Information processing device, wireless terminal, and information processing method

Abstract

To facilitate communication between a user and a medical professional when conducting an interview via a communication network. [Solution] The information processing device 1 has a judgment unit 133 that judges whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including the fact that an interview application that enables a user to interview a medical professional is running on the user terminal 2 via communication between the user terminal 2 used by the user and a medical professional terminal 3 used by the medical professional, and a request unit 134 that, when it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met, requests a control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a wireless terminal, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] A system has been disclosed in which a medical professional remotely conducts consultations with a user for medical treatment or the like via a communication network such as the Internet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-179961 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a user and a medical professional have an interview via a communication network, if the communication quality of the communication network deteriorates, it becomes difficult for the user and the medical professional to communicate with each other.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to make it easier for users and medical professionals to communicate when conducting interviews via a communication network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention has a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to a communication in a communication network, are met, including the fact that an interview application for a user to conduct an interview with a medical professional is being executed on the user terminal via communication between the user terminal and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional, and a request unit that, when it determines that the predetermined conditions are met, requests a control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication.

[0007] The predetermined condition may include receiving a request from the medical staff terminal to improve the quality of communication related to the consultation.

[0008] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal by communicating with the user terminal via a first communication network and with the medical staff terminal via a second communication network, and the specified condition includes the voice indicated by the voice data of the medical staff received by the relay unit from the medical staff terminal as information related to the interview indicating that the quality of communication related to the interview is below a specified quality, and the determination unit determines whether the specified condition is met by determining whether the quality of communication related to the interview is below a specified quality based on the voice data of the medical staff received by the relay unit, and the request unit, when determining that the specified condition is met, may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication on the second communication network.

[0009] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal by communicating with the user terminal via a first communication network and communicating with the medical staff terminal via a second communication network, and the specified condition includes that image data of the user received by the relay unit from the user terminal as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of communication related to the interview is below a specified quality, and the determination unit determines whether the specified condition is met by determining whether the quality of communication related to the interview is below the specified quality based on the image data received by the relay unit, and when the request unit determines that the specified condition is met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to the communication on the first communication network.

[0010] The information processing device may have an acquisition unit that acquires identification information to identify the purpose of the user's interview with the medical professional before the interview begins, and the specified condition may include the purpose of the interview being a specified purpose, and the determination unit may determine whether the specified condition has been met by determining whether the purpose of the user's interview is the specified purpose based on the identification information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0011] The acquisition unit may acquire questionnaire information indicating the user's questionnaire as the identification information, and the determination unit may identify the purpose of the user's interview based on the questionnaire information acquired by the acquisition unit, and determine whether the identified purpose of the user's interview is the specified purpose.

[0012] The acquisition unit may acquire, as the identification information, medical history information indicating the user's medical history or interview history information indicating the history of the interview, and the determination unit may identify the purpose of the user's interview based on the medical history information or the interview history information, and determine whether the identified purpose of the user's interview is the specified purpose.

[0013] The information processing device may have an acquisition unit that acquires policy information from the medical professional indicating whether images are to be emphasized as an interview policy, and the specified condition may include the medical professional's interview policy being a policy that emphasizes images, and the determination unit may determine whether the specified condition is met by determining whether the medical professional's interview policy is a policy that emphasizes images based on the policy information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0014] The information processing device has a relay unit that communicates with the user terminal via a first communication network and with the medical staff terminal via a second communication network, thereby relaying information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal, and the specified condition includes the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal or the medical staff terminal being equal to or greater than a specified amount, or importance information indicating the importance of the received data being equal to or greater than a specified importance, and the determination unit determines whether the specified condition is met based on the amount of data per unit time received by the relay unit from the user terminal or the medical staff terminal, or the importance information received by the relay unit from the user terminal or the medical staff terminal, and when the request unit determines that the specified condition is met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to at least one of the communication in the first communication network and the communication in the second communication network.

[0015] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical worker terminal, and when the request unit determines that the specified conditions are met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to communication between the user terminal and the information processing device.

[0016] The information processing device has a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical worker terminal, and when the request unit determines that the specified conditions are met, it may request the control device to apply the communication preferential service to communication between the medical worker terminal and the information processing device.

[0017] The information processing device may have a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and a related party terminal used by a related party of the user and the medical staff terminal, and when it determines that the specified condition is met, reduces the amount of data received from the related party terminal transmitted to at least one of the user terminal and the medical staff terminal.

[0018] The request unit may request the control device to end application of the communication preferential service to the communication in response to the end of the interview. The request unit may send to the control device a request for application of the communication preferential service, which request includes user identification information for identifying the user and service identification information for identifying the service provided by the interview application.

[0019] The information processing device may further have a calculation unit that calculates the amount to be charged to at least one of the business providing the interview application or the medical professional based on the application status of the communication preferential service to the communication of the user terminal.

[0020] A wireless terminal according to a second aspect of the present invention is a wireless terminal used by a user, and includes a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network related to communications of the wireless terminal, are met, including the execution of an interview application for the user to conduct an interview with the medical professional via communication between the wireless terminal and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional, and a request unit that, when it determines that the predetermined conditions are met, requests a control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication.

