Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

We provide a mechanism to reduce delivery costs. [Solution] The information processing device 4 includes a reception unit 431 that receives a prescription issued by a medical institution to a user and a desired pick-up location that the user wishes to receive the medicine dispensed based on the prescription; a storage unit 42 that stores the relationship between the pick-up location, a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver items other than medicine to the pick-up location, and a dispensing facility that dispenses the medicine to be delivered to the delivery facility, and a selection unit 435 that selects a delivery facility associated with the desired pick-up location from among a plurality of delivery facilities; and an output unit 436 that outputs a delivery request to the selected delivery facility, which is the delivery facility selected by the selection unit 435, to have the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility in the storage unit 42, deliver the medicine dispensed by the target dispensing facility to the desired pick-up location, and a dispensing request to have the target dispensing facility dispense the medicine based on the prescription.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, medical services have been provided online. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for remotely performing a doctor's examination of a patient and a pharmacist's medication guidance to the patient, and delivering the dispensed pharmaceuticals to the patient after the medication guidance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, pharmaceuticals are delivered to a location specified by a patient, but since the delivery of pharmaceuticals requires a delivery cost, there is a need to construct a mechanism for reducing the delivery cost.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to provide a mechanism for reducing the delivery cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a reception unit that receives a prescription issued by a medical institution to a user and a desired pick-up location that the user wishes to pick up the medicine dispensed based on the prescription; a selection unit that refers to a storage unit that stores the pick-up location in association with a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver items other than the medicine to the pick-up location and a dispensing facility that dispenses the medicine to be delivered to the delivery facility, and selects a delivery facility associated with the desired pick-up location from among a plurality of delivery facilities; and an output unit that outputs a delivery request to the selected delivery facility, which is the delivery facility selected by the selection unit, to have the medicine dispensed by the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility in the storage unit, delivered to the desired pick-up location, and a dispensing request to the target dispensing facility to dispense the medicine based on the prescription.

[0007] The target dispensing facility may be located in the same place as the selected delivery facility, and the output unit may notify the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the dispensing request.

[0008] The target dispensing facility may be located in a different location from the selected delivery facility, and the output unit may notify the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and notify the target dispensing facility or the selected delivery facility of the dispensing request.

[0009] The output unit may output the delivery request, which includes an instruction to deliver the pharmaceuticals on a flight scheduled to deliver the goods from the selected delivery facility to the desired delivery location.

[0010] The information processing device may further include a specification unit that identifies the delivery time at which the pharmaceutical product will be delivered to the desired delivery location based on the delivery schedule, and the output unit may notify the user of the delivery time identified by the specification unit.

[0011] The information processing device may further include: an acquisition unit that acquires time-specific information for identifying the dispensing start time at which the target dispensing facility can begin dispensing the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription; and an estimation unit that estimates the completion time at which the dispensing of the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription is completed, based on the dispensing start time identified by the time-specific information acquired by the acquisition unit and the time required to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription; and the identification unit may further identify the delivery time based on the completion time estimated by the estimation unit.

[0012] The reception unit may accept the prescription, the information processing device may further have a specification unit that, for each receiving location, specifies the delivery time at which the pharmaceuticals will be delivered to the desired receiving location based on the schedule of the delivery that the delivery facility associated with the receiving location is scheduled to deliver the pharmaceuticals to the receiving location, the output unit may, for each receiving location, associate the receiving location with the delivery time specified by the specification unit and present it to the user, and the reception unit may accept the receiving location selected by the user from among a plurality of receiving locations presented in association with the delivery time as the desired receiving location.

[0013] The reception unit may accept the prescription, and the output unit may present the user with one or more pickup locations associated with one or more of the dispensing facilities capable of dispensing the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription, based on the inventory status of the pharmaceuticals used to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription at each of the multiple dispensing facilities, and the reception unit may accept the pickup location selected by the user from among the one or more pickup locations presented as the preferred pickup location.

[0014] If a plurality of delivery facilities are associated with the desired delivery location, the selection unit may select a delivery facility from among the plurality of delivery facilities associated with the desired delivery location that has a relatively earlier delivery time for the pharmaceutical product to be delivered to the desired delivery location, which is determined based on the schedule of the flight scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired delivery location.

[0015] The information processing device further includes, when multiple dispensing facilities are associated with the desired pick-up location, an acquisition unit that acquires time identification information for each dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location to identify the time at which the dispensing facility can begin dispensing the medicine based on the prescription, and an estimation unit that estimates the completion time at which the dispensing of the medicine based on the prescription is completed, based on the time identification information for each dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location and the time required to dispense the medicine based on the prescription. Alternatively, the selection unit may select a combination of the delivery facility and the dispensing facility from among a plurality of combinations of the delivery facility and the dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location, in which the delivery time is relatively early, based on the delivery time at which the pharmaceutical product will be delivered to the desired pick-up location, the schedule of the delivery service scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pick-up location, and the completion time estimated by the estimation unit for each dispensing facility. The output unit may also output the dispensing request to the dispensing facility selected by the selection unit as the target dispensing facility to dispense the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription.

[0016] If multiple combinations of the delivery facility and the dispensing facility are associated with the desired pick-up location, the selection unit may, based on the inventory status of the drugs used to dispense the drugs based on the prescription, select a combination of the dispensing facility capable of dispensing the drugs based on the prescription and the delivery facility associated with that dispensing facility from among the multiple combinations. Alternatively, if the selection unit selects a dispensing facility, the output unit may identify the dispensing facility selected by the selection unit as the target dispensing facility and output a dispensing request to the identified target dispensing facility to dispense the drugs based on the prescription.

