Home medical support system and patient side device program

Abstract

To provide a home medical care support system that makes it easier to get to know about the condition and the symptom of a patient according to the personality of the patient who is having a treatment at home and reduces the anxiety of a medical worker and the patient.SOLUTION: A patient-side display unit 21 displays questions about symptoms of a patient 16, with the importance level set in advance for each question. A personality value setting unit 51 sets a personality value unique to the patient 16 on the basis of the answers to the questions. A threshold value setting unit 52 sets a threshold value showing the weight of an answer for each patient 16 on the basis of the set personality value. A symptom determination unit 52 receives the newest answer from the patient 16 and determines which one of a plurality of different levels set in advance is the level of the symptom that the patient 16 is suffering, on the basis of the importance level of the question to the answer and the threshold value set by the threshold value setting unit 51. A data creation unit 54 creates screen data to be a basis of a diagnosis screen that allows a visual confirmation of the level of the symptom of each patient 16. A medical-side display unit 41 is provided in a medical-side device 13 and displays the diagnosis screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a home medical support system, and more particularly to a home medical support system that utilizes a terminal device owned by a patient, and a patient-side device program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the advancement and prolonged nature of medical care, in-home and outpatient treatments are becoming more common, in addition to hospitalization. This has made it necessary for patients to manage their health and self-management at home. When providing such home medical care, it is difficult for medical professionals to fully grasp the patient's health and symptoms with visits to the hospital only once every few days or weeks. Meanwhile, patients face the problem of difficulty dealing with poor health conditions while at home and determining whether or not they should visit the hospital. Thus, home medical care creates anxiety for both medical professionals and patients (see Patent Document 1 for prior art related to support for home medical care). In recent years, advances in medical technology have improved the effectiveness of prescribed drugs, but at the same time, side effects have become a concern. In the case of home medical care, drugs are mainly taken outside of hospitals, so rapid response to side effects is also required.

[0003] However, patients receiving medical care at home have different tolerances to various symptoms, including side effects. For example, some patients frequently complain of even mild pain or discomfort, while others refuse to report even severe symptoms to medical professionals. Conducting a simple questionnaire-style medical interview without taking these individual patient characteristics into consideration makes it difficult to accurately grasp each patient's physical condition and symptoms. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-26773 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a home medical care support system that makes it easy to understand the physical condition and symptoms of patients receiving treatment at home according to their individual characteristics, thereby reducing anxiety for medical professionals and patients. Another object of the present invention is to provide a patient-side device program that is executed on the patient-side device to facilitate understanding of the physical condition and symptoms of a patient receiving treatment at home in accordance with the individual characteristics of the patient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one embodiment, the home medical support system includes a patient-side device, a server device, and a medical-side device. The patient-side device is a terminal used by a patient. The server device is communicably connected to the patient-side device and stores information input from the patient-side device. The medical-side device is a terminal connected to the server device, located remotely from the patient-side device, and used by a doctor.

[0007] In one embodiment, the home medical support system includes a patient-side display unit, an input unit, a personality value setting unit, a threshold setting unit, a symptom determination unit, a data creation unit, and a medical display unit. The patient-side display unit is provided in the patient-side device and displays questions related to the patient's symptoms, with predetermined importance levels. The input unit is provided in the patient-side device and inputs answers to the questions displayed on the patient-side display unit. The personality value setting unit sets a personality value specific to the patient based on the answers input from the input unit. The threshold setting unit sets a threshold indicating a weighting of the answers for each patient based on the personality value set by the personality value setting unit. When the symptom determination unit receives the latest answer input by the patient through the patient-side device, it determines which of multiple preset symptom levels the patient falls into based on the importance of the question corresponding to the answer and the threshold set by the threshold setting unit. The data creation unit creates visually recognizable screen data for each patient based on the symptom level determined by the symptom determination unit. The medical display unit is provided in the medical device and displays a diagnosis screen based on the screen data created by the data creation unit.

[0008] A patient-side device program according to one embodiment is a computer program for causing a patient-side device, which is a terminal used by a patient, to collect information to be stored in a server device. The patient-side device program causes the patient-side device to execute a display procedure, a reception procedure, and a transmission procedure. The display procedure causes a patient-side display unit provided in the patient-side device to display questions with predetermined importance levels. The reception procedure causes an answer to the question displayed on the patient-side display unit in the display procedure to be received from the patient via an input unit provided in the patient-side device. The transmission procedure causes the answer received via the input unit in the reception procedure to be transmitted to the external server device via a communication unit provided in the patient-side device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a home medical care support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a home medical care support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a diagnosis screen in a home medical care support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a processing flow of a patient-side device program in a home medical care support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a processing flow of a patient-side device program in a home medical care support system according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a top page displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in a home medical support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a health check input screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to one embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a medication date input screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to one embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a question screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a question screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a question screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a question screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a notification screen displayed on a patient-side display unit by executing a patient-side device program in the home medical care support system according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of a home medical care support system will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a home medical support system 10 according to one embodiment. The home medical support system 10 includes a patient-side device 11, a server device 12, and a medical-side device 13. The patient-side device 11 is a mobile terminal 14, such as a smartphone or tablet. The server device 12 is a device equipped with a storage area, such as a hard disk drive, capable of electromagnetically or optically storing digital data. The medical-side device 13 is a device, such as a personal computer. The patient-side device 11 and the server device 12, and the server device 12 and the medical-side device 13, are communicatively connected via a communication network 15. The communication network 15 can be any communication network, such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a mobile communication network, or Ethernet.