[0021] An information processing method according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a step executed by a computer of determining whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to a communication in a communication network, are met, including an interview application being executed on the user terminal for the user to conduct an interview with a medical professional via communication between the user terminal and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional, and a step of requesting a control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to facilitate communication between a user and a medical professional when conducting an interview via a communication network. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of application history information. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow relating to application of a preferential communication service. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a medical interview including a person related to the user. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] [Communication System S Overview] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a communication system S. The communication system S has an information processing device 1, a user terminal 2, and a medical staff terminal 3, and is a system for realizing online medical consultations between a user using the user terminal 2 and a medical staff using the medical staff terminal 3.

[0025] The information processing device 1 is a computer for providing online medical services. The user terminal 2 is a wireless communication-capable terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone used by a user of the online medical service to conduct online interviews with medical professionals. The user terminal 2 can conduct medical interviews with medical professionals using the medical professional terminal 3, for example, by executing an interview application program that enables the user to conduct medical interviews with medical professionals.

[0026] The medical staff terminal 3 is a wireless communication-capable terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone used by a medical staff member who provides online medical services. The medical staff terminal 3 can conduct a medical interview with the user of the user terminal 2, for example, by executing an interview application program.

[0027] A medical interview is, for example, an online medical consultation conducted by a doctor as a medical professional for a user as a patient, or online medication guidance for prescription drugs or over-the-counter drugs conducted by a pharmacist for a user. In the following description, a medical interview is referred to as a medical interview, and an application for the interview is also referred to as an interview app.

[0028] The information processing device 1 relays communication between a user terminal 2 related to a medical consultation and a medical staff terminal 3. That is, the information processing device 1 receives image data of a user, audio data indicating the user's voice, etc. transmitted from the user terminal 2, and transmits them to the medical staff terminal 3. The information processing device 1 also receives image data of a medical staff member, audio data indicating the voice of the medical staff, etc. transmitted from the medical staff terminal 3, and transmits them to the user terminal 2.

[0029] The information processing device 1 also functions as a control device that controls the application of a preferential communication service to at least a portion of the communications between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. The preferential communication service is provided by a predetermined telecommunications carrier to the user terminal 2 of a user who uses a communication network provided by the carrier in a 5G (5th Generation) SA (Stand Alone) area or a 5G NSA (Non-Stand Alone) area established by the carrier. The preferential communication service is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications of a user terminal 2 located in these areas compared to communications of a wireless terminal used by a user who uses a communication network provided by the predetermined telecommunications carrier but does not use the service. The preferential communication service is applied, for example, to a user terminal 2 that is performing 5G communications.

[0030] A 5G SA area is an area where wireless communication is performed between communication facilities dedicated to 5G communication and a 5G base station, for example. A 5G NSA area is an area where wireless communication is performed between communication facilities dedicated to 4G (4th Generation) communication and a 4G base station and a 5G base station, for example.

[0031] The preferential communication service is a slice network that virtually divides a communication network, and includes the application of a slice network in which communication is prioritized, control that prioritizes communication of user terminal 2 over best-effort communication, and delay guarantee that allocates radio resources to communication of user terminal 2 to guarantee delay, jitter, etc. within a certain period of time.

[0032] For example, when the user terminal 2 is located in a 5G SA area, a preferential communication service is applied to the communication of the user terminal 2. This preferential communication service is a throughput control in which a first slice network, which is a network obtained by virtually dividing the communication network and in which a predetermined communication quality is guaranteed, is applied, or a priority control in which a second slice network, which is a network in which communication is given priority over best-effort communication applied to wireless terminals of users who do not use the preferential communication service, is applied. Also, when the user terminal 2 is located in a 5G NSA area, a preferential communication service is applied to the communication of the user terminal 2. This preferential communication service is a communication control in which communication of a user terminal 2 using the preferential communication service is given priority over best-effort communication.

[0033] Here, the communication network includes not only a wireless communication network but also a wired core network. When applying a preferential communication service to a wireless terminal in a 5G SA area, the preferential communication service does not include throughput control, and communication control may be applied that prioritizes communication of user terminal 2 using the preferential communication service over communication of wireless terminals of users who do not use the preferential communication service, as in a 5G NSA area.

[0034] The information processing device 1 can apply a preferential communication service to communication of a wireless terminal using a communication network provided in a 5G SA area or a communication network provided in a 5G NSA area by controlling the allocation of resource blocks allocated to the communication of the wireless terminal. More specifically, the information processing device 1 requests the application of the preferential communication service to the carrier's mobile core network, and switching of the slice network or wireless resource allocation method is performed via the mobile core network.

[0035] When predetermined conditions for application of the preferential communication service are met, including that an interview app is being executed on the user terminal 2, the information processing device 1 applies the preferential communication service to at least a portion of the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. In this way, communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3 when an interview is conducted between a medical staff and a user is given preferential treatment, improving communication quality, and therefore the information processing device 1 can make it easier for the user and the medical staff to communicate when conducting a medical interview via a communication network.

