Server equipment, computer programs, and methods for supporting medication guidance.

Abstract

This aims to reduce the burden on healthcare professionals who provide medication guidance under the system of designated treatments for long-listed drugs. [Solution] The server device 12 is capable of communicating with the client device 11. The communication interface 121 receives prescription information PR from the client device 11, which includes information about the medication prescribed to the patient. If the prescription information PR indicates that the medication is prescribed as a subject of selective medical treatment, the processor 122 makes this fact visible to the client device 11.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0006] , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server device capable of communicating with a client device. The present disclosure also relates to a computer program executable by a processor mounted on the server device. The present disclosure also relates to a method for assisting medication guidance executed by the client device and the server device.

Background Art

[0002] The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 provides medical staff with information that can be used for medication guidance for a patient based on information about the drugs prescribed for the patient.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is a need to reduce the burden on medical staff who provide medication guidance under the selected treatment system for long-term covered drugs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One exemplary aspect that can be provided by the present disclosure is a server device capable of communicating with a client device, an interface that receives prescription information including information about the drugs prescribed for a patient from the client device, a processor that, when the prescription information indicates that the drug is prescribed as a target for selected treatment, visualizes that fact for the client device in a first aspect, and includes.

[0006] One example of an embodiment that may be provided by this disclosure is a computer program executable by a processor installed in a server device capable of communicating with a client device, By being executed, the server device will Prescription information, including information about medications prescribed to the patient, is received from the client device. If the prescription information indicates that the drug is prescribed as a designated medical treatment, that fact is made visible to the client device.

[0007] One example of an embodiment that may be provided by this disclosure is a method for supporting medication guidance performed by a client device and a server device, Prescription information, including information about the medication prescribed to the patient, is transmitted from the client device to the server device. The server device determines, based on the prescription information, whether the drug is prescribed as a subject of selective treatment. If the prescription information indicates that the drug is prescribed as a designated medical treatment, the client device will visualize that fact.

[0008] Under the system for designated long-listed drugs, whether a prescribed drug is a long-listed drug eligible for designated treatment is of significant importance. If a prescribed drug is a long-listed drug eligible for designated treatment, the patient has the choice between choosing the long-listed drug, even with additional out-of-pocket expenses, or choosing a generic drug. For healthcare professionals providing medication guidance, it becomes necessary to explain to patients not only the system but also the differences in drug prices and efficacy. According to the configuration described in each example above, the server device determines whether a drug eligible for designated treatment has been prescribed, and the result is visualized on the client device. This frees healthcare professionals from the task of checking whether each prescribed drug is a long-listed drug eligible for designated treatment. Therefore, the burden on healthcare professionals providing medication guidance under the system for designated long-listed drugs can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This illustrates the configuration of a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 illustrates the functional configuration of the client and server devices. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows an example of the processing flow executed by the processor. [Figure 4] Figure 2 illustrates drug information visualized through the user interface. [Figure 5] Figure 2 shows another example of the processing flow executed by the processor. [Figure 6] Figure 2 shows another example of the processing flow executed by the processor. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Examples of embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In each drawing referenced in the following description, the elements shown have been made recognizable as necessary. The scale is being changed.

[0011] As used in this disclosure, the term "medical institution" refers to an institution where medical professionals provide patients with information about pharmaceuticals. Examples of "medical institutions" include hospitals, clinics, medical offices, pharmacies, drugstores, nursing homes, care homes, and elderly care facilities. Examples of "medical professionals" include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, care managers, and registered dietitians.

[0012] Figure 1 illustrates the configuration of a support system 10 according to one embodiment. The support system 10 includes a client device 11 and a server device 12. The support system 10 is configured to support medication guidance provided to patients by healthcare professionals under the system for designated treatment of long-listed drugs.

[0013] As used in this disclosure, the term "long-term covered product" means a pioneer drug for which a follow-on drug exists. As used in this disclosure, the term "selected medical care system" means a system in which additional out-of-pocket costs are incurred for a patient when the patient wishes to have a long-term covered product prescribed or dispensed.

