Information processing systems and information processing programs

Abstract

To provide an information processing system and information processing program capable of creating information that encourages specific individuals to receive vaccinations or undergo health checkups. [Solution] The information processing system includes a processor, which refers to personally identifiable information relating to a specific individual and medical institution visit information related to a specific disease of that individual, determines whether the specific individual needs to be provided with information about a specific disease, and if it is determined that the provision of information about a specific disease is necessary, identifies a specific group from among multiple groups to which the specific individual belongs, which includes group members who are likely to contract the specific disease, creates statistical data using medical institution visit information related to the specific disease of multiple group members belonging to the specific group, and provides the specific individual with information about the specific disease and the statistical data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology of the present disclosure relates to an information processing system and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] As a countermeasure against viral diseases, vaccination is one of the effective means. Some types of vaccines can be expected to exhibit particularly high effects when administered within a specific period. In addition, undergoing a medical checkup at a desirable timing can also be expected to produce high effects from the perspective of disease prevention and early detection. Therefore, performing vaccination and medical checkups at the optimal timing is important for avoiding the onset of viral diseases or for early treatment when affected by the disease.

[0003] For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes constructing a network system in cooperation with pharmacies.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] If it is possible to propose that individuals who may develop a specific disease receive vaccination or medical checkups at an appropriate timing, the uptake rate of vaccination and medical checkups will be improved, and a reduction in the number of people affected by the specific disease can be expected. At present, although municipal governments spend considerable labor, time and costs to mail documents encouraging individuals to receive vaccinations and medical checkups to their homes, half of the younger generation do not browse postal items, and not a few people do not end up receiving vaccinations or the like even after being mailed information related to such services. Therefore, a more effective method for proposing medical service uptake is required.

[0006] In light of the issues described above, this disclosure aims to provide an information processing system and information processing program capable of providing information to specific individuals to encourage vaccination and health checkups. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the information processing system according to the first aspect of this disclosure includes a processor which refers to personally identifiable information relating to a specific individual and medical institution visit information relating to a specific disease of the specific individual, determines whether the specific individual needs to be provided with information relating to the specific disease, and if it is determined that the provision of information relating to the specific disease is necessary, identifies a specific group from among several groups to which the specific individual belongs, which includes group members who are likely to contract the specific disease, creates statistical data using the medical institution visit information relating to the specific disease of several group members belonging to the specific group, and provides the specific individual with information relating to the specific disease and the statistical data.

[0008] In such information processing systems, statistical data is provided in addition to the information requested for a specific disease to individuals who need it. Therefore, if the statistical data shows that people close to the individual, such as classmates at school, colleagues at work, or people living near their residence, are receiving treatment, it can motivate the individual to seek treatment, and is expected to encourage them to do so.

[0009] An information processing system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in an information processing system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, includes, in the above-mentioned information processing system, information relating to the particular disease, information relating to receiving a medical examination for the particular disease, information relating to receiving a vaccination for the particular disease, and information relating to the particular disease provided by the region in which the particular individual resides.

[0010] In such an information processing system, individuals who intend to receive medical treatment can quickly obtain the necessary information.

[0011] In the information processing system relating to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the likelihood of contracting the particular disease is identified based on at least one of the age and sex of the group member, in the information processing system relating to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] In such information processing systems, it becomes possible to identify specific groups based on relatively easy-to-obtain information such as age and gender.

[0013] The information processing system relating to the fourth aspect of this disclosure is an information processing system relating to any of the first to third aspects of this disclosure, wherein the specific group includes at least one of the school to which the specific individual is enrolled, the grade or class to which he belongs within the school, his residential area, and the company to which he works.

[0014] In such information processing systems, group members become people close to specific individuals, so the statistical data provided can be expected to have an even greater effect in encouraging those individuals to seek medical attention.

[0015] The information processing system according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing system according to any of the first to fourth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the specific disease is cervical cancer, and the medical institution visit information includes at least one of the number of HPV vaccine doses and the number of cervical cancer screenings.

[0016] Such information processing systems are expected to improve the current low rates of HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening.

[0017] An information processing system according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in an information processing system according to any of the first to fifth aspects of the present disclosure, the processor further provides the specific individual with information that encourages the specific individual to seek medical attention in accordance with the attributes of the specific individual, when providing the specific individual with information regarding the specific disease and the statistical data.

