Medicine delivery support system, medicine delivery support method, and medicine delivery support device

Abstract

To improve further support for prescription reception work of a pharmacy.SOLUTION: A medicine delivery support device includes: a confirmation item specification part 208 for specifying items to be confirmed to a patient about delivery of prescription on the basis of prescription information recorded in a prescription received from the patient, past history information about prescription contents to the patient and a prescription delivery method, and stock information showing a prescription stock situation in a pharmacy; and a guide information presentation part 209 for presenting guide information for guiding the specified confirmation items to the patient. The medicine delivery support device is configured to: specify the items to be confirmed to the patient about the prescription delivery as needed on the basis of the prescription information, the past history information about the prescription contents and the delivery method, and the prescription stock information; and present the guide information for guiding the specified confirmation items so as to enable sufficiently supporting prescription reception work of the pharmacy which is complicated because the confirmation items to the patient about the prescription delivery are diversified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medicine delivery support system and a medicine delivery support method for supporting the delivery to patients of medicines dispensed at pharmacies based on prescriptions from medical institutions, and a medicine delivery support device used in the system. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, patients who receive a prescription from a medical institution receive the prescription at an outside pharmacy. Specifically, the patient goes to a pharmacy, hands over the prescription they received from the medical institution, and requests that the medication be dispensed. Once the dispensing is complete, the patient receives medication instructions from a pharmacist, receives the prescription, and pays for it.

[0003] However, the pharmacy a patient visits does not necessarily have the prescribed drug in stock. If the pharmacy they visit does not have the prescribed drug in stock, the patient must go to another pharmacy, which is extremely inconvenient. From the pharmacy's perspective, a lack of stock directly leads to lost opportunities. Furthermore, even if the prescribed drug is in stock, patients may have to wait a long time to receive it depending on the number of prior appointments at the time of reception.

[0004] In addition, various services are now being offered, such as online medication instruction services where pharmacists provide medication instructions via video calls using the patient's device, and prescription drug delivery services to designated locations such as homes or lockers, and accordingly, patients' requests regarding the receipt of their prescriptions are becoming more diverse.As a result, prescription reception work, including the work of asking patients how they would like their prescriptions delivered when a dispensing pharmacy receives it, has become much more complicated than in the past.

[0005] Against this background, there is a need for pharmacies to improve operations and increase patient satisfaction by switching from manual prescription reception work to unmanned reception services using ICT.

[0006] There is also known a system that checks stock availability and displays a message when a prescription is received (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the prescription reception system described in Patent Document 1, the patient operates the touch panel of the prescription reservation reception device to determine whether the pharmacy selected can provide the prescribed drug, and if it is determined that the drug cannot be provided, a message to that effect is displayed on the display panel. For example, after displaying a message such as "The selected pharmacy is out of stock of ◇◇ and therefore cannot prescribe it," a message such as "Please operate one of the displayed selection keys again" is displayed.

[0007] The dispensing pharmacy information providing device described in Patent Document 2 has a dispensing pharmacy information storage means for storing location information and drug inventory information of dispensing pharmacies, an information processing means for identifying dispensing pharmacies that are located on the route from the patient's current location to their destination and that have prescription drugs in stock, and a processing result transmission means for transmitting the processing results, which show the dispensing pharmacies identified by the information processing means along with the route on a map, to the patient's mobile terminal, allowing the patient to search for and select a dispensing pharmacy that has prescription drugs in stock.

[0008] Also known is a reception guidance system that calculates and displays the time it takes for a patient to receive their medication when a prescription is received (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In the dispensing pharmacy guidance system described in Patent Document 3, a terminal device installed at the dispensing pharmacy calculates the waiting time from when the prescription is received until when the patient can receive their medication, and transmits this information to the dispensing pharmacy guidance device. The dispensing pharmacy guidance device transmits the waiting time for each dispensing pharmacy transmitted from the terminal device of each dispensing pharmacy, together with a list of dispensing pharmacies, to a terminal device operated by the patient for display. The patient can select one of the dispensing pharmacies from the list and transmit a photographed image of the prescription to the terminal device of the selected dispensing pharmacy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-243043 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4934229 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-073066 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 above cannot fully support prescription reception operations at dispensing pharmacies, which are complicated due to the wide range of confirmation items that must be made with patients regarding the issuance of prescription drugs. Furthermore, while the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above provide convenience to patients by allowing them to check in advance which dispensing pharmacies have prescription drugs in stock, they cannot prevent opportunity losses for dispensing pharmacies due to inventory shortages.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and aims to further improve support for prescription reception operations at dispensing pharmacies. Another aim of the present invention is to reduce opportunity losses at dispensing pharmacies due to shortages of prescription drugs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention identifies matters that the patient should confirm regarding the issuance of the prescription drug based on the prescription information recorded on the prescription received from the patient, past history information regarding the prescription content and the method of issuing the prescription drug to the patient, and inventory information indicating the stock status of the prescription drug at the pharmacy that received the prescription, and presents guidance information to guide the patient through the identified confirmation matters. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention configured as described above, matters that should be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of prescription drugs are appropriately identified based on prescription information, past history information regarding the prescription content and delivery method, and prescription drug inventory information, and guidance information is presented to guide the patient through the identified confirmation matters. This can fully support the prescription reception work of dispensing pharmacies, which has become complicated due to the wide range of confirmation matters that must be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of prescription drugs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a medicine delivery support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a prescription acceptance machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control computer of the prescription acceptance machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a medicine delivery assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit when a first condition pattern is met in the first processing example. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit when a second condition pattern is met in the first processing example. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of a confirmation item specifying unit and a guidance information presenting unit according to a first processing example of the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram showing another example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presenting unit in the first processing example. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit in the second processing example. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit in the third processing example. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit in a fourth processing example. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit in a modified example of the fourth processing example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit in the fifth processing example. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the medicine delivery assistance device required to execute the sixth processing example. [Figure 15] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by a guidance information presenting unit in the sixth processing example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a medicine delivery support system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the medicine delivery support system of this embodiment is configured to include a prescription receiving machine 1, a medicine delivery support device 2, and a pharmacy terminal 3. The prescription receiving machine 1, the medicine delivery support device 2, and the pharmacy terminal 3 are connected via a communication network 5.

[0016] For example, the prescription acceptance machine 1 and the medicine delivery support device 2 are installed in a dispensing pharmacy store and are connected by a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like. Alternatively, the medicine delivery support device 2 may be installed outside the dispensing pharmacy and connected to the LAN via a wide area network such as the Internet. Note that the connection form of the communication network 5 is not limited to this. For example, if the medicine delivery support device 2 is configured to execute only the processes of the first to third process examples described below, the medicine delivery support device 2 may be connected to the LAN.