[0036] [Functional configuration of information processing device 1] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the information processing device 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0037] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device such as the user terminal 2 or a communication device that manages a communication network. The storage unit 12 is a storage medium that stores various types of data, and includes a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 stores programs that cause the control unit 13 to function as an acquisition unit 131, a relay unit 132, a determination unit 133, a request unit 134, a calculation unit 135, and a billing unit 136.

[0038] The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 13 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 12 to function as an acquisition unit 131, a relay unit 132, a determination unit 133, a request unit 134, a calculation unit 135, and a billing unit 136.

[0039] The acquisition unit 131 acquires identification information for identifying the purpose of a medical interview between the user of the user terminal 2 and a medical professional. The acquisition unit 131 acquires, for example, medical questionnaire information indicating the user's medical questionnaire as the identification information. Note that the acquisition unit 131 acquires medical questionnaire information as the identification information, but is not limited to this. For example, the acquisition unit 131 may acquire, as the identification information, medical history information indicating the user's medical history or interview history information indicating the history of the interview. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 131 may present multiple predetermined purposes of the medical interview to the user terminal 2 and acquire, as the identification information, information indicating a purpose selected from the multiple purposes. In this case, the multiple purposes of the medical interview include, for example, the type and symptoms of the illness or injury, advice from a doctor on lifestyle habits, counseling by a doctor, etc.

[0040] The relay unit 132 relays information related to a medical interview between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. The relay unit 132 communicates with the user terminal 2 via a first communication network and with the medical staff terminal 3 via a second communication network, thereby relaying information related to the interview between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. For example, when the relay unit 132 receives from the user terminal 2 a request to start a medical interview between a user and a medical staff using the medical staff terminal 3 and receives from the medical staff terminal 3 a request to start a medical interview between the medical staff and the user, the relay unit 132 starts relaying information related to the medical interview between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3.

[0041] The relay unit 132 receives image data of the user captured by the user terminal 2 and voice data of the user collected by the user terminal 2, and transmits the received image data of the user and voice data of the user to the medical staff terminal 3. Similarly, the relay unit 132 receives image data of the medical staff captured by the medical staff terminal 3 and voice data of the medical staff collected by the medical staff terminal 3 from the medical staff terminal 3, and transmits the received image data of the medical staff and voice data of the medical staff to the user terminal 2.

[0042] When the relay unit 132 receives a request to end the medical interview from the user terminal 2 or the medical staff terminal 3, it ends the relay of information related to the medical interview between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3.

[0043] The determination unit 133 determines whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, is satisfied, including whether an interview application for allowing a user to interview a medical professional via communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 is being executed on the user terminal 2. For example, in response to receiving a request from the relay unit 132 to start a medical interview from the user terminal 2, the determination unit 133 determines that an interview application is being executed on the user terminal 2, and determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0044] Here, the predetermined condition may be composed of multiple sub-conditions, and may include a condition other than the condition that the interview app is being executed on the user terminal 2. Then, the determination unit 133 may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied when all of the multiple sub-conditions that make up the predetermined condition are satisfied.

[0045] For example, the predetermined condition may include a partial condition that a request for improving the quality of communication related to a medical interview has been received from the medical staff terminal 3. For example, when the acquisition unit 131 acquires a request for improving the quality of communication related to a medical interview from the medical staff terminal 3 that is transmitting and receiving data with the user terminal 2 via the relay unit 132, the determination unit 133 determines that the partial condition has been satisfied.

[0046] By doing this, the information processing device 1 requests the application of the preferential communication service only when the medical professional wishes to request an improvement in communication quality, thereby reducing the costs associated with applying the preferential communication service compared to when the preferential communication service is requested only on the condition that the interview app is being executed.

[0047] In addition, the specified condition may include a partial condition that the quality of communication related to the interview for at least one of the voice indicated by the user's voice data received by the relay unit 132 from the user terminal 2 as information related to the interview and the image data of the user is below a specified quality.

[0048] For example, when the relay unit 132 receives voice data or image data from the user terminal 2, the determination unit 133 determines whether the quality of communication related to the medical interview is below a predetermined quality based on the voice data or image data, thereby determining whether the partial condition is satisfied. Specifically, the determination unit 133 analyzes the voice and images indicated by the user's voice data and image data received from the user terminal 2 using a known analysis technique. Then, the determination unit 133 determines that the communication quality is below a predetermined quality and that the partial condition is satisfied if the amount of noise per unit time contained in the voice and images indicated by the analyzed voice data or image data is above a predetermined amount, if there are a predetermined number of interruptions in the voice or image per unit time, or if the size of the voice or image is below a predetermined amount. The determination unit 133 also analyzes the images indicated by the image data received from the user terminal 2. Then, the judgment unit 133 uses known image analysis technology to identify the degree of blurring of edges contained in the image, and if the identified degree of blurring exceeds a predetermined threshold, it determines that the communication quality is below a predetermined quality and determines that the partial condition is satisfied.

[0049] In addition, the specified condition may include a partial condition that the quality of communication related to the medical interview, including at least one of the voice data of the medical worker received by the relay unit 132 from the medical worker terminal 3 as information related to the medical interview and the image data of the medical worker, is below a specified quality.

