DISPENSING SCHEDULE CREATION DEVICE AND DISPENSING SCHEDULE CREATION METHOD

Abstract

To make it possible to properly schedule work of dispensing medicines on the basis of operations of a medicine dispensing apparatus.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: an apparatus operation plan determination unit 13 for determining an operation schedule of a medicine dispensing apparatus for at least one prescription of which dispense is completed by one-time filling of medicine before the arrival scheduled time of a patient, on the basis of prescription information showing a content of a prescription and arrival scheduled date information showing a scheduled date and the time when the patient is supposed to come to get the medicine; and a priority medicine dispensing plan determining unit 15 for determining a schedule of the dispense other than the operation schedule determined as above according to priority determined on the basis of the arrival scheduled date information. It becomes possible to suppress generation of unevenness in operations of the medicine dispensing apparatus more than when a medicine dispensing apparatus is operated for each prescription, by determining the schedule of the dispense so that a frequency of filling medicines to a medicine dispensing apparatus will be as small as possible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispensing schedule creating device and a dispensing schedule creating method, and is particularly suitable for use in a device and a method for creating a dispensing schedule indicating a schedule for dispensing a plurality of medications. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, the work performed by pharmacists can be broadly divided into interpersonal work and material work. The "Pharmacy Vision for Patients" announced by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 2015 clearly states that the interpersonal work performed by pharmacists will be enhanced and the material work will be made more efficient. In addition, on April 2, 2019, the "Regarding the Nature of Dispensing Work (commonly known as the 0402 Notice)" was published, clarifying the work that can be performed by people other than pharmacists.

[0003] Regarding the object-related work, the introduction of dispensing equipment and the introduction of IoT have been progressing. However, the current situation in which it is difficult to level out pharmacy work has not changed much between before and after 2019. One of the reasons for this is the difficulty in scheduling dispensing work. In other words, since dispensing pharmacies do not know when or what prescriptions will arrive, they basically dispense prescriptions in the order in which they are received. This causes uneven operation of dispensing equipment. In addition, when a dispensing equipment starts to operate based on one prescription, it is necessary to wait until the processing is completed. Therefore, even for a prescription that should be dispensed in a short time, it is necessary to wait until the dispensing equipment for another prescription that was received earlier finishes dispensing before starting. This causes unnecessary waiting time for staff and causes patients to wait unnecessarily long.

[0004] In response to this, technology related to scheduling the order of dispensing is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a dispensing reservation reception device that can reduce the overall waiting time between patients who send their prescriptions via a communication line and patients who visit the pharmacy in person. The dispensing reservation reception device described in Patent Document 1 determines the priority of dispensing based on a prescription based on information about the prescription and dispensing reservation information, which is information about a dispensing reservation based on that prescription, and updates dispensing order information, which is information indicating the order of dispensing at the pharmacy, according to the priority.

[0005] As an example, it is disclosed that the priority of prescription-based dispensing is determined based on the scheduled visit date and time of the dispensing patient, the dispensing time which is the time required for dispensing based on the prescription, and the dispensing start time which is the time when dispensing should start. As another example, it is disclosed that the dispensing reservation information includes information regarding the patient's desired time of receipt of the drug, and when the scheduled visit date and time is later than the desired receipt time, the dispensing start time is set to a time earlier than the scheduled visit date and time by the dispensing time, and when the scheduled visit date and time is earlier than the desired receipt time, the dispensing start time is set to a time earlier than the desired receipt time by the dispensing time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-162430 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses scheduling of dispensing order based on information such as prescription information, dispensing reservation information (including information on the patient's desired time of receipt of the medicine), the planned date and time of the patient's visit, dispensing time, and dispensing start time, but does not disclose scheduling that takes into account the operation of dispensing equipment. Therefore, even if the technology described in Patent Document 1 is used, it is not possible to solve problems such as uneven operation of dispensing equipment, unnecessary waiting time for staff, and unnecessarily long waiting times for patients.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to make it possible to appropriately schedule dispensing operations in consideration of the operation of dispensing machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention determines one or more prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug filling based on prescription information indicating the contents of the prescription, scheduled visit date and time information indicating the scheduled date and time when the patient will visit the pharmacy to receive the drug, filling volume information indicating the drug filling volume that can be filled into the dispensing device, and dispensing time information indicating the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device, and determines an operation schedule for the dispensing device for the one or more prescriptions. In addition, the priority of the prescription is determined based on the scheduled visit date and time information, and a dispensing schedule other than the operation schedule determined as above is determined according to the determined priority so that the dispensing start time is earlier for prescriptions with higher priorities. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention configured as described above, a dispensing schedule is determined so as to minimize the number of times the dispensing device is filled with medicine. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the operation of the dispensing device, compared to the case where the dispensing device is operated for each prescription. In addition, since the number of times the drug is filled can be reduced, the efficiency of dispensing work can be improved. Furthermore, by reducing the unevenness in the operation of the dispensing device, the number of situations in which it is necessary to wait until the dispensing device finishes processing is reduced, thereby reducing unnecessary waiting time for staff and suppressing unnecessary long waiting time for patients. Thus, according to the present invention, the dispensing work can be appropriately scheduled taking into account the operation of the dispensing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a dispensing system to which a dispensing schedule creation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a dispensing schedule creation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a dispensing schedule. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the dispensing schedule creation device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a dispensing schedule creation device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a dispensing system 1 to which a dispensing schedule creation device according to this embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the dispensing system 1 of this embodiment is configured to include a dispensing schedule creation device 100, a receipt computer (dispensing receipt computer) 200, and a dispensing device 300. The dispensing device 300 is, for example, a tablet packaging machine, a powder / tablet packaging machine, a powder / tablet single packing machine, a liquid medicine dispensing machine, a fully automatic drug dispensing machine, etc. The dispensing schedule creation device 100 and the receipt computer 200, and the receipt computer 200 and the dispensing device 300 are connected, for example, by a LAN in a dispensing pharmacy. Here, the dispensing schedule creation device 100 and the receipt computer 200 are configured separately, but the receipt computer 200 may have the function of the dispensing schedule creation device 100.