[0017] The information processing device may further include a reward granting unit that grants a reward to the user when the user receives the medicine at the preferred pick-up location.

[0018] The information processing device may further include a guidance processing unit that executes a process for the user to receive medication guidance from one of the multiple instructors who provide medication guidance for the medication dispensed based on the prescription, before the user receives the medication at the desired pick-up location, and who are employed at each of the multiple dispensing facilities, including the target dispensing facility and other dispensing facilities different from the target dispensing facility. The aforementioned items may be products sold at the aforementioned preferred pick-up location.

[0019] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing method which includes the steps of: a computer receiving a prescription issued by a medical institution to a user and a desired pick-up location requested by the user as the pick-up location for the medicine dispensed based on the prescription; referring to a storage unit that stores associations between the pick-up location, a delivery facility that plans to deliver items other than the medicine to the pick-up location, and a dispensing facility that dispenses the medicine to be delivered to the delivery facility, and selecting a delivery facility associated with the desired pick-up location from among a plurality of delivery facilities; outputting a delivery request to the selected delivery facility, which is the selected delivery facility, to have the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility, deliver the medicine to the desired pick-up location; and outputting a dispensing request to the target dispensing facility to dispense the medicine based on the prescription.

[0020] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a computer to function as a reception unit that receives a prescription issued by a medical institution to a user and a desired pick-up location that the user wishes to pick up the medicine dispensed based on the prescription; a storage unit that stores associations between the pick-up location, a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver items other than the medicine to the pick-up location, and a dispensing facility that dispenses the medicine to be delivered to the delivery facility, and selects a delivery facility associated with the desired pick-up location from among a plurality of the delivery facilities; and an output unit that outputs a delivery request to the selected delivery facility, which is the delivery facility selected by the selection unit, to have the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility in the storage unit, deliver the medicine to the desired pick-up location, and a dispensing request to have the target dispensing facility dispense the medicine based on the prescription. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] The present invention has the effect of providing a mechanism for reducing delivery costs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] [Figure 1] This is a diagram for explaining the outline of an information processing system. [Figure 2] This is a diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of an information processing apparatus. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a relationship management database. [Figure 4] This is a diagram schematically representing an example of the display screen of a dedicated application. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of an information processing system.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] [Outline of Information Processing System S] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of an information processing system S. The information processing system S is a system used to provide an information processing service. The information processing service is a service that provides pharmaceuticals dispensed based on a prescription issued by a medical institution. The information processing system S includes a user terminal 1, a dispensing terminal 2, a delivery terminal 3, and an information processing apparatus 4.

[0024] The user terminal 1 is a terminal used by a user, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The user is, for example, a member of the information processing service. A dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as "dedicated app") for providing the information processing service is installed on the user terminal 1. The user can use the information processing service by using the dedicated app. Note that the information processing service may be a service provided on a website.

[0025] The dispensing terminal 2 is a terminal used by a dispensing facility that dispenses pharmaceuticals, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The dispensing facility is, for example, a pharmacy.

[0026] Delivery terminal 3 is a terminal used by a delivery facility that delivers packages, and is, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. The delivery facility is, for example, a warehouse or branch office managed by a delivery company.

[0027] Information processing device 4 is a device that manages information processing services, and is, for example, a server. For each receiving location, information processing device 4 manages by associating information indicating the receiving location, information indicating the delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver goods to the receiving location, and information indicating the dispensing facility located within the range where it is permissible to hand over pharmaceuticals to the delivery facility (for example, a location close to the delivery facility or the same location as the delivery facility). A receiving location is, for example, a location designated in the information processing service as a place where pharmaceuticals dispensed based on a prescription can be delivered, and is, for example, a store including a convenience store. The following describes the processes performed by the information processing system S.

[0028] First, when a user receives a prescription issued by a medical institution, the user terminal 1 inputs the received prescription and the desired pickup location for the medication. The user terminal 1 then sends a request to the information processing device 4 for the use of an information processing service that includes the prescription and the desired pickup location (Figure 1, (1)). Prescription input can be done, for example, by taking an image of the prescription, reading a code image displayed on the prescription (e.g., a barcode, QR (Quick Response) code (registered trademark), etc.), or by inputting the contents written on the prescription.

[0029] When the information processing device 4 receives a request from the user terminal 1, it selects a delivery facility from among several delivery facilities that is scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pickup location included in the request (Figure 1, (2)). The goods are different from pharmaceuticals and are, for example, products sold at the desired pickup location.

[0030] The information processing device 4 transmits a dispensing request to the target dispensing facility, which is determined by the selected delivery facility, to dispense medicines based on the prescription (Figure 1, (3)). The target dispensing facility is, for example, a dispensing facility associated with the desired pickup location and the selected delivery facility. Upon receiving the dispensing request, the target dispensing facility dispenses the medicines based on the prescription and delivers the dispensed medicines to the selected delivery facility.

[0031] Furthermore, the information processing device 4 transmits a delivery request to the selected delivery facility to the delivery terminal 3 of the selected delivery facility (indicated as (4) in Figure 1) to have the pharmaceuticals delivered to the desired pick-up location. The selected delivery facility accepts the delivery request, receives the pharmaceuticals from the target dispensing facility, and delivers them to the desired pick-up location. The user then picks up the pharmaceuticals at the desired pick-up location.

[0032] In this way, the information processing system S can have the pharmaceuticals delivered to a distribution facility that is scheduled to deliver goods to the desired delivery location. As a result, the information processing system S can reduce delivery costs by having the distribution facility deliver the pharmaceuticals using existing routes compared to when the distribution facility delivers the pharmaceuticals using new routes. Consequently, the information processing system S can provide a mechanism for reducing delivery costs. The following describes the functional configuration of the information processing device 4.