[0018] Such information processing systems can be expected to further encourage specific individuals to receive vaccinations or health checkups.

[0019] An information processing program according to a seventh aspect of this disclosure causes a computer processor to perform the following processing: referencing personally identifiable information relating to a specific individual and medical institution visit information related to a specific disease of the specific individual, determining whether the specific individual needs to be provided with information about the specific disease, and if it is determined that the provision of information about the specific disease is necessary, identifying a specific group from among several groups to which the specific individual belongs, which includes group members who are likely to contract the specific disease, creating statistical data using medical institution visit information related to the specific disease of several group members belonging to the specific group, and providing the specific disease information and the statistical data to the specific individual.

[0020] In such information processing programs, statistical data is provided in addition to the information requested for a specific disease to individuals who require such information. Therefore, if the statistical data shows that people close to the individual, such as classmates at school, colleagues at work, or people living near their residence, are receiving treatment, it can motivate the individual to seek treatment, and is expected to encourage them to do so. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the above information processing system and information processing program, it is possible to provide information that encourages specific individuals to receive vaccinations or health checkups. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing system illustrated in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram showing an example of functions possessed by the information processing system illustrated in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing an example of a medical examination recommendation process for a specific individual in the information processing system illustrated in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an example of a display screen provided to a specific individual in the medical examination recommendation process illustrated in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing another example of a display screen provided to a specific individual in the medical examination recommendation process illustrated in Figure 4. [Modes for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0023] Hereinafter, respective embodiments for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following content schematically shows the range necessary for the description to achieve the purpose of the present disclosure, and mainly describes the range necessary for the description of the relevant parts of the present disclosure, and parts whose description is omitted are based on publicly known technologies. In addition, members that are identical or correspond to each other in the drawings are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, in a case where a plurality of members that are identical or correspond to each other are included in the drawings, only some of them may be denoted by reference numerals for the purpose of making the drawings easier to view.

[0024] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of an information processing system according to one embodiment. The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can be used to encourage specific individuals to visit medical institutions, etc., for the purpose of avoiding contracting specific diseases, such as viral diseases, or for early detection of such diseases. In other words, the information processing system 1 can be used to support health programs for specific insured individuals by insurers, health checkup institutions, health guidance institutions, etc. In this embodiment, cervical cancer will be used as an example of a specific disease. However, the specific disease envisioned in the information processing system 1 is not limited to cervical cancer, but can also be applied to other viral diseases, etc.

[0025] Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that primarily affects women in their 20s and 30s. It is caused by infection with a specific type of human papillomavirus (HPV). The HPV vaccine is most effective when administered before exposure to HPV. Therefore, in Japan, routine HPV vaccinations are available at public expense for girls equivalent to the 6th grade of elementary school to the 1st year of high school. However, the HPV vaccination rate in Japan is low (specifically, less than 40%), and the reality is that approximately 10,000 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, with about 3,000 of them dying.

[0026] For the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer, it is important to receive the HPV vaccine and undergo cervical cancer screening at the appropriate times. Cervical cancer screening (or endometrial cancer screening) is a test that determines the presence or absence of abnormalities through cytology and HPV testing, and in Japan, it is recommended that women aged 20 and over undergo screening every two years. However, not only is the HPV vaccine vaccination rate low, but the cervical cancer screening rate is also low, at around 27.0% for women aged 20-29, when the incidence of cervical cancer increases.

[0027] The information processing system 1 and information processing program of this embodiment propose a method for providing information that encourages individuals to visit medical institutions, particularly those who do not visit medical institutions despite the current document-based HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening recommendations implemented by insurers such as municipalities. In particular, the information processing system 1 and information processing program of this embodiment focus on the fact that for individuals who have not yet visited a medical institution for vaccination or screening, the fact that someone close to them, such as a member of their group, has already received the treatment can be a major motivation for them to visit a medical institution themselves.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment can be configured as a server device capable of communicating with other external devices via a network NW. The information processing system 1 may be capable of communicating with at least terminal devices 2X, 2Y, ... owned by multiple individuals X, Y, ... and a personal identification information database 3 in which personal identification information is stored. In this embodiment, the case in which the information processing system 1 is configured as a single server device is illustrated, but the information processing system 1 can be implemented in various ways. For example, it can be implemented by combining multiple server devices, or by a network server such as a cloud server.