[0011] The home medical support system 10 is used by a patient 16 and a medical professional 17. The patient 16 is, for example, a person suffering from a disease or a person who is concerned about a disease, and who requests a medical examination by the medical professional 17. The medical professional 17 is, for example, a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, etc. affiliated with a medical institution 18, and provides medical procedures, medical advice, examinations, etc. to the patient 16. The medical professional 17 may be a single doctor, nurse, or pharmacist, depending on the symptoms of the patient 16, or multiple doctors, nurses, or pharmacists may be involved as a team. The patient 16 recuperates at home 19 and uses his or her own mobile terminal 14 as the patient-side device 11. The mobile terminal 14 may be loaned to the patient 16 by the medical institution 18. The medical-side device 13 is provided at the medical institution 18 and is used by the medical professional 17 at the medical institution 18.

[0012] (Patient side device) As described above, the patient-side device 11 is a mobile terminal 14, such as a smartphone or tablet. As shown in FIG. 2 , the patient-side device 11 includes a patient-side display unit 21, an input unit 22, a communication unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25. The patient-side display unit 21 and the input unit 22 are configured as, for example, touch panels, and are capable of both displaying images and inputting information. The communication unit 23 communicates with the server device 12 via the communication network 15. The storage unit 24 has a storage medium, such as an SSD or HDD. The control unit 25 is connected to and controls the patient-side display unit 21, the input unit 22, the communication unit 23, and the storage unit 24. The control unit 25 is configured as a microcomputer unit having a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown), and controls the patient-side device 11 by executing a computer program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 24.

[0013] The patient-side device 11 displays "questions" on the patient-side display unit 21 by executing a computer program in the control unit 25. These "questions" are questions asked to the patient 16, such as questions about the patient's 16's physical condition or symptoms. The "questions" are assigned a predetermined level of importance with respect to the patient's 16's physical condition or symptoms. A large number of "questions" are prepared, including questions asking the patient 16 about physical pain such as abdominal pain, headache, and muscle pain, questions asking the patient 16 about physical discomfort such as nausea and vomiting, questions asking about symptoms manifesting in the patient's body such as diarrhea and convulsions, and questions asking about the patient's physical condition such as body temperature and blood pressure. The "questions" are assigned a level of importance according to the patient's 16's medical history and symptoms. For example, in the case of a "stomach cancer patient," a "question" asking about abdominal pain is assigned a higher level of importance than a "question" asking about headaches. In this way, the "questions" that the patient-side device 11 displays on the patient-side display unit 21 are diverse and have a predetermined level of importance. The level of importance of the "questions" to be asked to the patient 16 is set by the medical professional 17 depending on the symptoms of the patient 16, etc. Furthermore, the "questions" to be asked to the patient 16 may be general questions that can be answered by many patients 16, or may be questions that are specific to each patient 16 depending on the individual symptoms of the patient 16, etc. In either case, the "questions" are set by the medical professional 17.

[0014] The patient 16 inputs an answer to the "question" displayed on the patient display unit 21 from the input unit 22 of the patient-side device 11. The patient 16 selects and inputs an answer to the "question" on the screen of the patient display unit 21 by touching, i.e., tapping, an area near the "question" displayed on the patient display unit 21. The control unit 25 temporarily stores the answer from the patient 16 received by the input unit 22 in the memory unit 24 and outputs it to the server device 12 via the communication unit 23. In this case, the control unit 25 may output multiple answers to the "question" stored in the memory unit 24 to the server device 12 all at once, or may output them to the server device 12 after accumulating them for a predetermined period of time.

[0015] (Server device) The server device 12 has a memory unit 31, a communication unit 32, and a control unit 33. The memory unit 31 is a memory area that stores answers to "questions" output from the patient-side device 11. The memory unit 31 has a memory area that stores digital data electromagnetically or optically, such as an SSD or HDD. The communication unit 32 communicates with the patient-side device 11 and the medical-side device 13 via the communication network 15. The control unit 33 is connected to and controls the memory unit 31 and the communication unit 32. The control unit 33 is composed of a microcomputer unit having a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown), and controls the server device 12 by executing a computer program stored in the ROM or the memory unit 31.