[0017] The prescription receiving machine 1 is installed in front of a dispensing pharmacy. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the prescription receiving machine 1. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which part of the housing is semi-transparent so that the internal configuration of the prescription receiving machine 1 can also be seen. As shown in FIG. 2, the prescription receiving machine 1 is equipped with a prescription insertion slot 11, a prescription collection box 12, a return slot 13, a touch panel display 14 (hereinafter simply referred to as display 14), and a scanner 15. Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 2, the prescription receiving machine 1 is equipped with a control computer inside the housing.

[0018] Prescription insertion slot 11 is equipped with an automatic paper feed mechanism, and when a patient inserts a prescription into prescription insertion slot 11, the prescription is inserted into prescription acceptance machine 1 from prescription insertion slot 11. The prescription inserted through prescription insertion slot 11 is transported to return slot 13 via a transport path provided on the rear side of display 14, where it stops temporarily. Return slot 13 can be rotated forward around its bottom edge, allowing the prescription inserted through prescription insertion slot 11 to be removed.

[0019] While the prescription is being transported from the prescription insertion port 11 to the return port 13, the scanner 15 scans the prescription and generates a scanned image. The generated scanned image is transmitted to the medicine delivery support device 2. The prescription acceptance machine 1 acquires various guidance information generated by the medicine delivery support device 2 based on the transmitted scanned image and various other information from the medicine delivery support device 2, and displays the guidance information on the display 14. Details of the guidance information will be described later.

[0020] The patient can make various selections regarding the delivery of prescription drugs by operating the touch panel in accordance with the guidance information displayed on the display 14. Selection information regarding the delivery of prescription drugs input by the patient's operation on the touch panel is transmitted to the medicine delivery support device 2. Of the various selection information, selection information regarding the delivery method of prescription drugs is sequentially stored in a data storage device inside the medicine delivery support device 2 as delivery method history information.

[0021] The history information regarding the prescription drug delivery method is information indicating the history of delivery methods selected by patients who have visited the pharmacy one or more times in the past by operating the touch panel in accordance with the guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. Delivery methods that patients can select include, for example, in-store pickup, home delivery, and designated locker pickup. This history information regarding the delivery method is used when the medicine delivery support device 2 generates guidance information for the patient.

[0022] The history information used by the medicine delivery support device 2 when generating guidance information includes history information on prescription contents as well as history information on delivery methods. The history information on prescription contents is information indicating the history of prescription contents recorded in prescriptions received from patients who have visited the dispensing pharmacy one or more times in the past. The information indicating the prescription contents is part of the prescription information generated by analyzing a scanned image of the prescription sent from the prescription receiving machine 1 to the medicine delivery support device 2 and performing character recognition processing, and includes information such as prescribed drugs and the number of prescriptions (number of drugs and number of days). Note that the prescription receiving machine 1 may analyze a scanned image of the prescription to generate prescription information, and the prescription information may be sent from the prescription receiving machine 1 to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0023] When the series of reception processes is completed by the patient through operation on the touch panel, the prescription that was paused at return port 13 is transferred to and collected (stored) in prescription collection box 12. Prescription collection box 12 is a lockable drawer that can be pulled out by pharmacy staff at any time to remove the prescription stored therein. On the other hand, the patient can also cancel the prescription dispensing request through operation on the touch panel. In this case, the patient opens return port 13 and the prescription is returned to the patient.

[0024] The medicine delivery support device 2 is configured with, for example, a mainframe, an office computer, a workstation, or a personal computer. The medicine delivery support device 2 executes various processes, including presenting guidance information to the prescription receiving machine 1, based on information supplied from the prescription receiving machine 1 (including the scanned image of the prescription described above) and various information stored in the medicine delivery support device 2 (including the history information on the delivery method described above, history information on prescription contents, and medicine inventory information described below). Details of this process will be described later.

[0025] The pharmacy terminal 3 is configured, for example, by a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. The pharmacy terminal 3 inputs inventory-related information for managing the inventory status of medicines according to operations by staff at the dispensing pharmacy, and transmits the input information to the medicine delivery support device 2. The inventory-related information is, for example, information regarding the receipt and delivery of medicines. In this case, the inventory quantity is basically managed as (number of receipts - number of deliveries). Information indicating the inventory quantity may be input from the pharmacy terminal 3 as the inventory-related information.

[0026] In addition, instead of or in addition to the pharmacy terminal 3, inventory management may be automated using a medicine picking system or an automatic inventory system, and the automatically generated inventory-related information may be transmitted to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0027] The medicine delivery support device 2 generates inventory information indicating the drug inventory status based on inventory-related information (drug inventory information or inventory quantity information) transmitted from the pharmacy terminal 3 or the automatic inventory system, and successively updates and stores the latest inventory information in an internal data storage device. The drug inventory information is information indicating the type and amount of drugs in stock at the dispensing pharmacy. The term "drug" here refers to the individual drugs used when dispensing prescription drugs based on a prescription.

[0028] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control computer of the prescription receiving machine 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the prescription receiving machine 1 according to this embodiment includes, as its functional configuration, a scanned image acquisition unit 101, a scanned image transmission unit 102, a guidance information acquisition unit 103, a screen display unit 104, a selected information acquisition unit 105, and a selected information transmission unit 106.

[0029] The functional blocks 101 to 106 execute the following processes through the cooperation of hardware and software. For example, the processes of the functional blocks 101 to 106 are executed by the operation of a program stored in a storage medium such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory under the control of a processor of a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) etc. may also be included.

[0030] The scanned image acquisition unit 101 acquires a scanned image of the prescription inserted through the prescription insertion slot 11 from the scanner 15. The scanned image transmission unit 102 transmits the scanned image of the prescription acquired by the scanned image acquisition unit 101 to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0031] The guidance information acquisition unit 103 acquires guidance information generated by the medicine delivery support device 2 from the medicine delivery support device 2. The screen display unit 104 displays on the display 14 various operation screens (described in detail later) including an initial screen before a prescription is inserted through the prescription insertion slot 11 and guidance information acquired by the guidance information acquisition unit 103 after the prescription is inserted through the prescription insertion slot 11. Note that the screen display unit 104 may display screens other than these, but descriptions of screens unrelated to the subject matter of this embodiment will be omitted.

[0032] The selection information acquisition unit 105 acquires selection information regarding the delivery of prescription drugs that is input by the patient's operation on the touch panel of the display 14. The delivery selection information is mainly information regarding the selection of the method of delivery of prescription drugs, and will be described in detail later. The selection information transmission unit 106 transmits the delivery selection information acquired by the selection information acquisition unit 105 to the medicine delivery assistance device 2.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the medicine delivery support device 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the medicine delivery support device 2 according to this embodiment includes, as its functional configuration, a scanned image receiving unit 201, a prescription information generating unit 202, a selection information receiving unit 203, a pharmacy terminal transmitting unit 204, a history information recording unit 205, an inventory-related information acquiring unit 206, an inventory information recording unit 207, a confirmation item specifying unit 208, and a guidance information presenting unit 209. The medicine delivery support device 2 according to this embodiment also includes, as storage media, a history information storage unit 211 and an inventory information storage unit 212.