[0029] Terminal devices 2X, 2Y, ... may be devices that can be connected to the information processing system 1 wirelessly or via a network NW, and can consist of well-known computers such as personal computers, tablet terminals, and smartphones. In Figure 1, the terminal devices 2X, 2Y, ... are shown as smartphones owned by specific insured individuals X, Y, .... Furthermore, specific individuals X, Y, ... may be, for example, students attending a specific school 5. School 5 is an example of a group to which an individual belongs.

[0030] Personal Identification Information Database 3 may be a database that stores personal identification information, which is information that can identify an individual. Personal identification information shall include one or more of the following: My Number information, the symbol and number of the insured person's card for social insurance or national health insurance, or the insured person's number for long-term care insurance. Preferably, this personal identification information also includes age, gender, residential area, school attended, and company employed. In this regard, Personal Identification Information Database 3 may be a database held by the national government or a municipal government.

[0031] Furthermore, the personally identifiable information in this embodiment may be associated with medical institution visit information managed by medical institutions 4 or municipalities. For example, My Number information or health insurance card information may be linked to medical institution visit history or details of vaccinations, etc., reported by the individual to the insurer, such as a municipality, thereby linking the two. Therefore, when the information processing system 1 references personally identifiable information, it may be possible to reference various information from when the individual identified by the personally identifiable information visited a medical institution in the past. Medical institutions 4 include multiple hospitals, public health centers, clinics, etc., and the medical institution visit information may include at least a history of visits related to a specific disease. More specifically, the medical institution visit information may include at least one of the information regarding the number of HPV vaccine doses and the number of cervical cancer screenings.

[0032] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing system shown in Figure 1. The information processing system 1 can be configured with a well-known computer, as shown in Figure 2. The information processing system 1 configured with a well-known computer may have at least a processor 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, storage 14, a communication interface 15, a user interface 16, and an input / output (I / O) unit 17. Furthermore, these components may be connected to each other via an internal bus so that they can communicate with one another.

[0033] The processor 11 may be composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and may be capable of executing various programs and controlling various components of the information processing system 1. The processor 11 may read a program from the ROM 12 or storage 14 and execute the program using the RAM 13 as a working area. The processor 11 can perform various arithmetic operations and the like according to the program recorded in the ROM 12 or storage 14.

[0034] ROM 12 can store various programs and data. RAM 13 can temporarily store programs or data as a working area. Storage 14 can be composed of a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory, and can store various programs including the operating system, as well as various data.

[0035] The communication interface 15 may be an interface for communicating with terminal devices 2X, 2Y, ... and the personal identification information database 3. The communication method of the communication interface 15 may be wired or wireless, and the communication standard may be, for example, Ethernet®, FDDI, Wi-Fi®, etc.

[0036] The user interface 16 may be the interface used by the user when using the information processing system 1. The user interface 16 may have, for example, an input section including buttons, a touch panel, a pointing device, etc., and a display section consisting of a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. In addition, the I / O 17 may function to connect the processor 11 to various parts of the information processing system 1.

[0037] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functions of the information processing system shown in Figure 2. The various processes in the information processing system 1, including the hardware configuration described above, will be explained below using the functional block diagram shown in Figure 3. Note that the various processes described below can be mainly implemented by the processor 11.

[0038] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment may include, as shown in Figure 3, a personal identification information reference unit 21, a medical institution visit information reference unit 22, an information provision necessity determination unit 23, a group identification unit 24, a statistical data creation unit 25, and a data provision unit 26.

[0039] The Personal Identification Information Reference Unit 21 references personal identification information relating to a specific individual. The Personal Identification Information Reference Unit 21 may reference personal identification information relating to a specific individual, for example, based on instructions from the specific individual, or based on a request or permission from an administrator managing the Personal Identification Information Database 3, such as a national government or a municipal government. Alternatively, it may reference personal identification information based on information entered by the specific individual into the Information Processing System 1 via the user interface 16 or terminal devices 2X, 2Y, ..., etc. By referencing personal identification information, the Information Processing System 1 can obtain information about a specific individual, such as the age, gender, residential area, school attended, and company employed by individual X.

