Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To allow for proposing optimum nursing care products suitable for a care recipient.SOLUTION: An information processing device provided herein comprises an acquisition unit configured to acquire property information on properties of stool of a care recipient and evaluation information obtained by evaluating how independent the care recipient is, and a determination unit configured to determine nursing care products to be used for providing care to the care recipients on the basis of the property information and the evaluation information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, mechanisms for appropriately obtaining records related to defecation have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that dynamically determines the properties of stool excreted in a toilet bowl and manages the determination results as personal data of the user, in response to the need to reduce the burden on users in recording defecation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-38640 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-described conventional techniques do not necessarily make it possible to propose optimal care products for the care recipient.

[0005] For example, the above-mentioned conventional technology simply dynamically determines the characteristics of the stool excreted in the toilet, associates the determined characteristics with the date and time of excretion of the stool and records them as personal data of the toilet user, and then displays information about the stool based on the personal data.

[0006] Furthermore, the above-mentioned prior art is not based on the idea of ​​utilizing the determined stool properties to propose nursing care products, for example.

[0007] For these reasons, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have room for improvement in terms of proposing optimal care products for the care recipient.

[0008] The present application has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can suggest the most suitable nursing care products for the person being cared for. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The information processing device of the present application is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires property information, which is information regarding the property of the stool of a care recipient, and evaluation information that evaluates the degree to which the care recipient is independent, and a decision unit that determines nursing care products to be used to care for the care recipient based on the property information and the evaluation information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to propose optimal nursing care products for a care recipient. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an independent excretion evaluation flow according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation information database according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a property information database according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a care record database according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a decision flow according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product information database according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an event information database according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an information processing procedure according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] At least the following matters will become clear from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0013] An information processing device characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires property information, which is information regarding the property of the stool of a care recipient, and evaluation information that evaluates the degree to which the care recipient is independent, and a decision unit that determines nursing care products to be used to care for the care recipient based on the property information and the evaluation information.

[0014] Such an information processing device can suggest optimal care products for the care recipient.

[0015] The acquisition unit also acquires, as the property information, property information in which information indicating the property of stool excreted by the care receiver is shown as a history.

[0016] Such an information processing device can appropriately detect the pattern of the stool properties excreted by the care recipient, thereby making it possible to accurately predict the properties of the stool that the care recipient will likely excrete next time.

[0017] In addition, the acquisition unit acquires evaluation information that evaluates the care recipient's ability to excrete independently, based on how well the care recipient meets the conditions for independent excretion, such as going to the toilet by himself and cleaning up after himself.

[0018] Such an information processing device makes it possible to appropriately evaluate the independent excretion ability of the care recipient.

[0019] The information processing device further has a prediction unit that predicts the nature of the stool that the care recipient is likely to excrete based on the property information, and the determination unit determines nursing care products to be used in caring for the care recipient based on the prediction information indicating the property of the stool predicted by the prediction unit and the evaluation information.

[0020] Such an information processing device can suggest absorbent articles with functions that correspond to the characteristics of the next stool that the care recipient will pass, allowing care staff to take appropriate measures to prevent stool leakage, for example.

[0021] The prediction unit predicts the properties of the stool to be excreted based on a pattern detected from the property information and relating to the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient.

[0022] Such an information processing device makes it possible to accurately predict the properties of the stool that the care recipient will likely have next time.

[0023] The prediction unit further uses care information corresponding to the care recipient to predict the properties of the stool to be excreted.

[0024] With such an information processing device, by combining the characteristics predicted based on the patterns detected from the characteristic information with the content of the care services received by the care recipient (for example, the content and amount of meals, the amount of laxative administered, the content and amount of exercise, etc.), it becomes possible to more accurately predict the characteristics of the stool that the care recipient will next pass.

[0025] In addition, the prediction unit predicts the characteristics of the stool to be excreted using any of the following care information: dietary information regarding the food and drink consumed by the care recipient, medication information regarding medication administered to the care recipient, exercise information regarding the exercise performed by the care recipient, or the level of care required by the caregiver.

[0026] Such an information processing device can assign weights according to the content of the care services received by the care recipient (for example, the content and amount of meals, the amount of laxative administered, the content and amount of exercise, etc.), making it possible to more accurately predict the characteristics of the stool that the care recipient will likely pass next time.

[0027] In addition, the determination unit determines, as the nursing care product, an absorbent article of a removable type that corresponds to the evaluation results of the care recipient from among absorbent articles that have the function of being able to accommodate the stool characteristics predicted by the prediction unit.

[0028] Such information processing devices will bring benefits to both the care facility and the care recipient, such as reducing the workload caused by fecal incontinence, and improving activities of daily living (ADL) and supporting independent excretion, thereby providing beneficial effects for both the care facility and the care recipient.

[0029] In addition, the determination unit further determines other nursing care products that should be used in conjunction with the absorbent article, which are based on the characteristics predicted by the prediction unit and the evaluation results of the care recipient.

[0030] Such information processing devices can suggest not only absorbent articles (adult diapers), but also baby wipes, baby cleansing liquids, and disposable bed sheets, allowing care staff to properly clean up after excretions.

[0031] In addition, the prediction unit predicts the characteristics of the stool that may be excreted at night based on a pattern regarding the characteristics of the stool excreted by the care recipient at night, and the determination unit further uses sleep information that indicates the sleep status of the care recipient to determine an absorbent article for nighttime use that is appropriate for the sleep status.

[0032] Such an information processing device makes it possible to grasp the sleep state of the care recipient, and effectively prevent fecal leakage at night while taking care not to disturb their sleep as much as possible.

[0033] In addition, the acquisition unit further acquires urination information indicating the urination status of the care recipient, and the determination unit determines, as the absorbent article, an absorbent article having a function according to the urination status.

[0034] According to such an information processing device, for example, it is possible to reduce the risk of excrement leaking from the absorbent article due to the mixing of feces and urine.

[0035] Furthermore, when the properties predicted by the prediction unit indicate solid stool, the determination unit determines, as the absorbent article, a urine absorption pad having a function according to the urination situation.

[0036] According to this type of information processing device, solid stool is likely to be absorbed by the outer and inner layers even if it is mixed with urine and liquefied. By adopting an inner urine pad, the frequency of replacement by care staff can be reduced, contributing to improved work efficiency.

[0037] The determination unit also determines a urine pad having a function according to the amount of urine, the tendency of time periods when urination occurs, or the frequency of urination as the urination situation.

[0038] With such an information processing device, for example, care staff no longer need to consider what functions of urine absorption pads should be combined and the risk of excrement leaking due to using an incompatible urine absorption pad with the outerwear is also reduced.

[0039] The information processing device further has a storage unit that stores event information indicating an event that occurred when the care product was used by the care recipient in a specified storage means, and the determination unit determines the care product to be used next time to care for the care recipient based on the event information, if there is a care product among the care products that caused a problem for the care recipient, excluding the care product that caused the problem from the candidates.

[0040] Such an information processing device can control the device so that, for example, a care product that has caused bowel leakage, skin trouble, a fall, or the like is not recommended in the future.

[0041] In addition, if a specified care record system for managing care records has been introduced in the care facility that is accepting the care recipient, the acquisition unit acquires the condition information and evaluation information that are kept as the care record.

[0042] According to such an information processing device, it is possible to establish a route for acquiring property information and evaluation information, and to efficiently collect property information and evaluation information.

