Notification control device and terminal program

Abstract

To provide a notification control device and a terminal program which issue a notification at a timing according to the number of prescription days of a prepared medicine.SOLUTION: In a communication system in which a health management server and a plurality of user terminals are connected to a network, a system control unit of a health management server acquires medicine information showing the prescription date and the number of prescription days of a prescribed medicine, determines the number of remaining days according to the prescription days shown in the medicine information, and issues a notification related to reduction of the remaining amount of the prescribed medicine on the notification day when the total of the number of days which have passed since the prescription day shown in the medicine information and the determined number of remaining days is the number of prescription days shown in the medicine information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for giving a notification in accordance with a decrease in the remaining amount of a dispensed medicine.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for managing prescribed or dispensed medicines and giving a notification when the remaining amount of the medicine decreases are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a pharmacy terminal of a pharmacy that provides a medicine to a patient based on prescription information transmits a medication schedule for the medicine to the patient's portable communication terminal, and when the portable communication terminal determines that it is time to take the medicine based on the medication schedule, it is disclosed that the patient is instructed to take the medicine. Also, in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the portable communication terminal subtracts the amount instructed to take from the remaining amount of the medicine, and when the remaining amount becomes less than a predetermined amount, transmits information requesting creation of prescription information to a hospital terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, uniformly setting the timing of notifications to when the remaining amount of medication falls below a predetermined level is not necessarily appropriate. For example, the longer the prescription period for a dispensed medication, the greater the user's need to continue using that medication. In other words, the longer the prescription period, the greater the need to continue obtaining the medication. If the prescription period for the provided medication is relatively long, and therefore the total amount of medication is large, a notification will be issued when the remaining amount of medication has decreased significantly relative to the total amount. If the user takes action to obtain more medication at the time of the notification, there is a possibility that they will not be able to obtain the next dose before the medication they currently have runs out. On the other hand, if the prescription period is relatively short, a notification will be issued when there is still a sufficient amount of medication remaining relative to the total amount of medication provided. Notification at this timing cannot be considered effective.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and one example of its objective is to provide a notification control device and terminal program that enable notifications to be sent at a timing corresponding to the number of days prescribed for dispensed medicine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (Application Example 1) The notification control device according to this application example includes a drug information acquisition means for acquiring drug information indicating the number of days prescribed for dispensed drugs, and a determination means for determining the remaining number of days indicating how far before the scheduled end date of taking the dispensed drugs a notification should be sent, wherein the prescription days indicated by the acquired drug information to Therefore, the system is characterized by comprising: a determination means for determining the remaining number of days; and a notification control means for executing the notification related to the decrease in the remaining amount of the dispensed medicine on a notification date determined based on the determined remaining number of days. 。

[0007] (Example 2 of application) The notification control device according to this example of application is characterized in that the determination means increases the remaining number of days as the prescription period increases.

[0008] (Examples of application) 3 The notification control device relating to this application example is The range of days is predetermined to include multiple ranges that correspond to different remaining days, and the determination means determines the remaining days based on which of the multiple ranges the prescription days fall into.

[0009] (Example 4 of application) The notification control device relating to this example of application is before Difficulty information acquisition means for acquiring difficulty information indicating the difficulty of obtaining the drug as shown by the acquired drug information. Furthermore, it is equipped with , The determination means is the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information and The remaining number of days will vary depending on the difficulty of obtaining the information, as indicated by the difficulty information obtained. ru It is characterized by the following:

[0010] (Examples of application) 5 The notification control device relating to this application example is The determination means is characterized by increasing the remaining number of days as the difficulty of obtaining the item increases. .

[0011] (Example 6) The notification control device relating to this example is The drug information obtained is as described above. The facility that dispensed the medicine Further details are shown. Inventory information acquisition means for acquiring inventory information that can identify the inventory quantity of the dispensed drug at the facility indicated by the acquired drug information. Furthermore, it is equipped with , The determination means is the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information and The remaining number of days will vary depending on the amount of inventory identified by the acquired inventory information. ru It is characterized by the following:

[0012] (Examples of application) 7 The notification control device relating to this application example is The determination means is characterized by increasing the remaining days as the amount of inventory decreases.