[0034] The functional blocks 201 to 209 execute the following processes through the cooperation of hardware and software. For example, the processes of the functional blocks 201 to 209 are executed by the operation of a program stored in a storage medium such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory under the control of a processor of a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP, etc. may also be included.

[0035] Although the example configuration in which the medicine delivery assistance device 2 includes the history information storage unit 211 and the inventory information storage unit 212 is shown here, these may be provided outside the medicine delivery assistance device 2. For example, a data server may be connected to the communication network 5 shown in FIG.

[0036] The scanned image receiving unit 201 receives a scanned image of the prescription transmitted from the prescription acceptance machine 1. The prescription information generating unit 202 analyzes the scanned image of the prescription received by the scanned image receiving unit 201 and performs character recognition processing to generate prescription information. The prescription information includes information that can identify the patient and information indicating the prescription contents. The information that can identify the patient includes information such as the patient's name. The information indicating the prescription contents includes information such as the prescribed drug and the number of prescriptions, as described above. The prescription information generated by the prescription information generating unit 202 is supplied to the pharmacy terminal transmitting unit 204, the history information recording unit 205, and the confirmation item identifying unit 208.

[0037] The selection information receiving unit 203 receives selection information regarding the delivery of prescription drugs transmitted from the prescription acceptance machine 1. The selection information received by the selection information receiving unit 203 is supplied to the pharmacy terminal transmitting unit 204 and the history information recording unit 205.

[0038] The pharmacy terminal transmitting unit 204 transmits the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generating unit 202 and the selection information related to delivery supplied from the selection information receiving unit 203 to the pharmacy terminal 3. The pharmacy terminal 3 displays the information received from the medicine delivery support device 2 on its screen. This allows the staff at the dispensing pharmacy to check the screen display to understand the prescription contents, dispense the medicine, and deliver the prescribed medicine according to the delivery method selected by the patient.

[0039] The history information recording unit 205 records history information related to prescription contents in the history information storage unit 211 based on the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generation unit 202. That is, every time prescription information is supplied from the prescription information generation unit 202, the history information recording unit 205 sequentially records information indicating the prescription contents in the history information storage unit 211 for each patient indicated by the prescription information.

[0040] Furthermore, the history information recording unit 205 records history information regarding the prescription drug delivery method in the history information storage unit 211 based on the delivery selection information supplied from the selection information receiving unit 203. That is, every time selection information is supplied from the selection information receiving unit 203, the history information recording unit 205 records information indicating the prescription drug delivery method selected by the patient in the history information storage unit 211, in association with the patient whose prescription content information was recorded immediately before that information.

[0041] The inventory-related information acquisition unit 206 acquires inventory-related information of medicines from the pharmacy terminal 3. The inventory information recording unit 207 generates inventory information of medicines based on the inventory-related information acquired by the inventory-related information acquisition unit 206 and records the information in the inventory information storage unit 212. That is, every time the inventory-related information acquisition unit 206 acquires inventory-related information of medicines from the pharmacy terminal 3, the inventory information recording unit 207 generates inventory information of the medicines and updates the inventory information stored in the inventory information storage unit 212.

[0042] The confirmation item identification unit 208 identifies items that should be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of prescription drugs based on the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generation unit 202 (prescription information recorded on the prescription received from the patient), past history information regarding the prescription contents and method of issuance of prescription drugs for the patient stored in the history information storage unit 211, and inventory information stored in the inventory information storage unit 212 (inventory information indicating the inventory status of prescription drugs at the dispensing pharmacy that received the prescription).

[0043] The guidance information presenting unit 209 generates guidance information for informing the patient of the confirmation items identified by the confirmation item identifying unit 208, and presents the guidance information to the patient by transmitting the guidance information to the prescription receiving machine 1. As described above, the prescription receiving machine 1 presents the guidance information to the patient by displaying on the display 14 an operation screen including the guidance information transmitted from the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0044] Below, a detailed description will be given of an example of processing by the confirmation item specifying unit 208 and the guidance information presenting unit 209.

[0045] <First processing example> The confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines whether the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content, whether the previous delivery method was a delivery method other than in-store pickup if the prescription content is the same as the previous one, and whether the current prescription content is predetermined if the prescription content is different from the previous one, based on the prescription information and history information of the patient whose prescription was received by the prescription receiving machine 1, and if the determination result corresponds to a predetermined condition pattern, specifies the prescription drug delivery method as an item that the patient should confirm. The guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient in selecting a prescription drug delivery method, according to the condition pattern determined to correspond by the confirmation item specifying unit 208.

[0046] For example, when the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines that the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content and that the previous delivery method falls under the first condition pattern, which is a delivery method other than over-the-counter pickup, it specifies that the patient should confirm whether the prescription drug delivery method should be the same as the previous one. In this case, the guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information to guide the patient to select the same delivery method as the previous one or a delivery method different from the previous one.

[0047] If the current prescription contents are the same as the previous prescription contents and the previous delivery method was in-store pickup, it is assumed that there is a high possibility that the same delivery method as last time will be acceptable this time as well. On the other hand, even if the current prescription contents are the same as the previous prescription contents, if the previous delivery method was home delivery or locker pickup, it is unclear whether the same delivery method as last time will be acceptable this time as well, and it is assumed that it would be better to confirm with the patient. Therefore, if the first condition pattern is met, guidance information is presented to the patient to confirm whether the prescription drug delivery method is acceptable as last time.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 when the first condition pattern is met. FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription reception machine 1. The operation screen shown in FIG. 5(a) includes a button B11 for selecting the same delivery method as the previous time, and a button B12 for selecting a delivery method different from the previous time. This example shows a case where the previous delivery method is stored in the history information storage unit 211 as "home delivery."

[0049] When the patient operates button B11, selection information indicating that "home delivery" has been selected as the current delivery method is sent to the medicine delivery support device 2. On the other hand, when the patient operates button B12, the operation screen shown in FIG. 5(b) is displayed. This operation screen includes a button B12a for selecting "in-store pickup" and a button B12b for selecting "locker pickup" as delivery methods different from the previous "home delivery". When the patient operates either button, selection information indicating the selected delivery method, either "in-store pickup" or "locker pickup", is sent to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0050] Furthermore, when the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines that the current prescription content is different from the previous prescription content and that the second condition pattern is met, in which the number or weight of the current prescribed drugs is greater than that of the previous prescription, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 specifies the method of dispensing the prescribed drugs as an item that the patient should confirm. In this case, the guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient to select an arbitrary method of dispensing the prescribed drugs.

