Medication Support System, Medication Support Method, and Medication Support Program

Abstract

Provided are a medication support system, a medication support method, and a medication support program that are easy to use even by foreign workers or inexperienced medication assistants, and that also impose a low psychological burden on the person taking the medication. 【Solution means】The medication support system uses a mobile terminal having a face photographing unit and a medicine package photographing unit. A face image data is generated from a photograph of the face of the person scheduled to take the medicine taken by the face photographing unit, and using a resident information database in which the face data and name of the resident receiving the medication care are set, a medication scheduled person name acquisition unit that acquires the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine as the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine, a medicine package display name acquisition unit that performs character recognition processing on the photograph of the medicine package taken by the medicine package photographing unit and acquires the name displayed on the medicine package as the medicine package display name, and a verification unit that collates the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine and the name displayed on the medicine package and verifies whether the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine and the name displayed on the medicine package match, and acquires the name displayed on the medicine package after acquiring the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a medication support system, a medication support method, and a medication support program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the aging society has advanced, and many elderly people live in facilities for the elderly, such as nursing homes and care facilities. The proportion of elderly people with multiple underlying diseases is high, and most elderly people take medicine regularly, and it is not uncommon for those who have been prescribed six or more medicines. Since multiple medicines are prescribed, they are prescribed in the form of a medicine pack in which multiple medicines are bundled together. The medicine pack indicates the name of the resident for whom it is prescribed, the time zone for taking the medicine, and the like.

[0003] Currently, in facilities for the elderly, the staff of the facility sorts the medicine packs for each resident and hands them to the residents at appropriate time zones for taking the medicine. Since many residents live in the facility and the facility receives and stores medicine packs for 1 to 2 weeks from the pharmacy for each resident, the staff needs to select the appropriate medicine pack from a large number of medicine packs and let the corresponding resident take the medicine.

[0004] To prevent the occurrence of wrong medicine caused by the staff accidentally handing over different medicine packs to the residents, the staff provides medication assistance while taking precautions. If wrong medicine occurs due to the mistake of the staff and the physical condition of the resident deteriorates, the social credibility of the facility will be damaged. Therefore, the staff who provides medication assistance is under great mental stress.

[0005] To suppress the occurrence of wrong medicine due to the mistake of the staff, for example, there are medication support systems as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, first, the medicine pack is photographed and the name written on it is extracted as the printed name. Next, the face of the user is photographed, and the corresponding name of the image is extracted from the database of the registered face image data by the face recognition system, and it is verified whether the printed name and the corresponding name of the image are the same. If it can be verified that they are the same, a certification success display is shown indicating that the correct user has been certified.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Document

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, there are the following problems. In a facility, one staff member is in charge of the medication of multiple residents. In today's labor shortage situation, the number of foreign worker staff members has also increased, and many staff members have difficulty reading names written in Japanese such as Chinese characters. Even if such a staff member can memorize the face and name of a resident in agreement, when looking at the name written in Chinese characters or the like, they cannot recognize which resident the named resident is.

[0008] Also, there are staff members with little experience in the medication operation, and there are also staff members who are experienced and proficient but have just started working at the facility. In the case of such staff members, even if there is no problem in reading the name written on the medicine package, they may not be able to memorize the name and face of the resident in agreement.

[0009] When such a staff member uses the medication support system of Patent Documents 1 and 2, after taking a photo of the medicine package and the printed name is extracted, since it is not known which resident the resident is, it is necessary to search for the corresponding resident from among many residents. Therefore, the labor of the staff member becomes great.

[0010] Also, when taking pictures of the faces of residents one after another to find the corresponding resident, since many residents have an aversion to having their faces photographed, the psychological burden on the residents cannot be ignored.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a medication support system, a medication support method, and a medication support program that are easy to use even by foreign workers or inexperienced medication assistants and that impose less psychological burden on the person taking the medication.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0014] The medication support system according to the 1 aspect of the present invention is a medication support system that supports medication assistance using a portable terminal having a face photographing unit that photographs a face photograph of a person scheduled to take medication and a medication package photographing unit that photographs a photograph of a medication package, wherein face image data is generated from the face photograph of the person scheduled to take medication photographed by the face photographing unit, and a person's name acquisition unit that acquires the name of the person scheduled to take medication as the name of the person scheduled to take medication using an occupant information database in which face data and name of an occupant receiving medication care are set; a medication package display name acquisition unit that performs character recognition processing on the photograph of the medication package photographed by the medication package photographing unit and acquires the name displayed on the medication package as the medication package display name; and an authentication unit that collates the name of the person scheduled to take medication with the medication package display name and authenticates whether the name of the person scheduled to take medication matches the medication package display name, and the medication package display name is acquired after the name of the person scheduled to take medication is acquired, and when the medication package photographing unit is activated, a skip button is displayed on the screen of the portable terminal, and when a skip operation is performed, the name of the person scheduled to take medication is acquired as the medication package display name, which is characterized in that.