[0050] For example, when the relay unit 132 receives voice data or image data from the medical staff terminal 3, the determination unit 133 determines whether the quality of communication related to the medical interview is equal to or lower than a predetermined quality based on the voice data or image data, thereby determining whether the partial condition is satisfied. Specifically, the determination unit 133 analyzes the voice and images indicated by the voice data and image data of the medical staff received from the medical staff terminal 3 using a known analysis technique. The determination unit 133 then determines that the communication quality is equal to or lower than a predetermined quality and that the partial condition is satisfied if the amount of noise per unit time contained in the voice and images indicated by the analyzed voice data or image data is equal to or higher than a predetermined amount, if the number of interruptions in the voice or image per unit time is equal to or higher than a predetermined number, or if the size of the voice and image is equal to or lower than a predetermined amount. The determination unit 133 also analyzes the images indicated by the image data received from the medical staff terminal 3. Then, the judgment unit 133 uses known image analysis technology to identify the degree of blurring of edges contained in the image, and if the identified degree of blurring exceeds a predetermined threshold, it determines that the communication quality is below a predetermined quality and determines that the partial condition is satisfied.

[0051] In addition, if the analyzed audio data includes audio that indicates poor quality of communication related to the medical interview, such as "it's hard to see" or "the image is moving around," the judgment unit 133 may determine that the quality of the communication is below a predetermined quality and determine that the partial condition is satisfied.

[0052] The predetermined condition may also include a subcondition that the purpose of the consultation is a predetermined purpose, such as treating a skin rash or injury, in which image-based judgment by a medical professional is important.

[0053] For example, the determination unit 133 determines whether the partial condition is satisfied by determining whether the purpose of the user's consultation is a predetermined purpose based on at least one of the medical questionnaire information, medical history information, and consultation history information as identification information acquired by the acquisition unit 131. For example, an identification keyword for identifying the predetermined purpose is stored in advance in the storage unit 12. The determination unit 133 determines that the purpose of the user's consultation is the predetermined purpose when at least one of the medical questionnaire information, medical history information, and consultation history information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 includes the identification keyword stored in the storage unit 12.

[0054] The predetermined condition may also include a partial condition that the medical staff's interview policy is to place importance on images captured of the user. In this case, the acquisition unit 131 acquires, before or at the start of the medical interview, from the medical staff terminal 3 of the medical staff, policy information indicating the interview policy, including whether or not the interview policy will place importance on images captured of the user.

[0055] Then, the judgment unit 133 judges that the partial condition is satisfied if, at the start of the medical interview between the user and the medical professional, the medical professional's interview policy indicated by the policy information acquired by the acquisition unit 131 indicates that the medical professional's interview policy places importance on images captured of the user.

[0056] The predetermined condition may also include a partial condition that the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal 2 or the medical staff terminal 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or that the importance information indicating the importance of the received data is equal to or greater than a predetermined importance. In this case, the relay unit 132 receives the importance information indicating the importance of the data together with the data from the user terminal 2 or the medical staff terminal 3.

[0057] Note that the relay unit 132 receives the importance information from the user terminal 2 or the medical staff terminal 3, but this is not limiting. For example, the acquisition unit 131 may input a prompt including the image data received from the user terminal 2 and an instruction sentence that causes the large-scale language model to identify the importance of the image data to the large-scale language model, and acquire the importance information from the large-scale language model.

[0058] Then, the determination unit 133 determines whether the partial condition is satisfied based on the amount of data per unit time received by the relay unit 132 from the user terminal 2 or the medical staff terminal 3, or the acquired importance information. That is, the determination unit 133 determines that the partial condition is satisfied when the amount of data per unit time is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or the acquired importance information is equal to or greater than a predetermined importance.

[0059] In this way, the information processing device 1 requests the application of the preferential communication service in response to an important situation in the medical interview, and therefore the cost associated with applying the preferential communication service can be reduced compared to when the application of the preferential communication service is requested only on the condition that the interview app is being executed. As an example of application of the preferential communication service, when the amount of data per unit time between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the information processing device 1 may give preferential treatment to the communication between the medical staff terminal 3 and the information processing device 1, and when the amount of data per unit time between the medical staff terminal 3 and the information processing device 1 becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the information processing device 1 may give preferential treatment to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1.

[0060] When the determination unit 133 determines that the specified conditions for receiving the preferential communication service are met, the request unit 134 requests the application control device, which is a control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service, to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3.

[0061] Specifically, when the determination unit 133 determines that the specified conditions for receiving the preferential communication service are met, the request unit 134 requests the application control device to apply the preferential communication service to at least one of the communication between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1 in the first communication network and the communication between the medical staff terminal 3 and the information processing device 1 in the second communication network.

[0062] When the predetermined conditions include a partial condition that the quality of communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality based on the voice data of the medical professional, the request unit 134 may request the application control device to apply the preferential communication service to communication in the second communication network when the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined conditions are met.

[0063] When the request unit 134 requests the control device to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1, the request unit 134 transmits to the application control device a request to apply the preferential communication service, including a user ID (Identification) as user identification information for identifying the user of the user terminal 2. The user ID is, for example, an ID that uniquely defines a contract for each line, such as an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity).

