100 can also identify the patient's ID via the communication application.

[0037] Alternatively, the first tag information may be entered by the patient into the terminal device 200A. For example, in a hospital, a healthcare worker may present the first tag information (tag ID) to the patient, the patient may enter the first tag information on the communication application of the terminal device 200A, and the terminal device 200A may transmit the first tag information to the server device 100.

[0038] The first decision processing unit 131 identifies the registration date of the first schedule. The first decision processing unit 131 also obtains the scheduled date of the first medical event through communication with the patient's terminal device 200A. For example, the first decision processing unit 131 inquires with the patient about the scheduled date of the first medical event via a communication application and obtains the scheduled date of the first medical event entered by the patient in the terminal device 200A. Furthermore, the first decision processing unit 131 determines the first schedule from the identified registration date to the obtained scheduled date based on the standard schedule information associated with the first tag information. For example, the first decision processing unit 131 obtains the standard schedule information associated with the received first tag information from the automatic task information DB 122, and determines the first schedule based on the obtained standard schedule information and the identified registration date and / or the obtained scheduled date. The first schedule is, for example, to provide the patient with medical-related content A X days (or X months) before the scheduled date of the first medical event, to provide the patient with medical-related content B Y days (or Y months) before the scheduled date of the first medical event, and to provide the patient with medical-related content C Z days (or Z months) before the scheduled date of the first medical event.

[0039] The first decision processing unit 131 may determine the first schedule by shortening the period corresponding to the standard schedule if the period from the identified registration date to the acquired scheduled date is shorter than the period corresponding to the standard schedule associated with the first tag information. For example, if the standard schedule includes a task of communicating information to the patient three months before the scheduled date, and the registration date is two months before the scheduled date, the first decision processing unit 131 may determine the first schedule by omitting that task. Alternatively, the first decision processing unit 131 may determine the first schedule by narrowing the time intervals between each information communication task.

[0040] The first registration processing unit 132 registers the information of the first schedule determined by the first decision processing unit 131, associating it with the patient identifier (patient ID). Specifically, the first registration processing unit 132 stores the information of the first schedule determined by the first decision processing unit 131 in the schedule information DB 125. Once the information of the first schedule is registered, the communication processing unit 136 performs the first medical communication by communicating with the patient's terminal device 200A according to the registered information of the first schedule. For example, the communication processing unit 136 provides medical-related content to the patient's terminal device 200A on the communication application according to the first schedule, based on the information of the first schedule stored in the schedule information DB 125 and the information stored in the content information DB 123.

[0041] If the second decision processing unit 133 receives further second tag information through communication with the patient's terminal device 200A, it determines a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information. The second schedule is a schedule of medical communication leading up to the scheduled date of the second medical event, which is different from the first medical event.

[0042] The second tag information may be information encoded in a second two-dimensional code read by the patient's terminal device 200A. The second determination processing unit 133 may receive the second tag information read and decoded from the second two-dimensional code by the patient's terminal device 200A. Alternatively, the second tag information may be input by the patient to the terminal device 200A.

[0043] The second decision processing unit 133 identifies the registration date of the second schedule. The second decision processing unit 133 also obtains the scheduled date of the second medical event through communication with the patient's terminal device 200A. For example, the second decision processing unit 133 inquires with the patient about the scheduled date of the second medical event via a communication application and obtains the scheduled date of the second medical event entered by the patient in the terminal device 200A. Furthermore, the second decision processing unit 133 determines the second schedule from the identified registration date to the obtained scheduled date based on the standard schedule information associated with the second tag information. For example, the second decision processing unit 133 obtains the standard schedule information associated with the received second tag information from the automatic task information DB 122, and determines the second schedule based on the obtained standard schedule information and the identified registration date and / or the obtained scheduled date.

[0044] The second decision processing unit 133 may shorten the period corresponding to the standard schedule and determine the second schedule if the period from the identified registration date to the acquired scheduled date is shorter than the period corresponding to the standard schedule associated with the second tag information.

[0045] The second registration processing unit 134 registers the information of the second schedule determined by the second decision processing unit 133, associating it with the patient identifier (patient ID). Specifically, the second registration processing unit 134 stores the information of the second schedule determined by the second decision processing unit 133 in the schedule information DB 125. Once the information of the second schedule is registered, the communication processing unit 136 performs second medical communication with the patient's terminal device 200A by communicating with the patient's terminal device 200A according to the registered information of the second schedule. For example, the communication processing unit 136 provides medical-related content to the patient's terminal device 200A on the communication application according to the second schedule, based on the information of the second schedule stored in the schedule information DB 125 and the information stored in the content information DB 123.