[0013] The dispensing schedule creation device 100 is connected to a dispensing reservation system 400 via a communication network 500 such as the Internet or a mobile phone network, and is linked to the dispensing reservation system 400. A patient can visit a dispensing pharmacy to request dispensing, or can access the dispensing reservation system 400 from a patient terminal (not shown) to request (reserve) dispensing.

[0014] When visiting a dispensing pharmacy to request dispensing, the patient hands the prescription to a staff member at the dispensing pharmacy and tells the staff the planned date and time (desired date and time) of the patient's visit to receive the medication. The planned date and time of the visit may be the desired time on the same day, the desired time the next day or later, or immediately (when the patient waits in the pharmacy). On the other hand, when accessing the dispensing reservation system 400 from a patient terminal to request dispensing, the patient photographs the prescription with the patient terminal and transmits the prescription image together with the planned date and time information to the dispensing reservation system 400. The dispensing reservation system 400 transmits the prescription image and the planned date and time information to the dispensing schedule creation device 100.

[0015] Based on the prescription handed over by the patient or the prescription image transmitted from the dispensing reservation system 400 to the dispensing schedule creation device 100, the staff of the dispensing pharmacy inputs information indicating the contents of the prescription (hereinafter referred to as prescription information) into the dispensing schedule creation device 100. The prescription information includes information such as the patient's name, the type and amount of the prescribed drug, the number of days for which the prescription is prescribed, and the dispensing method. The dispensing method indicates whether or not the drug is packaged in a single package (packaging multiple prescribed drugs in a bag for each dose) or whether or not the drug is packaged separately (using separate packaging paper from other drugs).

[0016] The dispensing schedule creation device 100 creates a dispensing schedule indicating the execution schedule of multiple dispensings based on the input prescription information and the scheduled visit date and time information, and supplies the dispensing schedule to the receipt computer 200. This dispensing schedule includes an operation schedule of the dispensing device 300, a preparation schedule for preparation described below, and a work schedule for dispensing manually performed by staff. In this embodiment, the operation schedule, preparation schedule, and work schedule are collectively called the dispensing schedule.

[0017] The receipt computer 200 issues an operation instruction to the dispensing device 300 according to the operation schedule created by the dispensing schedule creation device 100, and operates the dispensing device 300. This operation instruction includes an instruction to immediately operate the dispensing device 300 and an instruction to operate at a specified time. Note that the receipt computer 200 may not issue an operation instruction to the dispensing device 300, but may display the operation schedule on a screen so that staff can manually operate the dispensing device 300 according to the operation schedule.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the dispensing schedule creation device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the dispensing schedule creation device 100 of this embodiment includes, as functional configurations, a prescription information input unit 11, a scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12, an equipment operation schedule determination unit 13, a pre-preparation schedule determination unit 14, and a priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15. In addition, the dispensing schedule creation device 100 of this embodiment includes, as storage media, a capacity information storage unit 101, a pre-preparation information storage unit 102, and a dispensing schedule storage unit 103.

[0019] Each of the functional blocks 11 to 15 can be configured by any of hardware, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and software. For example, when configured by software, each of the functional blocks 11 to 15 is actually configured with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. of a computer, and is realized by the operation of a program stored in a recording medium such as the RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory.