[0015] This The medication support method according to the 2 aspect of the invention is a medication support method used in a medication support system that supports medication assistance using a portable terminal having a face photographing unit that photographs a face photograph of a person scheduled to take medication and a medication package photographing unit that photographs a photograph of a medication package, wherein ​The computer generates face image data from a photo of the face of the person scheduled to take medicine taken by the face photographing unit, and uses an occupant information database in which face data and names of occupants receiving medicine care are set to obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medicine as the name of the person scheduled to take medicine. The computer performs character recognition processing on the photo of the medicine package taken by the medicine package photographing unit, and obtains the name displayed on the medicine package as the name displayed on the medicine package. The computer collates the name of the person scheduled to take medicine with the name displayed on the medicine package, and authenticates whether the name of the person scheduled to take medicine matches the name displayed on the medicine package. After the computer obtains the name of the person scheduled to take medicine, it obtains the name displayed on the medicine package. When the computer activates the medicine package photographing unit, it displays a skip button on the screen of the mobile terminal. If a skip operation is performed, it obtains the name of the person scheduled to take medicine as the name displayed on the medicine package. It is characterized by the above.

[0016] This The first 3 The medicine-taking support program according to the aspect of the invention is A medicine-taking support program used in a medicine-taking support system that supports medicine-taking assistance using a mobile terminal having a face photographing unit that photographs a photo of the face of a person scheduled to take medicine and a medicine package photographing unit that photographs a photo of a medicine package, On the computer, A medicine-scheduled person name acquisition process for generating face image data from a photo of the face of the person scheduled to take medicine taken by the face photographing unit, and using an occupant information database in which face data and names of occupants receiving medicine care are set to obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medicine as the name of the person scheduled to take medicine, A medicine package display name acquisition process for performing character recognition processing on the photo of the medicine package taken by the medicine package photographing unit and obtaining the name displayed on the medicine package as the medicine package display name, An authentication process for collating the name of the person scheduled to take medicine with the name displayed on the medicine package and authenticating whether the name of the person scheduled to take medicine matches the name displayed on the medicine package, A process of obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine and then obtaining the name to be displayed on the medicine package, When starting the medicine package photographing unit, display a skip button on the screen of the mobile terminal, and when a skip operation is performed, execute a process of obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine as the name to be displayed on the medicine package, which is characterized by.

Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a medicine-taking support system, a medicine-taking support method, and a medicine-taking support program that are easy to use even for foreign workers or inexperienced medicine-taking assistants, and that also impose less psychological burden on the medicine-taker.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] The medicine-taking support system, medicine-taking support method, and medicine-taking support program according to the present embodiment contribute to preventing wrong medicine due to human error of the person in charge of medicine-taking assistance in facilities such as nursing facilities such as nursing homes where a plurality of elderly people live, and medical institutions such as hospitals where a plurality of patients are admitted, and also reduce the burden of the medicine-taking assistance work of the person in charge.

[0020] Hereinafter, the medicine-taking support system, medicine-taking support method, and medicine-taking support program according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the medicine-taking support system 1 includes a mobile terminal 100 and a server 200. The mobile terminal 100 and the server 200 communicate with each other via a network N.

[0021] <Mobile Terminal 100> The mobile terminal 100 is a computer having a display operation screen and a photographing function, such as a smartphone or a tablet, and is operated by a person in charge of the facility.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 113.

[0023] The CPU 111 is an example of a processor and comprehensively controls each part of the mobile terminal 100. The ROM 112 stores various programs. The RAM 113 is a workspace for expanding programs and various data.

[0024] The CPU 111, the ROM 112, and the RAM 113 are connected via a bus or the like and constitute a control unit 110 of a computer configuration. In the control unit 110, various processes are executed by the CPU 111 operating according to a program stored in the storage unit 150 and expanded in the RAM 113.