[0046] Here, the communication processing unit 136 performs first medical communication according to the registered first schedule information, while simultaneously performing second medical communication according to the registered second schedule information. For example, if the period corresponding to the first schedule and the period corresponding to the second schedule overlap at least partially, the communication processing unit 136 performs first and second medical communication at least partially in parallel.

[0047] Thus, according to this embodiment, the server device 100 can manage schedules by adding a medical communication schedule to the patient based on the tag information received from the patient-side terminal device 200A each time it receives the tag information. Therefore, it is possible to handle multiple medical communication schedules for a single patient.

[0048] The second decision processing unit 133 or the second registration processing unit 134 may integrate overlapping communication content between the first schedule and the second schedule if there is overlap. For example, if the first schedule includes a task to provide a patient with certain medical-related content, and the second schedule also includes a task to provide the same medical-related content to the patient, the second decision processing unit 133 or the second registration processing unit 134 may integrate these two tasks into one and provide the medical-related content to the patient only once. Alternatively, not limited to medical-related content, if the first schedule includes a task to ask a patient a certain question, and the second schedule also includes a task to ask the same question to the patient, these two tasks may be integrated into one and the question may be asked to the patient only once.

[0049] In this way, each time the server device 100 receives tag information from the patient's terminal device 200A, it adds a medical communication schedule to the patient based on the tag information, and manages these medical communication schedules in a unified manner.

[0050] However, in addition to schedule management based on such tag information, the server device 100 may also determine the medical-related content to be provided to the patient based on the tag information when it receives tag information associated with specific medical-related content (e.g., manufacturer-related content) from the patient's terminal device 200A. Specifically, when the third decision processing unit 135 receives third tag information through communication with the patient's terminal device 200A, it determines the medical-related content to be provided to the patient based on the received third tag information. The communication processing unit 136 provides the medical-related content determined by the third decision processing unit 135 to the patient's terminal device 200A through communication with the patient's terminal device 200A.

[0051] The feedback processing unit 137 provides feedback to the terminal device 200B on the provider side of the medical-related content regarding the evaluation of medical communication (or medical-related content) with the patient-side terminal device 200A. Specifically, the feedback processing unit 137 provides question information for the evaluation of medical communication or medical-related content to the patient-side terminal device 200A, obtains answer information to the question information from the patient-side terminal device 200A, and provides feedback to the terminal device 200B on the provider side of the medical-related content, with at least one of the answer information and analysis information obtained by analyzing said answer information.

[0052] For example, if the feedback processing unit 137 provides the patient's terminal device 200A with multiple medical communication schedules, it will inquire with the patient's terminal device 200A about the evaluation of each medical communication schedule. The feedback processing unit 137 may provide the patient's terminal device 200A with a message such as, "Was the medical communication regarding hospitalization easy to understand?" and obtain the patient's response information. The feedback processing unit 137 may analyze the responses regarding the evaluation of each medical communication schedule, determine the most effective medical communication schedule, and provide feedback on the determination result.

[0053] Alternatively, if the feedback processing unit 137 provides specific medical-related content (for example, an explanatory video or electronic document about a drug or medical device) to the patient's terminal device 200A, it may inquire with the patient's terminal device 200A about its evaluation of the specific medical-related content. The feedback processing unit 137 may provide the patient's terminal device 200A with a message such as, "Was this content easy to understand?", obtain the patient's response information, and provide feedback on the response information.

[0054] (3) Example of operation flow Figures 4 and 5 show examples of the operation flow of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0055] As shown in Figure 4, in step S1, the patient's terminal device 200A reads the first two-dimensional code presented at the hospital using its camera on the messaging app, and obtains the first tag information (tag ID) encoded in the first two-dimensional code by decoding it. Alternatively, the patient's terminal device 200A may obtain the first tag information by receiving an input operation for the first tag information (tag ID) presented at the hospital from the patient via the messaging app.

[0056] In step S2, the patient's terminal device 200A transmits the first tag information (tag ID) to the server device 100. The server device 100 receives the first tag information (tag ID).

[0057] In step S3, the server device 100 refers to the automated task information DB 122 based on the received first tag information and determines the first schedule for the first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event. For example, the server device 100 identifies the registration date of the first schedule, obtains the scheduled date of the first medical event, and determines the first schedule from the identified registration date to the obtained scheduled date based on the standard schedule information associated with the first tag information.