[0020] The prescription information input unit 11 inputs prescription information as described above. The scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12 inputs scheduled visit date and time information of the patient as described above. The device operation schedule determination unit 13 determines one or more prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug filling based on the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11, the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input by the filling volume information indicating the drug filling volume available for the dispensing device 300, and dispensing time information indicating the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device 300, and determines an operation schedule for the dispensing device 300 for the one or more prescriptions.

[0021] Here, filling volume information indicating the volume of medicine that can be filled into the dispensing device 300 is stored in advance in the volume information storage unit 101. The dispensing device 300 is provided with a cartridge for loading medicine to be used for dispensing. When dispensing, the cartridge is filled with the necessary medicine and then loaded into the dispensing device 300. The volume information storage unit 101 stores the maximum volume of medicine that can be filled into the cartridge for each type of medicine. The device operation schedule determination unit 13 reads filling volume information related to the medicine indicated by the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11 from the volume information storage unit 101.

[0022] The time required for dispensing by the dispensing device 300 is calculated by the device operation schedule determination unit 13 based on the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11. As described above, the prescription information includes information such as the type and amount of the prescribed drug, the number of days of prescription, and the dispensing method. The device operation schedule determination unit 13 calculates the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device 300 based on this information. In this case, the calculation algorithm is arbitrary.

[0023] For example, the time required per unit amount and per unit prescription days, and the time required for packaging or packing may be stored in advance as table information for each type of dispensing, and the time required for dispensing may be calculated by referring to this table information. Alternatively, an index value indicating the complexity of dispensing may be calculated using a predetermined function with information such as the type and amount of the prescribed drug and the dispensing method as explanatory variables, and the time required for dispensing may be calculated by referring to table information configured by relating the index value to the time required for dispensing. Other calculation methods may also be used.

[0024] The equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 first determines whether or not the prescription can be dispensed using the dispensing equipment 300, based on the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11. Prescriptions that can be dispensed using the dispensing equipment 300 include prescriptions that can be dispensed by simply using the dispensing equipment 300, as well as prescriptions that require both dispensing using the dispensing equipment 300 and dispensing manually by staff.

[0025] Whether or not a prescription can be dispensed using the dispensing device 300 can be determined, for example, by referring to table information indicating whether or not the dispensing device 300 is to be used for each type of dispensing. Alternatively, the determination may be based on flag information set by the staff when inputting the prescription information. In this case, when inputting the prescription information, the staff determines whether or not the prescription requires the use of the dispensing device 300 and sets the flag information. In this case, the prescription information is configured to include the flag information set by the staff.

[0026] In the case of prescriptions that can be dispensed using the dispensing device 300, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 further determines whether or not there are prescriptions for which dispensing can be performed by filling a cartridge with medicine at one time. A plurality of prescriptions for which dispensing can be performed by filling a cartridge with medicine at one time are typically prescriptions for which the same type of medicine (although the amounts may differ) is prescribed, and the amount of medicine required for dispensing based on the plurality of prescriptions can be filled into the cartridge.

[0027] When there are multiple prescriptions as described above, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 determines whether the dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time of all patients corresponding to the multiple prescriptions, taking into consideration the dispensing time required when dispensing based on the multiple prescriptions. If it is determined that the dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time of all patients, the multiple prescriptions are determined to be "multiple prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with a single drug refill." Otherwise, it is determined to be "one prescription for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with a single drug refill."

[0028] The device operation schedule determination unit 13 determines an operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 for one or more prescriptions (one or a plurality of prescriptions) determined as described above. Then, information on the determined operation schedule is stored in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103.

[0029] For example, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 determines the operation schedule of the dispensing equipment 30 according to the latest scheduled visit date and time among one or more scheduled visit date and time information corresponding to one or more prescriptions. As a specific example, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 determines the operation schedule of the dispensing equipment 300 for one or more prescriptions by setting the operation of the dispensing equipment 300 to start at a time (hereinafter referred to as a scheduled dispensing start time) that is a dispensing time required before the scheduled dispensing completion time so that dispensing is completed at the last scheduled visit date and time of the patient corresponding to one or more prescriptions or a time a predetermined time before that (hereinafter referred to as a scheduled dispensing completion time).

[0030] At this time, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 may determine the operation schedule to be the latest time slot among the available times during which the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device 300 can be secured. For example, when the scheduled dispensing completion time cannot be set to the last scheduled visit date and time of the patient corresponding to one or more prescriptions or a time a predetermined time earlier than that (when it overlaps with another operation schedule), or when the scheduled dispensing completion time can be set to the last scheduled visit date and time of the patient or a time a predetermined time earlier than that but the scheduled dispensing start time cannot be set to a time that is earlier than the time required for dispensing, the operation schedule may be determined to be the available time slot before that.