[0033] [Functional configuration of the information processing device 4] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 4. The information processing device 4 comprises a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 43. In Figure 2, the arrows indicate the main data flow, and there may be other data flows not shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, each functional block shows a functional unit configuration, not a hardware (device) unit configuration. Therefore, the functional blocks shown in Figure 2 may be implemented in a single device, or they may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data exchange between functional blocks may be performed via any means, such as a data bus, network, or portable storage medium.

[0034] The communication unit 41 is a communication interface for connecting to a network and has a communication controller for receiving data from external devices.

[0035] The memory unit 42 is a large-capacity storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of the computer that realizes the information processing device 4, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as the working area of ​​the information processing device 4, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores the OS (Operating System), application programs, and various information referenced when the application programs are executed. The memory unit 42 stores information about the user, information about the pickup location, information about the delivery facility, and information about the dispensing facility.

[0036] User information includes, for example, a user ID (Identification) used to identify the user, and information such as the credit card number used to make payments for pharmaceuticals on the information processing service. Pickup location information includes, for example, a pickup location ID, the name of the pickup location, and the address of the pickup location, all of which are used to identify the pickup location. Delivery facility information includes, for example, a delivery facility ID, the name of the delivery facility, the address of the delivery facility, and the delivery schedule for deliveries to pickup locations associated with the delivery facility, all of which are used to identify the delivery facility. The delivery schedule is, for example, information that associates the destination of each delivery with the departure time of the delivery facility and the arrival time of the delivery at the destination. Dispensing facility information includes, for example, a dispensing facility ID, the name of the dispensing facility, and the address of the dispensing facility, all of which are used to identify the dispensing facility. The storage unit 42 also stores a relationship management database that manages the relationships between pickup locations, delivery facilities, and dispensing facilities.

[0037] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of a relationship management database. In the example shown in Figure 3, the relationship management database stores, for each receiving location, a receiving location ID, a delivery facility ID, and a dispensing facility ID associated with that receiving location. A delivery facility associated with a receiving location is a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver goods to that receiving location, for example, a delivery facility that regularly delivers goods to the receiving location. A dispensing facility associated with a delivery facility is, for example, a dispensing facility located within the range where it is permitted to deliver pharmaceuticals to that delivery facility. Note that a dispensing facility associated with a delivery facility may also be a dispensing facility that has been authorized to deliver pharmaceuticals to that delivery facility. In the case of a delivery facility that is not associated with a dispensing facility, for example, the delivery facility may specify any dispensing facility and request dispensing of pharmaceuticals.

[0038] Returning to Figure 2, the control unit 43 is a processor such as the CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or NPU (Neural Network Processing Unit) of the information processing device 4, and by executing the program stored in the memory unit 42, it functions as the reception unit 431, identification unit 432, acquisition unit 433, estimation unit 434, selection unit 435, output unit 436, guidance processing unit 437, and benefit granting unit 438.

[0039] The reception unit 431 receives prescriptions issued by medical institutions to users, as well as the user's preferred pick-up location for the medications dispensed based on the prescription. For example, when a user first launches a dedicated application on user terminal 1, user terminal 1 displays the dedicated application's display screen. The dedicated application's display screen includes input fields for entering prescriptions, etc., and a list of pick-up locations for selecting a preferred pick-up location.

[0040] When a user enters a prescription in the input fields on the dedicated app's display screen and selects a desired pickup location from a list of pickup locations, the user terminal 1 sends a usage request to the information processing device 4, which includes the user ID, the prescription entered by the user, and the pickup location ID corresponding to the desired pickup location selected by the user. The reception unit 431 then receives the usage request from the user terminal 1 and accepts the prescription and the desired pickup location.

[0041] The reception unit 431 may accept the preferred pick-up location after the delivery time for the medicine has been displayed for each pick-up location. The delivery time is the time when the medicine arrives at the pick-up location. Specifically, the information processing device 4 accepts the preferred pick-up location after displaying the delivery time for the medicine for each pick-up location by performing the following four steps.

[0042] As the first step, the reception unit 431 accepts prescriptions. The reception unit 431 accepts prescriptions entered by the user on the display screen of a dedicated application, for example.

[0043] In the second step, the identification unit 432 refers to the information about the delivery facilities stored in the storage unit 42 and, for each receiving location, identifies the delivery time at which the medicine will be delivered to the desired receiving location, based on the delivery schedule of the delivery flights that the delivery facility associated with that receiving location is scheduled to deliver the medicine to that receiving location. Alternatively, the identification unit 432 may identify the delivery time using the delivery schedule obtained from the delivery terminal 3 of the delivery facility.

[0044] The identification unit 432 identifies, for example, the delivery time of one or more flights included in the delivery schedule corresponding to the delivery facility associated with the receiving location, whose destination is the receiving location, and which departs from the delivery facility at the nearest future time from the current time. The identification unit 432 may also identify the delivery time of one or more flights included in the delivery schedule, which departs from the delivery facility at the nearest future time from a predetermined period (e.g., 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, etc.) that has elapsed from the current time. The predetermined period is, for example, a period determined as the time required to dispense the medicine and to carry out the delivery procedures for the medicine.

[0045] The identification unit 432 may determine the delivery time by taking into account the actual time required to dispense the medicine based on the prescription. For example, first, the acquisition unit 433 acquires time identification information corresponding to each dispensing facility from the dispensing terminal 2 of that dispensing facility. The time identification information is information for identifying the dispensing start time at which the dispensing facility can begin dispensing the medicine based on the prescription, and may be a combination of the dispensing start time, the number of other medicines that have been requested to be dispensed, and the number of pharmacists working at the dispensing facility.