[0058] In step S4, the server device 100 registers the information of the determined first schedule in association with the patient identifier (patient ID). Specifically, the server device 100 stores the information of the determined first schedule in the schedule information DB 125.

[0059] In step S5, once the information for the first schedule is registered, the server device 100 performs the first medical communication with the patient's terminal device 200A by communicating with the patient's terminal device 200A according to the registered information for the first schedule. For example, the server device 100 may notify the patient's terminal device 200A of medical-related content (specifically, a medical-related content URL) via the communication application, based on the information for the first schedule stored in the schedule information DB 125 and the information stored in the content information DB 123, according to the first schedule. The patient's terminal device 200A presents the medical-related content to the patient by accessing the notified medical-related content URL.

[0060] In step S6, the server device 100 may transmit question information for evaluating the first medical communication or its medical-related content to the patient-side terminal device 200A. The patient-side terminal device 200A presents the question information to the patient on the communication application and accepts input operations from the patient for answer information.

[0061] In step S7, the patient's terminal device 200A may transmit the response information to the server device 100 via the communication application. The server device 100 may receive the response information. The server device 100 may then feed back (transmit) at least one of the response information and the analysis information obtained by analyzing the response information to the terminal device 200B on the provider side of the medical-related content.

[0062] As shown in Figure 5, in step S8, the patient's terminal device 200A reads, for example, the second two-dimensional code presented at the hospital using its camera on the messaging app, and obtains the second tag information (tag ID) encoded in the second two-dimensional code by decoding it. Alternatively, the patient's terminal device 200A may obtain the second tag information by receiving an input operation for the second tag information (tag ID) presented at the hospital from the patient via the messaging app.

[0063] In step S9, the patient's terminal device 200A transmits the second tag information (tag ID) to the server device 100. The server device 100 receives the second tag information (tag ID).

[0064] In step S10, the server device 100 refers to the automated task information DB 122 based on the received second tag information and determines a second schedule for the second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event. For example, the server device 100 identifies the registration date of the second schedule, obtains the scheduled date of the second medical event, and determines the second schedule from the identified registration date to the obtained scheduled date based on the standard schedule information associated with the second tag information.

[0065] In step S11, the server device 100 registers the information of the determined second schedule in association with the patient identifier (patient ID). Specifically, the server device 100 stores the information of the determined second schedule in the schedule information DB 125.

[0066] In step S10 or step S11, if there is overlap between the communication content included in the first schedule and the communication content included in the second schedule, the server device 100 may consolidate the overlapping communication content into one.

[0067] In step S12, once the information for the second schedule is registered, the server device 100 performs second medical communication with the patient's terminal device 200A by communicating with the patient's terminal device 200A according to the registered information for the second schedule. For example, the server device 100 may notify the patient's terminal device 200A of medical-related content (specifically, a medical-related content URL) via the communication application, based on the information for the second schedule stored in the schedule information DB 125 and the information stored in the content information DB 123, according to the second schedule. The patient's terminal device 200A presents the medical-related content to the patient by accessing the notified medical-related content URL.

[0068] The server device 100 performs first medical communication according to the registered first schedule information, and also performs second medical communication according to the registered second schedule information. For example, if the period corresponding to the first schedule (e.g., the period from registration to the scheduled date) and the period corresponding to the second schedule (e.g., the period from registration to the scheduled date) overlap at least partially, the communication processing unit 136 performs first and second medical communication at least partially in parallel.

[0069] In step S13, the server device 100 may transmit question information for evaluating the second medical communication or its medical-related content to the patient-side terminal device 200A. The patient-side terminal device 200A presents the question information to the patient on the communication application and accepts input operations from the patient for answer information.

[0070] In step S14, the patient's terminal device 200A may transmit the response information to the server device 100 via the communication application. The server device 100 may receive the response information. The server device 100 may then feed back (transmit) at least one of the response information and the analysis information obtained by analyzing the response information to the terminal device 200B on the provider side of the medical-related content.

[0071] (4) Other embodiments In the embodiment described above, at least a portion of the processing performed by the server device 100 may be modified to be performed on the terminal device 200. In this case, at least a portion of each part included in the processing unit 130 may be moved to the terminal device 200, or at least a portion of each part included in the storage unit 120 may be moved to the terminal device 200.

[0072] The operation flow and operation examples in the above-described embodiments do not necessarily have to be executed chronologically in the order shown in the flowchart. For example, the steps in the operation may be executed in a different order than that shown in the flowchart, or they may be executed in parallel. Also, some of the steps in the operation may be deleted, or further steps may be added to the process.