[0031] When a new prescription is received from a patient's visit or an external reservation, that is, when new prescription information is input by the prescription information input unit 11, there may be an operation schedule already determined for the dispensing device 300 (hereinafter, referred to as the determined operation schedule). In this case, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 determines whether or not dispensing based on the new prescription can be incorporated into the determined operation schedule. Whether or not it can be incorporated is determined from the viewpoint of whether or not multiple prescriptions formed when incorporated correspond to the above-mentioned "multiple prescriptions whose dispensing is completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug refill."

[0032] Here, if it is determined that dispensing based on a new prescription can be incorporated into the determined operation schedule, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 incorporates the dispensing based on a new prescription into the determined operation schedule and redetermines the operation schedule. If dispensing based on a new prescription is incorporated, the dispensing time required will be longer. Therefore, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 redetermines an operation schedule such that the scheduled dispensing start time is brought forward while maintaining the scheduled dispensing completion time.

[0033] However, if the planned start time of dispensing is brought forward according to the recalculated dispensing time, and if it overlaps with other operation schedules that have already been determined, dispensing based on a new prescription is not incorporated into the determined operation schedule. Alternatively, if other operation schedules can be brought forward, the other operation schedules may be brought forward and then dispensing based on a new prescription may be incorporated into the determined operation schedule to re-determine the operation schedule. Note that if the planned start time of dispensing is brought forward and it overlaps with other operation schedules that have already been determined, since the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 and the work schedule of the staff can be carried out in parallel, it is not necessary to bring forward the work schedule, but it may be brought forward if possible.

[0034] On the other hand, when it is determined that dispensing based on a new prescription cannot be incorporated into the determined operation schedule, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 sets an operation schedule for the dispensing device 300 for the new prescription separately from the determined operation schedule. In this case, the new prescription corresponds to the above-mentioned "one prescription for which dispensing is completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug filling." Also, when a new prescription is received due to a patient's visit or an external reservation, even if there is no determined operation schedule for the dispensing device 300, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 determines a new operation schedule for the dispensing device 300 for the new prescription as "one prescription for which dispensing is completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug filling."

[0035] In this way, when a new operation schedule is determined for one prescription, if the planned dispensing start time overlaps with another dispensing schedule, the operation schedule is determined in the same manner as described above. That is, the operation schedule is determined in a time period that can be set in free time. Alternatively, the operation schedule may be determined by moving forward the other dispensing schedule that overlaps with the other dispensing schedule.

[0036] When the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11 corresponds to a prescription that requires both dispensing using the dispensing device 300 and dispensing manually by staff, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 also determines the work schedule of the staff in conjunction with the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300. In this case, the work schedule may be performed in parallel in the same time period as the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300, or may be performed in a time period before or after the operation schedule.

[0037] The preparation schedule determination unit 14 determines a preparation schedule based on information about preparations for patients who have scheduled visit cycles, so that preparation will be completed by the next scheduled visit date. Information about patient preparations is stored in advance in the preparation information storage unit 102. The information about preparations includes information indicating the visit cycle (information indicating when the patient will next visit), as well as information similar to the prescription information, such as the patient's name, the type and amount of the drug to be dispensed, the prescription period, and the preparation method.

[0038] For example, in cases where the type and amount of medication to be taken is known in advance, such as with patients with chronic diseases or patients residing in nursing homes, the patient will visit the pharmacy on a set cycle and medication will be dispensed. Pre-preparation (also called preparation) refers to dispensing medication for patients who are scheduled to visit the pharmacy on such a cycle before the patient visits the pharmacy. In particular, dispensing medication for nursing homes often involves dispensing medication for multiple residents on the same visit cycle, and often involves complex dispensing such as packaging in individual packets or individual packets, which takes a lot of time. Therefore, appropriately determining such a pre-preparation schedule is extremely useful in terms of improving the efficiency of dispensing work.

[0039] The pre-preparation schedule determination unit 14 determines a pre-preparation schedule for one or more patients who are scheduled to visit the pharmacy in the same visit cycle. At this time, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 calculates the dispensing time required for dispensing to the one or more patients. Then, the pre-preparation schedule for the one or more patients is determined so that the next scheduled visit date and time based on the visit cycle or a time a predetermined time before that is set as the scheduled dispensing completion time, and the time obtained by counting back the scheduled dispensing completion time by the required dispensing time is set as the scheduled dispensing start time. Then, information on the determined pre-preparation schedule is stored in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103. When the dispensing equipment 300 is used in determining this pre-preparation schedule, the operation schedule of the dispensing equipment 300 is determined in the same manner as described above.

[0040] In addition, the next preparatory schedule based on the visit cycle can be determined at any timing immediately after the planned dispensing completion time indicated in the preparatory schedule and stored in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103. In the case of preparatory preparation in which dispensing is completed simply by using the dispensing device 300, it is also possible to determine a preparatory schedule that operates the dispensing device 300 outside business hours.