[0025] The mobile terminal 100 also includes a display unit 120, an operation unit 130, a communication unit 140, a storage unit 150, a face photographing unit 160, a medicine package photographing unit 170, and the like.

[0026] The display unit 120 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 120 displays various information under the control of the CPU 111.

[0027] The operation unit 130 is an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 130 outputs the operation content received from the person in charge to the CPU 111. Note that the operation unit 130 may be a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 120.

[0028] The communication unit 140 is a communication interface for communicating with each device connected to the network N. The communication unit 140 transmits and receives various data to and from the server 200 connected to the network N under the control of the CPU 111.

[0029] The memory unit 150 is an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or SSD (Solid State Drive). The memory unit 150 stores various programs executable by the CPU 111 and various setting information, etc.

[0030] The face photographing unit 160 and the medicine package photographing unit 170 are digital cameras each having an imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The face photographing unit 160 is disposed on the screen side of the mobile terminal 100 and is a so-called in-camera that photographs the screen side. Also, the medicine package photographing unit 170 is disposed on the back side of the mobile terminal 100 and is a so-called out-camera that photographs the back side. The face photographing unit 160 and the medicine package photographing unit 170 output the captured image data obtained by photographing to the CPU 111.

[0031] <Server 200> The server 200 is a computer and is usually managed by an administrator of a facility or the like that operates the medication support system. The server 200 is operated by an administrator of a facility or the like and is used, for example, for inputting information about residents and persons in charge into various databases.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3 for an example of the hardware configuration, the server 200 includes a CPU 211, a ROM 212, and a RAM 213.

[0033] The CPU 211 is an example of a processor and comprehensively controls each part of the server 200. The ROM 212 stores various programs. The RAM 213 is a workspace for developing programs and various data.

[0034] The CPU 211, the ROM 212, and the RAM 213 are connected via a bus or the like and constitute a control unit 210 of a computer configuration. In the control unit 210, various processes are executed by the CPU 211 operating according to the program stored in the memory unit 250 and developed in the RAM 213.

[0035] In addition, the server 200 includes a display unit 220, an operation unit 230, a communication unit 240, a storage unit 250, and the like.

[0036] The display unit 220 is a display device such as an LCD. Under the control of the CPU 211, the display unit 220 displays various types of information. The operation unit 230 is an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 230 outputs the operation content received from an administrator or the like to the CPU 211. Note that the operation unit 230 may be a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 220.

[0037] The communication unit 240 is a communication interface for communicating with each device connected to the network N. Under the control of the CPU 211, the communication unit 240 transmits and receives various types of data to and from the mobile terminal 100 connected to the network N.

[0038] The storage unit 250 is an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, an HDD, or an SSD. The storage unit 250 stores various programs executable by the CPU 211 and various setting information. In addition, the storage unit 250 stores a person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251, a medication scheduler name acquisition unit 252, a medicine package display name acquisition unit 253, an authentication unit 254, a person-in-charge information database 255, an occupant information database 256, a medication information database 257, and the like.

[0039] The person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251 generates person-in-charge face image data from the face photo of the person-in-charge responsible for the photographed medication care, and collates the person-in-charge face image data with the face image data registered in the person-in-charge information database 255. Then, the person-in-charge is identified and the person-in-charge name is acquired. Note that the person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251 identifies the person-in-charge by executing a known face authentication process.

[0040] The medication schedule person name acquisition unit 252 generates medication schedule person face image data from the photographed face image of the medication schedule person, and collates the medication schedule person face image data with the face image data registered in the resident information database 256. Then, the medication schedule person is identified, and the name of the medication schedule person is acquired. Note that the medication schedule person name acquisition unit 252 identifies the medication schedule person by executing a known face authentication process.

[0041] The medicine package display name acquisition unit 253 extracts the character information displayed on the medicine package by performing character authentication on the photographed image data of the medicine package, and acquires the medicine package display name. As the process for performing character authentication, various known character authentication processes can be adopted.

[0042] The authentication unit 254 determines whether it can be authenticated that the character information of the name of the medication schedule person and the character information of the medicine package display name are the same. The authentication unit 254 can make a determination by executing an authentication process for comparing known character data.