[0016] (Medical equipment) The medical side device 13 is a device such as a personal computer, and may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet. The medical side device 13 includes a medical side display unit 41, an input unit 42, a communication unit 43, a memory unit 44, and a control unit 45. The input unit 42 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The communication unit 43 communicates with the server device 12 via the communication network 15. The memory unit 44 has a storage medium such as an SSD or HDD. The control unit 45 is connected to and controls the medical side display unit 41, the input unit 42, the communication unit 43, and the memory unit 44. The control unit 45 is a microcomputer unit including a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown), and controls the medical side device 13 by executing a computer program stored in the ROM or the memory unit 44.

[0017] The medical-side device 13 executes a computer program in the control unit 45 to display a diagnostic screen 46 as shown in Fig. 3 on the medical-side display unit 41. The diagnostic screen 46 displayed on the medical-side display unit 41 is created based on the answers of the patient 16 to "questions" asked to the patient 16 through the patient-side device 11. The diagnostic screen 46 displayed on the medical-side display unit 41 will be described later.

[0018] (Home medical support system) The home medical support system 10 is realized by integrating the patient-side device 11, the server device 12, and the medical-side device 13 using a computer program. In addition to the patient-side device 11, the server device 12, and the medical-side device 13, the home medical support system 10 also includes a personality value setting unit 51, a threshold setting unit 52, a symptom determination unit 53, and a data creation unit 54, as shown in FIG. 2. The personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, the symptom determination unit 53, and the data creation unit 54 are realized as software by executing a computer program. Specifically, the personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, the symptom determination unit 53, and the data creation unit 54 are realized as software by executing a computer program in any of the patient-side device 11, the server device 12, or the medical-side device 13. In the following description, an example will be described in which the patient-side device 11 realizes the personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, and the symptom determination unit 53 by executing a computer program called a "patient-side device program." In this example, the data creation unit 54 is realized in software by executing a computer program in the medical side device 13. That is, the data creation unit 54 realized in the medical side device 13 creates screen data that forms the basis of the diagnostic screen 46 using data of answers to the "questions" stored in the server device 12.

[0019] The personality value setting unit 51 sets a unique personality value P for the patient 16 based on the patient's 16 responses to the "questions." Each patient 16 has a personality and provides various individual responses to the "questions." The personality value setting unit 51 uses the responses to the "questions" obtained from the patient 16 to set the personality of the patient 16 based on these responses as the personality value P. Specifically, the personality value setting unit 51 sets the personality value P based on the frequency of the patient's 16 responses to the "questions" during a preset set period T. The patient 16 has a variety of sensitivities, such as a careless personality, a nervous personality, a sensitive personality, and an insensitive personality. The personality of the patient 16 is expressed, for example, as the frequency of responses to the questions. For example, if the set period T is set to any number of days and a serious patient 16 and an unscrupulous patient 16 are compared, the frequency of the responses of the serious patient 16 generally tends to be higher than the frequency of the responses of the unscrupulous patient 16. Furthermore, nervous patients 16 will respond even to the slightest discomfort in their physical condition, whereas non-nervous patients 16 may not respond even when they feel a strong discomfort. Furthermore, even if patients 16 have the same condition, there are various types, such as those who frequently complain of abnormalities, for example, every few hours, and those who only rarely complain of abnormalities.

[0020] In this way, the individuality value setting unit 51 uses the frequency of answers to the "questions" during a preset set period T as one index for understanding the individuality of the patient 16. As a result, the individuality value setting unit 51 classifies the individuality of the patient 16 into one of two or more stages of individuality values ​​P, such as "S," "A," "B," "C," and "D" in descending order of frequency. In addition to the frequency of answers, the individuality value setting unit 51 sets the individuality value P from the content of the answers to the "questions" according to a preset algorithm, while characterizing, for example, patients 16 who frequently answer questions related to pain, patients who frequently answer questions related to discomfort, and patients who frequently answer questions related to a particular illness such as abdominal pain or headache.

[0021] The threshold setting unit 52 sets a threshold Vb corresponding to the weighting of the answer for each patient 16 based on the personality value P set by the personality value setting unit 51. As described above, each patient 16 has their own personality. Therefore, even if the "question" and the answer to the same "question" are the same, the actual content of the answer will differ for each patient 16. For example, in response to the question "Do you have abdominal pain?", a sensitive patient 16 may answer "yes" even if the pain is mild, whereas an insensitive patient 16 may answer "no" even if the pain is severe. In other words, even if the answer to the same "question" is the same, whether or not the answer should be adopted by the medical professional 17 will differ depending on the personality of the patient 16. Therefore, the threshold setting unit 52 determines the weighting of the answer based on the personality value P set by the personality value setting unit 51 and sets a threshold Vb that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not to adopt the answer. For example, the threshold setting unit 52 sets the threshold Vb for a specific "question" higher than the preset average threshold Va for a patient 16 whose personality value P is set to "A" by the personality value setting unit 51. Also, the threshold setting unit 52 sets the threshold Vb for a specific "question" lower than the preset average threshold Va for a patient 16 whose personality value P is set to "D" by the personality value setting unit 51.