[0040] The medical institution visit information reference unit 22 references medical institution visit information associated with the referenced personal identification information. In this embodiment, the medical institution visit information may include information indicating the number of HPV vaccinations received and the number of cervical cancer screenings received. The medical institution visit information may be stored in any form as long as it can be referenced together with the personal identification information. For example, it may be stored together with the personal identification information in the personal identification information database 3, or it may be stored in a database owned by a medical institution 4, etc.

[0041] The Information Provision Necessity Determination Unit 23 determines whether a specific individual needs to be provided with information about a specific disease. More specifically, the Information Provision Necessity Determination Unit 23 determines whether the specific individual corresponding to the personally identified information referenced by the Personal Identification Information Reference Unit 21 is eligible for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. If the determination determines that the specific individual is not eligible for screening, the processes of creating statistical data and providing information, as described later, can be omitted. Conversely, if the determination determines that the specific individual is eligible for screening, preparations for transmitting statistical data, etc., as described later, are made. Here, whether or not an individual is eligible for screening should be determined based on at least one of the specific individual's age and gender, which are included in the specific personal information. If the specific disease is cervical cancer, in addition to gender, whether or not the individual is within the eligible age range for HPV vaccination and whether or not they are at the age to receive cervical cancer screening are used to determine whether or not they are eligible for screening.

[0042] The group identification unit 24 identifies a specific group from among several groups to which a particular individual belongs, including members of that group who are highly likely to contract a particular disease. Generally, individuals belong to various groups of varying sizes. Examples of such groups include the school the individual attends, the grade or class within the school, the city or town where they live, and the company where they work. From these various groups, the group identification unit 24 identifies, or more specifically selects, the group from which to create the statistical data described later.

[0043] In making the selections described above, consideration should be given to whether or not the group includes members who are highly likely to contract a particular disease. It is preferable to determine whether or not a group is highly likely to contract a particular disease based on at least one, more preferably both, of the age and gender of the group members. For example, if the information provision necessity determination unit 23 determines that a particular individual is within the target age range for HPV vaccination, it is preferable to select a group from among the multiple groups to which the particular individual belongs that includes at least one woman who is within the target age range for HPV vaccination. The number of groups selected here may be one or more. In addition, groups with a large total number of members who are highly likely to contract a particular disease may be selected preferentially.

[0044] The statistical data creation unit 25 creates statistical data using medical institution visit information related to specific diseases of group members belonging to the group identified by the group identification unit 24. More specifically, if a specific individual is determined to be within the age range for HPV vaccination, the unit compiles data on whether or not group members have received HPV vaccination or screening, and creates statistical data.

[0045] Various methods can be envisioned for collecting information on whether or not group members have received HPV vaccination or cervical cancer screening. For example, an individual may report that they have received vaccination or cervical cancer screening at the time of their visit by pressing a button on a screen provided in the form of a web page or the like on terminal devices 2X, 2Y, ... or user interface 16. In this regard, if no report is received from the individual, the information processing system 1 may periodically send messages to the individual encouraging vaccination or cervical cancer screening according to their health behavior stage, for example, one month, three months, six months, nine months, and twelve months after they became eligible for the recommendation. In this case, the sending of messages encouraging screening will stop once the individual reports receiving vaccination or undergoing cervical cancer screening. Another method is to anonymously collect information from a database of the medical institution 4, etc., that accepted the appointment if the appointment was made using the information processing system 1.

[0046] It is important to note that the statistical data created by the statistical data creation unit 25 is limited to a specific group. Creating and providing such statistical data to individuals can increase the rate at which individuals receive vaccinations, etc., compared to providing statistical data that is not limited to a specific group. The number of statistical data created by the statistical data creation unit 25 may be the same as the number of groups identified by the group identification unit 24. The format of the statistical data may be a graph or other diagram, or it may simply be a numerical value. In this embodiment, examples of statistical data being created in the form of messages such as "The HPV vaccination rate at your school is 60%" or "The cervical cancer screening rate at your workplace is 50%" are given.

[0047] The data provision unit 26 transmits information about a specific disease and statistical data to a specific individual corresponding to the personally identified information obtained by the personally identified information reference unit 21, as information that encourages the individual to visit a medical institution for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. Specifically, it transmits information about cervical cancer and statistical data created by the statistical data creation unit 25 to the terminal device 2X of a specific individual, for example, individual X. The data provision unit 26 can transmit the aforementioned information in various ways. Examples of such methods include email and messaging functions included in SNS (Social Networking Service).