[0014] The client device 11 may be a stationary device installed at a specific location, or may be a portable device that can be carried by a user.

[0015] The server device 12 is installed at a location remote from the client device 11. The client device 11 and the server device 12 are configured to perform two-way communication of data via the communication network 20.

[0016] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the client device 11 includes a communication interface 111. On the other hand, the server device 12 includes a communication interface 121. Each of the communication interface 111 and the communication interface 121 is a hardware interface configured to enable the above-described two-way data communication.

[0017] The client device 11 includes a processor 112 and a user interface 113. The user interface 113 is a hardware interface that mediates the exchange of information between the user and the processor 112 and receives a user instruction to cause the client device 11 to execute a predetermined operation. The processor 112 and the user interface 113 may be mounted in a common housing, or may be provided in a distributed manner in independent housings.

[0018] The predetermined operation executed by the client device 11 includes transmitting prescription information PR to the server device 12. The prescription information PR includes information on drugs prescribed to a patient.

[0019] The server device 12 includes a processor 122 and storage 123. Storage 123 stores information corresponding to the long-term listed product list. The long-term listed product list is a list that identifies multiple long-term listed products that can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment. The processor 122 is configured to extract information identifying the name of the prescribed drug from prescription information PR received via the communication interface 121 and to query whether the drug is a long-term listed product.

[0020] The storage device 123 is a memory device implemented by semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, etc. The processor 122 and the storage device 123 may be mounted in a common enclosure, or they may be provided in a distributed manner in separate enclosures.

[0021] Figure 3 shows an example of a specific processing flow executed by the processor 122. As mentioned above, the processor 122 acquires prescription information PR transmitted from the client device 11 through the communication interface 121 (STEP 11).

[0022] Next, the processor 122 determines, based on the prescription information PR, whether the drug prescribed to the patient is a long-listed product designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (STEP 12). Specifically, the processor 122 determines whether the drug designated as eligible for selective medical treatment is included in the prescription information PR. If there is a drug designated as eligible for selective medical treatment, it is determined whether that drug is included in the list of long-listed products stored in storage 123.

[0023] If it is determined that the medication prescribed to the patient is a long-listed product designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (YES in STEP 12), the processor 122 transmits control information CT, which visualizes this fact to the client device 11, via the communication interface 121 (STEP 13).

[0024] As illustrated in Figure 2, the control information CT is received by the communication interface 111 of the client device 11. Based on the control information CT, the processor 112 visualizes the fact that the medication prescribed to the patient is a long-listed product on the user interface 113. Examples of visualization include display on a screen, projection by a projector, and output of printed materials by a printer.

[0025] Figure 4 illustrates drug information 114 visualized in the user interface 113. Drug information 114 may include the name of the prescribed drug 114a and detailed information 114b related to the prescription of the drug. In this example, drug information 114 includes a label 114c. The label 114c is visualized only when the control information CT described above is transmitted from the server device 12. The visualization of the label 114c is an example of visualization in the first embodiment.

[0026] In other words, label 114c indicates that the prescribed drug is a long-listed product that is eligible for designated selective medical treatment. If the prescribed drug is not a long-listed product that is eligible for designated selective medical treatment, label 114c will not be displayed. The manner of visualization can be arbitrarily determined as long as it is possible to inform that the prescribed drug is a long-listed product that is eligible for designated selective medical treatment. Label 114c may be formed by at least one of appropriate letters, symbols, figures, and colors.

[0027] If it is determined that the prescribed medication is not designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (NO in STEP 12), the processor 122 terminates processing without allowing the client device 11 to visualize the label 114c (STEP 14).