[0022] As a result, even if there are similar answers to a specific "question," the answer of a patient 16 with a personality value P of "D" is given more importance than the answer of a patient with a personality value of "A." In this way, the threshold setting unit 52 sets the threshold Vb based on the personality value P set by the personality value setting unit 51. The threshold Vb set by the threshold setting unit 52 is set by increasing or decreasing the average threshold Va as in the above example, for example. The threshold Vb set by the threshold setting unit 52 for each patient 16 can be arbitrarily adjusted by the medical professional 17 depending on the content of the "question" and the symptoms of the patient 16, etc. Furthermore, even if the content of the "question" is the same, there may be cases where the question should be given more importance or less importance depending on the medical condition of the patient 16, etc. The threshold setting unit 52 sets the threshold Vb according to a preset algorithm, taking into account these "questions" and the answers thereto.

[0023] The symptom determination unit 53 determines to which of a plurality of preset symptom levels Ss the patient 16 falls. The individuality value P and threshold Vb are set based on answers during a preset answer period Ta that are stored in the patient-side device 11 or output from the patient-side device 11 to the server device 12 and stored in the server device 12. In this case, the answer period Ta can be set arbitrarily, for example, to one week or ten days. The individuality value setting unit 51 and threshold setting unit 52 set the individuality value P and threshold Vb based on answers to the "questions" posed by the patient 16 during this set period Ta. In this case, the set period Ta may be the same as or different from the set period T that serves as the basis for obtaining the frequency of answers for determining the individuality value P.

[0024] When the symptom determination unit 53 receives the latest answer from the patient 16 through the patient-side device 11, it determines the symptom level Ss based on this latest answer. Specifically, when the symptom determination unit 53 receives the latest answer, it determines the symptom level Ss based on the importance Iv of the "question" for the answer and the answer threshold Vb set by the threshold setting unit 52. The symptom level Ss is set to two or more stages, such as "severe," "moderate," "mild," and "no symptoms."

[0025] For example, suppose a "question" such as "Do you have abdominal pain?" is provided to a cancer patient with a personality value P of "D." In this case, the "abdominal pain" of the cancer patient has a high level of importance IV. When the patient with a personality value P of "D" answers "yes" to this "question," the symptom determination unit 53 determines the symptom level Ss to be "moderate" based on the threshold value Vb set lower than the average threshold value Va. On the other hand, suppose a "question" such as "Do you have muscle pain?" is provided to a cancer patient with a personality value P of "A." In this case, the "muscle pain" of the cancer patient has a low level of importance IV. When the patient with a personality value P of "A" answers "yes" to this "question," the symptom determination unit 53 determines the symptom level to be "mild" based on the threshold value Vb set higher than the average threshold value Va.

[0026] In this way, the symptom determination unit 53 determines the symptom level Ss of the patient 16 using the threshold Vb set by the threshold setting unit 52, based on the latest answer to the "question" to which the importance level Iv is set. That is, the symptom determination unit 53 determines the symptom level Ss of the patient 16 for the latest answer, based on the personality value P based on the tendency of the accumulated past answers by the patient 16 and the importance level Iv of the "question." Note that the above-mentioned "question," answer, personality value P, etc. are merely examples for the purpose of explanation, and these are set and determined by comprehensively considering, for example, the disease, illness, symptomatic condition, medication status, etc. of the patient 16.

[0027] The data creation unit 54 creates screen data that serves as the basis for a diagnostic screen 46 on which the symptom level Ss determined by the symptom determination unit 53 can be visually recognized for each patient 16. When the data creation unit 54 receives answers to the "questions" from each patient 16 via the patient-side device 11, it creates screen data that serves as the basis for the diagnostic screen 46 shown in FIG. 3. That is, the data creation unit 54 creates screen data for displaying the symptom level Ss determined by the symptom determination unit 53 as a list for each patient 16. The medical display unit 41 of the medical-side device 13 displays the diagnostic screen 46 of the list based on the screen data. This allows the medical worker 17 operating the medical-side device 13 to visually obtain the symptom level Ss for each patient 16 from the screen of the medical display unit 41.

[0028] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the patient-side device 11 implements the personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, and the symptom determination unit 53 by executing the "patient-side device program" application on the patient-side device 11. However, the personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, and the symptom determination unit 53 may be implemented not only by the patient-side device 11 but also by the server device 12. Furthermore, the personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, and the symptom determination unit 53 may be implemented by the medical-side device 13 by obtaining data stored in the server device 12 and the latest answer entered by the patient-side device 11. In addition, the data creation unit 54 may be implemented not only by the medical-side device 13, but also by the patient-side device 11 or the server device 12. In this way, the personality value setting unit 51, the threshold setting unit 52, the symptom determination unit 53, and the data creation unit 54 may be implemented by any of the patient-side device 11, the server device 12, and the medical-side device 13 depending on the processing load.