[0048] The aforementioned information concerning a specific disease includes at least one of the following: information for receiving screening for the specific disease, information for receiving vaccination for the specific disease, and information related to the specific disease provided by the region where the specific individual resides. To give a specific example, if the specific disease is cervical cancer, the information concerning cervical cancer includes at least one of the following: information necessary for receiving cervical cancer screening, information necessary for receiving HPV vaccination, and information concerning cervical cancer provided by the municipality or other local government to which the specific individual belongs.

[0049] Information necessary for receiving a cervical cancer screening includes, for example, information on medical institutions where the screening is available (e.g., location and hours of operation) and information on the procedures required for receiving the screening (e.g., whether an appointment is necessary and whether any documents need to be submitted to the local government). Information necessary for receiving an HPV vaccine includes information on medical institutions where the HPV vaccine is available and information on the procedures required for receiving the HPV vaccine. Furthermore, information on cervical cancer provided by the local government, such as the city or town to which a specific individual belongs, includes information on the local government's guidance page for cervical cancer screenings and information on the availability of subsidy programs. In addition to the information mentioned above, the information necessary for receiving a cervical cancer screening may also include information on the disease of cervical cancer, the vaccine, and the mechanism of cervical cancer screening. Providing this information in the form of web pages or videos can make it easier to understand and is expected to be more effective in encouraging people to get screened.

[0050] To further enhance the effectiveness of the information transmitted from the data provision unit 26 in encouraging visits to medical institutions for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening, the selection of statistical data to be included in such information may be improved. Specifically, statistical data with high visit rates may be prioritized for sending to specific individuals, or statistical data for groups with low visit rates may be omitted. Alternatively, statistical data to be transmitted may be selected from groups identified by the group identification unit 24, taking into account the relationship (e.g., closeness) between a specific individual and the group members. Furthermore, based on the individual's entered personal attributes such as age, education level, occupation, and health behavior stage (e.g., age, prefecture or city / ward name of residence, whether residence and registered address are the same, age at vaccination, etc.), it is advisable to periodically send messages encouraging visits from the system, for example, after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. The aforementioned messages should be generated by analyzing the relationship between previously sent messages and the reporting time of vaccination / visit, thereby creating messages that are more effective in encouraging visits for individuals.

[0051] The information processing system 1 having the configuration described above can be provided to a specific individual in the form of a web page, such as a homepage on a network, or an application.

[0052] According to the information processing system 1 with the configuration described above, it is possible to provide a specific individual with statistical data showing the HPV vaccination rate within a specific group to which that individual belongs. The fact that someone close to a specific individual has already received a health checkup or other screening that the individual has not yet received can motivate the individual to seek such a checkup. Therefore, it is expected that this will encourage the specific individual to get vaccinated or screened.

[0053] The following describes an example of a medical consultation recommendation process by the information processing system 1 having the configuration described above, mainly with reference to Figure 4. The medical consultation recommendation process described below may be a process executed by the processor 11 based on a program. In this regard, the medical consultation recommendation process described below may be provided in the form of a software program (i.e., the information processing program of this embodiment) that includes instructions for the processor to perform a predetermined operation, in the form of a non-temporary recording medium on which this program is stored, in the form of a program product, or in the form of an application program provided via a network or the like.

[0054] Furthermore, the screening recommendation process described below will use a specific example to explain the process taken to encourage a particular individual, referred to as Individual X, to undergo a cervical cancer screening. Individual X is assumed to be a female student who has never undergone a cervical cancer screening during the recommended screening period. Individual X may include a parent or guardian.

[0055] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for recommending medical consultation to a specific individual in the information processing system shown in Figure 1. The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes at least the steps of: referring to personally identifiable information about a specific individual and information on medical consultations related to a specific disease of that individual (corresponding to steps S01 and S02 described later); determining whether or not the specific individual needs to be provided with information about a specific disease (corresponding to step S03 described later); if it is determined that information about a specific disease needs to be provided, identifying a specific group that includes group members who are likely to contract the specific disease from among multiple groups to which the specific individual belongs (corresponding to step S04 described later); creating statistical data using information on medical consultations related to a specific disease of multiple group members belonging to the specific group (corresponding to step S05 described later); and providing information about the specific disease and statistical data to the specific individual (corresponding to step S06 described later). A detailed explanation follows below.