[0043] An example of a form for implementing an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program (hereinafter referred to as an "embodiment") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, the information processing method, and the information processing program are not limited to this embodiment. Furthermore, the same components in the following embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0044] [Embodiment] 1. Introduction For example, if a diaper (adult diaper) worn by a care recipient leaks feces, it not only increases the workload for care staff but also the risk of infection. For this reason, effectively preventing fecal leakage has become an important issue in care settings.

[0045] For example, adult diapers are used by combining an outer pants diaper with an inner pad (inner). Therefore, if the outer and inner diapers are not properly matched, they will slip and cause fecal leakage. Therefore, effective methods include preventing the outer and inner diapers from coming apart due to the wearer's movements, preventing the inner diaper from slipping due to changes in body position, combining an inner diaper with an outer diaper that suits the wearer's body type, position, and movements, and selecting an outer diaper with a function that can secure the pad.

[0046] However, simply matching the outer and inner layers may not be enough to prevent fecal leakage. For example, to effectively prevent fecal leakage, it is necessary to use a diaper that is suited to the characteristics of the stool. For example, loose stool or diarrheal stool is difficult for the pad to absorb and spreads over the surface of the pad, or feces and urine may mix and spread over the surface of the pad. For this reason, measures such as selecting a pad with an area that corresponds to the spread of fecal liquid or a pad with high gathers (leak prevention walls) that stop the spread of fecal liquid (a pad with three-dimensional gathers) are necessary.

[0047] However, it is not easy for care staff to predict the nature of the stool that will be excreted, and always using diapers that can accommodate soft stools or diarrhea as described above on the care recipient may not necessarily be appropriate in terms of the physical strain it places on the care recipient.

[0048] Furthermore, outerwear can be broadly divided into pants-type and tape-on types in terms of how easily they can be put on and taken off. However, when considering the efficiency of changing diapers by care staff, it is preferable for care recipients to use tape-on adult diapers.

[0049] However, when tape-fastened outerwear is used, the care recipient basically has to rely on care staff to change the outerwear, and is unable to do it themselves. In such cases, ADL (activities of daily living) declines, self-esteem is damaged, and QOL (quality of life) declines.

[0050] Therefore, the present invention has been made with the above circumstances in mind, and its objective is to propose a care product that is optimal for the care recipient, for example, a care product (for example, a combination of outer and inner wear) that can effectively prevent fecal leakage and also takes into consideration support for the independence of the care recipient.

[0051] As a method for solving such problems, the present invention obtains characteristic information, which is information about the characteristics of the care recipient's stool, and evaluation information, which evaluates how independent the care recipient is, and then determines the nursing care products to be used to care for the care recipient based on the characteristic information and the evaluation information.

[0052] [2. Overview of the system] First, the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment. Fig. 1 shows an information processing system 1 as an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment. Information processing according to an embodiment described below is realized in the information processing system 1.

[0053] 1, the information processing system 1 may include a care record system Sy, a facility device 30, and an information processing device 100. The care record system Sy, the facility device 30, and the information processing device 100 are communicably connected via a network N by wire or wirelessly. The information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may include any number of facility devices 30.

[0054] The care record system Sy may be an external system that manages various information related to care work performed at a care facility as care records. The care facility described below is assumed to have the care record system Sy installed.

[0055] Facility device 30 may be an information processing terminal used by a nursing facility (nursing staff at the nursing facility). Facility device 30 may be realized, for example, by a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like.

[0056] Furthermore, an application for transmitting and receiving information to and from the information processing device 100 may be installed in the facility device 30. Such an application may be implemented as a dedicated application for accessing the information processing device 100, or may be a general-purpose application such as a browser. For example, a care staff member can access the information processing device 100 using the facility device 30 and request that nursing care products be recommended.

[0057] The information processing device 100 performs information processing according to the embodiment. Specifically, the information processing device 100 acquires property information, which is information about the property of the stool of the care recipient, and evaluation information, which evaluates the degree to which the care recipient is independent. Then, the information processing device 100, together with the acquisition unit, determines nursing care products to be used for caring for the care recipient based on the property information and the evaluation information.

[0058] Furthermore, if the facility device 30 is an edge computer that performs edge processing near the nursing facility, the information processing device 100 may be, for example, a cloud computer that performs processing on the cloud side. That is, the information processing device 100 may be a server device. In the following description, the business operator that manages the information processing device 100 is referred to as business operator T.

[0059] [3. Overview of Information Processing] From here, an overview of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overview of information processing according to the embodiment.

[0060] The information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 2 includes a facility device 30-1 (an example of a facility device 30), a care record system Sy-1 (an example of a care record system Sy), and an information processing device 100.

[0061] FIG. 2 also shows an example in which the facility device 30-1 is used by a care staff member CA1 who is an employee performing care work at the care facility A1, and the care staff member CA1 is in charge of caring for a care recipient U11.

[0062] Here, in Figure 2, we will explain the overview of information processing related to the embodiment by focusing on a scene in which adult diapers (particularly outerwear) are recommended to care staff CA1 as care products to be used in caring for care recipient U11.

[0063] In the example of Figure 2, first, the care staff member CA1 evaluates how much the care recipient U11 can perform in independent excretion, such as going to the toilet by himself and cleaning up after himself, and may register evaluation information showing the evaluation results in the care record system Sy (step S1).

[0064] For example, the care staff CA1 can evaluate the independent excretion ability of the care recipient U11 based on the conditions related to independent excretion. The conditions related to independent excretion may be registered in the judgment condition database 121 as an independent excretion evaluation flow (FIG. 4), and the care staff CA1 can evaluate the independent excretion ability of the care recipient U11 by comparing this independent excretion evaluation flow with the condition of the care recipient U11. The details of the independent excretion evaluation flow will be described later.

[0065] In addition, in response to the care work performed on the care recipient U11, the care staff CA1 registers, in the care record system Sy-1, property information indicating the property of the care recipient's stool and care information indicating the content of the care work (step S2).

[0066] For example, the care staff CA1 may use the Bristol Scale, an international standard for indicating stool properties, to evaluate the stool properties each time the care recipient U11 defecates. For example, the Bristol Scale classifies stool properties into seven types, from Type 1 to Type 7, and the care staff CA1 may visually determine which type the stool properties of the care recipient U11 belong to, and register the determination result in the care record system Sy as property information indicating the stool properties of the care recipient U11.

[0067] For example, the Bristol Scale classifies stools as "Type 1" for hard, lumpy stools, "Type 2" for short, hard stools, "Type 3" for stools that are dry and cracked, "Type 4" for stools that are moderately soft, "Type 5" for stools that are very soft and moist, "Type 6" for stools that are formless and like mud, and "Type 7" for stools that are watery.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, the care staff CA1 may register, as care information, dietary information regarding the food and drink consumed by the care recipient U11, medication information regarding the medication administered to the care recipient U11, exercise information regarding the exercise performed by the care recipient U11, etc. in the care record system Sy-1.

[0069] The care record system Sy-1 stores the information registered by the care staff CA1 as a care record (step S3).

[0070] For example, the care record system Sy-1 may store in the database a facility ID that identifies the care facility A1, a care recipient ID that identifies the care recipient U11, and evaluation information that evaluates the ability of independent excretion, in association with each other. Also, the care record system Sy-1 may store in the database a facility ID that identifies the care facility A1, a care recipient ID that identifies the care recipient U11, and property information that indicates the property of stool, in association with each other. Also, the care record system Sy-1 may store in the database a facility ID that identifies the care facility A1, a care recipient ID that identifies the care recipient U11, and care information, in association with each other.