[0028] Under the system for designated long-listed drugs, it is important to determine whether a prescribed drug is a long-listed drug eligible for designated treatment. When a prescribed drug is a long-listed drug eligible for designated treatment, patients have the choice between choosing the long-listed drug, even if it incurs additional out-of-pocket expenses, or choosing a generic drug. For healthcare professionals providing medication guidance, it becomes necessary to explain to patients not only the system but also the differences in drug prices and efficacy. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the server device 12 determines whether a drug eligible for designated treatment has been prescribed, and the result is visualized on the client device 11. This frees healthcare professionals from the task of checking whether each prescribed drug is a long-listed drug eligible for designated treatment. Therefore, the burden on healthcare professionals providing medication guidance under the system for designated long-listed drugs can be reduced.

[0029] Figure 5 shows another example of the processing flow executed by processor 122. Processing elements that are substantially the same as those described in the processing example with reference to Figure 3 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0030] In this example, if it is determined that the prescribed medication does not include any designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (NO in STEP 12), the processor 122 determines whether the medication can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (STEP 21). Specifically, the processor 122 extracts information on the prescribed medication from the prescription information PR and determines whether the medication is included in (registered in) the long-term listed product list stored in the storage 123.

[0031] If it is determined that the drug in question cannot be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (NO in STEP 21), the processor 122 terminates processing without allowing the client device 11 to visualize the label 114c (STEP 14).

[0032] If it is determined that the drug can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (YES in STEP 21), the processor 122 outputs control information CT from the communication interface 121 to visualize this fact to the client device 11 in a manner different from that of the label 114c (STEP 22).

[0033] Specifically, in addition to or in place of sign 114c, a sign that differs in at least one of the letters, symbols, figures, and colors is visualized in the client device 11. This visualization is an example of visualization in the second embodiment.

[0034] This configuration allows healthcare professionals providing medication guidance to be informed of the possibility that a prescribed medication may be eligible for designated medical treatment, but this fact may be overlooked. This enables the healthcare professionals to, if necessary, confirm the reason why the medication is not designated for designated medical treatment.

[0035] Figure 6 shows another example of the processing flow executed by processor 122. Processing elements that are substantially the same as those described in the processing example with reference to Figure 5 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0036] Depending on the specifications of the client device 11, it may not be possible to include information indicating whether the prescribed drug is designated as eligible for selective medical treatment in the prescription information PR. In this example, the processor 122 determines whether such information is included in the prescription information PR obtained in STEP 11 (STEP 31).

[0037] If it is determined that the prescription information PR contains information related to selected medical treatment (YES in STEP 31), the processor 122 executes the process described with reference to Figure 5.

[0038] If it is determined that the prescription information PR does not contain information related to selective medical treatment (NO in STEP 31), the processor 122 queries whether the drug prescribed to the patient can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (STEP 32). Specifically, the processor 122 extracts information about the prescribed drug from the prescription information PR and determines whether the drug is included in (registered in) the long-term listed product list stored in storage 123.

[0039] If it is determined that the drug in question cannot be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (NO in STEP 32), the processor 122 terminates processing without allowing the client device 11 to visualize the label 114c (STEP 14).

[0040] If it is determined that the drug in question can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment (YES in STEP 32), the processor 122 outputs control information CT from the communication interface 121 to visualize this fact to the client device 11 in a manner different from the visualization performed in label 114c and STEP 22 (STEP 33). The visualization in this case is an example of visualization in the third mode.

[0041] With this configuration, situations where a prescribed drug is eligible for designated medical treatment but it is not possible to determine from the prescription information PR whether the drug is prescribed for designated medical treatment can be distinguished and visualized on the client device 11. This allows the healthcare professional to check, as needed, why the drug is not designated for designated medical treatment.

[0042] Each of the processors 112 of the client device 11 and 122 of the server device 12, which have the various functions described above, can be realized by at least one general-purpose microprocessor operating in cooperation with at least one general-purpose memory. Examples of general-purpose microprocessors include CPUs, MPUs, and GPUs. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROMs and RAMs. In this case, the ROM may store a computer program that performs the above-described processing. ROM is an example of a non-temporary computer-readable medium in which a computer program is stored. The general-purpose microprocessor selects at least a portion of the program stored in the ROM and loads it onto the RAM, and then performs the above-described processing in cooperation with the RAM. The computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or it may be downloaded from an external server device via a communication network and then installed in the general-purpose memory. In this case, the external server device is an example of a non-temporary computer-readable medium in which a computer program is stored.