[0056] The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment initiates a process to recommend a medical examination to individual X upon request from individual X or from a local government or the like. The aforementioned requests from individual X include, for example, cases where individual X accesses the information processing system 1, which is provided in the form of a web page related to health consultations managed by a medical institution 4, etc., in order to find out about cervical cancer, or cases where individual X has previously registered their personal identification information, etc., in the information processing system 1. When the information processing system 1 initiates the medical examination recommendation process, as shown in Figure 5, it first uses the personal identification information reference unit 21 to access, for example, the personal identification information database 3 and reference individual X's personal identification information (step S01). The collection of detailed personal identification information of individual X can be done by referring to information that individual X has previously registered, or by using My Number information, etc., entered by individual X to retrieve the necessary information from the personal identification information database 3. Next, it refers to the medical institution visit information associated with the referenced personal identification information (step S02). The medical institution visit information referred here is assumed to include at least information indicating the number of times the individual has received a cervical cancer screening. Note that the order in which steps S01 and S02 are executed is not limited to the order described above.

[0057] Once the referencing of personally identifiable information and medical institution visit information is complete, the information processing system 1 then determines in the information provision necessity determination unit 23 whether or not individual X is eligible for medical consultation (step S03). Specifically, it determines whether or not individual X is eligible for HPV vaccination and whether or not they are eligible for cervical cancer screening. The recommendation for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening can be determined based on individual X's gender and age, and their vaccination and cervical cancer screening history. Here, as mentioned above, individual X is a female student in the recommended period for cervical cancer screening, so it is determined that she is eligible for cervical cancer screening (Yes in step S03), and the process proceeds to steps S04 and beyond. On the other hand, if it is determined that individual X is not eligible for medical consultation (No in step S03), the medical consultation recommendation process for individual X is completed.

[0058] If it is determined that individual X is eligible for a recommendation to undergo a medical examination, the information processing system 1, in the group identification unit 24, identifies a specific group from among the multiple groups to which individual X belongs that includes group members who are in the period eligible for a recommendation to undergo a cervical cancer screening (step S04). The specific group could be, for example, the school to which individual X is enrolled.

[0059] Once the aforementioned specific group is identified, the information processing system 1 then uses the statistical data creation unit 25 to refer to medical institution visit information, including whether or not the group members (e.g., individual Y) constituting the specific group have undergone cervical cancer screening, and creates statistical data regarding the cervical cancer screening status within the group (step S05). The statistical data created here is presented in the form of a message, for example, "The cervical cancer screening rate at AA University, where you are enrolled, is 60%."

[0060] Once the creation of statistical data is complete, the information processing system 1 then provides the statistical data created in step S05 and information regarding cervical cancer screening to individual X in the data provision unit 26 (step S06), completing the screening recommendation process for individual X. Methods for providing the statistical data and information regarding cervical cancer screening to individual X include, for example, sending it by email to terminal device 2X, displaying it on the screen of terminal device 2X if individual X is browsing the information processing system 1's web page using terminal device 2X, or sending a pre-prepared web page URL for screening recommendation as a message to terminal device 2X.

[0061] In addition to transmitting information by the data provision unit 26 as described above, the information processing system 1 may also provide reservation guidance to direct individual X to a reservation page where they can make an appointment at a specific medical institution. Reservation guidance can be provided through buttons displayed on a webpage, or through shortcut keys provided via email or message. When the information processing system 1 provides reservation guidance to individuals who are eligible for medical consultation, those who receive the guidance can smoothly proceed with making an appointment at a medical institution.

[0062] Furthermore, if, for example, an individual who was determined not to be eligible for medical consultation in process S03 is, for example, an individual who may become eligible for medical consultation in the future, the information processing system 1 may monitor whether or not the individual falls within the period for which medical consultation is recommended. In this case, the timing of medical consultation recommendations can be managed by the information processing system 1, which is expected to reduce the workload for individual X.