[0064] In addition, if the specified condition includes a partial condition that image data of a user received from the user terminal 2 as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of communication related to the interview is below a specified quality, the request unit 134 may request the application control device to apply the preferential communication service to communication in the first communication network when the determination unit 133 determines that the specified condition is satisfied.

[0065] When the request unit 134 requests the application control device to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the medical staff terminal 3 and the information processing device 1, the request unit 134 requests the application of the preferential communication service to the communication of the medical staff terminal 3 by sending a request to the application control device to apply the preferential communication service, including the user ID of the medical staff of the medical staff terminal 3.

[0066] By doing this, the information processing device 1 can apply the preferential communication service only to communications between the user terminal 2 and the information processing device 1, and communications between the medical staff terminal 3 and the information processing device 1, that have poor communication quality and are adversely affecting medical interviews, thereby reducing the costs associated with applying the preferential communication service.

[0067] Furthermore, the request unit 134 requests the applicable control device to terminate application of the preferential communication service to communications related to the medical interview in response to the end of the medical interview. For example, the request unit 134 requests the applicable control device to terminate application of the preferential communication service to communications related to the medical interview in response to receiving a request to terminate the medical interview from the user terminal 2 or the medical staff terminal 3. In this way, the preferential communication service is applied only when the medical interview is being conducted, making it easier to secure communication resources, and therefore communication resources can be used effectively.

[0068] When the request unit 134 ends the application of the communication preferential treatment service to the communication of the user terminal 2, the request unit 134 associates the user ID of the medical professional who conducted the medical interview with the user of the user terminal 2 with the application start time of the communication preferential treatment service and the application end time, which is the time when the application of the communication preferential treatment service ended, and stores these in the storage unit 12 as application history information. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of application history information. As shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the user ID, the application start time, and the application end time are associated with each other. Note that the request unit 134 may include the user ID of the user of the user terminal 2 in the application history information.

[0069] The calculation unit 135 calculates the amount of charges for the application of the preferential communication service to be charged to at least one of the business that provides the medical interview application or the medical professional, based on the application status of the preferential communication service for the communication of the user terminal 2.

[0070] For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the time during which the preferential communication service was applied to communications related to medical appointments. Specifically, the calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information stored in the storage unit 12 and tallies the time during which the preferential communication service was applied to communications related to medical appointments for each of multiple users over a unit period (e.g., one month). Then, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the tallied time. For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount so that the longer the tallied time, the higher the charge amount. In this way, the information processing device 1 can calculate an appropriate charge amount based on the time during which the preferential communication service was applied.

[0071] Here, when billing a medical worker for the fee relating to the application of the preferential communication service, the calculation unit 135 calculates the fee for each user ID of the medical worker included in the application history information.

[0072] Although the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the time during which the preferential communication service is applied to the communication related to the medical consultation, the calculation unit 135 is not limited to this. The calculation unit 135 may calculate the charge amount based on the traffic volume of the communication during the time during which the preferential communication service is applied to the communication related to the medical consultation.

[0073] In this case, the calculation unit 135, for example, acquires traffic volume information indicating the traffic volume of communications related to medical appointments while the preferential communication service is being applied to the communications related to the medical appointments from a communication control device that controls communications in the communication network, and stores application history information including the traffic volume information in the storage unit 12. The calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information stored in the storage unit 12 and aggregates the traffic volume of communications related to medical appointments for each of multiple users during a unit period. Then, the calculation unit 135 calculates a charge amount based on the aggregated traffic volume. For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates a charge amount such that the larger the aggregated traffic volume, the higher the charge amount.

[0074] The calculation unit 135 may also calculate the charge amount based on the number of times the preferential communication service is applied to communications related to medical appointments. In this case, the calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information stored in the storage unit 12 and identifies the number of times the preferential communication service is applied to communications related to medical appointments within a unit period. For example, the calculation unit 135 refers to the application history information and identifies the number of application history information items within the unit period as the number of times the preferential communication service is applied to communications related to medical appointments. Then, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount based on the identified number of application requests. For example, the calculation unit 135 calculates the charge amount so that the more application requests there are, the higher the charge amount.

[0075] The billing unit 136 bills at least one of the business providing the interview app and the medical worker for the fee calculated by the calculation unit 135. For example, the billing unit 136 calculates the share of the fee calculated by the calculation unit 135 that will be shared between the business providing the interview app and the medical worker based on a predetermined ratio between the business providing the interview app and the medical worker, and bills the fee by transmitting billing information indicating the calculated share to the terminal of the business providing the interview app and the medical worker terminal 3.

[0076] [Operation flow] Next, a description will be given of the flow of processing related to the application of the preferential communication service in the information processing device 1. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to the application of the preferential communication service in the information processing device 1. The processing shown in Fig. 4 starts in response to the execution of an interview app on the user terminal 2. In addition, in the processing shown in Fig. 4, an example will be described in which the predetermined condition for applying the preferential communication service includes multiple partial conditions, including the condition that the interview app is being executed on the user terminal 2.