[0043] Each of processors 112 and 122 may be implemented by at least one dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above-described computer program. Examples of dedicated integrated circuits include microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, etc. In this case, the above-described computer program is pre-installed in a memory element included in the dedicated integrated circuit. This memory element is an example of a computer-readable medium in which the computer program is stored. Each of processors 112 and 122 can also be implemented by a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

[0044] The configurations described herein are merely examples to facilitate understanding of this disclosure. Each configuration example may be modified or combined with other configuration examples as appropriate, as long as it does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure.

[0045] In the above embodiment example, label 114c is made visible when the drug prescribed to the patient is a long-listed product designated as eligible for selective medical treatment. However, label 114c may be made visible simply based on the fact that the drug prescribed to the patient is designated as eligible for selective medical treatment. In other words, if the prescription information PR contains information that the drug prescribed to the patient is designated as eligible for selective medical treatment, label 114c may be made visible regardless of the query result of the long-listed product list stored in storage 123.

[0046] It is natural that a prescribed drug cannot be subject to selective medical treatment if it is not a long-listed product. However, due to reasons such as delays in updating the list information stored in storage 123, there may be cases where a prescribed drug is prescribed as such even though it is not registered as subject to selective medical treatment. With the above configuration, if there is a discrepancy between the information stored in storage 123 and the information related to the designation of selective medical treatment included in the prescription information PR, the information related to the designation of selective medical treatment can be prioritized and reflected in medication guidance.

[0047] In this case, the visible sign may be of a different form than sign 114c. With this configuration, the fact that there is a discrepancy between the information stored in storage 123 and the information related to the designation of selected medical treatment included in prescription information PR can be notified to the healthcare professional providing medication guidance. This allows the healthcare professional to take action to resolve the discrepancy as needed.

[0048] As illustrated in Figure 1, the support system 10 may include an external device 13. The external device 13 is a device that publicly or commercially provides information corresponding to the long-term listed items. The administrator of the external device 13 is different from the administrator of the server device 12. In this case, the server device 12 is configured to enable bidirectional communication of information with the external device 13 via the communication network 20.

[0049] In each of the above processing examples, the inquiry performed by the processor 122 of the server device 12 to determine whether the medication prescribed to the patient is a long-listed product may be made against information provided by the external device 13. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 11: Client device, 114c: Indicator, 12: Server device, 121: Communication interface, 122: Processor, PR: Prescription information

Claims

1. A server device capable of communicating with client devices, An interface that receives prescription information, including information about medications prescribed to patients, from the client device, If the prescription information indicates that the drug is prescribed as a subject of selective medical treatment, a processor makes that fact visible to the client device in the first manner, It is equipped with Server device.

2. If the prescription information does not indicate that the drug is prescribed as eligible for selective medical treatment, the processor queries whether the drug can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment, and if the query result indicates that it can be designated, it makes that fact visible to the client device in a second manner different from the first manner. The server device according to claim 1.

3. If it is not possible to determine from the prescription information whether the drug is prescribed as eligible for selective medical treatment, and the inquiry result indicates that the drug can be designated as eligible for selective medical treatment, then that fact is made visible to the client device in a third manner different from the second manner. The server device according to claim 2.

4. A computer program that can be executed by a processor installed in a server device capable of communicating with a client device, By being executed, the server device will Prescription information, including information about medications prescribed to the patient, is received from the client device. If the prescription information indicates that the drug is subject to selective treatment, that fact is made visible to the client device. Computer program.

5. A method for supporting medication guidance, which is performed by a client device and a server device, Prescription information, including information about the medication prescribed to the patient, is transmitted from the client device to the server device. The server device determines, based on the prescription information, whether the drug is prescribed as a subject of selective treatment. If the prescription information indicates that the drug is prescribed as a subject of selective medical treatment, the client device shall visualize that fact. Methods for supporting medication guidance.

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