[0029] The flow of an embodiment of the home medical support system 10 configured as described above will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a "patient-side device program" is used as an application program to control the patient-side device 11. This embodiment is directed to a patient 16 who receives medication at home 19 by receiving medication from a medical professional 17. Hereinafter, the "patient-side device program" will be abbreviated to "patient app." Furthermore, "The patient app does XX of XX" refers to the operation that the control unit 25 of the patient-side device 11 executes in accordance with the patient app.

[0030] (Question reception processing) First, the question reception process by the patient app will be described. The patient 16 operates the patient-side device 11 at any time, for example, once a day. The patient 16 does not have to operate the patient-side device 11 only once a day. The patient 16 may operate the patient-side device 11 several times a day, or may operate the patient-side device 11 once every few days. When the patient app is started on the patient-side device 11, the patient app executes a question reception process. The question reception process starts when the patient 16 starts the patient app on the patient-side device 11 (S101).

[0031] When the patient app is launched, the patient app displays a top screen 60 as shown in FIG. 6 on the patient-side display unit 21 (S102). The top screen 60 includes a treatment start date area 61, a scheduled hospital visit date area 62, a progress display area 63, an irAE area 64, and a selection display area 65. The treatment start date area 61 displays the treatment start date, i.e., the date on which the patient 16 started treatment at the medical institution 18. The scheduled hospital visit date area 62 displays the next scheduled hospital visit date for the patient 16. The scheduled hospital visit date is entered by the patient 16 or the medical worker 17 when the medical worker 17 instructs the patient 16 to visit the hospital. The scheduled hospital visit date may be entered by the patient 16 using the patient-side device 11, or by the medical worker 17 using the medical-side device 13. The treatment start date and the scheduled hospital visit date are shared between the patient-side device 11 and the medical-side device 13 via the server device 12.

[0032] The transition display area 63 displays the transitions of the body temperature, weight, and blood pressure entered by the patient 16 in chronological order. The transition display area 63 displays, for example, one week's worth of body temperature, weight, and blood pressure. The irAE area 64 displays whether there has been a change in physical condition due to a side effect of medication, and accepts the start of input of information about side effects, which will be described later. The selection display area 65 displays a button 66 for selecting "Daily Health Check" and a button 67 for selecting "Calendar," and accepts input to transition to these. Note that buttons 66 and 67 are not mechanical buttons, but are buttons that are touched on the screen displayed on the patient-side display unit 21. The same applies to "buttons" in the following explanation.

[0033] After displaying the top screen 60, the patient app determines whether or not an end operation has been performed (S103). After launching the patient app, the patient 16 performs an operation to close the patient app when the patient 16 has completed inputting the necessary information or when the patient 16 wishes to end operations using the patient app for some other reason. The patient app determines whether or not an operation or process to end the patient app has been performed by the patient after displaying the top screen 60. If the patient app determines that an end operation has been performed (S103: Yes), it ends its operation (S104).

[0034] If the patient application determines that an end operation has not been performed (S103: No), it determines whether or not an operation such as a tap on the irAE area 64 or the selection display area 65 has been performed (S105). If the patient application determines that an operation has been performed (S105: Yes), it determines whether or not the operation is a tap on the "Daily Health Check" button 66 (S106). If the patient application determines in S105 that no operation has been performed (S105: No), it returns to S102 and continues to display the top screen 60.

[0035] When the patient app determines in S106 that the "Daily Health Check" button 66 has been tapped (S106: Yes), it displays a health check input screen 70 as shown in FIG. 7 on the patient-side display unit 21 (S107). The health check input screen 70 includes an input display area 71, a complete button 72, and a cancel button 73. The input display area 71 includes a body temperature field 74, a weight field 75, and a blood pressure field 76, which are input in the "Daily Health Check". The health check input screen 70 also includes a date display field 77.

[0036] When the patient 16 taps the body temperature field 74, weight field 75, or blood pressure field 76 on the health check input screen 70, the patient app displays an input pad or the like (not shown) and accepts the patient 16's input of the body temperature, weight, and maximum and minimum blood pressure values ​​for the input date. The patient app saves the accepted body temperature, weight, and blood pressure data (S108). The body temperature, weight, and blood pressure data are associated with the input date and saved in the memory unit 24 of the patient-side device 11. In this case, the data may be saved synchronously in the memory unit 31 of the server device 12 via the communication network 15.

[0037] The patient application determines whether the Complete button 72 has been tapped (S109). If the Complete button 72 has been tapped (S109: Yes), the patient application completes the acceptance of data input and returns to S103. If the Complete button 72 has not been tapped (S109: No), the patient application returns to S107 and continues accepting data input. If the patient taps the Cancel button 73 displayed on the health check input screen 70, the patient application returns to S102 without saving the input data.