[0046] The estimation unit 434 estimates the completion time for dispensing the medicine based on the prescription, based on the dispensing start time identified by the time identification information corresponding to the dispensing facility and the time required to dispense the medicine based on the prescription received by the reception unit 431, for each dispensing facility. For example, the storage unit 42 stores the time required to dispense each medicine. If the time identification information indicates the dispensing start time, the estimation unit 434 estimates the completion time as the time after the time required for the medicine indicated by the prescription received by the reception unit 431 has elapsed from the dispensing start time indicated by the time identification information.

[0047] If the time-specific information is a combination of the number of requests for dispensing other medications and the number of pharmacists, first, the estimation unit 434 calculates the multiplicative time by multiplying the number of requests by a predetermined unit of time (e.g., 10 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.) required for dispensing medications, and then calculates the working time of the dispensing facility by dividing the calculated multiplicative time by the number of pharmacists. Then, the estimation unit 434 estimates the completion time as the time after the working time of the dispensing facility has elapsed from the current time, and after the required time corresponding to the medication indicated by the prescription received by the reception unit 431 has elapsed.

[0048] When the estimation unit 434 estimates the completion time, the identification unit 432 identifies, for each receiving location, the delivery time of one or more deliveries included in the delivery schedule corresponding to the delivery facility associated with that receiving location, which departs from the delivery facility at the nearest future time from the completion time corresponding to the receiving location and the dispensing facility associated with that delivery facility, or at the nearest future time from a predetermined period after the completion time. In this way, the information processing device 4 can improve the accuracy of identifying delivery times.

[0049] In the third step, the output unit 436 presents to the user, for each pickup location, the pickup location and the delivery time identified by the identification unit 432, associating them. The output unit 436 displays, for example, a list of pickup locations associated with delivery times on the display screen of a dedicated application.

[0050] In the fourth step, the reception unit 431 accepts the pickup location selected by the user from among several pickup locations presented in association with the delivery time as the desired pickup location. For example, on the display screen of a dedicated app that shows a list of pickup locations associated with the pickup location and delivery time, the reception unit 431 accepts the pickup location selected by the user from the list of pickup locations as the desired pickup location.

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic representation of an example of the display screen of the dedicated application. The display screen shown in Figure 4 shows a map displaying the location of each pickup location and a list of pickup locations. In the example shown in Figure 4, it can be seen that the name of the pickup location and the delivery time are displayed in association. When a user presses the selection button corresponding to the desired pickup location from the list of pickup locations on the display screen shown in Figure 4, the reception unit 431 accepts the desired pickup location by obtaining the pickup location ID corresponding to the pressed selection button. In this way, the information processing device 4 can make it easier for the user to select a pickup location while considering the delivery time.

[0052] The reception unit 431 may accept the desired pickup location after a list of pickup locations associated with dispensing facilities capable of dispensing pharmaceuticals has been presented. Specifically, the information processing device 4 accepts the desired pickup location after a list of pickup locations associated with dispensing facilities capable of dispensing pharmaceuticals has been presented by performing the following two steps.

[0053] As the first step, when the reception unit 431 receives a prescription, the output unit 436 presents the user with one or more pick-up locations associated with one or more dispensing facilities capable of dispensing the prescribed medicine, based on the inventory status of the medicines at each of the multiple dispensing facilities. The medicines are, for example, raw materials used to dispense medicines based on a prescription.

[0054] For example, first, the acquisition unit 433 acquires inventory information from the dispensing terminals 2 of each of the multiple dispensing facilities to identify the inventory status of the drugs. The inventory information includes, for example, the quantity of the drugs and whether or not the drugs can be dispensed based on the prescription. The identification unit 432 identifies the dispensing facilities that can dispense the drugs based on the prescription based on the inventory information of each of the multiple dispensing facilities acquired by the acquisition unit 433.

[0055] For example, if the inventory information indicates the quantity of a drug, the identification unit 432 identifies dispensing facilities where the quantity of a drug indicated by the inventory information is equal to or greater than the quantity of a drug used to dispense a prescription drug as a dispensing facility capable of dispensing prescription drugs. Also, for example, if the inventory information indicates whether or not a prescription drug can be dispensed, the identification unit 432 identifies dispensing facilities corresponding to the inventory information indicating that a prescription drug can be dispensed as a dispensing facility capable of dispensing prescription drugs. The output unit 436 then presents the user with a list of pick-up locations associated with the dispensing facilities identified by the identification unit 432.

[0056] As a third step, the reception unit 431 accepts the pickup location selected by the user from one or more presented pickup locations as the desired pickup location. For example, on the display screen of a dedicated app showing a list of pickup locations where prescription-based medicines can be dispensed, the reception unit 431 accepts the pickup location selected by the user from the list of pickup locations as the desired pickup location. In this way, the information processing device 4 can prevent situations where, after the user has specified a desired pickup location, the designation of the desired pickup location is canceled because there is a shortage of medicines used to dispense prescription-based medicines at the dispensing facility associated with that location, or where the medicines cannot be delivered to the desired pickup location.

[0057] The selection unit 435 selects a delivery facility from among multiple delivery facilities that will deliver items other than pharmaceuticals to the desired delivery location. The selection unit 435 selects a delivery facility from among multiple delivery facilities, for example, by identifying the delivery facility indicated by the delivery facility ID associated with the delivery location ID included in the usage request obtained by the reception unit 431 in the relationship management database.