[0043] In the person in charge information database 255, the attributes of each person in charge are set. For example, as shown in the configuration example of FIG. 4, information such as a person in charge ID, a person in charge name, kana, and face data are linked and registered. The face data is data generated based on the face image of the person in charge, for example, data obtained by digitizing the face image. In addition, information such as age, gender, and the number of years of experience in the care profession may be registered.

[0044] In the resident information database 256, the attributes of each resident are set. For example, as shown in the configuration example of FIG. 5, information such as a resident facility ID, a resident ID, a resident name, kana, face data, and the floor of residence are linked and registered. The face data is data generated based on the face image of the resident, for example, data obtained by digitizing the face image. In addition, information such as age, gender, and frequently used medications may be registered.

[0045] In the medication information database 257, information on the medication results for each resident for whom medication support has been provided by this medication support system 1 is registered, such as information on when the resident took the medication and which staff member was in charge of the medication administration.

[0046] <Operation of the Medication Support System> Next, the operation of the medication support system 1 will be described.

[0047] Note that the operation procedure of the medication support system 1 described below corresponds to the medication support method.

[0048] Also, the program that realizes the operation of the medication support system 1 corresponds to the medication support program. The medication support program is executed on each device of the mobile terminal 100 and the server 200. The medication support program is loaded into the CPUs 111 and 211 and executed by the CPUs 111 and 211.

[0049] The overall flow showing the operation of the medication support system 1 is shown in FIG. 6. First, by operating the mobile terminal 100 by the staff member, the medication support system 1 is activated and the medication support process is started.

[0050] <Corresponding Staff Member Name Acquisition Process: Step S100> In step S110, the corresponding staff member name acquisition process is executed. The detailed flow of the corresponding staff member name acquisition process is shown in FIG. 7.

[0051] First, the control unit 110 activates the in-camera of the mobile terminal 100 (step S101). Also, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the control unit 110 causes the operation instruction unit 122 of the display unit 120 of the mobile terminal 100 to display an instruction to take a picture of the staff member, for example, "Please take a picture of the staff member".

[0052] The staff member follows the instruction and, as illustrated in FIG. 9, presses the button 121 so that their face enters the frame of the operation instruction unit 122 and takes a picture of their own face (step S102).

[0053] The face photographing unit 160 generates the person-in-charge face image data (step S103), and the generated person-in-charge face image data is transmitted from the mobile terminal 100 to the server 200.

[0054] The server 200 receives the person-in-charge face image data, and it is compared with the face image data of the person-in-charge registered in the person-in-charge information database 255 by the person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251 (step S104). If there is face image data in the person-in-charge information database 255 that can be authenticated as the same as the person-in-charge face image data (step S104: Yes), the person-in-charge name is acquired. The acquired person-in-charge name is stored in the storage unit 250 (step S105), and the information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 100. Then, on the display unit 120 of the mobile terminal 100, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the name of the person-in-charge acquired is displayed on the person-in-charge display unit 123.

[0055] In step S104, if there is no face image data in the person-in-charge information database 255 that can be authenticated as the same (step S104: No), the information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 100. Then, it returns to step S101, the in-camera is activated, and the procedure of instructing to photograph the face of the person-in-charge again is repeated.

[0056] <Medication Scheduler Name Acquisition Process: Step S110> Returning to FIG. 6, after the person-in-charge name is acquired, the process proceeds to the medication scheduler name acquisition process S110. The detailed flow of the medication scheduler name acquisition process is shown in FIG. 11.

[0057] The control unit 110 activates the in-camera of the mobile terminal 100 (step S111). In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the control unit 110 displays an instruction to the person-in-charge on the operation instruction unit 122 of the display unit 120 of the mobile terminal 100, for example, a display such as "Please photograph the person taking the medication".

[0058] The person-in-charge follows the instruction and, as illustrated in FIG. 13, presses the button 121 so that the face of the medication scheduler enters the frame of the operation instruction unit 122, and photographs the face of the medication scheduler (step S112).

[0059] In the face photographing unit 160, face image data of the person scheduled to take medicine is generated (step S113), and the generated face image data of the person scheduled to take medicine is transmitted from the mobile terminal 100 to the server 200.