[0071] Furthermore, if the information registered by the care staff CA1 is stored as a care record in the care record system Sy-1, the information processing device 100 can acquire this care record from the care record system Sy-1 (step S4). For example, the information processing device 100 may acquire the care record at any timing, or may acquire the care record when a request to recommend care products to be used for the care recipient U11 is received. Furthermore, the care record acquired by the information processing device 100 may include condition information, care information, and evaluation information corresponding to the care recipient U11.

[0072] When the information processing device 100 acquires the care record, it detects a pattern of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the property information included in the care record (step S5). For example, each piece of property information indicates the properties of the stool excreted so far by the care recipient U11, so the information processing device 100 can detect a pattern of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the history of the properties of the stool excreted so far by the care recipient U11.

[0073] For example, the information processing device 100 may detect a temporal pattern of stool characteristics, such as the type of stool the care recipient U11 tends to periodically excrete. Furthermore, for example, the information processing device 100 may combine the characteristic information with the care information to detect a pattern of stool characteristics according to the care provided, such as the type of stool the care recipient U11 tends to excrete depending on the care record. As a result, the information processing device 100 can detect stool characteristics patterns, such as a tendency to excrete Type 3 "solid stool" in the morning but Type 6 "watery stool" at night, or a tendency to excrete Type 2 "solid stool" normally but Type 7 "watery stool" after administration of a laxative.

[0074] Next, the information processing device 100 predicts the nature of the next stool to be excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the stool nature pattern (nature pattern) detected in step S5 and the care information (step S6). For example, the information processing device 100 may predict the timing of excretion, when and what nature of stool will be excreted, and the nature of the stool to be excreted at this timing.

[0075] Next, the information processing device 100 determines an adult diaper (outerwear) as the care product to be used in caring for the care recipient U11 based on the evaluation information acquired in step S4 and the prediction information indicating the prediction result predicted in step S6 (step S7).

[0076] For example, the information processing device 100 may determine the removable type of adult diaper (pants type or tape type) by applying the possibility of independent excretion determined from the evaluation information (the independent excretion ability of the care recipient U11) acquired in step S4 and the prediction result predicted in step S6 to a decision flow (FIG. 8) that defines the decision logic for nursing care products.The information processing device 100 may then determine the removable type of adult diaper determined this time from among the adult diapers commercialized by the business operator T as the target for recommendation.

[0077] Then, the information processing device 100 recommends adult diapers, which are the care product determined in step S7, to the care staff CA1 (step S8). For example, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 determines pants-type adult diapers PT1 as the care product to be used in caring for the care recipient U11. In this case, the information processing device 100 may recommend the adult diaper PT1 to the care staff CA1 by generating suggested content C1, which is a screen on which the adult diaper PT1 is proposed, as shown in FIG. 2, and distributing the generated suggested content C1 to the facility device 30-1 of the care staff CA1.

[0078] Here, as shown in Fig. 2, the suggested content C1 may display product information P11 indicating an adult diaper PT1. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the product information PD11 may be composed of text indicating that the adult diaper PT1 is a pants-type diaper and a package image of the adult diaper PT1. Also, the suggested content C1 may include link information (URL) that transitions to a detailed screen of the product indicated by the product information PD11.

[0079] Up to this point, an overview of the information processing performed by the information processing device 100 has been explained using Figure 2. Such information processing device 100 can determine, as a nursing care product, an absorbent article that has a function that can accommodate the characteristics of the stool of the care recipient and that also takes into consideration the care recipient's ability to perform independent excretion, making it possible to propose the optimal nursing care product for the care recipient. Furthermore, such information processing device 100 provides the benefit of reduced workload due to stool leakage for the nursing care facility and the benefit of supported independence in ADL for the care recipient, thereby providing beneficial effects for both the nursing care facility and the care recipient.

[0080] 4. Configuration of Information Processing Device Next, an information processing device 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the information processing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0081] (Regarding the communication unit 110) The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, an NIC etc. The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from, for example, the facility device 30 and the care record system Sy.

[0082] (Regarding the storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk, an optical disk, etc. The storage unit 120 has a judgment condition database 121, an evaluation information database 122, a characteristic information database 123, a care record database 124, a decision logic database 125, a product information database 126, and an event information database 127.

[0083] (Regarding the judgment criteria database 121) The judgment condition database 121 stores information about the independent excretion evaluation flow. As explained in Fig. 2, the independent excretion evaluation flow is condition information in the form of a flow chart that provides conditions for evaluating the independent excretion ability of a care recipient, based on how much the care recipient can do in independent excretion, such as going to the toilet by himself and cleaning up after himself.

[0084] Here, the independent excretion evaluation flow will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the independent excretion evaluation flow according to the embodiment. According to the example in Fig. 4, the independent excretion evaluation flow is branched into eight routes, and, for example, a care staff member can evaluate the independent excretion ability of the care recipient by following the branches depending on whether the care recipient receives assistance from people around them, whether the care recipient can pull up and down their pants in the toilet room, and the state of fecal incontinence (or urinary incontinence).

[0085] Specifically, in the example of Figure 4, the independent excretion assessment flow is branched into eight routes: routes RT11, RT12, RT13, RT14, and routes RT21, RT22, RT23, and RT24, and information for evaluating the independent excretion ability on a five-level scale, namely, rank S, rank A, rank B, rank C, rank D, and rank E, is associated with each route. For example, progressing from rank S to rank E indicates a decline in independent excretion ability. Each route will be described in detail below.

[0086] Route RT11 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who has been determined to be able to "go to the toilet by himself / herself without assistance from others," who "can relieve himself / herself in the toilet room by pulling up and down his / her pants," and who "does not have fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence) or only has occasional fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence)," and this shows an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "S rank."

[0087] Route RT12 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who is able to "go to the toilet by himself / herself without assistance from others" and "relieve himself / herself in the toilet room by pulling up and down his / her pants" and who has been determined to "have fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence) every time" through a three-stage process. This shows an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank B."

[0088] Route RT13 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who is able to "go to the toilet by himself / herself without assistance from others" but has difficulty "pulling up and down his / her pants in the toilet room" and who has been determined to have "no fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence) or only occasional fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence)" through a three-stage process. This shows an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank A."

[0089] Route RT14 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who has been determined to be able to "go to the toilet by himself without assistance from others" but who has difficulty "pulling up and down his pants in the toilet room" and who "has fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence) every time" through a three-stage process. This shows an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank C."

[0090] Route RT21 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who has been determined to have the following three stages: "requires assistance from others when going to the toilet," but "is able to relieve himself / herself in the toilet by pulling up and down his / her pants," and "has no fecal (urinary) incontinence or only occasional fecal (urinary) incontinence." This is an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank A."

[0091] Route RT22 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who has been determined to have a three-stage flow in which "he needs assistance from others when going to the toilet" but "he is able to relieve himself by pulling up and down his pants in the toilet room" but "he has fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence) every time," and this is an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank B."

[0092] Route RT23 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who has been determined to have "no fecal (urinary) incontinence or only occasional fecal (urinary) incontinence" through a three-stage process, in addition to "requiring assistance from others when going to the toilet" and also having difficulty "pulling up and down pants in the toilet room." This shows an example in which rules are given to evaluate the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank D."