[0077] First, the determination unit 133 determines whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service that provides preferential treatment to communications related to medical consultations is satisfied (S1). If the determination unit 133 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied (YES in S1), it proceeds to S2, and if it determines that the predetermined condition is not satisfied (NO in S1), it executes S1 again.

[0078] Next, the request unit 134 requests the control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3 (S2). In S3, the request unit 134 determines whether or not the execution of the interview app has ended, i.e., whether or not the medical interview has ended. If the request unit 134 determines that the medical interview has ended (YES in S3), it proceeds to S4 and requests the control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to end the application of the preferential communication service. If the request unit 134 determines that the medical interview has not ended (NO in S3), it executes S3 again.

[0079] [Variation 1] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 1 functions as the judgment unit 133 and the request unit 134, and when it determines that certain conditions for applying the preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications, to communications related to medical interviews, including that an interview app is being executed on the user terminal 2, are met, it requests the application control device to apply the preferential communication service, but this is not limited to this.

[0080] For example, the control unit of the user terminal 2 may function as the determination unit 133 and the request unit 134. Then, the user terminal 2 may determine whether a predetermined condition for applying the preferential communication service to communication related to a medical interview, including the interview app being executed on the user terminal 2, is satisfied. In this case, the predetermined condition may include a partial condition different from the condition that the interview app is being executed on the user terminal 2. This partial condition is a condition that can be determined on the user terminal 2 side, such as, for example, that image data or audio data received from the medical staff terminal 3 via the information processing device 1 indicates that the quality of communication related to the interview is equal to or lower than a predetermined quality.

[0081] Then, when the control unit of the user terminal 2 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, it requests the application control device to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3.

[0082] Similarly, the control unit of the medical staff terminal 3 may function as the determination unit 133 and the request unit 134. Then, the medical staff terminal 3 may determine whether a predetermined condition for applying the preferential communication service to communication related to a medical interview, including the interview app being executed on the medical staff terminal 3, is satisfied. In this case, the predetermined condition may include a partial condition different from the condition that the interview app is being executed on the medical staff terminal 3. The partial condition is a condition that can be determined on the medical staff terminal 3 side, such as, for example, that image data or audio data received from the user terminal 2 via the information processing device 1 indicates that the quality of communication related to the interview is equal to or lower than a predetermined quality.

[0083] Then, when the control unit of the medical staff terminal 3 determines that the predetermined conditions are satisfied, it requests the application control device to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. In this way, it is possible to reduce the load on the information processing device 1 side and make it easier for the user and the medical staff to communicate when having an interview via the communication network.

[0084] [Variation 2] In the above-described embodiment, the medical interview is conducted between the user of the user terminal 2 and the medical worker using the medical worker terminal 3, but this is not limiting, and the medical interview may be conducted between the user of the user terminal 2 and a related person of the user, and the medical worker using the medical worker terminal 3. A related person of the user may be, for example, the user's caregiver or the user's guardian.

[0085] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a medical interview that includes a person related to the user. As shown in Fig. 5, the relay unit 132 relays communications between the user terminal 2, the medical staff terminal 3, and the related party terminal 4 used by the person related to the user. That is, the relay unit 132 transmits data indicating the captured image and audio of the user received from the user terminal 2 to the medical staff terminal 3 and the related party terminal 4. The relay unit 132 also transmits data indicating the captured image and audio of the medical staff received from the medical staff terminal 3 to the user terminal 2 and the related party terminal 4.

[0086] Furthermore, the relay unit 132 transmits data indicating the captured images and audio of the related person received from the related person terminal 4 to the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. Then, when the determination unit 133 determines that a predetermined condition is satisfied, the relay unit 132 reduces the amount of data received from the related person terminal 4 that is transmitted to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3.

[0087] For example, the relay unit 132 degrades the data received from the related party terminal 4, i.e., reduces the data volume of the data, and transmits it to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. The relay unit 132 may also reduce the volume of data transmitted to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3 by not transmitting the data received from the related party terminal 4 to at least one of the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. In this way, during a medical interview in which related parties participate, it is possible to prevent communication capacity from being overwhelmed by data received from the related party terminal 4 of a third party related party, and to prevent communication quality from being reduced.

[0088] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, the request unit 134 transmits a request for application of the preferential communication service including a user ID to the application control device, but this is not limited to this. The request unit 134 may transmit an application request including a service ID as service identification information for identifying the service of the communication application and the user ID to the application control device.

[0089] In this case, the application control device applies the preferential communication service to the communication corresponding to the service ID included in the application request, among the communications of the user ID included in the application request, for the communication network corresponding to the user ID included in the application request. Furthermore, the application control device transmits application information to the information processing device 1 for applying the preferential communication service to the communication corresponding to the service ID. For example, if the preferential communication service is application of a slice network to the communication, the application information is information related to a User Equipment Route Selection Policy (URSP). Furthermore, if the preferential communication service is priority control in which communication is given priority over best-effort communication, the application information is information indicating the bearer on which priority control is performed. Furthermore, the application control device may transmit application information for applying the preferential communication service to the communication corresponding to the service ID to a user terminal 2 corresponding to the user ID or a medical staff terminal 3 communicatively connected to the user terminal 2.