[0060] At the server 200, the face image data of the person scheduled to take medicine is received and compared with the face image data of the resident registered in the resident information database 256 by the name acquisition unit 252 of the person scheduled to take medicine (step S114). If there is face image data in the resident information database 256 that can be authenticated as the same as the face image data of the person scheduled to take medicine (step S114: Yes), the name of the person scheduled to take medicine is acquired. The acquired name of the person scheduled to take medicine is stored in the storage unit 250 (step S115). Also, information on the name of the person scheduled to take medicine is transmitted to the mobile terminal 100. Then, on the display unit 120 of the mobile terminal 100, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the name of the person scheduled to take medicine is displayed on the name display unit 124 of the person scheduled to take medicine.

[0061] In step S114, if there is no face image data in the resident information database 256 that can be authenticated as the same (step S114: No), the information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 100. Then, it returns to step S111, the in-camera is activated, and an instruction is given to photograph the face of the person scheduled to take medicine.

[0062] <Medicine package display name acquisition process: step S120 ~ Authentication process: step S130> Returning to FIG. 6, after the name of the person scheduled to take medicine is acquired, the process proceeds to the medicine package display name acquisition process S120. The detailed flow of the medicine package display name acquisition process is shown in FIG. 15.

[0063] The control unit 110 activates the out-camera of the mobile terminal 100 (step S121). Also, the control unit 110 gives an instruction to the operator, such as a display of an instruction to the operator on the operation instruction unit 122 of the display unit 120 of the mobile terminal 100 as illustrated in FIG. 16, for example, a display such as "Please photograph the medicine".

[0064] The person in charge follows the instruction, as illustrated in FIG. 17, presses the button 121 so that the name displayed on the medicine package enters the frame of the operation instruction unit 122, and photographs the medicine package (step S122). The medicine package photographing unit 170 generates medicine package image data from the photograph of the medicine package, and the medicine package image data is transmitted from the mobile terminal 100 to the server 200.

[0065] For the medicine package image data received by the server 200, the medicine package display name acquisition unit 253 executes a character authentication process to extract character information and acquire the medicine package display name (step S123). The acquired medicine package display name is stored in the storage unit 250 (step S124). Then, the process proceeds to step S130.

[0066] In step S130, it is determined whether the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine acquired in step S110 and the name displayed on the medicine package acquired in step S120 can be authenticated as the same.

[0067] When it can be authenticated that the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine and the name displayed on the medicine package are the same (step S130: Yes), the information is stored in the storage unit 250. Also, the medicine package display name is transmitted to the mobile terminal 100, and as illustrated in FIG. 18, the medicine package display name is displayed on the medicine package display name display unit 125 of the mobile terminal 100. Thereby, the person in charge can recognize that the medicine package to be handed over is prescribed for the person scheduled to take the medicine. The person in charge can prevent the wrong medicine due to the human error of the person in charge by opening the seal of the medicine package and handing it over to the person scheduled to take the medicine.

[0068] On the other hand, if the result in step S130 is "No", the process returns to step S120, the outer camera is activated again, and the procedure of instructing the person in charge to operate on the operation instruction unit 122 of the display unit 120 of the mobile terminal 100 is repeated.

[0069] If the result in step S130 is "Yes", the process proceeds to step S140. Next, if there is no person scheduled to take the medicine to whom the medicine package should be handed over (step S140: No), the medicine-taking support process ends.

[0070] In step S140, if there is a person scheduled to take medicine to whom the medicine packet should be handed next (step S140: Yes), the process returns to step S110, and the same processing as described above is performed for the next person scheduled to take medicine.

[0071] Note that in step S140, it is set to "Yes" by default, and it is preferable that the person in charge is set to take a picture of the next person scheduled to take medicine. Usually, the person in charge is responsible for assisting multiple residents with taking medicine. For example, with 5 to 10 medicine packets, the person in charge goes around in order to the residents sitting side by side at the cafeteria table during mealtime to assist with taking medicine. In such a case, if step S140 is set to "Yes" by default, there is no need to perform a selection operation to set it to "No" in step S140 for each process. The person in charge can perform the above-described operations while moving in the order in which the residents are lined up, and can sequentially hand the medicine packets to the residents. After all the medicine packets have been handed to the residents, the medicine-taking support process may end with the person in charge logging out.

[0072] <Effect> As described above, in this embodiment, after photographing the person scheduled to take medicine and obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take medicine first, the medicine packet is photographed to obtain the name displayed on the medicine packet. As a result, for the person in charge, the medicine-taking assistance work can be carried out smoothly, thus reducing the burden of the work.