[0093] Route RT23 is a route that can be taken by a care recipient who has been determined to have the following three-stage condition: "He needs assistance from others when going to the toilet," "He has difficulty pulling his pants up and down in the toilet room," and "He has fecal incontinence (urinary incontinence) every time." This is an example of a rule that evaluates the independent excretion ability of such a care recipient as "Rank E."

[0094] The independent excretion evaluation flow shown in Figure 4 is merely an example, and can be modified as appropriate based on, for example, the experience of the care staff, and the type of rank to be determined at what time may also be changed as desired.

[0095] 4 may be used, for example, to compare with the results of a visual inspection of the care recipient by a care staff member, or may be used for dynamic condition determination by the information processing device 100. For example, the information processing device 100 may analyze the movements that the care recipient can perform and the range of motion of the care recipient's joints based on video images of the care recipient walking, sitting, standing up, etc., and may dynamically evaluate the care recipient's ability to perform independent excretion by comparing the analysis results with the independent excretion evaluation flow.

[0096] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may determine, for example, that a care recipient who is evaluated as being S rank or A rank is "capable of independent excretion," and that a care recipient who is evaluated as being any of B rank to E rank is "unable to independent excretion."

[0097] (About Evaluation Information Database 122) The evaluation information database 122 stores information about the independent excretion ability of a care recipient evaluated using the independent excretion evaluation flow shown in Fig. 4. An example of the evaluation information database 122 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 5. In the example of Fig. 5, the evaluation information database 122 has items such as "facility ID," "care recipient ID," "level of care required," and "independent excretion ability."

[0098] "Facility ID" indicates identification information for identifying a nursing care facility. "Care recipient ID" indicates identification information for identifying a facility user receiving nursing care services at the nursing care facility indicated by "Facility ID". "Level of care required" is information about the level of care required set for the care recipient indicated by "Care recipient ID". "Independent excretion ability" is information indicating the independent excretion ability of the care recipient indicated by "Care recipient ID", evaluated using the independent excretion evaluation flow, and corresponds to evaluation information that evaluates how independent the care recipient is from the perspective of excretion behavior.

[0099] 5 shows an example in which a facility ID "A1," a care recipient ID "U11," a level of care required "1," and an independent excretion ability "S" are associated with each other. In this example, a care recipient U11 receiving care services at the nursing facility A1 is a user with a level of care required "1," and has been evaluated as having an S-rank ability for independent excretion based on the independent excretion evaluation flow.

[0100] (About the Property Information Database 123) The condition information database 123 stores condition information, which is information relating to the characteristics of the stool of a care recipient. An example of the condition information database 123 according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 6. In the example of Fig. 6, the condition information database 123 has items such as "facility ID," "care recipient ID," and "condition information."

[0101] "Facility ID" indicates identification information for identifying a nursing facility. "Care recipient ID" indicates identification information for identifying a facility user receiving nursing care services at the nursing facility indicated by the "Facility ID." "Characteristics information" may be, for example, information in which the characteristics of the stool excreted by the care recipient indicated by the "Care recipient ID" are associated with each defecation date and time. In other words, "characteristics information" may be historical information indicating the characteristics of the stool excreted by the care recipient indicated by the "Care recipient ID."

[0102] 6 shows an example in which a facility ID "A1," a care recipient ID "U11," and property information "stool property #11" are associated with each other. This example shows an example in which stool property #11 is obtained as historical information indicating the property of stool excreted by a care recipient U11 who is receiving care services at the care facility A1, in accordance with the defecation that has occurred up to now.

[0103] 2, the stool properties may be determined by the care staff through visual inspection of the stool and comparison with the Bristol scale. On the other hand, if the adult diaper worn by the care recipient is equipped with a sensor capable of detecting the stool state, the stool properties may be sensor information detected by the sensor.

[0104] (About Nursing Care Record Database 124) The care record database 124 stores details of care provided to the care recipient as care records. FIG. 7 shows an example of the care record database 124 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 7, the care record database 124 has items such as "facility ID," "care recipient ID," "diet and drink information," "medication information," and "exercise information." Of course, the care record database 124 may have items other than "diet and drink information," "medication information," and "exercise information," depending on the care work provided to the care recipient.

[0105] The "facility ID" indicates identification information for identifying a care facility. The "care recipient ID" indicates identification information for identifying a facility user receiving care services at the care facility indicated by the "facility ID."

[0106] The "food and drink information" includes information about the food and drink consumed by the care recipient identified by the "care recipient ID." For example, the "food and drink information" may be a food and drink history regarding the food and drink content, such as when, what kind of food and drink, and how much was given to the care recipient identified by the "care recipient ID."

[0107] The “medication information” includes information about medications administered to the care recipient indicated by the “care recipient ID.” For example, the “medication information” may be a medication history regarding the details of medication, such as when, how much, and what type of medication was administered to the care recipient indicated by the “care recipient ID.”

[0108] The "exercise information" may be history information about the exercise content, such as when, for how long, and what kind of exercise (recreation) the care recipient identified by the "care recipient ID" performed.

[0109] FIG. 7 shows an example in which a facility ID "A1," a care recipient ID "U11," food and drink information "food and drink content #11," medication information "medication content #11," and exercise information "exercise content #11" are associated with each other. This example shows an example in which food and drink content #11 is obtained as history information indicating the content of food and drink in accordance with the food and drink that the care recipient U11, who is receiving care services at the care facility A1, has eaten and drunk in the past. Also, this example shows an example in which medication content #11 is obtained as history information indicating the content of medication in accordance with the medication that the care recipient U11 has taken in the past. Also, this example shows an example in which exercise content #11 is obtained as history information indicating the content of exercise in accordance with the exercise that the care recipient U11 has exercised in the past.

[0110] (About Decision Logic Database 125) The decision logic database 125 stores information about a decision flow for determining a care product. As described in Fig. 2, the decision flow is condition information in the form of a flow of decision logic for determining the appropriate type of adult diaper (outerwear) for the care recipient.

[0111] Here, the decision flow will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the decision flow according to the embodiment. For example, the information processing device 100 can determine the type of adult diaper suitable for the care recipient by applying the possibility of independent excretion determined from the care recipient's independent excretion ability and the predicted stool properties of the care recipient to the decision flow of Fig. 8. Specifically, the information processing device 100 can use the decision flow to determine which type of adult diaper is suitable for the care recipient, between pants-type adult diapers and tape-type adult diapers.

[0112] The following explains how the appropriate attachment type for each care recipient is determined using the decision flow. Specifically, we will explain how the attachment type for each care recipient is determined using the example of care recipient U11, whose independent excretion ability has been evaluated as "S rank," and care recipient U21, whose independent excretion ability has been evaluated as "D rank."

[0113] First, an example of the care recipient U11 will be described. For example, the decision unit 135 of the information processing device 100 determines whether the care recipient U11 is capable of independent excretion based on the fact that the care recipient U11's ability of independent excretion is "S rank" (step S81). For example, the decision unit 135 may determine that the care recipient U11 is capable of independent excretion in response to the fact that the ability of independent excretion is "S rank".

[0114] In this way, when the decision unit 135 determines that independent excretion is possible (step S81; Yes), it determines whether the nature of the stool to be next excreted by the care recipient U11 will be solid stool (for example, solid stool belonging to any of types 1 to 5) based on the prediction result corresponding to the care recipient U11 (prediction result for the nature of the stool to be next excreted by the care recipient U11) (step S82).