[0051] For example, if the prescription itself is the same as the previous one, but the number of medications or the number of days is greater than the previous one (if the amount of medication prescribed is greater than the previous one), or if the current prescription includes a heavy medication such as an enteral nutrition supplement (which was not included in the previous one), it is assumed that the patient may request home delivery or locker pickup as the delivery method this time.On the other hand, even if the contents of the current prescription are different from the previous one, if the number or weight of medications prescribed this time is not greater than the previous one, it is assumed that in-store pickup may be the appropriate delivery method.Therefore, if the second condition pattern is met, guidance information is presented to the patient to select an optional delivery method.

[0052] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 when the second condition pattern is met. Fig. 6 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. The operation screen shown in Fig. 6 includes a button B21 for selecting "in-store pickup", a button B22 for selecting "home delivery", and a button B23 for selecting "locker pickup". When the patient operates any of the buttons, selection information indicating one of the delivery methods selected as the current delivery method is transmitted to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0053] If the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines that neither the first condition pattern nor the second condition pattern applies, it does not specify the item to be confirmed with the patient regarding the prescription drug delivery method. In other words, it determines that there is no item to be confirmed with the patient regarding the prescription drug delivery method. In this case, the guidance information presenting unit 209 does not execute the process of presenting guidance information to guide the patient in selecting the delivery method.

[0054] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the confirmation item specifying unit 208 and the guidance information presenting unit 209 according to the first processing example described above. The flowchart shown in FIG. 7 starts when the confirmation item specifying unit 208 receives prescription information of a patient from the prescription information generating unit 202.

[0055] First, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines whether the current prescription content for the patient indicated by the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generating unit 202 is the same as the previous prescription content for that patient stored in the history information storage unit 211 (step S1). If it is determined that the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 then determines whether the previous delivery method for that patient stored in the history information storage unit 211 is a delivery method other than in-store pickup (step S2).

[0056] Here, if it is determined that the previous delivery method was other than over-the-counter pickup, the confirmation item specification unit 208 determines that the first condition pattern applies, and specifies that whether the prescription drug delivery method should be the same as the previous one is an item to be confirmed with the patient (step S3). In this case, the guidance information presentation unit 209 presents guidance information to the patient to guide them to select the same delivery method as the previous one or a delivery method different from the previous one (step S4). That is, the guidance information presentation unit 209 generates guidance information for displaying the operation screen shown in Fig. 5 and transmits it to the prescription reception machine 1. This ends the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7.

[0057] If it is determined in step S1 above that the current prescription content is not the same as the previous one, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 subsequently compares the current prescription content for the patient indicated by the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generating unit 202 with the previous prescription content for that patient stored in the history information storage unit 211 to determine whether the number or weight of the current prescribed drugs has increased from the previous one (step S5). If it is determined that the number or weight of the current prescribed drugs has increased from the previous one, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines that the second condition pattern applies, and specifies the method of issuing the prescribed drugs as an item that should be confirmed with the patient (step S6).

[0058] In this case, the guidance information presentation unit 209 presents the patient with guidance information for guiding them to select an arbitrary method of dispensing the prescription drugs (step S7). That is, the guidance information presentation unit 209 generates guidance information for displaying the operation screen shown in Fig. 6 and transmits it to the prescription acceptance machine 1. This ends the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. Note that if it is determined in step S2 that the previous dispensing method was over-the-counter pickup, and if it is determined in step S5 that the number or weight of the current prescribed drugs has not increased from the previous time, the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 ends immediately.

[0059] When the patient selects the delivery method of in-store pickup in accordance with the guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 (i.e., when button B12a is operated on the operation screen of FIG. 5(b) or when button B21 is operated on the operation screen of FIG. 6), the confirmation item specification unit 208 may specify whether the patient desires in-store waiting pickup or in-store time-specified pickup as an item to be confirmed with the patient. In this case, the guidance information presentation unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient to select in-store waiting pickup or in-store time-specified pickup, as shown on the operation screen of FIG. 8, for example.

[0060] Fig. 8 shows an example of an operation screen that is transitioned to and displayed when button B12a in Fig. 5(b) or button B21 in Fig. 6 is operated. The operation screen in Fig. 8 includes a button B31 for selecting "Wait and pick up at store" and a button B32 for selecting "Pick up at store with specified time". When the patient operates button B32, the screen transitions to an operation screen that allows the patient to specify a desired pick-up time. The patient can specify any pick-up time on this operation screen.

[0061] Furthermore, when the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines, based on the prescription information provided by the prescription information generating unit 202 and the history information stored in the history information storage unit 211, that the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content and that the previous delivery method corresponds to a third condition pattern in which the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content and the previous delivery method is in-store pickup, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 may specify, as a matter to be confirmed with the patient, whether the patient desires in-store waiting pickup or in-store time-specified pickup. In this case, the guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information (an operation screen exemplified in FIG. 8) for guiding the patient to select in-store waiting pickup or in-store time-specified pickup. That is, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, when it is determined in step S2 that the previous delivery method was in-store pickup, the operation screen exemplified in FIG. 8 may be presented.

[0062] <Second processing example> When it is determined that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 specifies the delivery method after the date and time when the prescription is expected to be available for delivery as an item that the patient should confirm, based on the prescription information of the patient whose prescription was accepted by the prescription acceptance machine 1 of the dispensing pharmacy and the drug inventory information at the dispensing pharmacy. The guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient in selecting the delivery method for the prescription drug after the date and time when the prescription is expected to be available for delivery.

[0063] Here, "prescription drugs are out of stock" refers to a situation where at least one of the one or more drugs used in dispensing a prescription drug is out of stock, or where there is not enough of the prescription drug to dispense the number of drugs or the amount for the number of days specified in the prescription. The expected delivery date and time is calculated by adding the expected number of days required for delivery from ordering the out-of-stock or insufficient drug to delivery and the expected time required for dispensing after delivery to the current date and time.

[0064] For example, table information recording the expected number of days required for delivery for each drug and table information recording the expected dispensing time for each prescription drug are prepared in advance, and the confirmation item specification unit 208 acquires the required number of days for delivery and the required dispensing time by referencing these table information. Note that the required dispensing time may be recorded in the table information as a length of time that takes into consideration the complexity of the dispensing and the amount of drug to be dispensed.