[0058] If multiple delivery facilities are associated with the desired pickup location, the selection unit 435 selects one delivery facility from among those multiple delivery facilities. Specifically, if multiple delivery facilities are associated with the desired pickup location, the selection unit 435 selects a delivery facility from among the multiple delivery facilities associated with the desired pickup location that has a relatively earlier delivery time for the pharmaceuticals to be delivered to the desired pickup location, which is determined based on the delivery schedule of the flight to which the goods are scheduled to be delivered.

[0059] For example, first, if multiple delivery facilities are associated with the desired pickup location, the identification unit 432 refers to information about the delivery facilities and, for each delivery facility associated with the desired pickup location, identifies the delivery time of one or more flights included in the delivery schedule corresponding to that delivery facility, whose destination is the desired pickup location, and which departs from the delivery facility at the nearest future time from the current time or the nearest future time after a predetermined period has elapsed from the current time. Then, the selection unit 435 selects the delivery facility with the earliest delivery time identified by the identification unit 432 from among the multiple delivery facilities associated with the desired pickup location. In this way, the information processing device 4 can provide the pharmaceutical product to the user as early as possible.

[0060] If multiple combinations of delivery facilities and dispensing facilities are associated with a desired pickup location, the selection unit 435 may select one combination from among those multiple combinations. Specifically, first, if multiple dispensing facilities are associated with a desired pickup location, the acquisition unit 433 acquires time-specific information corresponding to each dispensing facility associated with the desired pickup location.

[0061] The estimation unit 434 estimates the completion time of dispensing the prescription-based medicine for each dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location, based on the dispensing start time identified by the time identification information corresponding to the dispensing facility and the time required to dispense the medicine based on the prescription. The identification unit 432 identifies the delivery time of one or more flights included in the delivery schedule corresponding to the delivery facility for each combination of delivery facility and dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location, which depart from the delivery facility at the closest future time from the completion time corresponding to the dispensing facility, or at the closest future time from a predetermined period after the completion time corresponding to the dispensing facility.

[0062] The selection unit 435 then selects a combination of delivery facilities and dispensing facilities from among multiple combinations associated with the desired pickup location that has a relatively early delivery time as identified by the identification unit 432. For example, the selection unit 435 selects the combination of delivery facilities and dispensing facilities with the earliest delivery time identified by the identification unit 432 from among multiple combinations associated with the desired pickup location. In this way, the information processing device 4 can provide pharmaceuticals to the user earlier.

[0063] If multiple combinations of delivery facilities and dispensing facilities are associated with a desired pickup location, the selection unit 435 may select one combination from among the multiple combinations that includes a dispensing facility capable of dispensing prescription-based medicines. Specifically, if multiple combinations of delivery facilities and dispensing facilities are associated with a desired pickup location, the selection unit 435 selects a combination from among the multiple combinations that includes a dispensing facility capable of dispensing prescription-based medicines and a delivery facility associated with that dispensing facility, based on the inventory status of the medicines used to dispense prescription-based medicines.

[0064] For example, first, the acquisition unit 433 acquires drug inventory information from the dispensing terminals 2 of each of the multiple dispensing facilities associated with the desired pick-up location. Based on the inventory information of each of the multiple dispensing facilities acquired by the acquisition unit 433, the identification unit 432 identifies the dispensing facilities that can dispense the prescription-based medicines. Then, the selection unit 435 selects the combination of the dispensing facility identified by the identification unit 432 and the delivery facility associated with that dispensing facility. In this way, the information processing device 4 can prevent situations in which it requests the dispensing of prescription-based medicines from dispensing facilities that are short of the drugs used to dispense the prescription-based medicines.

[0065] The output unit 436 outputs a delivery request to the selected delivery facility, which is the delivery facility selected by the selection unit 435, to deliver the pharmaceuticals to the desired delivery location, and a dispensing request to the target dispensing facility, which is a dispensing facility that dispenses pharmaceuticals and is determined by the selected delivery facility, to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription. The dispensing request includes, for example, a prescription received by the reception unit 431.

[0066] The output unit 436, for example, refers to the relationship management database, identifies the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility as the target dispensing facility, and outputs a delivery request corresponding to the selected delivery facility and a dispensing request corresponding to the identified target dispensing facility. If the selection unit 435 selects a combination of a delivery facility and a dispensing facility, the output unit 436 may identify the dispensing facility identified by the selection unit 435 as the target dispensing facility and output a dispensing request to the identified target dispensing facility to dispense medicines based on the prescription. The output unit 436, for example, notifies either the selected delivery facility or the target dispensing facility of the delivery request and the dispensing request.

[0067] If the target dispensing facility is located at the same place as the selected delivery facility, the output unit 436 notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the dispensing request. The output unit 436 notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the dispensing request by performing, for example, the following two steps:

[0068] As the first step, the output unit 436 refers to the relationship management database, the information on the delivery facility, and the information on the dispensing facility to determine whether the target dispensing facility is located in the same place as the selected delivery facility. For example, the output unit 436 refers to the relationship management database, the information on the delivery facility, and the information on the dispensing facility to determine that the target dispensing facility is located in the same place as the selected delivery facility if the dispensing facility is associated with the selected delivery facility and the address of the selected delivery facility is the same as the address of the target dispensing facility which is associated with the selected delivery facility.

[0069] In the second step, if the output unit 436 determines that the target dispensing facility is located in the same place as the selected delivery facility, it notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the dispensing request. Specifically, the output unit 436 transmits the delivery request and the dispensing request to the delivery terminal 3 of the selected delivery facility. In this way, the information processing device 4 can consolidate the notification destinations.

[0070] If the target dispensing facility is located in a different location from the selected delivery facility, the output unit 436 may notify the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the target dispensing facility of the dispensing request. The output unit 436 notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the target dispensing facility of the dispensing request by performing, for example, the following two steps.