[0041] The priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 determines the priority of the prescription based on the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12, and determines a dispensing work schedule other than the operation schedule (including associated work schedules) determined by the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 and other than the preparation schedule determined by the preparation schedule determination unit 14, so that the higher the priority of the prescription, the earlier the dispensing start time.

[0042] Here, the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 determines the priority so that the earlier the scheduled visit date and time is, the higher the priority is, and determines the work schedule so that the higher the priority is, the earlier the dispensing start time is. Since the work schedule determined here is for dispensing performed manually by staff without using the dispensing device 300, it does not matter if the scheduled dispensing start time overlaps with the operation schedule 31 of the dispensing device 300.

[0043] For example, for prescriptions for which a scheduled visit time is specified, the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 determines the work schedule by setting the scheduled visit time on that day or a time a specified time earlier as the scheduled dispensing completion time, and setting the time obtained by counting back the time required for dispensing from the scheduled dispensing completion time as the scheduled dispensing start time. On the other hand, for prescriptions for which a scheduled visit time is not specified (prescriptions for immediate collection), the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 sets a high priority, and determines the work schedule in the order in which the prescriptions are received, starting from the one with the earliest available time.

[0044] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a dispensing schedule determined by the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13, the preparation schedule determination unit 14, and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15. Here, the dispensing schedule for a certain day of a dispensing pharmacy is shown. In Fig. 3, the business hours of the dispensing pharmacy are 9:00 to 17:00, and the dispensing equipment 300 can be operated until 21:00 after the business hours are over.

[0045] 3, the schedule indicated by the reference symbol 31 is the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 determined by the device operation schedule determination unit 13. This operation schedule 31 is a schedule determined for one or more prescriptions that are received on the day or before and that use the dispensing device 300 for dispensing, and that will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with a single drug filling. The time period of this operation schedule 31 is set according to the latest scheduled visit date and time among one or more scheduled visit dates and times for one or more prescriptions to be combined.

[0046] The schedule indicated by the reference symbol 32 is a preparation schedule determined by the preparation schedule determination unit 14. This preparation schedule 32 relates to preparation that can be performed only by operating the dispensing device 300, and is set as a schedule for dispensing using the dispensing device 300 after the business hours of the day are over (operation schedule of the dispensing device 300). In other words, the next scheduled visit date and time based on the visit cycle is the next day, and the preparation of the medicine to be handed over the next day is scheduled by operating the dispensing device 300 outside of business hours.

[0047] In the case where there are multiple patients who will have the same next scheduled visit date and time based on the same visit cycle, such as residents of a nursing home, it is preferable to determine a pre-preparation schedule using the time outside business hours in this manner. On the other hand, in the case where there are not multiple patients who will have the same next scheduled visit date and time based on the same visit cycle, such as patients with chronic diseases, it is not necessarily effective to determine a pre-preparation schedule using the time outside business hours, and a pre-preparation schedule may be determined during business hours. If a pre-preparation schedule is set within business hours, when this is the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300, it is also possible to later incorporate dispensing for other prescriptions and redetermine the operation schedule.

[0048] The schedule indicated by the reference numeral 33 indicates a work schedule for prescriptions for which a scheduled visit time for the day is specified, among the dispensing work schedules determined by the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15. For prescriptions for which a scheduled visit time for the day is specified, dispensing only needs to be completed by the scheduled visit time, and this includes cases where dispensing does not necessarily need to start immediately after receipt of the prescription. Therefore, the priority is not necessarily set high.

[0049] The schedule indicated by the reference symbol 34 indicates a work schedule for prescriptions for which a scheduled visit time on the day is not specified, among the work schedules determined by the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15. In this regard, the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 determines the work schedule so that prescriptions are dispensed in the order in which they are received, starting from the one with the earliest available time.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 3, for prescriptions for which a scheduled visit date and time is specified, the schedule is determined to be as late as possible in accordance with the scheduled visit date and time, including the operation schedule 31 of the dispensing device 300 and the staff work schedule 33. In addition, for the preliminary preparation schedule 32 for which the next scheduled visit date and time is set based on the visit cycle, the schedule is determined to be outside business hours if possible. This makes it possible to secure as much free time as possible in the early hours of business hours, and to determine the dispensing schedule for prescriptions for immediate collection so as to minimize waiting time for patients.

[0051] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the dispensing schedule creation device 100 configured as described above. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 shows the process when one new prescription is received from a patient, and does not include the process related to the determination of the pre-preparation schedule. The determination of the pre-preparation schedule is performed asynchronously, separately from the flowchart shown in Fig. 4.