[0013] (Example 8) The notification control device relating to this example is The drug information obtained is as described above. At least one of the facilities that dispensed the drug and the hospital that prescribed the drug. Further details are shown. , reservation status information acquisition means for acquiring reservation status information that indicates the reservation status of at least one of the facilities indicated by the acquired drug information, and which can identify the difficulty of making a reservation at at least one of the facilities. Furthermore, it is equipped with , The determination means is the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information and The remaining number of days will vary depending on the difficulty of making a reservation, which is determined from the reservation status information obtained. ru It is characterized by the following:

[0014] (Examples of application) 9 ) The notification control device according to this application example is characterized in that the determination means increases the number of remaining days as the difficulty of making a reservation increases.

[0015] (Application Example 10) The terminal program according to this application example causes a computer of a terminal device to include: a medicine information acquisition means for acquiring medicine information indicating the prescribed days of the dispensed medicine; before Determine the remaining days indicating how many days before the scheduled end date of taking the dispensed medicine to issue a notification A means of making decisions, Based on the prescribed days indicated by the acquired medicine information to Therefore The aforementioned Differentiate the remaining days The means of decision and, on the notification date determined based on the determined remaining days, Notification means for executing the aforementioned notification , It is characterized by being made to function as such. . [Effect of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, a notification can be issued at a timing corresponding to the prescribed days of the dispensed medicine. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a communication system S according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a health management server 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the database of the health management server 1. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a user terminal 2 according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of a system control unit 11 in a health management server 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between the prescribed days and the remaining notification days. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of the timing for issuing a remaining quantity insufficient notification. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of a system control unit 21 in a user terminal 2 according to an embodiment. [Figure 9]An example of a low battery warning message is shown. [Figure 10] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in a communication system S according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of the notification date determination process by the system control unit 11 according to one embodiment. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the relationship between the number of days prescribed and the remaining days of the notification. [Figure 13] This diagram shows examples of when a low battery notification will be issued. [Figure 14] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a health management server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of the information stored in the drug database DB14d. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in a health management server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration, difficulty of obtaining the medication, and the remaining days until notification. [Figure 18] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a health management server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 19] This figure shows an example of the information stored in pharmacy DB14e and inventory DB14f. [Figure 20] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in a health management server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 21] This figure shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration, inventory quantity, and remaining notification days. [Figure 22] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a health management server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 23] This figure shows an example of the information stored in the hospital DB14g, pharmacy reservation status DB14h, and hospital reservation status DB14i. [Figure 24] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in a health management server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 25] This figure shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration, appointment availability rate, and remaining notification days. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Communication System Configuration] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration and functional overview of the communication system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the communication system S according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system S is composed of a health management server 1 and a plurality of user terminals 2. The health management server 1 and each user terminal 2 are connected to a network NW. The network NW is constructed by, for example, the internet, a dedicated communication line (for example, a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including base stations, etc.), and a gateway, etc.

[0028] The health management server 1 may be a server device that performs processing to provide health management services related to the user's health management. For example, the health management server 1 may perform processing to notify the user when it is time to take (or use) the medicine that has been dispensed at a pharmacy or hospital and provided to the user. In this embodiment, for convenience, the explanation will be based on the premise that oral medicines are mainly dispensed, but topical medicines or injectable medicines may also be dispensed. The health management server 1 may also perform processing to notify the user when the remaining amount of medicine provided to the user decreases. This notification is called a low-quantity notification. A low-quantity notification may be, for example, a notification related to the decrease in the remaining amount of medicine. For example, a low-quantity notification may be a notification that the remaining amount of medicine is decreasing, or it may be a notification recommending that the user go to the hospital to get the next prescription. The user will take action to obtain the same medicine or medicine prescribed at the next consultation if necessary. These actions may include scheduling a medical appointment, visiting a hospital for a consultation or having an online consultation, scheduling a prescription, scheduling a medication consultation, picking up medication at a pharmacy, or ordering medication online. Insufficient supply here may mean that if the action to obtain medication is delayed, the medication currently on the user's possession may run out before the next dose is obtained. Health management server 1 may further process the online scheduling of medical appointments at hospitals, prescriptions at pharmacies, or medication consultations. Furthermore, health management server 1 may also process the online consultations and medication consultations.