[0115] For example, when the determination unit 135 determines that the next stool excreted by the care recipient U11 will be solid (step S82; Yes), it determines the "pants type" as the removable type suitable for the care recipient U11. In this way, the determination unit 135 determines the pants type suitable for independent excretion since the risk of stool leakage is low if the stool is solid.

[0116] On the other hand, if the determination unit 135 determines that the next stool excreted by the care recipient U11 will not be solid (step S82; No), that is, if the determination unit 135 determines that the next stool excreted by the care recipient U11 will be watery (for example, watery stool belonging to either type 6 or type 7), it determines the "tape-fastened type" as the removable type suitable for the care recipient U11. Here, watery stool has a higher risk of stool leakage than solid stool. Therefore, even if the care recipient U11 is capable of independent excretion, if it is predicted that watery stool will be excreted, the determination unit 135 determines the tape-fastened type, which is easier for care staff to change than the pants-type, with an emphasis on the higher risk of stool leakage.

[0117] Next, an example of the care recipient U21 will be described. For example, the decision unit 135 of the information processing device 100 determines whether the care recipient U21 is capable of independent excretion based on the fact that the care recipient U21's ability of independent excretion is "rank D" (step S81). For example, the decision unit 135 may determine that the care recipient U21 is unable to excrete independently in response to the fact that the ability of independent excretion is "rank D".

[0118] In this way, when the decision unit 135 determines that independent excretion is not possible (step S81; No), it decides on the "tape-fastened type" as the detachable type suitable for the care recipient U21, regardless of the prediction result corresponding to the care recipient U21 (prediction result for the characteristics of the next stool excreted by the care recipient U21).

[0119] Since the care recipient U21 is unable to excrete independently, it is estimated that the care recipient U21 spends most of his or her time sleeping or has an impairment in excretory function, and therefore the care staff must change his or her diapers. Therefore, the determination unit 135 determines the tape-type diaper, which is easier for the care staff to change than the pants-type diaper.

[0120] (About Product Information Database 126) Product information database 126 stores product information related to nursing care products. Note that nursing care products registered as products in product information database 126 may be goods manufactured and sold by business entity T.

[0121] An example of the product information database 126 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 9. In the example of Fig. 9, the product information database 126 has items such as "outerwear information" corresponding to product information indicating a product as an outerwear (outer pants) and "innerwear information" corresponding to product information indicating a product as an innerwear (inner pad).

[0122] The "outerwear information" includes items such as "detachable type," "condition," "target rank," and "product information." The "innerwear information" includes items such as "gender," "time period," "symptoms," "absorbency," and "combined innerwear."

[0123] First, the "outerwear information" will be explained.

[0124] "Detachable type" is information that indicates the detachable type of outerwear, and as explained above, "detachable type" includes "pants type" and "tape-fastened type." Of course, there are other types of "detachable type" besides "pants type" and "tape-fastened type" (for example, 2-way type), but this embodiment focuses on the two types, "pants type" and "tape-fastened type."

[0125] "Status" is information about possible physical conditions of the care recipient. As shown in Figure 9, possible physical conditions of the care recipient include "Able to walk alone," "Able to walk with assistance," "Able to stand up or sit down alone," "Has excretory dysfunction," "Spends most of the time sleeping," etc. Of course, these are just some examples.

[0126] The "target rank" is information about the candidate ranks that can be evaluated for the independent excretion ability of the care recipient. As explained above, the independent excretion ability may be evaluated on a five-level ranking scale: S rank, A rank, B rank, C rank, D rank, and E rank. Therefore, these five ranks may exist as candidate ranks.

[0127] "Product information" indicates product information about outerwear that is available on the market as a product and that corresponds to the corresponding "detachable type," "condition," and "target rank."

[0128] 9 shows an example in which the removable type "pants type," the condition "able to walk alone," the target rank "rank S," and the product information "PD11" are associated with each other. This example shows that a "pants type" outerwear is suitable for a care recipient who has a physical condition of "able to walk alone" and an ability of "rank S" for independent excretion, and that the product shown in the product information PD11 is recommended as a "pants type" outerwear.

[0129] 9 shows an example in which the detachable type "tape-fastened type," the condition "sleeping most of the time," the target ranks "Rank D" and "Rank E," and the product information "PD22" are associated with each other. This example shows that a "tape-fastened type" outerwear is suitable for a care recipient whose physical condition is "sleeping most of the time" and whose independent excretion ability is "Rank D" or "Rank E," and that the product shown in the product information PD22 is recommended as a "tape-fastened type" outerwear.

[0130] Next, the "inner information" will be explained.

[0131] "Gender" is information indicating the gender for which the "combined innerwear" is suitable. "Time of day" is information indicating the time of day the innerwear is suitable for use, and may be divided into "daytime" and "nighttime" as shown in FIG. 9.

[0132] "Symptoms" is information that indicates the type of urination symptoms that the innerwear is suitable for use by the person being cared for. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the time period "daytime" may be associated with the symptoms "small amount" and "medium amount."

[0133] "Absorption capacity" is information indicating the amount of urine absorption capacity of the innerwear that is suitable for a care recipient with the corresponding "symptom," and the specific absorption capacity may be shown as a number, as shown in Figure 9.

[0134] "Matching innerwear" is information that indicates what innerwear is suitable as a candidate to combine with the outerwear indicated by the corresponding "product information," and indicates innerwear according to "time of day," "symptoms," and "absorption amount."

[0135] 9 shows an example in which product information "PD11" is associated with a time period "daytime," a symptom "small amount," an absorption capacity "200cc-250cc," and a matching inner layer "not required." This example shows an example in which a care recipient who uses an outer layer such as that shown in product information PD11 is told that if the symptom of urinary incontinence is "small amount" during the "daytime" time period, an outer layer with an absorption capacity of "200cc-250cc" (such as that shown in product information PD11) is sufficient, and that a matching inner layer is not required.

[0136] 9 shows an example in which product information "PD11" is associated with a time period "daytime," a symptom "medium amount," an absorption capacity "300cc," and a matching innerwear "daytime pants urine absorption pad." This example explains that if a care recipient using the outerwear indicated in product information PD11 experiences "medium amount" urinary incontinence symptoms during the "daytime" time period, it is appropriate to combine it with an innerwear that has an absorption capacity of "300cc" and is specified as a "daytime pants urine absorption pad."

[0137] 9 shows an example in which product information "PD22" is associated with a time period "night use," a symptom "very heavy," an absorption capacity "800cc," and a matching innerwear "highly absorbent urine absorption pad for restful sleep." This example explains that if a care recipient using an outerwear such as that shown in product information PD22 experiences urinary incontinence symptoms of "very heavy" during the "night" time period, it is appropriate to combine it with an innerwear that has an absorption capacity of "800cc" and is specified as a "highly absorbent urine absorption pad for restful sleep."

[0138] (About Event Information Database 127) The event information database 127 stores event information indicating an event that occurred as a result of a care recipient using a nursing care product. An example of the event information database 127 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 10. In the example of Fig. 10, the event information database 127 has items such as "facility ID," "care recipient ID," "usage information," and "trouble information."

[0139] The "facility ID" indicates identification information for identifying a care facility. The "care recipient ID" indicates identification information for identifying a facility user receiving care services at the care facility indicated by the "facility ID."

[0140] The "usage information" includes information about the nursing care product used for the care recipient indicated by the "care recipient ID." For example, the "usage information" may be a usage history of the nursing care product, such as when and what kind of nursing care product was used for the care recipient indicated by the "care recipient ID."