[0090] The information processing device 1 transmits the received applicable information to the user terminal 2 and the medical staff terminal 3. When transmitting and receiving data related to the medical interview app, the relay unit 132 of the information processing device 1, the user terminal 2, and the medical staff terminal 3 transmit and receive data based on the applicable information. In this way, the information processing device 1 can apply the preferential communication service only to communications related to the medical interview app.

[0091] [Variation 4] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the preferential communication service is described as application of a slice network, control that prioritizes communication of the user terminal 2 over best-effort communication, and delay guarantee that allocates radio resources to communication of the user terminal 2 so as to guarantee delay, jitter, etc. within a certain period of time, but is not limited to this. For example, the preferential communication service may be lifting of a communication speed limit that is applied when the user terminal 2 communicates more than a predetermined data volume set in a rate plan, and lifting of a communication speed limit that is applied when the user terminal 2 communicates more than a predetermined data volume in a certain period of time. Furthermore, the preferential communication service may be zero-rating, in which the user terminal 2 excludes the amount of data transmitted and received by the user terminal 2 related to medical consultations from measuring the user's data communication volume.

[0092] [Effects of information processing device 1] As described above, when the information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving the preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including the fact that an interview application for allowing a user to interview a medical professional via communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3 is running on the user terminal 2, the information processing device 1 requests the control device that controls the application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the user terminal 2 and the medical professional terminal 3. In this way, the information processing device 1 can facilitate communication between the user and the medical professional when conducting an interview via the communication network.

[0093] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and resilience."

[0094] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1. Information processing equipment 2. User terminal 3 Medical staff terminals 4. Stakeholder terminals 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Acquisition Department 132 Relay Section 133 Judgment section 134 Request part 135 Calculation Unit 136 Billing Department

Claims

1. A relay unit that communicates with a user terminal used by a user via a first communication network and with a medical staff terminal used by a medical staff via a second communication network, thereby relaying information relating to an interview between the user and the medical staff between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, is met, including the fact that an interview application that enables the user to interview the medical worker is being executed on the user terminal, and the fact that the voice represented by the voice data of the medical worker received by the relay unit from the medical worker terminal as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality, and the determination unit determines whether the predetermined condition is met by determining whether the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality based on the voice data of the medical worker received by the relay unit; a request unit that, when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication in the second communication network; An information processing device having the above.

2. A relay unit that communicates with a user terminal used by a user via a first communication network and with a medical staff terminal used by a medical staff via a second communication network, thereby relaying information relating to an interview between the user and the medical staff between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including the fact that an interview application that enables the user to interview the medical professional is being executed on the user terminal, and the fact that image data of the user received by the relay unit from the user terminal as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality; and a determination unit that determines whether the predetermined conditions are met by determining whether the quality of the communication related to the interview is below the predetermined quality based on the image data received by the relay unit. a request unit that, when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication in the first communication network; An information processing device having the above.

3. An acquisition unit that acquires identification information for identifying the purpose of an interview between a user and a medical professional before the interview begins; a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including that an interview application for the user to conduct the interview via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical staff terminal used by the medical staff is being executed on the user terminal and that the purpose of the interview is a predetermined purpose, and that determines whether the predetermined conditions are met by determining whether the purpose of the user's interview is the predetermined purpose based on the identification information acquired by the acquisition unit; a request unit that requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing device having the above.

4. the acquiring unit acquires, as the identification information, medical questionnaire information indicating a medical questionnaire of the user; the determination unit identifies a purpose of the interview of the user based on the medical questionnaire information acquired by the acquisition unit, and determines whether the identified purpose of the interview of the user is the predetermined purpose. The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. the acquisition unit acquires, as the identification information, medical history information indicating a medical history of the user or interview history information indicating a history of the interview, the determination unit identifies a purpose of the interview of the user based on the medical history information or the interview history information, and determines whether the identified purpose of the interview of the user is the predetermined purpose; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

6. An acquisition unit that acquires policy information indicating whether the user prioritizes images as an interview policy from a medical professional with whom the user is conducting an interview; a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including that an interview application that enables the user to interview the medical worker via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical worker terminal used by the medical worker is being executed on the user terminal, and that the medical worker's interview policy is a policy that places importance on images, and that determines whether the predetermined conditions are met by determining whether the medical worker's interview policy is a policy that places importance on images based on the policy information acquired by the acquisition unit; a request unit that requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing device having the above.

7. A relay unit that communicates with a user terminal used by a user via a first communication network and with a medical worker terminal used by a medical worker via a second communication network, thereby relaying information relating to an interview between the user and the medical worker between the user terminal and the medical worker terminal; a determination unit that determines whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including that an interview application that enables a user to interview a medical professional via communication between a user terminal used by a user and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional is being executed on the user terminal, and that the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or importance information indicating the importance of the received data is equal to or greater than a predetermined importance, and that determines whether the predetermined conditions are met based on the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal by the relay unit, or the importance information received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal by the relay unit; a request unit that, when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to at least one of the communication in the first communication network and the communication in the second communication network; An information processing device having the above.