[0065] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 in the second processing example. Fig. 9 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. The operation screen shown in Fig. 9 includes a button B41 for selecting "Pick up in store (x days later or later)", a button B42 for selecting "Home delivery", and a button B43 for selecting "Pick up at locker". When the patient operates any of the buttons, selection information indicating one of the delivery methods selected as the current delivery method is transmitted to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0066] According to the second processing example described above, even if the prescription drug is out of stock at the pharmacy the patient visits, the patient can know the estimated date and time when the prescription drug will be available for delivery when the patient inserts the prescription into the prescription acceptance machine 1, and can select the desired delivery method from among in-store pickup, home delivery, or locker pickup after that estimated date and time. This provides convenience to the patient and reduces opportunity losses for the pharmacy caused by the patient going to a different pharmacy.

[0067] The first and second processing examples may be combined and applied. For example, the confirmation item specification unit 208 may perform the processing of the first processing example (the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7) when it is determined that the prescription drug is in stock at the dispensing pharmacy that received the prescription, and may perform the processing of the second processing example when it is determined that the prescription drug is not in stock.

[0068] <Third processing example> The confirmation item specifying unit 208 calculates the expected waiting time until the prescription drug indicated in the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generating unit 202 can be dispensed, and if the calculated expected waiting time exceeds a predetermined value, specifies the dispensing method after the time when dispensing is expected to be possible as an item that the patient should confirm. The guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient in selecting the prescription drug dispensing method after the time when dispensing is expected to be possible.

[0069] The expected waiting time can be, for example, the sum of the required dispensing time obtained by referring to the above-mentioned table information for the prescription drug indicated in the received prescription information at the time the confirmation item identification unit 208 receives the prescription information from the prescription information generation unit 202, and the required dispensing time obtained by referring to the above-mentioned table information for one or more prescription drugs indicated in the prescription information already received on the same day and for which dispensing has not been completed.

[0070] In order to make it possible to know whether dispensing is incomplete or not, the medicine delivery support device 2 has a function of registering and managing status information indicating the dispensing status in the medicine delivery support device 2. For example, when dispensing starts, status information of "dispensing in progress" is input from the pharmacy terminal 3, associated with prescription information, and registered in the medicine delivery support device 2, and when dispensing is completed, status information of "dispensing completed" is input from the pharmacy terminal 3, associated with prescription information, and registered in the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0071] The confirmation item identification unit 208 extracts prescription information whose status information is "dispensing", refers to the table information to obtain the required dispensing time for the prescription drug indicated in the extracted prescription information, and refers to the table information to obtain the required dispensing time for the prescription drug indicated in the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generation unit 202, and calculates the expected waiting time by adding up these required dispensing times.

[0072] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 in the third processing example. Fig. 10 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. The operation screen shown in Fig. 10 includes a button B51 for selecting "Pick up in store (after XX o'clock)", a button B52 for selecting "Home delivery", and a button B53 for selecting "Pick up at locker". When the patient operates any of the buttons, selection information indicating one of the delivery methods selected as the current delivery method is transmitted to the medicine delivery support device 2.

[0073] According to the third processing example described above, even if the dispensing takes a long time at the dispensing pharmacy the patient visits, the patient can know the expected waiting time when he or she inserts the prescription into the prescription acceptance machine 1, and can select the desired delivery method from among in-store pickup, home delivery, or locker pickup after the expected waiting time. This provides convenience to the patient and reduces opportunity losses for the dispensing pharmacy caused by the patient going to another dispensing pharmacy.

[0074] The first and third processing examples may be combined and applied. For example, the confirmation item specification unit 208 may perform the processing of the first processing example (the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7) when the expected waiting time until the prescription drug can be dispensed at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription does not exceed a predetermined value, and may perform the processing of the third processing example when the expected waiting time exceeds the predetermined value.

[0075] Furthermore, the first, second, and third processing examples described above may be applied in combination. For example, the confirmation item specification unit 208 may perform the processing of the first processing example (the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7) when the prescription drug is in stock at the dispensing pharmacy that has received the prescription and the expected waiting time until the prescription drug can be dispensed does not exceed a predetermined value, while performing the processing of the second processing example when it is determined that the prescription drug is out of stock, and may perform the processing of the third processing example when the prescription drug is in stock but the expected waiting time exceeds a predetermined value.

[0076] <Fourth Processing Example> When it is determined that the prescribed drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription, based on the prescription information of the patient whose prescription was accepted by the prescription acceptance machine 1 of the dispensing pharmacy and the drug inventory information at the dispensing pharmacy, the confirmation item specification unit 208 calculates the expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from a dispensing pharmacy that belongs to the same group as the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription and the prescribed drug can be dispensed, and specifies the calculated expected waiting time and the patient's consent as items for which confirmation is required. The guidance information presentation unit 209 presents guidance information about the calculated expected waiting time.

[0077] Here, the expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from a related dispensing pharmacy and the prescription can be dispensed is calculated by adding up the estimated procurement time required to procure the drug from a related dispensing pharmacy that has stock of the out-of-stock or insufficient drug and the dispensing time required to dispense the drug after procurement. For example, table information recording the estimated procurement time for each dispensing pharmacy based on factors such as the distance between the pharmacies and table information recording the estimated dispensing time for each prescription drug is prepared in advance, and the confirmation item identification unit 208 references this table information to obtain the procurement time and dispensing time, and then calculates the expected waiting time by adding up these times.

[0078] 1 are multiple terminals used in multiple dispensing pharmacies belonging to the same group, and drug inventory-related information at the multiple dispensing pharmacies in the group is transmitted from each pharmacy terminal 3 to the medicine delivery support device 2 via a communication network 5 such as the Internet. An inventory-related information acquisition unit 206 acquires inventory-related information from the multiple dispensing pharmacies, and an inventory information recording unit 207 records the drug inventory information at the multiple dispensing pharmacies in an inventory information storage unit 212.

[0079] When it is determined as a result of searching the inventory information storage unit 212 that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription at the prescription acceptance machine 1, the confirmation item specification unit 208 searches again the inventory information storage unit 212 to find a dispensing pharmacy of the same family that has stock of the out-of-stock or insufficient drug.The confirmation item specification unit 208 then calculates the expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from the searched dispensing pharmacy of the same family and dispensed.

[0080] Here, when multiple dispensing pharmacies belonging to the same family that have stock are searched for, the confirmation item specification unit 208 calculates the estimated wait time until the prescription drug can be obtained and dispensed for each of the multiple searched dispensing pharmacies. The guidance information presentation unit 209 generates guidance information by selecting the dispensing pharmacy with the shortest estimated wait time among the estimated wait times calculated by the confirmation item specification unit 208. Note that table information recording distance information to dispensing pharmacies belonging to the same family may be prepared in advance, and only the estimated wait time until the drug can be obtained and dispensed from the dispensing pharmacy that has stock and is the shortest distance from the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription may be calculated.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 in the fourth processing example. FIG. 11 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. The operation screen shown in FIG. 11 includes a button B61 for selecting "Confirm" and a button B62 for selecting "Cancel," in addition to a message including an estimated waiting time until the prescription drug can be dispensed. When the patient operates button B61, the processing of the first processing example and / or third processing example described above is executed. On the other hand, when the patient operates button B62, the screen display unit 104 displays a predetermined message and ends the processing.