[0141] "Trouble information" is information that indicates the type of trouble that occurred when the care product indicated in "Usage information" was used (for example, fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, skin rash, infection, pressure due to inappropriate size, etc.).

[0142] 10 shows an example in which a facility ID "A1," a care recipient ID "U11," usage information "usage content #11," and trouble information "trouble content #11" are associated with each other. In this example, the usage content #11 is obtained as history information indicating the content of the care product used in response to the use of care products for the care recipient U11 who is receiving care services at the care facility A1, and the example shows an example in which the use of the care product indicated by the usage content #11 resulted in a trouble indicated by the trouble content #11.

[0143] (Regarding the control unit 130) 3, the control unit 130 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the information processing device 100 using RAM as a work area. The control unit 130 is also realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), for example.

[0144] As shown in Fig. 3, control unit 130 has reception unit 131, acquisition unit 132, detection unit 133, prediction unit 134, determination unit 135, presentation unit 136, and storage unit 137, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 3, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below. Furthermore, the connection relationship between each processing unit included in control unit 130 is not limited to the connection relationship shown in Fig. 3, and may be other connection relationships.

[0145] (Regarding the reception unit 131) The reception unit 131 receives a recommendation request for a nursing care product recommendation. For example, the reception unit 131 receives a recommendation request for a nursing care product recommendation from a nursing staff. That is, the reception unit 131 receives a recommendation request for a nursing care product recommendation from the facility device 30.

[0146] (Regarding the acquisition unit 132) The acquiring unit 132 acquires property information, which is information about the property of the stool of the care recipient, and evaluation information, which evaluates how independent the care recipient is. For example, when the receiving unit 131 receives a recommendation request, the acquiring unit 132 may acquire the property information and the evaluation information.

[0147] For example, the acquiring unit 132 acquires, as the property information, information indicating the property of the stool excreted by the care receiver, which is shown as a history.

[0148] In addition, for example, the acquisition unit 132 acquires evaluation information that evaluates the care recipient's ability to perform independent excretion, depending on how well the care recipient meets the conditions for independent excretion, such as going to the toilet by himself and cleaning up after himself.

[0149] In addition, if a specified care record system Sy for managing care records has been introduced in the care facility accepting the care recipient, the acquisition unit 132 may acquire the condition information and evaluation information kept as care records from the care record system Sy.

[0150] The acquiring unit 132 may also acquire care information (care information corresponding to the care recipient) stored as a care record.

[0151] (Regarding the detection unit 133) The detection unit 133 detects a pattern of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the property information acquired by the acquisition unit 132. For example, the detection unit 133 may detect a pattern of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on a history indicated by the property information, that is, a history of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient.

[0152] For example, the detection unit 133 may detect a pattern of stool properties over time, i.e., what type of stool the care recipient tends to excrete periodically. For example, the detection unit 133 may detect a pattern of stool properties during the daytime, i.e., what type of stool the care recipient tends to excrete during the daytime. Furthermore, the detection unit 133 may detect a pattern of stool properties during the nighttime, i.e., what type of stool the care recipient tends to excrete during the nighttime.

[0153] In another example, the detection unit 133 may combine the property information and the care information to detect the type of stool the care recipient tends to excrete depending on the care record, or the pattern of stool properties depending on the care content.

[0154] (Regarding the prediction unit 134) The prediction unit 134 predicts the properties of the stool to be excreted, that is, what properties the care recipient is likely to excrete, based on the property information acquired by the acquisition unit 132. For example, the prediction unit 134 predicts the properties of the stool to be excreted based on a pattern detected based on the property information, which is related to the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient.

[0155] The prediction unit 134 may predict the property of the stool to be excreted by further using care information corresponding to the care recipient. For example, the prediction unit 134 may predict the property of the stool to be excreted based on a pattern of stool property detected based on information combining the property information and the care information. Specifically, the prediction unit 134 may predict the property of the stool to be excreted by using, as the care information, any of dietary information regarding food and drink ingested by the care recipient, medication information regarding medication administered to the care recipient, exercise information regarding exercise performed by the care recipient, or the level of care required by the caregiver.

[0156] In addition, if a pattern related to the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient during the nighttime hours is detected, the prediction unit 134 may predict the properties of the stool that may be excreted during the nighttime hours based on the pattern of the properties of the stool during the nighttime hours.

[0157] (Regarding the decision unit 135) The determination unit 135 determines a nursing care product to be used for caring for the care recipient based on the property information and evaluation information acquired by the acquisition unit 132. For example, the determination unit 135 may determine a nursing care product to be used for caring for the care recipient based on the prediction information indicating the property of stool predicted by the prediction unit 134 and the evaluation information. As an example, the determination unit 135 may determine, as the nursing care product, a detachable absorbent article according to the evaluation result of the care recipient, from among absorbent articles having a function capable of dealing with stool of the property predicted by the prediction unit.

[0158] In addition, if a pattern related to the characteristics of the stool excreted by the care recipient during the nighttime hours is detected, the determination unit 135 may determine an absorbent article for nighttime use that is appropriate for the sleeping conditions of the care recipient based on the pattern of the stool characteristics during the nighttime hours and the sleeping conditions of the care recipient.

[0159] Here, the acquisition unit 132 may further acquire urination information indicating the urination status of the care recipient. In this case, the determination unit 135 can determine, as the absorbent article, an absorbent article having functions corresponding to the urination status. Specifically, the determination unit 135 can determine a urine absorption pad having functions corresponding to the urination status. For example, when the properties predicted by the prediction unit 134 indicate solid stool, the determination unit 135 may further determine, in addition to outer pants, a urine absorption pad having functions corresponding to the urination status. For example, the determination unit 135 may determine a urine absorption pad having functions corresponding to the urination status, such as the amount of urine, the tendency of the time of urination, or the urination frequency.

[0160] When determining an absorbent article such as an outer or inner garment, the determination unit 135 may further determine other care products to be used together with the absorbent article. For example, the determination unit 135 may further determine bottom wipes or bottom cleansing liquid as other care products based on the properties predicted by the prediction unit 134 and the evaluation results of the care recipient.

[0161] (Regarding the presentation unit 136) The presentation unit 136 presents the nursing care product determined by the determination unit 135 as a recommended product to the nursing staff. For example, the presentation unit 136 may generate suggested content, which is a screen on which the nursing care product determined by the determination unit 135 is proposed, and present the generated suggested content to the nursing staff. In this case, the presentation unit 136 transmits the suggested content to the facility device 30 that is the source of the recommendation request.

[0162] (Regarding the storage unit 137) The accumulation unit 137 accumulates event information indicating an event that occurred as a result of the care recipient using the nursing care product in the event information database 127. For example, when a problem occurs in the care recipient due to the care recipient using the nursing care product, the accumulation unit 137 accumulates information indicating the trouble that occurred in the event information database 127 as event information.

[0163] In such a case, if the determination unit 135 determines based on the trouble information that there is a care product among the care products that caused the trouble that occurred to the care recipient, it may determine the care product to be used next time to care for the care recipient, excluding the care product that caused the trouble from the candidates.

[0164] [5. Processing Procedure] Next, the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 11, the information processing device 100 acquires evaluation information in which the independent excretion ability is evaluated using a five-level ranking, property information indicating the property of stool determined using the Bristol scale, and care information indicating the content of care according to various care tasks from the care record system Sy, and registers these in the database of the device itself.