[0029] Each user terminal 2 may be a terminal device used by users who are eligible to use the health management service. Each user terminal 2 may be a portable terminal device. Examples of user terminals 2 include mobile phones such as smartphones, tablet computers, wearable computers, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Each user terminal 2 may be equipped with an imaging unit. The user terminal 2 may be capable of capturing still images and videos using the imaging unit. Furthermore, the user terminal 2 may be capable of reading information encoded in a two-dimensional code by scanning the code with the imaging unit. For example, when a pharmacy provides a user with dispensed medicine, it may also provide the user with a piece of paper printed with a two-dimensional code indicating information about the dispensed medicine. The dispensed medicine information may be, for example, information indicating the prescription or information about the dispensed medicine. The user terminal 2 may transmit the read dispensed medicine information to the health management server 1. Each user terminal 2 may be capable of installing a health management application. By running the health management application on the user terminal 2, the user may be able to use the health management service. Alternatively, users may access health management services by viewing the service's content through a web browser.

[0030] [1-2.Device configuration] [1-2-1. Health Management Server] Next, the configuration of the health management server 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the health management server 1 includes a system control unit 11, a system bus 12, an input / output interface 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15. The system control unit 11 and the input / output interface 13 are connected via the system bus 12.

[0031] The system control unit 11 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11c, and the like.

[0032] The input / output interface 13 performs interface processing between the storage unit 14 and the communication unit 15 and the system control unit 11.

[0033] The storage unit 14 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. This storage unit 14 may store databases such as a user DB 14a, a drug information DB 14b, and a notification schedule DB 14c. "DB" is an abbreviation for database. At least one database may be stored on a server device different from the health management server 1. The health management server 1 may be able to access the databases through its server device.

[0034] Figure 3 shows an example of information stored in the database of the health management server 1. User DB 14a may store user information for each user who can use the health management service. For example, user DB 14a may store user information such as user ID, name, gender, date of birth, address, and email address, all of which are associated with each other. The user ID is identification information that identifies the user.

[0035] The provided drug information DB14b may store information on each provided drug transmitted from each user terminal 2. For example, the provided drug information DB14b may store information such as provided drug information ID, user ID, prescribing hospital name, prescription date, medical department name, dispensing pharmacy name, dispensing date, drug name, dosage form, usage, single dose, and prescription period, all associated with each other. The provided drug information ID is identification information that identifies the provided drug information. The user ID indicates the user who transmitted the provided drug information to the health management server 1. The provided drug information ID and user ID may be information added to the provided drug information after the user terminal 2 reads the provided drug information. Other information may be information obtained by decoding a two-dimensional code. The prescribing hospital name indicates the name of the hospital that prescribed the dispensed drug. The prescription date indicates the date the prescription was made. The medical department name indicates the name of the medical department that made the prescription. The dispensing pharmacy name indicates the name of the pharmacy that dispensed the drug. This embodiment assumes that the facility dispensing the medicine is a pharmacy. However, the facility dispensing the medicine may also include a hospital that dispenses prescribed medicines and provides them to outpatients. In that case, for example, the name of the dispensing pharmacy may indicate the name of the hospital. The dispensing date indicates the date on which the dispensing took place. The name of the medicine indicates the name of the medicine dispensed. The dosage form indicates the form of the dispensed medicine. The instructions for use indicate how to take the medicine. For example, the instructions for use may include the number of times to take the medicine per day, the timing of taking the medicine, etc. The single dose indicates the amount of the medicine to take in one dose. The prescription days may indicate how many days' worth of medicine is provided. Alternatively, the prescription days may indicate the number of days the medicine can be taken before the remaining amount runs out. The prescription days are also called the total amount. If multiple medicines are dispensed at once, the provided medicine information may include the name of the medicine, dosage form, instructions for use, single dose, and prescription days for each medicine. In this case, if multiple medications with different prescription durations are dispensed, the health management server 1 may store the dispensed medication information in the dispensed medication information DB 14b, separated by prescription duration.