[0082] According to the fourth processing example described above, even if the pharmacy the patient visits does not have the prescribed drug in stock, the patient can know the estimated wait time until the drug can be obtained from a related pharmacy and dispensed, and can select the desired delivery method from in-store pickup, home delivery, or locker pickup after the estimated wait time. This provides convenience to the patient and reduces opportunity losses for the pharmacy due to the patient going to another pharmacy.

[0083] While the example described here is one in which the drug is obtained from a dispensing pharmacy belonging to the same group, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the confirmation item specifying unit 208 determines that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that received the prescription, it may check the stock status of the prescription drug at dispensing pharmacies belonging to the same group as the dispensing pharmacy that received the prescription, dispensing pharmacies that sell small quantities, and pharmaceutical wholesalers, calculate the estimated wait time until the drug is obtained from an inventory source and the prescription drug can be dispensed, and specify the drug supplier as an item that the patient should confirm along with the calculated estimated wait time. In this case, the guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient in selecting a drug supplier along with the estimated wait times calculated by the confirmation item specifying unit 208.

[0084] In this modification, the pharmacy terminals 3 shown in FIG. 1 are multiple terminals used in multiple dispensing pharmacies and dispensing pharmacies that sell small quantities and belong to the same group, and drug inventory-related information at these multiple dispensing pharmacies is transmitted from each pharmacy terminal 3 to the medicine delivery support device 2 via a communication network 5 such as the Internet. In addition, wholesaler terminals used by pharmaceutical wholesalers are also connected via the communication network 5, and drug inventory-related information at the pharmaceutical wholesalers is transmitted from the wholesaler terminals to the medicine delivery support device 2 via the communication network 5. The inventory-related information acquisition unit 206 acquires the inventory-related information from these multiple terminals, and the inventory information recording unit 207 records the drug inventory information at the dispensing pharmacies of the same group, the dispensing pharmacies that sell small quantities and the pharmaceutical wholesalers in the inventory information storage unit 212.

[0085] When the confirmation item specification unit 208 determines, as a result of searching the inventory information storage unit 212, that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription at the prescription acceptance machine 1, it searches the inventory information storage unit 212 again to search for fellow dispensing pharmacies, dispensing pharmacies that sell small quantities, and pharmaceutical wholesalers that have stock of the out-of-stock or insufficient drug.The confirmation item specification unit 208 then calculates the estimated wait time until the drug can be obtained from the searched fellow dispensing pharmacies, dispensing pharmacies that sell small quantities, and pharmaceutical wholesalers and the prescription drug can be dispensed.The guidance information presentation unit 209 then presents guidance information for guiding the selection of a drug supplier along with the calculated estimated wait times.

[0086] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209. FIG. 12 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. The operation screen shown in FIG. 12 includes a button B71 for selecting a dispensing pharmacy of the same family, a button B72 for selecting a dispensing pharmacy that sells in smaller quantities, and a button B73 for selecting a pharmaceutical wholesaler, as well as information indicating the expected waiting time for each. Although three buttons B71 to B73 are displayed here, only those determined to be in stock are displayed. When a patient operates any of the buttons B71 to B73, the first processing example and / or the third processing example described above is executed.

[0087] <Fifth Processing Example> When it is determined that the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription has the prescribed drug in stock, the confirmation item specifying unit 208 calculates an expected waiting time until the prescribed drug can be dispensed based on the prescription information of the patient whose prescription was accepted by the prescription acceptance machine 1 of the dispensing pharmacy and the drug inventory information at the dispensing pharmacy, and when the calculated expected waiting time exceeds a predetermined value, it further calculates a second expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from a dispensing pharmacy that belongs to the same group as the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription and the prescribed drug can be dispensed, and specifies the dispensing pharmacy to be used as an item that the patient should confirm. The guidance information presenting unit 209 presents guidance information for guiding the patient in selecting a dispensing pharmacy, together with the expected waiting time and the second expected waiting time calculated by the confirmation item specifying unit 208.

[0088] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209 in the fifth processing example. Fig. 13 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription acceptance machine 1. The operation screen shown in Fig. 13 includes a button B81 for selecting a dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription and a button B82 for selecting a dispensing pharmacy of the same family, as well as information indicating the expected waiting time for each. When the patient operates either button B81 or B82, the processing of the first processing example and / or the third processing example described above is executed.

[0089] Note that a modified example of the fourth processing example described above may be applied to the fifth processing example. That is, the confirmation item specification unit 208 may calculate a second expected waiting time until the prescription drug can be dispensed after obtaining the drug from the dispensing pharmacy of the same family, the dispensing pharmacy that sells the drug in small quantities, and the pharmaceutical wholesaler, and may present guidance information that allows the user to select the pharmacy to use from the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription, the dispensing pharmacy of the same family, the dispensing pharmacy that sells the drug in small quantities, and the pharmaceutical wholesaler.

[0090] <Sixth Processing Example> In the sixth processing example, the historical information used when identifying items to be confirmed with the patient further includes historical information regarding the contents of dispensing based on the prescription. Generally, prescriptions do not specify the trade name of the drug, but rather the generic name (the name of the active ingredient). This is called a generic name prescription. This allows pharmacies to freely select and dispense drugs with the same active ingredients and efficacy, regardless of whether they are original or generic drugs. Historical information regarding the contents of dispensing based on the prescription is information that indicates which drugs the dispensing pharmacy used to dispense the prescription.

[0091] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the medicine delivery support device 2' required to execute the sixth processing example. In Fig. 14, the same reference numerals as those shown in Fig. 4 have the same functions, and therefore, redundant explanations will be omitted here.

[0092] 14, the medicine delivery support device 2′ further includes, as functional components, a medicine information acquisition unit 221 and a medicine information registration unit 222, and includes a history information recording unit 205′, a confirmation item identification unit 208′, and a guidance information presentation unit 209′ instead of the history information recording unit 205, the confirmation item identification unit 208, and the guidance information presentation unit 209. In addition, the medicine delivery support device 2′ further includes, as a storage medium, a medicine information storage unit 223, and includes a history information storage unit 211′ instead of the history information storage unit 211.