[0165] 11, the receiving unit 131 determines whether or not a recommendation request for recommending nursing care products has been received from the facility device 30 (step S101). While the receiving unit 131 determines that a recommendation request has not been received (step S101; No), the receiving unit 131 waits until it can determine that a recommendation request has been received.

[0166] On the other hand, when it is determined that the recommendation request has been received (step S101; Yes), the obtaining unit 132 identifies a care recipient corresponding to the recommendation request, for example, based on information included in the recommendation request (step S102). For example, the obtaining unit 132 identifies a care recipient corresponding to the recommendation request, such as a care product to be used for which care recipient in which nursing facility a recommendation is requested.

[0167] 11, it is assumed that the acquisition unit 132 has identified a care recipient U11 in the care facility A1 as the care recipient corresponding to the recommendation request. The following description will be given taking the care recipient U11 as an example.

[0168] Then, the acquiring unit 132 acquires evaluation information corresponding to the care recipient U11 (step S103). For example, the acquiring unit 132 acquires evaluation information indicating an evaluation result of the independent excretion ability of the care recipient U11 from the evaluation information database 122.

[0169] The acquisition unit 132 also acquires the condition information and care information corresponding to the care recipient U11 (step S104). For example, the acquisition unit 132 acquires the condition information indicating the characteristics of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 as a history from the condition information database 123. The acquisition unit 132 also acquires the care information indicating the contents of the care services received by the care recipient U11 as a history from the care record database 124.

[0170] Next, the detection unit 133 detects a pattern of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the property information acquired in step S104 (step S105). For example, the detection unit 133 detects a pattern of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the history indicated by the property information, that is, the history of the properties of the stool excreted by the care recipient U11.

[0171] As a result, the detection unit 133 can detect the type of stool that the care recipient U11 tends to excrete during the daytime, that is, the pattern of stool properties during the daytime, and the type of stool that the care recipient U11 tends to excrete during the nighttime, that is, the pattern of stool properties during the nighttime.

[0172] In addition, the detection unit 133 may combine the condition information corresponding to the care recipient U11 with the care information to detect the type of stool the care recipient U11 tends to excrete depending on the care history, and the pattern of stool characteristics depending on the care content.

[0173] Next, the prediction unit 134 predicts the property of the next stool excreted by the care recipient U11 based on the property pattern detected in step S105 and the care information corresponding to the care recipient U11 (step S106). For example, the prediction unit 134 may predict the timing of excretion, when and what kind of stool will be excreted, and the property of the stool excreted at this timing.

[0174] Next, the determination unit 135 determines whether the care recipient U11 is capable of independent excretion or not based on the evaluation information acquired in step S103 (step S107). For example, if the evaluation information indicates rank S or A, the determination unit 135 may determine that the care recipient U11 is "capable of independent excretion," while if the evaluation information indicates rank B to E, the determination unit 135 may determine that the care recipient U11 is "unable to independently excrete."

[0175] Next, the determination unit 135 determines the appropriate removal type for the care recipient U11 by applying the possibility of independent excretion determined in step S107 (determination result) and the stool properties predicted in step S106 (prediction result) to the determination flow explained in Fig. 8 (step S108). For example, the determination unit 135 uses the determination flow of Fig. 8 to determine the optimal removal type for the outerwear (outer pants), which is an example of an absorbent article, by determining whether a pants type or a tape-fastened type is appropriate for the care recipient U11.

[0176] Furthermore, the decision unit 135 determines whether the next time the care recipient U11 will defecate will be in the daytime, based on the prediction result obtained in step S106 (step S109).

[0177] For example, when the determination unit 135 determines that the stool will be excreted during the daytime (step S109; Yes), it determines the outerwear to be recommended from among the detachable outerwear for daytime use determined in step S108, according to the condition of the care recipient U11 and the rank of independent excretion ability corresponding to the care recipient U11 (step S110a). For example, the determination unit 135 can determine the outerwear product to be recommended by comparing the condition of the care recipient U11 and the rank of independent excretion ability corresponding to the care recipient U11 with the product information database 126.

[0178] Here, the acquisition unit 132 may also acquire urination information indicating the daytime urination status of the care recipient U11 (step S111a).

[0179] Then, the determination unit 135 determines, from among the innerwear that can be combined with the outerwear to be recommended determined in step S110a, an innerwear having a function according to the daytime urination situation of the care recipient U11 as the innerwear to be recommended (step S112a). For example, the determination unit 135 can determine the innerwear product to be recommended by comparing the daytime urination situation of the care recipient U11 with the product information database 126.

[0180] Here, the determination unit 135 may determine the innerwear to be combined with the outerwear in steps S111a to S112a (or steps S111b to S112b) only when it is predicted that the next stool excreted by the care recipient U11 will be solid stool belonging to any of types 1 to 5. This process is based on the idea that if the stool is solid, even if it is mixed with urine and liquefied, the risk of leakage is low because it is absorbed by the outerwear and innerwear.

[0181] Returning to the explanation, for example, suppose the determination unit 135 determines that the stool will be excreted at night (step S109; No). In this case, the determination unit 135 determines, from the detachable outerwear for night use determined in step S108, an outerwear item that corresponds to the condition of the care recipient U11 and the rank of independent excretion ability corresponding to the care recipient U11, as the outerwear item to be recommended (step S110b). The determination unit 135 can determine the outerwear item to be recommended by comparing the condition of the care recipient U11 and the rank of independent excretion ability corresponding to the care recipient U11 with the product information database 126.

[0182] The acquisition unit 132 may also acquire urination information indicating the nighttime urination status of the care recipient U11 (step S111b).

[0183] Then, the determination unit 135 determines, from among the innerwear that can be combined with the outerwear to be recommended determined in step S110b, an innerwear having a function according to the nighttime urination situation of the care recipient U11 as the innerwear to be recommended (step S112b). The determination unit 135 can determine the innerwear product to be recommended by comparing the nighttime urination situation of the care recipient U11 with the product information database 126.

[0184] The determination unit 135 may further use sleep information indicating the sleeping conditions of the care recipient U11 to determine an overnight absorbent article that corresponds to the sleeping conditions as the recommended outerwear. For example, if the sleep information indicates that the care recipient U11 is a deep sleeper and difficult to wake up, the determination unit 135 may determine an outerwear or innerwear with a low height of three-dimensional gathers, or a combination thereof, from the viewpoint that the risk of leakage is low even if the care recipient U11 has a bowel movement at night. On the other hand, if the sleep information indicates that the care recipient U11 is a light sleeper and moves around vigorously in bed at night, the determination unit 135 may determine an outerwear or innerwear with a high height of three-dimensional gathers, from the viewpoint that the risk of leakage is high if the care recipient U11 has a bowel movement.

[0185] In addition, the determination unit 135 may also determine an outer or inner garment with three-dimensional gathers when it is predicted that the next stool excreted by the care recipient U11 will be watery stool belonging to either type 6 or type 7.

[0186] Now, the absorbent articles (outer and inner) suitable for the care recipient U11 have been determined through the information processing up to step S112. Subsequently, the determination unit 135 may further perform processing to determine other care products to be used together with the absorbent articles.

[0187] For example, the decision unit 135 determines whether the next stool excreted by the care receiver U11 will be solid stool, based on the prediction result obtained in step S106 (step S113).