[0071] As the first step, the output unit 436 refers to the relationship management database, the information on the delivery facility, and the information on the dispensing facility to determine whether the target dispensing facility is located in a different location from the selected delivery facility. For example, the output unit 436 refers to the relationship management database, the information on the delivery facility, and the information on the dispensing facility to determine that the target dispensing facility is located in a different location from the selected delivery facility if the dispensing facility is associated with the selected delivery facility and the address of the selected delivery facility is not the same as the address of the target dispensing facility which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility. In addition, for example, if the selection unit 435 has selected a combination of a delivery facility and a dispensing facility, the output unit 436 refers to the information on the delivery facility and the information on the dispensing facility to determine that the target dispensing facility is located in a different location from the selected delivery facility if the address of the selected delivery facility is not the same as the address of the target dispensing facility which is the dispensing facility selected by the selection unit 435.

[0072] In the second step, if the output unit 436 determines that the target dispensing facility is located in a different location from the selected delivery facility, it notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the target dispensing facility of the dispensing request. Specifically, the output unit 436 sends the delivery request to the delivery terminal 3 of the selected delivery facility and the dispensing request to the dispensing terminal 2 of the target dispensing facility. In this way, the information processing device 4 can notify the facility that will perform the requested work of the requested content.

[0073] Furthermore, regardless of whether the target dispensing facility is located in a different location from the selected delivery facility, the output unit 436 may notify the selected delivery facility of the dispensing request. For example, if no dispensing facility is associated with the selected delivery facility in the relationship management database, the output unit 436 will send the delivery request and the dispensing request to the delivery terminal 3 of the selected delivery facility, designating the dispensing facility specified by the selected delivery facility as the target dispensing facility. Upon receiving the dispensing request, the selected delivery facility will request the dispensing of the medicine from any dispensing facility. In this way, the information processing device 4 can consolidate the notification destinations.

[0074] The output unit 436 may output a delivery request that includes instructions for the pharmaceuticals to be delivered on a flight scheduled to deliver the goods from the selected delivery facility to the desired pickup location. In this case, the output unit 436 may output a delivery request that includes instructions for the pharmaceuticals to be delivered on a specific flight among several flights scheduled to deliver the goods from the selected delivery facility to the desired pickup location.

[0075] For example, first, the selection unit 435 refers to the delivery schedule of the selected delivery facility and, based on the current time, selects a delivery flight from among several flights scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pickup location to deliver the pharmaceuticals. The selection unit 435 may, for example, select a flight from among several flights scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pickup location that is scheduled to depart at the closest future time from the current time. The selection unit 435 may also select a flight from among several flights scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pickup location that is scheduled to depart at the closest future time from a predetermined period of time from the current time.

[0076] The output unit 436 then outputs a delivery request that includes instructions to deliver the pharmaceuticals using the flight selected by the selection unit 435. The output unit 436 then transmits, for example, a delivery request that includes information to identify the flight selected by the selection unit 435 to the delivery terminal 3 of the selected delivery facility. In this way, the information processing device 4 can have the pharmaceuticals delivered using an existing flight.

[0077] The output unit 436 may notify the user of the delivery time of the pharmaceuticals. Specifically, the information processing device 4 notifies the user of the delivery time of the pharmaceuticals by performing the following two steps.

[0078] As a first step, the identification unit 432 determines the delivery time at which the pharmaceuticals will be delivered to the desired delivery location, based on the delivery schedule of the flight to which the goods are scheduled to be delivered. The identification unit 432 may also determine the delivery time by taking into account the time required to prepare the pharmaceuticals.

[0079] Specifically, first, the acquisition unit 433 acquires time-specific information corresponding to the target dispensing facility. The estimation unit 434 estimates the completion time when the dispensing of the medicine based on the prescription is completed, based on the dispensing start time identified by the time-specific information acquired by the acquisition unit 433 and the time required to dispense the medicine based on the prescription received by the reception unit 431.

[0080] The identification unit 432 then identifies the delivery time based on the delivery schedule of the flight to which the goods are scheduled to be delivered to the desired delivery location and the completion time estimated by the estimation unit 434. For example, the identification unit 432 identifies the delivery time of one or more flights included in the delivery schedule that departs from the delivery facility at the nearest future time from the completion time estimated by the estimation unit 434, or at the nearest future time from a predetermined period after the completion time. In this way, the information processing device 4 can improve the accuracy of identifying the delivery time.

[0081] In the second step, the output unit 436 notifies the user of the delivery time identified by the identification unit 432. The output unit 436 displays the delivery time identified by the identification unit 432 on the display screen of the dedicated application that is shown after the reception unit 431 has received the request for use. In this way, the information processing device 4 makes the user aware of the time when the medicine will be delivered to the desired delivery location.

[0082] The information processing device 4 may provide medication guidance for pharmaceuticals dispensed based on a prescription in the information processing service. Specifically, the guidance processing device 437 executes a process to allow the user to receive medication guidance from a designated instructor before the user receives the pharmaceuticals at the desired pick-up location. The designated instructor is an instructor who provides medication guidance for pharmaceuticals dispensed based on a prescription, and is one of several instructors belonging to each of several dispensing facilities, including the target dispensing facility and other dispensing facilities different from the target dispensing facility. The designated instructor is, for example, an instructor selected by the user from among several instructors, or an instructor registered in advance by the user in the information processing service.

[0083] For example, when a user first performs an operation on user terminal 1 to request medication guidance, reception unit 431 receives the guidance request from user terminal 1. Then, when the guidance processing unit 431 receives the guidance request, guidance processing unit 437 directly or indirectly connects user terminal 1 with the terminal of a designated instructor, thereby providing a communication platform for the user to receive medication guidance from the designated instructor. This communication platform may be, for example, a video call, an audio-only phone call, or a chat. In this way, the information processing device 4 can enable the user to receive medication guidance.