[0036] Notification Schedule DB14c may store notification schedule information regarding planned notifications of insufficient remaining medication for medications dispensed and provided to users, for each piece of provided medication information stored in Provided Medication Information DB14b. For example, Notification Schedule DB14c may store notification schedule information such as provided medication information ID, user ID, and scheduled notification date, all associated with each other. The provided medication information ID indicates the provided medication information corresponding to the notification schedule information. The user ID indicates the user to whom the notification will be sent. The scheduled notification date indicates the date on which the insufficient remaining medication notification is scheduled to be issued.

[0037] The storage unit 14 further stores various programs, including an operating system, a DBMS (Database Management System), and a server program. The server program is a program that causes the system control unit 11 to execute processing related to health management services. The server program may be acquired, for example, from another device via a network NW, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0038] The communication unit 15 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 15 connects to the user terminal 2, etc., via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0039] [1-2-2. User Terminals] Next, the configuration of the user terminal 2 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the user terminal 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the user terminal 2 includes a system control unit 21, a system bus 22, an input / output interface 23, a storage unit 24, a communication unit 25, an operation input unit 26, a display unit 27, an imaging unit 28, an audio output unit 29, and a vibration unit 30. The system control unit 21 and the input / output interface 23 are connected via the system bus 22.

[0040] The system control unit 21 is composed of a CPU 21a, ROM 21b, RAM 21c, etc.

[0041] The input / output interface 23 performs interface processing between the storage unit 24, communication unit 25, operation input unit 26, display unit 27, imaging unit 28, audio output unit 29, and vibration unit 30 and the system control unit 21.

[0042] The storage unit 24 is composed of non-volatile memory, such as a solid-state drive. Programs such as an operating system, a health management application, and a web browser may be stored in this storage unit 24. The health management application may be obtained, for example, from the health management server 1 or other predetermined server device via a network NW, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disc, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0043] The communication unit 25 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 25 connects to the health management server 1, etc., via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0044] The operation input unit 26 is composed of, for example, a touch panel, buttons, etc. The operation input unit 26 receives operations from the user and outputs a signal indicating the content of the operation to the system control unit 21.

[0045] The display unit 27 is configured, for example, as a liquid crystal panel, an organic panel, or video RAM. Based on control by the system control unit 21, the display unit 27 displays information such as characters and images.

[0046] The imaging unit 28 may be a camera composed of an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor), a lens, etc. The imaging unit 28 captures images such as still images or videos and outputs the signal of the image to the system control unit 21.

[0047] The audio output unit 29 is composed of, for example, a speaker. The audio output unit 29 converts the audio signal transmitted from the system control unit 21 into sound and outputs that sound.

[0048] The vibration unit 30 is a mechanism that realizes the vibration function. The vibration unit 30 vibrates the user terminal 2.

[0049] [1-3. Overview of Functions] [1-3-1. Health Management Server] Next, with reference to Figures 5 to 7, an overview of the functions of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 11 may function as a drug information acquisition unit 1101, a remaining days determination unit 1102, a notification determination unit 1103, and a notification control unit 1104, etc., as shown in Figure 5, by the CPU 11a reading and executing various program codes included in the server program.