[0052] First, the prescription information input unit 11 inputs prescription information indicating the contents of a new prescription received from a patient (step S1). The scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12 inputs the patient's scheduled visit date and time information (step S2). Next, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 determines whether the received new prescription can be dispensed using the dispensing equipment 300 based on the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11 (step S3).

[0053] When it is determined that the new prescription can be dispensed using the dispensing device 300, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 determines whether or not there is a determined operation schedule for the operation of the dispensing device 300 (step S4). If there is no determined operation schedule, the device operation schedule determination unit 13 determines a new operation schedule for the dispensing device 300 for the accepted new prescription and stores the determined contents in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103 (step S5).

[0054] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a determined operation schedule, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 determines whether or not dispensing based on a new prescription can be incorporated into the determined operation schedule (step S6). If it is determined that dispensing based on a new prescription cannot be incorporated into the determined operation schedule, the process proceeds to step S5. That is, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 determines a new operation schedule for the dispensing equipment 300 for the accepted new prescription, and stores the determined contents in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103.

[0055] On the other hand, if it is determined that the dispensing based on the new prescription can be incorporated into the previously determined operation schedule, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 incorporates the dispensing based on the new prescription into the previously determined operation schedule, re-determines the operation schedule, and stores the re-determined content in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103 (step S7).

[0056] If it is determined in step S3 that the new prescription is not one that can be dispensed using the dispensing device 300, the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 determines the priority of the prescription based on the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12 in step S2, and determines the dispensing work schedule by searching for available time according to the determined priority so that the dispensing start time is earlier for prescriptions with higher priorities (step S8). By executing any of the processes in steps S5, S7, or S8, the process of determining the dispensing schedule for one accepted prescription is completed.

[0057] As described above in detail, in this embodiment, for prescriptions that use the dispensing device 300, one or more prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug filling are determined based on prescription information indicating the contents of the prescription, scheduled visit date and time information indicating the scheduled date and time when the patient will visit the pharmacy to receive the drug, filling volume information indicating the drug filling volume that can be filled into the dispensing device 300, and dispensing time information indicating the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device 300, and an operation schedule for the dispensing device 300 for the one or more prescriptions is determined. In addition, for prescriptions that do not use the dispensing device 300, the priority of the prescription is determined based on the scheduled visit date and time information, and a dispensing work schedule is determined according to the determined priority such that the dispensing start time is earlier for prescriptions with higher priorities.

[0058] According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 is determined so as to minimize the number of times the drug is filled into the cartridge of the dispensing device 300 (the number of times the cartridge is replaced). This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of irregularities in the operation of the dispensing device 300, compared to the case where the dispensing device 300 is operated for each prescription. In addition, since the number of times the drug is filled can be reduced, the efficiency of dispensing work can be improved. In addition, by reducing the irregularities in the operation of the dispensing device 300, the number of situations in which it is necessary to wait until the dispensing device 300 finishes processing is reduced, and unnecessary waiting time for staff can be reduced, and unnecessary long waiting time for patients can be suppressed. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the dispensing work can be appropriately scheduled in consideration of the operation of the dispensing device 300.

[0059] In this embodiment, for preparations for patients who have a scheduled visit cycle, a preparation schedule is also determined in advance so that preparation is completed by the next scheduled visit date, and the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 and work schedules other than the preparation schedule are determined according to the priority of the scheduled visit date and time. When determining the preparation schedule, it is also possible to determine a schedule for dispensing using the dispensing device 300 outside the business hours of the dispensing pharmacy. In this way, the preparation schedule is determined based on the visit cycle that is known in advance, and the dispensing work can be appropriately scheduled by effectively utilizing free time.

[0060] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a dispensing schedule for a new prescription is determined each time the new prescription is received, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for a patient whose scheduled visit date and time is the next day or later, a dispensing schedule may be stored without being immediately determined, and dispensing schedules for one or more stored prescriptions may be determined collectively later. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a dispensing schedule creation device 100' in such a modified example.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 5, the dispensing schedule creation device 100' according to the modified example further includes a prescription stock unit 16 as a functional configuration, and further includes a prescription information storage unit 104 as a storage medium. In addition, the dispensing schedule creation device 100' according to the modified example includes an equipment operation schedule determination unit 13' and a priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15' instead of the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13 and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15 shown in Fig. 2. The other configurations are the same as those shown in Fig. 2.

[0062] The prescription stock unit 16 judges whether the scheduled visit date and time is the next day or later based on the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12 when a new prescription is received due to a patient's visit or an external reservation, and if it is the next day or later, stocks the new prescription without determining the dispensing schedule for the new prescription at that time. That is, the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit 11 and the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input unit 12 are stored in the prescription information storage unit 104, and the processing of the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13' and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15' is not executed at that time. On the other hand, for a prescription with a scheduled visit date and time of the same day, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13' and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15' determine the dispensing schedule for the new prescription at that time as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0063] At a preset predetermined time, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13' and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15' determine a dispensing schedule for one or more new prescriptions whose prescription information has been stored in the prescription information storage unit 104 by the prescription stock unit 16 after the preset predetermined time. For example, at the closing time of the business hours of the dispensing pharmacy, the equipment operation schedule determination unit 13' and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit 15' determine a dispensing schedule for one or more new prescriptions that have been stored during business hours of that day, including time periods outside of business hours of that day.