[0084] The information processing device 4 may grant benefits to users who use the information processing service. The benefits may be, for example, points that can be used with the information processing service. Specifically, the benefit granting unit 438 grants benefits to a user when the user receives the medicine at their preferred pick-up location.

[0085] For example, first, the acquisition unit 433 acquires purchase information from the user terminal 1 or a terminal (not shown) managed by the desired pickup location, indicating that the user has purchased pharmaceuticals at the desired pickup location. The purchase information includes, for example, the user ID and information to identify the pharmaceuticals. Then, when the acquisition unit 433 acquires the purchase information, the reward granting unit 438 grants a reward to the user identified by the user ID included in the purchase information. In this way, the information processing device 4 can provide the user with an incentive to use the information processing service.

[0086] [Processing by Information Processing Device 4] Next, we will explain the processing flow performed by the information processing device 4. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the information processing device 4. This process begins when the reception unit 431 receives a request for use, which includes a prescription and a preferred pick-up location (S1).

[0087] The selection unit 435 selects a delivery facility from among several delivery facilities that is scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired delivery location (S2). Then, the output unit 436 outputs the delivery request and the dispensing request (S3).

[0088] The output unit 436, for example, refers to the relationship management database, information on delivery facilities, and information on dispensing facilities, and notifies the selected delivery facility of a delivery request and a dispensing request if a dispensing facility is associated with the selected delivery facility and the address of the selected delivery facility is the same as the address of the target dispensing facility which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility. The output unit 436 also refers to the relationship management database, information on delivery facilities, and information on dispensing facilities, and notifies the selected delivery facility of a delivery request and the target dispensing facility of a dispensing request if a dispensing facility is associated with the selected delivery facility and the address of the selected delivery facility is not the same as the address of the target dispensing facility which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility. The output unit 436 also notifies the selected delivery facility of a delivery request and a dispensing request if no dispensing facility is associated with the selected delivery facility in the relationship management database.

[0089] [Effects of this embodiment] As explained above, upon receiving a prescription and a desired pickup location, the information processing device 4 selects a delivery facility from among multiple delivery facilities that is scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pickup location. It then outputs a delivery request to the selected delivery facility to deliver the pharmaceuticals to the desired pickup location, and a dispensing request to the target dispensing facility determined by the selected delivery facility to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription. In this way, the information processing device 4 can have the pharmaceuticals delivered to a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired pickup location. As a result, the information processing device 4 can reduce delivery costs by having the delivery facility deliver the pharmaceuticals using its existing routes compared to when the delivery facility delivers the pharmaceuticals using new routes. Consequently, the information processing device 4 can provide a mechanism for reducing delivery costs.

[0090] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0091] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0092] 1 User terminal 2. Dispensing terminal 3. Delivery terminal 4. Information Processing Device 41 Communications Department 42 Storage section 43 Control Unit 431 Reception Department 432 Specific part 433 Acquisition Department 434 Estimation Department 435 Selection Section 436 Output section 437 Instructional Processing Department 438 Special Offer Department S Information Processing System

Claims

1. A reception desk that accepts prescriptions issued by medical institutions to users and the user's preferred pick-up location for the medicines dispensed based on those prescriptions, A storage unit that stores the aforementioned pick-up location, a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver items other than the aforementioned pharmaceuticals to the aforementioned pick-up location, and a dispensing facility that dispenses the aforementioned pharmaceuticals to be delivered to the delivery facility, refers to a storage unit that stores these items in association, selects a delivery facility associated with the desired pick-up location from among a plurality of the aforementioned delivery facilities, refers to the delivery schedule of the selected delivery facility, and selects a flight from among a plurality of flights scheduled to deliver the aforementioned items to the desired pick-up location that departs after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the current time, which is the period required to dispense the aforementioned pharmaceuticals. An output unit that outputs a delivery request for the selected delivery facility, which is the delivery facility selected by the selection unit, to deliver the pharmaceuticals dispensed by the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility in the storage unit, to the desired receiving location, and which includes an instruction to deliver the pharmaceuticals by the delivery service selected by the selection unit; and a dispensing request for the target dispensing facility to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription. An information processing device having