[0038] If the patient app determines in S106 that the "Daily Health Check" button 66 on the top screen 60 shown in FIG. 6 has not been tapped (S106: No), it determines whether the irAE area 64 has been tapped (S110). The irAE area 64 is an area for displaying and inputting information about side effects caused by medication, as described above. Specifically, the irAE area 64 displays the presence or absence of side effects in chronological order over a period of, for example, one week. Furthermore, when the irAE area 64 is tapped by the patient 16, the patient app accepts input of the patient 16's latest condition. That is, when the patient app determines that the irAE area 64 has been tapped (S110: Yes), it displays a health check input screen 70 as shown in FIG. 7 on the patient-side display unit 21 (S111). The health check input screen 70 is the same as the one displayed in S107 described above. As in S107 and S108, the patient application accepts the input of the body temperature, weight, and blood pressure data entered through the health check input screen 70 and stores this data (S112). Data storage is also as described in S108.

[0039] The patient app displays the health check input screen 70 and accepts data input in S111, and after saving the input data in S112, determines whether the Complete button 72 has been tapped (S113). When the Complete button 72 is tapped (S113: Yes), the patient app displays a medication date input screen 80 on the patient-side display unit 21 as shown in FIG. 8 (S114). The medication date input screen 80 includes an answer selection area 81 and a cancel button 82. The answer selection area 81 displays an answer of "Yes" or "No" to a display 83 of the question "Is today a medication date?" The patient 16 inputs an answer to the question about the medication date by tapping the "Yes" button 84 or the "No" button 85.

[0040] When the patient application displays the medication date input screen 80, it determines whether the "Yes" button 84 has been tapped (S115). If the "Yes" button 84 has been tapped (S115: Yes), the patient application stores the fact that it is a medication date based on the answer "Yes" (S116). On the other hand, if the "Yes" button 84 has not been tapped (S115: No), the patient application determines whether the "No" button 85 has been tapped (S117). If the "No" button 85 has been tapped (S117: Yes), the patient application stores the fact that it is not a medication date based on the answer "No" (S118). Data indicating that it is a medication date or that it is not a medication date is associated with the input date and stored in the storage unit 24 of the patient-side device 11. In this case, these data may be stored synchronously in the storage unit 31 of the server device 12. If the "No" button 85 is not tapped (S117: No), the patient application returns to S114, displays the medication date input screen 80, and waits until an answer of "Yes" or "No" is entered. Note that if the patient 16 taps the cancel button 82 displayed on the medication date input screen 80, the patient application returns to S111 without saving the entered data. In this case, the patient application may return to other processing, such as S102.

[0041] When the patient app saves the answer to the medication date input screen 80 in S116 or S118, it displays a question screen 90 on the patient-side display unit 21 of the patient-side device 11 as shown in FIG. 9 (S119). The question screen 90 includes a "Question" display field 91 and a "Next" button 92. The patient app accepts taps from the patient on multiple "Questions" displayed in the display field 91 of the question screen 90. When the patient taps the "Next" button 92, the patient app transitions to the next question screen 90.

[0042] In this embodiment, the question screen 90 has 34 pages, and the current page is displayed in the page area 93 as "1 / 34," "2 / 34," ... "34 / 34." The question screen 90 has multiple pages prepared according to the content of the "question," such as a screen related to "daily life" as shown in FIG. 9, a screen related to "symptoms" as shown in FIG. 10, a screen related to "muscle weakness" as shown in FIG. 11, and a screen related to "notices" as shown in FIG. 12. The patient 16 can move to the next page of the question screen 90 by tapping a "next" button 92 included in the question screen 90.

[0043] The patient 16 checks each "question" displayed in the display field 91 of the question screen 90 and answers the "questions" in order by tapping the field corresponding to the "question." When the patient 16 taps a "question," the patient app displays a "check mark" in the field of the "question" to indicate that the question has been tapped. The patient 16 can also return to the previous page of the question screen 90 by tapping the "back" button 94 included in the question screen 90. The patient app accepts the answer to the "question" displayed on this question screen 90. The patient 16 can also cancel answering the "question" by tapping the "cancel" button 95 included in the question screen 90. When "cancel" is tapped while any of the question screens 90 is displayed, the patient app returns to S119 without saving the answers entered up to that point, and displays the question screen 90 of page "1 / 34" again.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 12 , when the patient application reaches the “Notice” page, which is the last page of the question screen 90, it determines whether or not the “Complete” button 96 included on this page has been tapped (S120). When the “Complete” button 96 has been tapped (S120: Yes), the patient application analyzes the symptoms of the patient 16 based on the answers to the “questions” from the patient 16 (S121). The patient application analyzes the symptoms of the patient 16 based on the answers to the “questions” received from the patient 16 on the multiple question screens 90, by referring to the importance of the “questions” and a threshold Vb correlated with the personality value P of the patient 16. The “questions” displayed by the patient application on the multiple question screens 90 are set as general questions common to all patients 16, regardless of, for example, the personality, type of disease, symptoms, etc. of the patient 16. Therefore, the patient application sets multiple importance levels IV for each “question” depending on the disease of the patient 16, the type of medication administered, whether or not medication is administered, etc. The patient application then sets a threshold Vb for the answer to the "question" according to the personality value P of the patient 16, and determines the symptom severity Ss of the patient 16 using the importance Iv of the "question" and the threshold Vb for the answer to that "question."