[0073] For example, in a general facility, the person in charge holds multiple medicine packets during a time period such as mealtime and goes around to hand each medicine packet to multiple people scheduled to take medicine in turn. After photographing the person scheduled to take medicine and then photographing the medicine packet, the person in charge can go around in the order in which the residents are lined up to hand the medicine packets. Therefore, the burden on the person in charge for the medicine-taking assistance work can be reduced.

[0074] If the reverse procedure is followed, that is, if the medicine packet is photographed to obtain the name displayed on the medicine packet and then the person scheduled to take medicine is photographed to obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medicine, the person in charge will have the inconvenience of having to search for the resident with the name displayed on the medicine packet after photographing the medicine packet and then go to that resident.

[0075] In this embodiment, after obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take medicine first, the medicine pack is photographed to obtain the name displayed on the medicine pack. Therefore, it is easy to use for a person in charge who has difficulty reading the name displayed on the medicine pack, or a person in charge who does not remember the name and face of the resident in agreement. For example, it can be a person in charge of foreign workers, a person in charge with little experience in medicine assistance, a skilled person with a lot of experience in medicine assistance, or a person in charge who has just started working at the facility in charge. In this embodiment, after the person in charge photographs the person scheduled to take medicine, the person in charge then photographs the multiple medicine packs he or she has brought in order. As a result, an appropriate medicine pack is selected from among them.

[0076] Also, in this embodiment, when photographing the face of the person scheduled to take medicine, the in-camera is activated and the photographing is performed with the in-camera. There are many people who have an aversion to being photographed with the out-camera facing them. In particular, being photographed with the out-camera facing during a meal places a great psychological burden and also leads to a decrease in appetite. However, even such a person has less aversion to being photographed with the in-camera together with the caregiver. Therefore, the psychological burden on the resident is small, and it is also effective for maintaining the resident's physical condition.

[0077] Also, even a skilled person in charge may make a human error by misreading the name displayed on the medicine pack or misidentifying the resident when lacking concentration or not in good physical condition. Even in such a situation, the medicine-taking support system of this embodiment can suppress the occurrence of human error by the person in charge.

[0078] <Other embodiments> Note that the present invention can be implemented in various embodiments and variations without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, the above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0079] For example, in the medicine package display name acquisition process S120, it is also assumed that in cases where the name displayed on the medicine package is unreadable Chinese characters or handwritten characters, etc., it cannot be processed by known character authentication processes. In order to handle such cases, it is also possible to omit steps S122 to S123 in the medicine package display name acquisition process S120.

[0080] The flowchart of the medicine package display name acquisition process in such a case is shown in FIG. 19. In step S121, when the out-camera is activated and a display instructing the shooting of the medicine package as illustrated in FIG. 20 is shown on the screen of the mobile terminal 100, the skip button 126 is displayed.

[0081] When the person in charge presses the skip button 126 (step S125: Yes), the control unit 210 acquires the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine as the medicine package display name (step S126). Then, that information is stored in the storage unit 250 (step S124) and transmitted to the mobile terminal 100. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 21, the medicine package display name is displayed on the medicine package display name display unit 125 of the mobile terminal 100.

[0082] In step S125, when the person in charge does not press the skip button 126 (step S125: No), the above-described processes of steps S122 to S123 are performed.

[0083] The above skip function is effective when the person in charge can clearly understand that the name displayed on the medicine package matches the name of the person scheduled to take the medicine.

[0084] In addition, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 250 of the server 200 stores the person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251, the medication scheduler name acquisition unit 252, the medicine package display name acquisition unit 253, the authentication unit 254, the person-in-charge information database 255, the resident information database 256, and the medication information database 257. However, these may be stored in the storage unit 150 of the mobile terminal 100, or may be distributed and stored in the mobile terminal 100 and the server 200. When the person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251, the medication scheduler name acquisition unit 252, the medicine package display name acquisition unit 253, the authentication unit 254, the person-in-charge information database 255, the resident information database 256, and the medication information database 257 are stored in the mobile terminal 100, all of the above-described medication support processes will be performed on the mobile terminal 100.

[0085] Further, each time the medication support system 1 is activated, the mobile terminal 100 may be configured to acquire and synchronize information regarding the person-in-charge name acquisition unit 251, the medication scheduler name acquisition unit 252, the medicine package display name acquisition unit 253, the authentication unit 254, the person-in-charge information database 255, the resident information database 256, and the medication information database 257 from the server 200.