8. a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, is satisfied, including the fact that an interview application that enables the user to interview the medical professional via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional is running on the user terminal; a request unit that requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and a related party terminal used by a related party of the user, and the medical staff terminal, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, reduces the amount of data received from the related party terminal to at least one of the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; An information processing device having the above.

9. the predetermined condition includes receiving a request for improvement of the quality of communication related to the interview from the medical staff terminal; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; When the request unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the request unit requests the control device to apply the communication preferential service to communication between the user terminal and the information processing device. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

11. a relay unit that relays information related to the interview between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; When the request unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the request unit requests the control device to apply the preferential communication service to the communication between the medical staff terminal and the information processing device. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. the request unit requests the control device to terminate application of the communication preferential service to the communication in response to the end of the interview. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

13. The request unit transmits to the control device a request for application of the preferential communication service, the request including user identification information for identifying the user and service identification information for identifying a service provided by the interview application. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

14. The method further includes a calculation unit that calculates a billing amount to be charged to at least one of a business that provides the consultation application or the medical worker based on the application status of the preferential communication service for the communication of the user terminal. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

15. A wireless terminal used by a user, a determination unit that determines whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service that gives preferential treatment to communications on a communication network related to communication of the wireless terminal, is satisfied, including that an interview application for the user to interview the medical worker is being executed via communication between the wireless terminal and a medical worker terminal used by the medical worker, and that the voice represented by the voice data of the medical worker received by the wireless terminal from the medical worker terminal as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality, and that determines whether the predetermined condition is satisfied by determining whether the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality based on the voice data of the medical worker received by the wireless terminal; a request unit that requests a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; A wireless terminal having:

16. The computer executes a step of communicating with a user terminal used by a user via a first communication network and communicating with a medical staff terminal used by a medical staff via a second communication network, thereby relaying information relating to an interview between the user and the medical staff between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; a step of determining whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, is met, including the fact that an interview application for the user to interview the medical worker is being executed on the user terminal, and the voice represented by the voice data of the medical worker received from the medical worker terminal as information related to the interview indicates that the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality, by determining whether the predetermined condition is met by determining whether the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality based on the received voice data of the medical worker; a step of requesting a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication in the second communication network when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing method comprising:

17. The computer executes a step of communicating with a user terminal used by a user via a first communication network and communicating with a medical staff terminal used by a medical staff via a second communication network, thereby relaying information relating to an interview between the user and the medical staff between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; a step of determining whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, is satisfied, the step including: an interview application for a user to interview a medical professional via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional being executed on the user terminal; and image data of the user received from the user terminal as information related to the interview indicating that the quality of the communication related to the interview is below a predetermined quality; and a step of determining whether the predetermined condition is satisfied by determining whether the quality of the communication related to the interview is below the predetermined quality based on the received image data. a step of requesting a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication in the first communication network when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing method comprising:

18. The computer executes obtaining identifying information prior to the start of an interview between a user and a healthcare professional to identify a purpose of the interview; a step of determining whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including that an interview application for conducting the interview via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical worker terminal used by the medical worker is being executed on the user terminal, and that the purpose of the interview is a predetermined purpose, by determining whether the predetermined conditions are met based on the acquired identification information; a step of requesting a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing method comprising:

19. The computer executes an acquisition unit that acquires policy information indicating whether the user prioritizes images as an interview policy from a medical professional with whom the user is having an interview; a step of determining whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including that an interview application for the user to interview the medical worker via communication between a user terminal used by the user and a medical worker terminal used by the medical worker is being executed on the user terminal, and that the medical worker's interview policy is a policy that places emphasis on images, and determining whether the predetermined conditions are met by determining whether the medical worker's interview policy is a policy that places emphasis on images based on the acquired policy information; a step of requesting a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing method comprising:

20. The computer executes a step of communicating with a user terminal used by a user via a first communication network and communicating with a medical staff terminal used by a medical staff via a second communication network, thereby relaying information relating to an interview between the user and the medical staff between the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; a step of determining whether predetermined conditions for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, are met, including that an interview application for a user to interview a medical professional via communication between a user terminal used by a user and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional is being executed on the user terminal, and that the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, or importance information indicating the importance of the received data is equal to or greater than a predetermined importance, wherein the step of determining whether the predetermined conditions are met is based on the amount of data per unit time received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal, or the importance information received from the user terminal or the medical professional terminal; a step of requesting a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to at least one of the communication in the first communication network and the communication in the second communication network when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; An information processing method comprising:

21. The computer executes a step of determining whether a predetermined condition for receiving a preferential communication service, which is a service for giving preferential treatment to communications in a communication network, is satisfied, the condition including the execution of an interview application on the user terminal for the user to interview the medical professional via communication between the user terminal used by the user and a medical professional terminal used by the medical professional; a step of requesting a control device that controls application of the preferential communication service to apply the preferential communication service to the communication when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied; relaying information relating to the interview between the user terminal and a related party terminal used by a related party of the user, and the medical staff terminal, and when it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, reducing the amount of data received from the related party terminal to at least one of the user terminal and the medical staff terminal; An information processing method comprising:

Images