[0093] The drug information acquiring unit 221 acquires drug information from the pharmacy terminal 3. The drug information is information indicating the generic name and trade name of the drug (prepared drug) to be used in dispensing a prescription. For example, when a drug to be used is changed from an original drug to a generic drug at a dispensing pharmacy, drug information indicating the generic drug is input into the pharmacy terminal 3 and transmitted to the drug delivery support device 2'. Also, when a drug that has run out of stock is temporarily dispensed in place of another drug with the same active ingredients and efficacy, drug information indicating the other drug can be input into the pharmacy terminal 3 and transmitted to the drug delivery support device 2'. The drug information acquiring unit 221 acquires the drug information transmitted from the pharmacy terminal 3 in this manner.

[0094] Drug information registration unit 222 stores the drug information (generic name and trade name of the drug) acquired by drug information acquisition unit 221 in drug information storage unit 223. The drug information stored in drug information storage unit 223 is saved without being updated until the next time drug information acquisition unit 221 acquires drug information from pharmacy terminal 3. The drug information stored in drug information storage unit 223 is referenced by history information recording unit 205′ and confirmation item identification unit 208′ when they execute their respective processes.

[0095] The history information recording unit 205' records, in the history information storage unit 211', history information regarding prescription contents and delivery method, as well as history information regarding dispensing contents based on a prescription. That is, the history information recording unit 205' identifies the generic name of the prescribed drug based on the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generation unit 202, and acquires the trade name of the drug used to dispense the prescription drug by referring to the drug information storage unit 223. Then, the history information recording unit 205' records the acquired drug information regarding the trade name as history information regarding dispensing contents based on a prescription in the history information storage unit 211'.

[0096] The confirmation item specifying unit 208' determines whether the current prescription contents are the same as the previous prescription contents and whether the current dispensed drugs (the trade name of the drugs used in the current dispensing) are different from the previous dispensed drugs (the trade name of the drugs used in the previous dispensing) based on the prescription information supplied from the prescription information generating unit 202, the past history information related to the prescription contents and dispensing contents stored in the history information storage unit 211', and the drug information (information indicating the drugs to be used in the current dispensing) stored in the drug information storage unit 223, and if it is determined that the prescription contents are the same but the dispensed drugs are different, it specifies that consent that the dispensed drugs are different from the previous ones is an item that should be confirmed with the patient. The guidance information presenting unit 209' presents guidance information to guide the patient to select consent that the dispensed drugs are different from the previous ones.

[0097] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit 209′ in the sixth processing example. FIG. 15 shows an example of an operation screen including guidance information displayed on the display 14 of the prescription reception machine 1. The operation screen shown in FIG. 15 includes a button B91 for selecting “Agree” and a button B92 for selecting “Disagree.” When the patient operates button B91, one or a combination of the above-described first to fifth processing examples is executed. On the other hand, when the patient operates button B92, the screen display unit 104 displays a predetermined message and ends the processing.

[0098] As explained in detail above in the first to sixth processing examples, in this embodiment, based on the prescription information recorded on the prescription received from the patient, past history information regarding the prescription content and the method of issuing the prescription drug to the patient, and inventory information indicating the stock status of the prescription drug at the pharmacy that received the prescription, the matters that the patient should confirm regarding the issuance of the prescription drug are identified, and guidance information is presented to guide the patient through the identified confirmation matters.

[0099] According to this embodiment configured as described above, matters that should be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of prescription drugs are appropriately identified based on prescription information, past history information regarding the prescription content and delivery method, and prescription drug inventory information, and guidance information is presented to guide the patient through the identified confirmation matters. This can fully support the prescription reception work of dispensing pharmacies, which has become complicated due to the wide range of confirmation matters that need to be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of prescription drugs.

[0100] Furthermore, if the pharmacy that accepted the prescription does not have the prescribed drug in stock or if the expected waiting time until delivery is long, guidance information is appropriately presented to guide the patient to select a method for delivering the prescription drug after the date and time when delivery is expected to be possible, guidance information to guide the patient to select a method for delivering the prescription drug after the time when delivery is expected to be possible, guidance information about the expected waiting time until the prescription drug can be delivered after obtaining the drug from a similar pharmacy that belongs to the same group, etc., thereby reducing opportunity losses for the pharmacy caused by the patient going to another pharmacy.

[0101] 3 and 4 are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the prescription receiving machine 1 may be configured to have some or all of the functions of the medicine delivery support device 2 shown in Fig. 4. In this case, the prescription receiving machine 1 serves as the medicine delivery support device in the claims.

[0102] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby. In other words, the present invention can be carried out in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Prescription reception machine 2,2' Medicine delivery support device 3 Pharmacy terminal 14 Touch panel display 101 Scan image acquisition unit 102 Scanned image transmission unit 103 Guidance information acquisition unit 104 Screen display section 105 Selection information acquisition unit 106 Selection information transmission unit 201 Scanned image receiving unit 202 Prescription information generation unit 203 Selection information receiving unit 204 Pharmacy terminal transmitter 205,205' History information recording section 206 Inventory-related information acquisition unit 207 Inventory Information Recording Section 208,208' Confirmation item identification section 209,209' Guidance information display section 211,211' History information storage section 212 Inventory information storage unit 221 Drug Information Acquisition Department 222 Drug Information Registration Department 223 Drug information storage unit

Claims

1. a confirmation item specifying unit that specifies items to be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of the prescription drug based on prescription information recorded in the prescription received from the patient, past history information regarding the prescription content and the method of issuance of the prescription drug for the patient, and inventory information indicating the inventory status of the prescription drug at the dispensing pharmacy that received the prescription; a guidance information presenting unit that presents guidance information for providing guidance on the confirmation items identified by the confirmation item identifying unit; A medicine delivery support system characterized by:

2. The confirmation item specifying unit determines, based on the prescription information and the history information, whether the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content, whether the previous delivery method was a delivery method other than over-the-counter pickup if the prescription content is the same as the previous one, and whether the current prescription content is a predetermined content if the prescription content is different from the previous one, and if the determination result corresponds to a predetermined condition pattern, specifies the delivery method of the prescription drug as an item that should be confirmed with the patient, The guidance information presenting unit presents guidance information for guiding the selection of a method for delivering the prescription drug according to the condition pattern determined to be applicable by the confirmation item specifying unit. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

3. When it is determined that the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content and that the previous delivery method falls under a first condition pattern that is a delivery method other than over-the-counter pickup, the confirmation item specification unit specifies, as an item to be confirmed with the patient, whether the delivery method of the prescription drug is the same as the previous one; The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for guiding the selection of the same delivery method as last time or a different delivery method from last time. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 2 .

4. When the confirmation item specifying unit determines that the current prescription content is different from the previous prescription content and that the number or weight of the current prescription drugs is greater than that of the previous prescription, the confirmation item specifying unit specifies the method of issuing the prescription drugs as an item to be confirmed with the patient, The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for guiding the user to select an arbitrary method of delivering the prescription drug. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 2 .