2. The aforementioned dispensing facility is located in the same place as the aforementioned selected delivery facility. The output unit notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and the dispensing request. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned dispensing facility is located in a different location from the aforementioned selected delivery facility. The output unit notifies the selected delivery facility of the delivery request and notifies the target dispensing facility or the selected delivery facility of the dispensing request. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The output unit outputs the delivery request, which includes an instruction to deliver the pharmaceuticals on a flight scheduled to deliver the goods from the selected delivery facility to the desired delivery location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The information processing device further includes a specification unit that identifies the delivery time at which the pharmaceutical product will be delivered to the desired delivery location based on the flight schedule. The output unit notifies the user of the delivery time identified by the identification unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned information processing device is An acquisition unit that acquires time identification information to identify the dispensing start time at which the target dispensing facility can begin dispensing the drug based on the prescription, An estimation unit estimates the completion time when the dispensing of the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription is completed, based on the dispensing start time identified by the time identification information acquired by the acquisition unit and the time required to dispense the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription. It further possesses, The identification unit further identifies the delivery time based on the completion time estimated by the estimation unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The reception desk receives the prescription, The information processing device further includes a specification unit that, for each receiving location, identifies the delivery time at which the pharmaceuticals will be delivered to the desired receiving location, based on the schedule of the delivery flights that the delivery facility associated with the receiving location is scheduled to deliver the pharmaceuticals to the receiving location. The output unit presents to the user, for each of the receiving locations, the receiving location and the delivery time identified by the identification unit, in association with that receiving location. The reception unit accepts the pick-up location selected by the user from among a plurality of pick-up locations presented in association with the delivery time as the desired pick-up location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The reception desk receives the prescription, The output unit presents the user with one or more pickup locations associated with one or more of the dispensing facilities capable of dispensing the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription, based on the inventory status of the pharmaceuticals used to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription at each of the multiple dispensing facilities. The reception unit accepts the pick-up location selected by the user from among the one or more pick-up locations presented as the preferred pick-up location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. If a plurality of delivery facilities are associated with the desired delivery location, the selection unit selects from among the plurality of delivery facilities associated with the desired delivery location the delivery time at which the pharmaceutical product will be delivered to the desired delivery location, which is determined based on the schedule of the flight scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired delivery location, is relatively earlier. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The aforementioned information processing device is If multiple dispensing facilities are associated with the desired pick-up location, the acquisition unit acquires time identification information for each dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location to identify the dispensing start time at which the dispensing facility can begin dispensing the medicine based on the prescription. For each dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location, an estimation unit estimates the completion time of dispensing the medication based on the prescription, based on the dispensing start time identified by the time identification information corresponding to the dispensing facility and the time required to dispense the medication based on the prescription. It further possesses, The selection unit selects a combination of the delivery facility and the dispensing facility from among a plurality of combinations of the delivery facility and the dispensing facility associated with the desired pick-up location, in which the delivery time is relatively early, based on the delivery time at which the pharmaceutical product will be delivered to the desired pick-up location, the schedule of the delivery scheduled to deliver the product to the desired pick-up location, and the completion time estimated by the estimation unit for each dispensing facility. The output unit outputs the dispensing request to the dispensing facility selected by the selection unit as the target dispensing facility, for dispensing the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. If multiple combinations of the delivery facility and the dispensing facility are associated with the desired pick-up location, the selection unit selects a combination from the multiple combinations of the dispensing facility capable of dispensing the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription and the delivery facility associated with that dispensing facility, based on the inventory status of the pharmaceutical product used to dispense the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription. The output unit, when the selection unit selects the dispensing facility, identifies the dispensing facility selected by the selection unit as the target dispensing facility and outputs a dispensing request to the identified target dispensing facility to dispense the pharmaceutical product based on the prescription. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The information processing device further includes a reward granting unit that grants a reward to the user when the user receives the medicine at the desired pick-up location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

13. The information processing device further includes a guidance processing unit that executes a process for the user to receive medication guidance from one of the multiple instructors who provide medication guidance for the medication dispensed based on the prescription, before the user receives the medication at the desired pick-up location, and who are affiliated with each of the multiple dispensing facilities, including the target dispensing facility and other dispensing facilities different from the target dispensing facility. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

14. The aforementioned item is a product sold at the aforementioned preferred pick-up location. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

15. The selection unit selects from the plurality of flights a flight that departs from the current time after the time after the predetermined period, which is determined to be the period required to carry out the delivery procedures for the pharmaceutical product, has elapsed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

16. A computer executes A step of receiving a prescription issued by a medical institution to a user, and a preferred pick-up location that the user wishes to pick up the medicine dispensed based on the said prescription, The steps include: referring to a storage unit that stores associations between the aforementioned pick-up location, a delivery facility that plans to deliver items other than the aforementioned pharmaceuticals to the aforementioned pick-up location, and a dispensing facility that dispenses the aforementioned pharmaceuticals to be delivered to the delivery facility, and selecting the delivery facility associated with the desired pick-up location from among a plurality of the aforementioned delivery facilities; The steps include: referring to the delivery schedule of the selected delivery facility, which is the selected delivery facility, and selecting a flight from among several flights scheduled to deliver the goods to the desired delivery location that departs after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the current time, which is the period required to dispense the medicine; Steps include outputting a delivery request to the selected delivery facility, which is the selected delivery facility, which is the selected delivery facility, for delivery of the pharmaceuticals dispensed by the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility, to the desired receiving location, and including an instruction to deliver the pharmaceuticals by the selected delivery service; The steps include: outputting a dispensing request to the target dispensing facility to dispense the drug based on the prescription; An information processing method having

17. Computers, A reception desk that accepts prescriptions issued by medical institutions to users and the user's preferred pick-up location for the medicines dispensed based on those prescriptions. A storage unit that stores the aforementioned pick-up location, a delivery facility that is scheduled to deliver items other than the aforementioned pharmaceuticals to the aforementioned pick-up location, and a dispensing facility that dispenses the aforementioned pharmaceuticals to be delivered to the delivery facility, refers to a storage unit that stores the aforementioned pick-up location in association with the aforementioned pick-up location, selects the delivery facility associated with the aforementioned pick-up location from among a plurality of aforementioned delivery facilities, refers to the delivery schedule of the selected delivery facility, and selects the aforementioned flight from among a plurality of flights scheduled to deliver the aforementioned items to the aforementioned pick-up location that departs after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the current time, which is the period required to dispense the aforementioned pharmaceuticals, and An output unit that outputs a delivery request for a selected delivery facility, which is the delivery facility selected by the selection unit, to deliver the pharmaceuticals dispensed by the target dispensing facility, which is the dispensing facility associated with the selected delivery facility in the storage unit, to the desired receiving location, and which includes an instruction to deliver the pharmaceuticals by the delivery service selected by the selection unit; and a dispensing request for the target dispensing facility to dispense the pharmaceuticals based on the prescription. A program designed to function as such.

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