[0045] In detail, the patient application sets the personality value P of the patient 16 using the personality value setting unit 51 based on the frequency and tendency of answers received from the patient 16 stored in the server device 12. Then, the patient application sets the threshold Vb based on the personality value P using the threshold setting unit 52. The patient application analyzes the symptom degree Ss of the patient 16 from the latest answer entered by the patient 16 to the "question" in S119 based on the personality value P and the threshold Vb using the symptom determination unit 53. At this time, the patient application also takes into consideration the medication date confirmed in S115 to S118. In this way, the symptom determination unit 53 of the patient application sets the personality value P and the threshold Vb based on the tendency and frequency of the patient 16's past answers, and determines the symptom degree Ss of the patient 16 from the latest answer. If the "Done" button 96 is not tapped in S120 (S120: No), the patient application waits until the "Done" button 96 is tapped.

[0046] As a result of analyzing the symptoms of the patient 16 in S121, the patient app determines whether or not there is a risk of a side effect occurring due to the medication (S122). When the patient app determines that there is a possibility that a side effect is occurring (S122: Yes), it saves the answer to the "question" (S123) and displays that fact on the patient display unit 21 of the patient-side device 11 (S124). On the other hand, when the patient app determines that there is a possibility that a side effect is occurring (S122: No), it displays that fact on the patient display unit 21 of the patient-side device 11 through a notification screen 100 as shown in FIG. 13 (S125). In this way, the patient app notifies the patient 16 whether or not a side effect is occurring due to the medication. When the patient app determines that there is a possibility that a side effect is occurring, it saves the answer to the "question" in the storage unit 24. At this time, the answer to the "question" is also saved in the storage unit 31 of the server device 12. The response stored in the server device 12 can be confirmed by the medical staff 17 from the medical side device 13, as will be explained later in the "Medical Staff Confirmation Process".

[0047] After notifying the patient through the patient-side display unit 21 in S124 or S125, the patient application determines whether or not the "Back" button 101 included in the notification screen 100 has been tapped (S126). If the patient application determines that the "Back" button 101 has been tapped (S126: Yes), it returns to S102 and continues processing from the display of the top screen 60 onwards. If the patient application determines that the "Back" button 101 has not been tapped (S126: No), it waits until the "Back" button 101 is tapped.

[0048] When the patient application determines in S110 that the irAE area 64 on the top screen shown in FIG. 6 has not been tapped (S110: No), it displays a calendar screen (not shown) (S127). The calendar screen is a screen on which dates and days of the week are displayed. After displaying the calendar screen, the patient application returns to S103 and continues the subsequent processing.

[0049] (Medical worker verification process) The medical worker 17 operates the medical side device 13 at any time to obtain the symptom level Ss of the patient 16. The medical worker 17 accesses the server device 12 from the medical side device 13 to obtain the answers to the "questions" of the patient 16 and causes the medical side display unit 41 to display a diagnostic screen 46 of the symptom level Ss based on the screen data. At this time, the medical side display unit 41 displays the diagnostic screen 46 based on the screen data, as shown in FIG. 3. The medical worker 17 checks the symptom level Ss for each patient 16 using the diagnostic screen 46 displayed on the medical side display unit 41, and determines whether advice and notification to the patient 16 or whether a diagnosis is necessary. The diagnostic screen 46 based on this screen data allows the medical worker 17 to visually check the symptom level Ss for each patient 16.

[0050] The home medical care support system according to the embodiment described above sets a personality value P indicating the personality of the patient 16 based on the answer to a "question" received from the patient 16, and sets a threshold Vb for determining the weighting of the answer to the "question" from the personality value P. Therefore, even when a general "question" common to multiple patients 16 is given to a specific patient 16, the symptom severity Ss specific to the specific patient 16 is determined from the answer to the "question" from the specific patient 16. That is, the personality value P is set based on the tendency and frequency of the patient 16's answers, and the threshold Vb indicating the degree of importance to be attached to the answer to the "question" is set based on the personality value P. Furthermore, even when the "question" is general, the importance IV is set by comprehensively considering, for example, the disease, illness, symptom, medication status, etc. of each individual patient 16. Therefore, even when a general "question" common to multiple patients 16 is given, the importance IV of the answer to the "question" differs for each patient 16.