[0086] In the above description, each part of each device of the medication support system 1 has been described as an independent functional block. However, the configuration of each device of the medication support system 1 may be any configuration as long as it can realize the above-described functions.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0087] 1 Medication support system 100 Mobile terminal 110 Control unit 111 CPU 112 ROM 113 RAM 120 Display unit 121 Button 122 Operation instruction unit 123 Person-in-charge display unit 124 Medication scheduler name display unit 125 Medicine package display name display unit 126 Skip button 130 Operation unit 140 Communication unit 150 Memory unit 160 Face photographing unit 170 Medicine pack photographing unit 200 Server 210 Control unit 211 CPU 212 ROM 213 RAM 220 Display unit 230 Operation unit 240 Communication unit 250 Memory unit 251 Person in charge name acquisition unit 252 Medication scheduler name acquisition unit 253 Medicine pack display name acquisition unit 254 Authentication unit 255 Person in charge information database 256 Occupant information database 257 Medication information database N Network

Claims

1. A medication assistance support system that uses a mobile terminal having a face photographing unit for photographing a face of a person scheduled to take medication and a medicine package photographing unit for photographing a photograph of a medicine package, generates face image data from the photograph of the face of the person scheduled to take medication taken by the face photographing unit, and uses an occupant information database in which face data and names of occupants receiving medication care are set to obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medication as the name of the person scheduled to take medication; a person-scheduled medication name acquisition unit, performs character recognition processing on the photograph of the medicine package taken by the medicine package photographing unit, and obtains the name displayed on the medicine package as the medicine package display name; a medicine package display name acquisition unit, verifies the name of the person scheduled to take medication and the name displayed on the medicine package, and includes an authentication unit that authenticates whether the name of the person scheduled to take medication and the name displayed on the medicine package match, obtains the name of the medicine package display name after obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take medication, when starting the medicine package photographing unit, a skip button is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal, if a skip operation is performed, the name of the person scheduled to take medication is obtained as the name displayed on the medicine package, A medication assistance support system characterized by the above.

2. A medication assistance support method used in a medication assistance support system that uses a mobile terminal having a face photographing unit for photographing a face of a person scheduled to take medication and a medicine package photographing unit for photographing a photograph of a medicine package, a computer generates face image data from the photograph of the face of the person scheduled to take medication taken by the face photographing unit, and uses an occupant information database in which face data and names of occupants receiving medication care are set to obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medication as the name of the person scheduled to take medication, a computer performs character recognition processing on the photograph of the medicine package taken by the medicine package photographing unit, and obtains the name displayed on the medicine package as the medicine package display name, a computer collates the name of the person scheduled to take medication and the name displayed on the medicine package, and authenticates whether the name of the person scheduled to take medication and the name displayed on the medicine package match, a computer obtains the name of the medicine package display name after obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take medication, when a computer starts the medicine package photographing unit, a skip button is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal, and if a skip operation is performed, the name of the person scheduled to take medication is obtained as the name displayed on the medicine package, A medication assistance support method characterized by the above.

3. A medication support program used in a medication support system that supports medication assistance using a mobile terminal having a face photographing unit that photographs a face of a person scheduled to take medicine and a medicine package photographing unit that photographs a photograph of the medicine package. On a computer, Generate face image data from the photograph of the face of the person scheduled to take medicine taken by the face photographing unit, and use an occupant information database in which face data and name of an occupant receiving medication care are set to obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medicine as the name of the person scheduled to take medicine. A process for obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take medicine, Perform character recognition processing on the photograph of the medicine package taken by the medicine package photographing unit, and obtain the name displayed on the medicine package as the name displayed on the medicine package. A process for obtaining the name displayed on the medicine package, Compare the name of the person scheduled to take medicine with the name displayed on the medicine package, and perform authentication processing to verify whether the name of the person scheduled to take medicine matches the name displayed on the medicine package. A process of obtaining the name displayed on the medicine package after obtaining the name of the person scheduled to take medicine, When starting the medicine package photographing unit, display a skip button on the screen of the mobile terminal, and when a skip operation is performed, obtain the name of the person scheduled to take medicine as the name displayed on the medicine package. A process for obtaining the name displayed on the medicine package, A medication support program characterized by the above.

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