[0063] Figures 5 and 6 show examples of display screens provided to a specific individual in the screening recommendation process shown in Figure 4. To provide individual X with information regarding the cervical cancer screening described above, the information processing system 1 can provide information regarding appropriate cervical cancer screening for individual X by providing input screens as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is an example of an input screen where the residential area where individual X lives can be entered. By displaying an input screen like the one in Figure 5 on individual X's terminal device 2X, individual X's residential area can be easily identified. Figure 6 is an example of an input screen displaying checklist items that individual X should confirm in advance before undergoing a cervical cancer screening. By displaying an input screen like the one in Figure 6 on individual X's terminal device 2X, individual X can confidently carry out the necessary preparations before undergoing a cervical cancer screening.

[0064] As described above, the information processing system 1 and information processing program according to this embodiment can not only provide information on specific diseases, but also provide statistical data on the medical consultation status of group members to which a specific individual belongs. This is expected to encourage specific individuals to receive such statistical data to undergo vaccinations and health checkups.

[0065] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense and may include general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs, etc.) or dedicated processors (e.g., GPUs: Graphics Processing Units, ASICs: Application Specific Integrated Circuits, FPGAs: Field Programmable Gate Arrays, programmable logic devices, etc.).

[0066] Furthermore, the processor operations in each of the above embodiments may not be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. Also, the order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, but may be changed as appropriate.

[0067] The above describes an example of an information processing system according to the embodiment. The embodiment may take the form of a program that causes a computer to execute the functions of each part of the information processing system. The embodiment may also take the form of a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that stores this program, or the form of a program product.

[0068] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. All such modifications are included in the technical concept of this disclosure. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified in the specification, each component of this disclosure is not limited to one, but may exist in multiple forms. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1. Information Processing System 2X, 2Y,... Terminal device 3. Personal Identification Information Database 4 Medical Institutions 5. School (an example of a group an individual belongs to) 11 processors 21 Personally Identifiable Information Reference Section 22 Medical Institution Visit Information Reference Section 23 Information Provision Necessity Determination Department 24 Group Special Department 25. Statistical Data Creation Department 26 Data Provision Department X, Y, ... Specific individuals

Claims

1. The processor comprises, By referring to personally identifiable information relating to a specific individual and information on medical institution visits related to a specific disease of the said specific individual, Determine whether the aforementioned specific individual needs to be provided with information regarding the aforementioned specific disease. When it is determined that it is necessary to provide information regarding the aforementioned specific disease, a specific group is identified from among several groups to which the aforementioned specific individual belongs, which includes members of the group that are highly likely to contract the aforementioned specific disease. Using medical institution visit information related to the specific disease of multiple group members belonging to the aforementioned specific group, statistical data is created, To provide the aforementioned specific individual with information on the aforementioned specific disease and the aforementioned statistical data. Information processing system.

2. The information relating to the specific disease includes at least one of the following: information for receiving a health checkup for the specific disease, information for receiving a vaccination for the specific disease, and information relating to the specific disease provided by the area in which the specific individual resides. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The likelihood of contracting the aforementioned specific disease is determined based on at least one of the age and sex of the group member. The information processing system according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned specific group includes at least one of the school to which the aforementioned specific individual is enrolled, the grade or class to which they belong within the school, their residential area, and the company to which they work. The information processing system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned specific disease is cervical cancer. The aforementioned medical institution visit information includes at least one of the information regarding the number of HPV vaccine doses and the information regarding the number of cervical cancer screenings received. The information processing system according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned processor, When providing the aforementioned specific disease information and statistical data to the aforementioned specific individual, further providing the aforementioned specific individual with information that encourages them to seek medical attention according to their attributes, The information processing system according to claim 1.

7. In a computer processor, By referring to personally identifiable information relating to a specific individual and information on medical institution visits related to a specific disease of the said specific individual, Determine whether the aforementioned specific individual needs to be provided with information regarding the aforementioned specific disease. When it is determined that it is necessary to provide information regarding the aforementioned specific disease, a specific group is identified from among several groups to which the aforementioned specific individual belongs, which includes members of the group that are highly likely to contract the aforementioned specific disease. Using medical institution visit information related to the specific disease of multiple group members belonging to the aforementioned specific group, statistical data is created, To provide the aforementioned specific individual with information about the aforementioned specific disease and the aforementioned statistical data, and to have the processing performed. Information processing program.

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