[0064] According to the modified example configured in this way, when the stocked prescriptions include multiple items for which the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 is to be determined, these can be determined together as one operation schedule, thereby reducing the frequency of the process of re-determining the operation schedule by incorporating additional prescriptions into the operation schedule of the dispensing device 300 that has already been determined. In addition, it is also possible to determine that prescriptions with close scheduled visit dates and times are grouped together as one operation schedule, making it possible to create a schedule with higher operation efficiency.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the dispensing schedule information stored in the dispensing schedule storage unit 103 may be displayed on the display of the dispensing schedule creation device 100 so that the staff can check the contents of the created dispensing schedule. In this case, it may be made clear which prescription of which patient can be dispensed with one drug refill and which prescription requires drug refilling into the cartridge. Also, the dispensing schedule may be displayed in a manner that allows the operation schedule, the preparation schedule, and the work schedule to be identified.

[0066] In the above embodiment, when the dispensing schedule cannot be determined according to the scheduled visit date and time desired by the patient, the schedule may be determined so that the dispensing is performed in the earliest available time slot, and an alert message to the effect that the dispensing schedule cannot be determined according to the scheduled visit date and time may be displayed on the display of the dispensing schedule creation device 100. For patients who have made a reservation from a patient terminal through the dispensing reservation system 400, an alert message to the effect that the dispensing schedule cannot be determined according to the scheduled visit date and time and the actual scheduled dispensing completion date and time may be displayed on the patient terminal.

[0067] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited thereby. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 11 Prescription information input section 12 Scheduled visit date and time information input section 13,13' Equipment Operation Schedule Decision Department 14. Pre-production Planning Department 15,15' Priority Dispensing Schedule Decision Department 16 Prescription Stock Department 100,100' Dispensing schedule creation device

Claims

1. A prescription information input unit for inputting prescription information indicating the contents of a prescription; a planned visit date and time information input unit for inputting planned visit date and time information indicating the planned date and time when a patient visits the pharmacy to receive medication; an equipment operation schedule determination unit which determines one or more prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with a single drug filling based on the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit, the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input unit, filling volume information which is stored in advance for each type of drug in a volume information storage unit as information indicating the drug fillable volume of the dispensing device, and dispensing time information indicating the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device, and determines an operation schedule of the dispensing device for the one or more prescriptions; a priority dispensing schedule determination unit that determines a priority of a prescription based on the scheduled visit date and time information, and determines a dispensing schedule other than the operation schedule determined by the device operation schedule determination unit in accordance with the determined priority such that the dispensing start time of a prescription with a higher priority is earlier, The equipment operation schedule determination unit is When it is determined that the dispensing of the one or more prescriptions can be performed by one drug filling into the dispensing device based on the amount of drug required for dispensing indicated by the one or more prescription information in which the same type of drug is prescribed and the filling volume information for the drug read from the volume information storage unit, and when it is determined that the dispensing of the one or more prescriptions can be completed by the scheduled visit date and time of all patients corresponding to the one or more prescriptions based on the prescription information or a predetermined function value calculated from the prescription information and the required time for dispensing of the one or more prescriptions by the dispensing device obtained by referring to predetermined table information based on the prescription information or a predetermined function value calculated from the prescription information, and the scheduled visit date and time of patients indicated by the scheduled visit date and time information, it is determined that the one or more prescriptions are prescriptions for which dispensing can be completed by the scheduled visit date and time of all patients corresponding to the one or more prescriptions with the one drug filling. A dispensing schedule creation device comprising:

2. a preparation schedule determination unit which determines a preparation schedule such that a time required for preparation of the preparation by the preparation device is acquired by referring to predetermined table information based on information on preparation previously stored in a preparation information storage unit for a patient with a scheduled visit cycle or a predetermined function value calculated from the information on the preparation, and a preparation schedule is determined such that a time required for preparation of the preparation by the preparation device is set to a scheduled dispensing completion time of the next scheduled visit date and time based on the visit cycle or a time a predetermined time earlier than that, and a time obtained by retroactively calculating the time required for preparation of the preparation from the scheduled dispensing completion time is set to a scheduled dispensing start time, The priority dispensing schedule determination unit determines the priority of the prescription based on the scheduled visit date and time information, and determines a dispensing schedule other than the operation schedule determined by the equipment operation schedule determination unit and the preliminary preparation schedule determined by the preliminary preparation schedule determination unit, so that the prescription with a higher priority has an earlier dispensing start time in accordance with the determined priority.