5. The confirmation item specification unit specifies, when it is determined that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription based on the prescription information and the inventory information, a delivery method after the date and time when the drug is expected to be available for delivery as an item to be confirmed with the patient; The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for guiding the selection of a prescription drug delivery method after the expected delivery date and time. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

6. The confirmation item specification unit calculates an expected waiting time until the prescription drug indicated in the prescription information can be dispensed, and if the calculated expected waiting time exceeds a predetermined value, specifies a dispensing method after the time when the drug is expected to be dispensed as an item to be confirmed with the patient, The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for guiding the selection of a prescription drug delivery method after the time when delivery is expected to be possible. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

7. When it is determined that the prescription drug is out of stock at the pharmacy that accepted the prescription based on the prescription information and the inventory information, the confirmation item identification unit identifies the method of delivery after the date and time when the prescription drug is expected to be available as an item that the patient should confirm, and in this case the guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information to guide the patient in selecting a method of delivery of the prescription drug after the date and time when the prescription drug is expected to be available, When it is determined based on the prescription information and the inventory information that the prescription drug is in stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription, the confirmation item specifying unit determines based on the prescription information and the history information whether the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content, whether the previous delivery method was a delivery method other than over-the-counter pickup if the prescription content is the same as the previous one, and whether the current prescription content is predetermined if the prescription content is different from the previous one, and when the determination result corresponds to a predetermined condition pattern, specifies the delivery method of the prescription drug as an item that the patient should confirm, and in this case, the guidance information presenting unit presents guidance information for guiding the patient to select a delivery method of the prescription drug according to the condition pattern determined to correspond by the confirmation item specifying unit. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

8. The confirmation item identification unit calculates an expected waiting time until the prescription drug indicated in the prescription information can be dispensed, and if the calculated expected waiting time exceeds a predetermined value, identifies the method of dispensing the drug after the time when it is expected to be available as an item that the patient should confirm, and in this case the guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information to guide the patient in selecting a method of dispensing the prescription drug after the time when it is expected to be available, When it is determined based on the prescription information and the inventory information that the prescription drug is in stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription and when it is determined that the expected waiting time does not exceed a predetermined value, the confirmation item specifying unit determines, based on the prescription information and the history information, whether the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content, whether the previous delivery method was a delivery method other than in-store pickup if the prescription content is the same as the previous one, and whether the current prescription content is predetermined if the prescription content is different from the previous one, and when the determination result corresponds to a predetermined condition pattern, specifies the delivery method of the prescription drug as an item that the patient should confirm, and in this case, the guidance information presenting unit presents guidance information for guiding the patient to select a delivery method of the prescription drug according to the condition pattern determined to correspond by the confirmation item specifying unit. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

9. The confirmation item specification unit specifies, when the patient selects the delivery method of in-store pickup in accordance with the guidance information presented by the guidance information presentation unit, whether the patient wishes to wait in-store for pickup or to have the package delivered at a designated time in-store, as an item to be confirmed with the patient; The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for providing guidance on selecting the in-store waiting pickup or the in-store time-specified pickup. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

10. When the confirmation item specifying unit determines, based on the prescription information and the history information, that the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content and that the previous delivery method corresponds to a third condition pattern in which the patient is to wait and receive the prescription at the store or to receive the prescription at a specified time at the store, the confirmation item specifying unit specifies, as an item to be confirmed with the patient, whether the patient wishes to wait and receive the prescription at the store or to receive the prescription at a specified time at the store; The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for providing guidance on selecting the in-store waiting pickup or the in-store time-specified pickup. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 2 .

11. When it is determined that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription based on the prescription information and the inventory information, the confirmation item specification unit calculates an expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from a dispensing pharmacy that belongs to the same group as the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription and the prescription drug can be dispensed, and specifies the patient's consent along with the calculated expected waiting time as items to be confirmed with the patient; The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information about the estimated waiting time. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

12. When it is determined based on the prescription information and the inventory information that the prescription drug is out of stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription, the confirmation item specification unit checks the inventory status of the prescription drug at fellow dispensing pharmacies that belong to the same group as the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription, dispensing pharmacies that sell small quantities, and pharmaceutical wholesalers, calculates the expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from an inventory source and the prescription drug can be dispensed, and specifies the source of the drug together with the calculated expected waiting time as items to be confirmed with the patient, The guidance information presenting unit presents guidance information for guiding the selection of a supplier of the medicine together with the estimated waiting times calculated by the confirmation item specifying unit. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

13. When it is determined that the prescription drug is in stock at the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription based on the prescription information and the inventory information, the confirmation item specification unit calculates an expected waiting time until the prescription drug can be dispensed, and when the calculated expected waiting time exceeds a predetermined value, further calculates a second expected waiting time until the drug can be obtained from a dispensing pharmacy that belongs to the same group as the dispensing pharmacy that accepted the prescription and the prescription drug can be dispensed, and specifies the dispensing pharmacy to be used as an item that should be confirmed with the patient, The guidance information presentation unit presents guidance information for guiding the customer to select a dispensing pharmacy together with the estimated waiting time and the second estimated waiting time calculated by the confirmation item specification unit. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

14. The history information further includes past history information regarding the contents of dispensing based on the prescription, The confirmation item specifying unit determines whether the current prescription content is the same as the previous prescription content and whether the current dispensed drug is different from the previous dispensed drug, based on the prescription information and the history information, and if it is determined that the prescription content is the same but the dispensed drug is different, specifies as an item to be confirmed with the patient an agreement that the dispensed drug is different from the previous one; The guidance information presenting unit presents guidance information for guiding the patient to select consent that the dispensed medicine is different from the previous one. The medicine delivery support system according to claim 1 .

15. A drug delivery support method characterized in that a processor of a drug delivery support device executes a process to identify matters that should be confirmed with the patient regarding the delivery of prescription drugs, based on prescription information recorded on a prescription received from a patient, past history information regarding the prescription content and delivery method of the prescription drug for the patient, and inventory information indicating the stock status of the prescription drug at the pharmacy that received the prescription, and to present guidance information to guide the patient through the identified confirmation matters.

16. a confirmation item specifying unit that specifies items to be confirmed with the patient regarding the issuance of the prescription drug based on prescription information recorded in the prescription received from the patient, past history information regarding the prescription content and the method of issuance of the prescription drug for the patient, and inventory information indicating the inventory status of the prescription drug at the dispensing pharmacy that received the prescription; a guidance information presenting unit that presents guidance information for providing guidance on the confirmation items identified by the confirmation item identifying unit; A medicine delivery support device characterized by:

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