[0073] A program may be provided that causes a computer to perform the operations according to the above embodiment. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable medium. Using a computer-readable medium, it is possible to install the program on a computer. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transient storage medium. The non-transient storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

[0074] As used in this disclosure, the phrases “based on” and “according to” do not mean “based solely on” or “according solely to” unless otherwise specified. The phrase “based on” means both “based solely on” and “based at least partially on.” Similarly, the phrase “according to” means both “based solely on” and “according at least partially to.” Furthermore, the terms “include,” “comprise,” and variations thereof do not mean that they include only the listed items, but may include only the listed items or may include additional items in addition to the listed items. Also, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to mean exclusive OR. In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles are intended to include multiple items unless it is clearly indicated otherwise from the context.

[0075] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to those described above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0076] (5) Note The features of the above-described embodiment are noted below.

[0077] • Note 1 An information processing device for medical communication that exchanges medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with the patient's terminal device, When first tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a first decision process is performed to determine the first schedule for the first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information. A first registration process involves registering the information of the first schedule determined above, associated with the patient's identifier. If second tag information is further received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a second decision process is performed to determine a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information. A second registration process involves registering the information of the second schedule determined above, further associating it with the patient's identifier. A program that executes the command.

[0078] • Appendix 2 The aforementioned information processing device, The communication process for performing the first and second medical communications is further executed by communicating with the patient's terminal device, in accordance with the registered schedule information. The program described in Appendix 1.

[0079] • Appendix 3 The first tag information is information encoded in a first two-dimensional code read by the patient's terminal device, and the first determination process includes the process of receiving the first tag information read and decoded from the first two-dimensional code by the patient's terminal device. The second tag information is information encoded in a second two-dimensional code read by the patient's terminal device, and the second determination process includes the process of receiving the second tag information read and decoded from the second two-dimensional code by the patient's terminal device. The program described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0080] • Appendix 4 The first medical event and the second medical event are, respectively, the hospitalization of the patient or the performance of a medical procedure on the patient. The first and second schedules are, respectively, schedules for medical communications leading up to the scheduled date of the corresponding medical event. The program described in any of the appendices 1 to 3.

[0081] • Appendix 5 The first decision process and the second decision process are each: The process of identifying the registration date of the corresponding schedule, The process involves obtaining the scheduled date of the corresponding medical event through communication with the patient's terminal device, The process includes determining the corresponding schedule from the identified registration date to the acquired scheduled date, based on the corresponding tag information and associated standard schedule information. The program described in Appendix 4.

[0082] • Appendix 6 The process for determining the corresponding schedule includes, if the period from the identified registration date to the acquired scheduled date is shorter than the period corresponding to the standard schedule associated with the corresponding tag information, the process for determining the corresponding schedule by shortening the period corresponding to the standard schedule. The program described in Appendix 5.

[0083] • Appendix 7 The second decision process or the second registration process includes a process to merge overlapping communication content into one if there is overlap between the communication content included in the first schedule and the communication content included in the second schedule. The program described in any of the appendices 1 through 6.

[0084] • Appendix 8 The communication process includes, if the period corresponding to the first schedule and the period corresponding to the second schedule overlap at least partially, a process that performs the first and second medical communications at least partially in parallel. The program described in any of the appendices 2 through 7.

[0085] • Appendix 9 The aforementioned information processing device, When third tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a third decision process is further executed to determine the medical-related content to be provided to the patient based on the received third tag information. The aforementioned communication process includes providing the determined medical-related content through communication with the patient's terminal device. The program described in any of the appendices 2 through 8.

[0086] • Appendix 10 The aforementioned information processing device, The process of providing the patient's terminal device with question information for evaluating medical communication or medical-related content related to the corresponding medical event, The patient's terminal device is used to obtain the answer information to the question information, Further, the process involves feeding back at least one of the aforementioned response information and the analysis information obtained by analyzing said response information to the device of the provider of the medical-related content. The program described in any one of the items 1 through 9 of the appendix.

[0087] • Appendix 11 An information processing system for medical communication that exchanges medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with the patient's terminal device, When first tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a first decision processing unit determines a first schedule for first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information, A first registration processing unit registers the information of the first schedule determined above in association with the patient identifier, If second tag information is further received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a second decision processing unit determines a second schedule for the second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information, A second registration processing unit registers the information of the second schedule determined above, further associating it with the patient identifier. An information processing system equipped with the following features.