2. The dispensing schedule creation device according to claim 1.

3. 3. The dispensing schedule creation device according to claim 1, wherein the equipment operation schedule determination unit determines the operation schedule of the dispensing equipment in accordance with the latest scheduled visit date and time among one or more scheduled visit date and time information corresponding to the one or more prescriptions.

4. The equipment operation schedule determination unit is determining an operation schedule for the pharmacy dispensing device according to the latest scheduled visit date and time of the patient corresponding to the one or more prescriptions as a scheduled dispensing completion time, and determining a time obtained by going back from the scheduled dispensing completion time to a time required for dispensing by the pharmacy dispensing device as a scheduled dispensing start time, and determining an operation schedule for the pharmacy dispensing device according to the latest scheduled visit date and time; When it is not possible to determine the operation schedule of the dispensing device in accordance with the latest scheduled visit date and time, the operation schedule of the dispensing device is determined to be the latest time period among available times before the scheduled start time of dispensing during which the time required for dispensing by the dispensing device can be secured.

4. The dispensing schedule creation device according to claim 3.

5. The dispensing schedule creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when a new prescription is accepted due to a patient's visit or an external reservation, if there is a previously determined operation schedule for the dispensing device, the equipment operation schedule determination unit determines whether or not a plurality of prescriptions formed by the new prescription and an existing prescription incorporated in the previously determined operation schedule are prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with one drug filling, and if it is determined that the plurality of prescriptions are such prescriptions, re-executes a process of determining the operation schedule using the new prescription and the existing prescription incorporated in the previously determined operation schedule.

6. 6. The dispensing schedule creation device according to claim 5, wherein when it is determined that the multiple prescriptions formed by the new prescription and the existing prescription are not multiple prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with the drug filling at one time, the equipment operation schedule determination unit sets an operation schedule of the dispensing equipment for the new prescription separately from the determined operation schedule.

7. a prescription stocking unit that determines whether the scheduled visit date and time is the next day or later based on the scheduled visit date and time information input when a new prescription is received based on a patient's visit or an external reservation, and if it is the next day or later, stores the new prescription without determining a dispensing schedule for the new prescription at that time, The device operation schedule determination unit and the priority dispensing schedule determination unit determine, when a predetermined time is reached, an operation schedule of the dispensing device and a dispensing schedule other than the operation schedule for one or more new prescriptions stored by the prescription storage unit after the predetermined time.

5. The dispensing schedule creation device according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing schedule creation device is a device for creating a dispensing schedule.

8. A step in which a prescription information input unit of the dispensing schedule creation device inputs prescription information indicating the contents of a prescription; a step in which a visit scheduled date and time information input unit of the dispensing schedule creation device inputs visit scheduled date and time information indicating a date and time when a patient plans to visit the pharmacy to receive a medicine; a step in which an equipment operation schedule determination unit of the dispensing schedule creation device determines one or more prescriptions for which dispensing will be completed by the scheduled visit date and time with a single drug filling based on the prescription information input by the prescription information input unit, the scheduled visit date and time information input by the scheduled visit date and time information input unit, filling volume information stored in advance for each type of drug in a volume information storage unit as information indicating a drug fillable volume for the dispensing device, and dispensing time information indicating a time required for dispensing by the dispensing device, and determines an operation schedule of the dispensing device for the one or more prescriptions; a step in which a priority dispensing schedule determination unit of the dispensing schedule creation device determines a priority of a prescription based on the scheduled visit date and time information, and determines a dispensing schedule other than the operation schedule determined by the equipment operation schedule determination unit in accordance with the determined priority such that the dispensing start time of a prescription with a higher priority is earlier; The equipment operation schedule determination unit is When it is determined that the dispensing of the one or more prescriptions can be performed by one drug filling into the dispensing device based on the amount of drug required for dispensing indicated by the one or more prescription information in which the same type of drug is prescribed and the filling volume information for the drug read from the volume information storage unit, and when it is determined that the dispensing of the one or more prescriptions can be completed by the scheduled visit date and time of all patients corresponding to the one or more prescriptions based on the prescription information or a predetermined function value calculated from the prescription information and the required time for dispensing of the one or more prescriptions by the dispensing device obtained by referring to predetermined table information based on the prescription information or a predetermined function value calculated from the prescription information, and the scheduled visit date and time of patients indicated by the scheduled visit date and time information, it is determined that the one or more prescriptions are prescriptions for which dispensing can be completed by the scheduled visit date and time of all patients corresponding to the one or more prescriptions with the one drug filling. A method for creating a prescription schedule.

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