[0051] When a patient 16 provides a new answer, the symptom determination unit 53 determines the symptom level Ss of the patient 16 based on the individuality value P, the threshold Vb, and the importance level Iv of the answer to the "question." This allows the medical professional 17 to use the symptom level Ss to consider appropriate responses based on the patient 16's answer, such as whether the patient 16 needs to be examined or whether the patient 16 needs to receive advice via telephone or other means. In this case, the medical device 13 displays the symptom level Ss for each patient 16 as a diagnostic screen 46 on the medical display unit 41. Therefore, the medical professional 17 can visually recognize a list of the symptom levels Ss of the patients 16 through the medical display unit 41. Meanwhile, the patient 16 can communicate their symptom level Ss to the medical professional 17, such as their doctor, simply by answering the "question" using their mobile terminal 14. This eliminates the need to directly contact the busy medical professional 17, for example, by telephone, or to visit the medical institution 18 for a medical examination. Therefore, the physical condition and symptoms of the patient 16 can be easily understood according to the individuality of the patient 16 being treated at home, and the anxiety of the medical staff 17 and the patient 16 can be reduced.

[0052] In one embodiment, the patient 16 may be a cancer patient. With recent advances in medical technology, cancer treatment is shifting from long-term treatment involving surgery to home medication-based treatment. On the other hand, the drugs used in cancer treatment can impose a significant physical and mental burden on the patient 16, such as strong side effects. By applying this embodiment to cancer treatment, which is likely to impose a burden on the patient 16, the medical professional 17 can easily confirm the patient 16's symptom level Ss, including the date of medication. Furthermore, the patient 16 can communicate their physical condition and symptoms to the medical professional 17 at any time by simply answering questions through a patient app running on the mobile device 14. This can reduce anxiety for the medical professional 17 and the patient 16, especially in cancer treatment involving medication.

[0053] The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] In the drawing, 10 indicates a home medical support system, 11 indicates a patient-side device, 12 indicates a server device, 13 indicates a medical-side device, 21 indicates a patient-side display unit, 22 indicates an input unit, 41 indicates a medical-side display unit, 46 indicates a diagnostic screen, 51 indicates a personality value setting unit, 52 indicates a threshold setting unit, 53 indicates a symptom judgment unit, and 54 indicates a data creation unit.

Claims

1. a patient-side device that is a terminal used by a patient; a server device communicably connected to the patient-side device and storing information input from the patient-side device; a medical device connected to the server device, remotely located from the patient device, and serving as a terminal used by a doctor; a patient-side display unit provided in the patient-side device, which displays questions regarding the patient's symptoms, the questions having predetermined importance levels; an input unit provided in the patient-side device for inputting an answer to the question displayed on the patient-side display unit; an individuality value setting unit that sets an individuality value specific to the patient based on the answer input from the input unit; a threshold value setting unit that sets a threshold value indicating a weighting of the answer for each patient based on the individuality value set by the individuality value setting unit; a symptom determination unit that, upon receiving the latest answer input by the patient through the patient-side device, determines to which of a plurality of preset symptom levels the patient falls based on the importance of the question corresponding to the answer and the threshold set by the threshold setting unit; a data creating unit that creates screen data that allows the severity of the symptoms determined by the symptom determining unit to be visually recognized for each patient; a medical display unit provided in the medical device and displaying a diagnostic screen based on the screen data created by the data creation unit; A home medical support system equipped with:

2. 2. The home medical care support system according to claim 1, wherein the individuality value setting unit sets the individuality value based on the frequency of the answers within a preset period.

3. 3. The home medical care support system according to claim 1, wherein the questions relate to side effects of drugs prescribed for cancer patients.

4. A computer program for causing a patient-side device, which is a terminal used by a patient, to collect information to be stored in a server device, a display step of displaying questions having predetermined importance levels on a patient-side display unit provided in the patient-side device; a receiving step of receiving, from the patient through an input unit provided in the patient-side device, an answer to the question displayed on the patient-side display unit in the display step; a transmission step of transmitting the answer received through the input unit in the reception step to the external server device through a communication unit provided in the patient-side device; a personality value setting step of setting a personality value specific to the patient in a personality value setting unit provided in the patient-side device based on the answer input from the input unit; A patient-side device program for a home medical support system that executes the above.

5. a threshold setting step of setting a weighting of the answer in a threshold setting unit provided in the patient-side device based on the personality value set by the personality value setting unit; 5. The patient-side device program of the home medical care support system according to claim 4, further executed.

6. a symptom determination step in which, when the latest answer is received from the patient through the input unit, the patient-side device determines to which of a plurality of preset symptom levels the patient falls based on the importance of the question corresponding to the answer and the weighting of the answer set by the threshold setting unit; 6. The patient-side device program of the home medical care support system according to claim 5, further executed.

7. 5. The patient-side device program for a home medical care support system according to claim 4, wherein said individuality value setting step sets said individuality value based on the frequency of said answers within a preset set period.

8. 8. The patient-side device program of the home medical support system according to claim 4, wherein the questions relate to side effects of medicines prescribed for cancer patients.

Images