[0188] For example, when the determination unit 135 determines that the next stool will be solid (step S113; Yes), it may determine that the other care product to be used together with the absorbent article determined so far is a baby wipe (step S114a). Alternatively, the determination unit 135 may determine that the other care product to be used together with the absorbent article is unnecessary.

[0189] On the other hand, if the determination unit 135 determines that the next stool will not be solid, i.e., will be watery (step S113; No), it may determine that other care products to be used in conjunction with the absorbent article determined so far are baby wipes, a baby cleansing liquid, and a disposable bed sheet (step S114b). Compared to solid stool, watery stool requires more careful post-cleaning and requires more effort in post-cleaning, so it is preferable to determine baby wipes and a baby cleansing liquid in this way.

[0190] Next, the presentation unit 136 recommends the nursing care products (for example, outerwear, innerwear, cleaning products, etc.) that have been determined so far to the requester (for example, nursing staff) who has made the recommendation request (step S115).

[0191] When the recommendation by the presentation unit 136 is completed, the information processing according to the embodiment ends.

[0192] 6. Other Embodiments The information processing device 100 according to the above embodiment may be implemented in various different forms other than the above embodiment.

[0193] For example, the determination unit 135 may further use environmental information such as temperature, season, prevalent infectious diseases, etc. to determine a nonwoven fabric product having functions appropriate to the current environment as another nursing care product to be used in conjunction with, for example, an absorbent article.

[0194] For example, the determination unit 135 may determine a disposable mask or a disinfecting sheet as the other nursing care product in winter when infectious diseases are likely to spread, while the determination unit 135 may determine a body sheet for wiping the body as the other nursing care product in summer when sweating is likely to occur.

[0195] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 135 may determine an absorbent article with high absorption capacity based on the tendency that on cold days, urination frequency increases, the amount of urine excreted in one urination increases, diarrhea tends to occur, etc.

[0196] [7. Hardware Configuration] The information processing device 100 according to the above-described embodiment is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 12, for example. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and is connected to a calculation device 1030, a cache 1040, a memory 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 via a bus 1090.

[0197] The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in the cache 1040 or memory 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, etc., and executes various processes. The cache 1040 is a cache such as a RAM that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The memory 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is a memory realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, etc.

[0198] The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various types of information, such as a monitor or a printer, and may be realized by a connector conforming to a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), etc. On the other hand, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020, such as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, etc., and may be realized by a USB, etc.

[0199] For example, the input device 1020 may be realized by a device that reads information from an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, etc. The input device 1020 may also be realized by an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

[0200] The network IF 1080 has a function of receiving data from other devices via the network N and sending it to the arithmetic device 1030, and also a function of transmitting data generated by the arithmetic device 1030 to other devices via the network N.

[0201] Here, the arithmetic device 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic device 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the memory 1050 onto the cache 1040 and executes the loaded program. For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100, the arithmetic device 1030 of the computer 1000 executes the program loaded onto the cache 1040 to realize the function of the control unit 130.

[0202] [8. Other] Furthermore, among the processes described in each of the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using known methods. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data, and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the information shown in the drawings.

[0203] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0204] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction in the processing content.

[0205] [9. Conclusion] Although some of the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms that include the embodiments described in the Disclosure of the Invention section and that have undergone various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0206] Furthermore, the above-mentioned "section, module, unit" can be read as "means" or "circuit," etc. For example, an acquisition unit can be read as an acquisition means or an acquisition circuit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0207] 1. Information Processing Systems Sy nursing care record system 30 Facility Equipment 100 Information processing device 120 Storage section 121 Judgment Condition Database 122 Evaluation Information Database 123 Property Information Database 124 Nursing Care Record Database 125 Decision Logic Database 126 Product Information Database 127 Event Information Database 130 Control Unit 131 Reception 132 Acquisition Department 133 Detector 134 Prediction Department 135 Decision Section 136 Presentation section 137 Storage Unit

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires stool property information, which is information about the property of the stool of the care recipient, and evaluation information that evaluates how independent the care recipient is; a prediction unit that predicts the nature of the stool that the care recipient is likely to excrete based on the property information; and a determination unit that determines nursing care products to be used for caring for the care recipient based on prediction information indicating the stool properties predicted by the prediction unit and the evaluation information; An information processing device comprising:

2. The acquisition unit acquires, as the property information, property information indicating information on the property of stool excreted by the care recipient as a history.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The acquisition unit acquires, as the evaluation information, evaluation information that evaluates the care recipient's ability for independent excretion depending on how well the care recipient satisfies conditions related to independent excretion, such as going to the toilet by himself and cleaning up after himself.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

4. The prediction unit predicts the property of the stool to be excreted based on a pattern detected from the property information and related to the property of the stool excreted by the care recipient.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

5. The prediction unit further uses care information corresponding to the care recipient to predict the properties of the stool to be excreted.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

6. The prediction unit predicts the properties of the stool to be excreted using, as the care information, any of dietary information regarding food and drink taken by the care recipient, medication information regarding medication given to the care recipient, exercise information regarding exercise performed by the care recipient, or a level of care required by the care recipient.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

7. The determination unit determines, as the nursing care product, a removable absorbent article according to an evaluation result of the care recipient, from among absorbent articles having a function capable of dealing with the stool characteristics predicted by the prediction unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

8. The determination unit further determines another nursing care product to be used together with the absorbent article, the nursing care product being based on the properties predicted by the prediction unit and the evaluation result of the care recipient.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

9. the prediction unit predicts, based on a pattern relating to the properties of stool excreted by the care recipient at night, properties of the stool to be excreted at night as the properties of the stool to be excreted; The determination unit further uses sleep information indicating a sleep state of the care recipient to determine, as the absorbent article, a nighttime absorbent article according to the sleep state.

9. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein:

10. the acquisition unit further acquires urination information indicating a urination status of the care recipient; The determination unit determines an absorbent article having a function according to the urination situation as the absorbent article.

10. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein:

11. When the property predicted by the prediction unit indicates solid feces, the determination unit determines a urine absorption pad having a function according to the urination situation as the absorbent article.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

12. The determining unit determines a urine pad having a function according to the amount of urine, the tendency of time periods when urine is urinated, or the frequency of urination as the urination situation.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

13. The nursing care product further includes a storage unit configured to store, in a predetermined storage means, event information indicating an event that has occurred as a result of the nursing care product being used by the care recipient. When it is determined based on the event information that the care product that caused the trouble to the care recipient is present among the care products, the determination unit determines the care product to be used next time to care for the care recipient, with the care product that caused the trouble excluded from candidates.

13. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

14. When a predetermined care record system for managing care records is installed in the care facility accepting the care recipient, the acquisition unit acquires the condition information and the evaluation information left as the care record.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

15. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, an acquiring step of acquiring stool property information, which is information about the property of the stool of the care recipient, and evaluation information, which evaluates how independent the care recipient is; a prediction step of predicting the nature of stool to be excreted based on the property information; a determination step of determining nursing care products to be used for caring for the care recipient based on prediction information indicating the stool properties predicted in the prediction step and the evaluation information; An information processing method comprising:

16. an acquisition step of acquiring stool property information, which is information about the property of the stool of the care recipient, and evaluation information, which evaluates how independent the care recipient is; a prediction step of predicting the nature of the stool to be excreted based on the property information; a determination step of determining nursing care products to be used for caring for the care recipient based on prediction information indicating the stool properties predicted in the prediction step and the evaluation information; An information processing program for causing an information processing device to execute the above.

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