[0088] • Appendix 12 An information processing method performed by an information processing system for medical communication that exchanges medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with a patient's terminal device, When first tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a first decision step is taken to determine the first schedule for the first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information. A first registration step involves registering the information of the first schedule determined above, associated with the patient's identifier. If second tag information is further received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a second decision step is taken to determine a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information. A second registration step involves registering the information of the second schedule determined above, further associating it with the patient's identifier. An information processing method having [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1: Information Processing System 5: Network 100: Server device 110: Communications Department 120: Storage section 121: Hospital Information Database 122: Automated Task Information Database 123: Content Information Database 124: Patient information DB 125: Schedule Information Database 130: Processing Unit 131: First Decision Processing Unit 132: First Registration Processing Unit 133: Second Decision Processing Unit 134: Second Registration Processing Unit 135: Third Decision Processing Unit 136: Communication Processing Department 137: Feedback Processing Unit 200: Terminal device

Claims

1. An information processing device for medical communication that exchanges medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with the patient's terminal device, When first tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a first decision process is performed to determine the first schedule for the first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information. A first registration process involves registering the information of the first schedule determined above in association with the patient's identifier, If second tag information is further received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a second decision process is performed to determine a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information. A second registration process involves registering the information of the second schedule determined above, further associating it with the patient's identifier. A program that executes the command.

2. The aforementioned information processing device, The communication process for performing the first and second medical communications is further executed by communicating with the patient's terminal device, in accordance with the registered schedule information. The program according to claim 1.

3. The first tag information is information encoded in a first two-dimensional code read by the patient's terminal device, and the first determination process includes the process of receiving the first tag information read and decoded from the first two-dimensional code by the patient's terminal device. The second tag information is information encoded in a second two-dimensional code read by the patient's terminal device, and the second determination process includes the process of receiving the second tag information read and decoded from the second two-dimensional code by the patient's terminal device. The program according to claim 1.

4. The first medical event and the second medical event are, respectively, the hospitalization of the patient or the performance of a medical procedure on the patient. The first schedule and the second schedule are, respectively, schedules for medical communication leading up to the scheduled date of the corresponding medical event. The program according to claim 1.

5. The first decision process and the second decision process are each, The process of identifying the registration date of the corresponding schedule, The process involves obtaining the scheduled date of the corresponding medical event through communication with the patient's terminal device, The process includes determining the corresponding schedule from the identified registration date to the acquired scheduled date, based on the corresponding tag information and associated standard schedule information. The program according to claim 4.

6. The process for determining the corresponding schedule includes, if the period from the identified registration date to the acquired scheduled date is shorter than the period corresponding to the standard schedule associated with the corresponding tag information, the process for determining the corresponding schedule by shortening the period corresponding to the standard schedule. The program according to claim 5.

7. The second decision process or the second registration process includes a process to merge overlapping communication content into one if there is overlap between the communication content included in the first schedule and the communication content included in the second schedule. The program according to claim 1.

8. The communication process includes, if the period corresponding to the first schedule and the period corresponding to the second schedule overlap at least partially, a process that performs the first and second medical communications at least partially in parallel. The program according to claim 2.

9. The aforementioned information processing device, When third tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a third decision process is further executed to determine the medical-related content to be provided to the patient based on the received third tag information. The aforementioned communication process includes providing the determined medical-related content through communication with the patient's terminal device. The program according to claim 2.

10. The aforementioned information processing device, The process of providing the patient's terminal device with question information for evaluating medical communication or medical-related content related to the corresponding medical event, The patient's terminal device is used to obtain the answer information to the question information, Further, the process involves feeding back at least one of the aforementioned response information and the analysis information obtained by analyzing said response information to the device of the provider of the medical-related content. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. An information processing system for medical communication that exchanges medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with the patient's terminal device, When first tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a first decision processing unit determines a first schedule for first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information, A first registration processing unit registers the information of the first schedule determined above in association with the patient identifier, If second tag information is further received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a second decision processing unit determines a second schedule for the second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information, A second registration processing unit registers the information of the second schedule determined above, further associating it with the patient identifier. An information processing system equipped with the following features.

12. An information processing method performed by an information processing system for medical communication that exchanges medical-related information, including patient explanations, through communication with a patient's terminal device, When first tag information is received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a first decision step is taken to determine the first schedule for the first medical communication regarding the patient's first medical event based on the received first tag information. A first registration step involves registering the information of the first schedule determined above in association with the patient's identifier, If second tag information is further received through communication with the patient's terminal device, a second decision step is taken to determine a second schedule for second medical communication regarding the patient's second medical event based on the received second tag information. A second registration step involves registering the information of the second schedule determined above, further associating it with the patient's identifier. An information processing method having

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