[0050] The drug information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire information on the drugs provided. In this embodiment, the information on the drugs provided should include at least the dispensing date and the number of days the drug is prescribed. The drug information acquisition unit 1101 may, for example, acquire information on the drugs provided from a user terminal 2 that has already acquired the information on the drugs provided. Alternatively, the drug information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire information on the drugs provided by a pharmacy from a terminal device (not shown) used by a pharmacist or the like at the pharmacy. Alternatively, the drug information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire information on the drugs provided by a hospital from a terminal device (not shown) used by a doctor or the like at the hospital. The drug information acquisition unit 1101 may store the acquired information on the drugs provided in the drug information DB 14b.

[0051] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification according to the prescription period indicated by the provided drug information obtained by the drug information acquisition unit 1101. For example, the day after the prescription period from the dispensing date indicated by the provided drug information is called the scheduled end date of medication. It is assumed that the user will start taking the medication on the dispensing date or the day after the dispensing date. Therefore, the medication will run out between the day before the scheduled end date of medication and the day of the scheduled end date of medication. The remaining days for notification may indicate how many days before the scheduled end date of medication a notification of insufficient remaining medication will be issued. In other words, the remaining days for notification may indicate the number of days to be left between the time the notification of insufficient remaining medication is issued and the scheduled end date of medication.

[0052] The remaining notification days may be, for example, one day or more and less than the prescription duration. Furthermore, the remaining notification days may increase as the prescription duration increases. For example, the remaining notification days may increase gradually as the prescription duration increases. The remaining days determination unit 1102 may, for example, determine that the remaining notification days determined when the prescription duration is greater than or equal to a predetermined number is greater than the remaining notification days determined when the prescription duration is less than a predetermined number. For example, if the prescription duration is greater than or equal to a predetermined first prescription duration, the remaining notification days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days to a predetermined first remaining day. Also, if the prescription duration is less than the first prescription duration, the remaining notification days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days to a predetermined second remaining day. Here, the second remaining days are less than the first remaining days. The longer the prescription duration, the greater the likelihood that the user who received the medication needs to continue taking it. For example, the longer the prescription duration, the higher the likelihood that the medication is for a chronic disease. Users with chronic illnesses need to take medication continuously and therefore need to obtain it regularly. Furthermore, the longer the prescription period, the larger the quantity of medication needed next. If users wait until their current medication is running low before ordering their next dose, there's a possibility that their current medication will run out before they can actually obtain it. For example, if a user is busy, they may not be able to schedule a medication pickup in advance. They may also be unable to make a hospital appointment. Additionally, the pharmacy may be out of stock. Therefore, for prescriptions with a relatively long duration, it is effective to send a notification of low remaining medication well in advance. Conversely, the shorter the prescription period, the more likely the medication is for an acute illness. Compared to chronic illnesses, users with acute illnesses have a lower need to take medication continuously. Also, in the case of acute illnesses, it may be necessary to take the medication for a certain period to assess the user's condition or injury before deciding whether to seek further medical attention or obtain the next dose. Furthermore, if a user obtains their next dose early, the remaining amount will increase even when there is still a sufficient amount remaining compared to the initial prescription. Considering these circumstances, it is not effective to notify the patient of the remaining amount too early when the prescription period is relatively short.

[0053] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the notification remaining days to be the aforementioned second remaining days if the prescription period is less than the aforementioned first prescription period and is equal to or greater than the predetermined second prescription period. Here, the second prescription period is less than the first prescription period. Furthermore, if the prescription period is less than the second prescription period, the remaining days determination unit 1102 does not need to specifically determine the notification remaining days. In this case, as will be described later, no notification of insufficient remaining medication will be issued. As mentioned above, the shorter the prescription period, the less necessary it is to continue taking the medication. Also, if the prescription period is sufficiently short, the expected end date of medication use, when the user runs out of medication, is sufficiently close to the dispensing date. Therefore, if the user needs to obtain the next dose, they are likely to remember. For such users, it is highly likely that a notification of insufficient remaining medication is unnecessary. This eliminates notifications that may seem bothersome to such users.

[0054] Figure 6 shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration and remaining notification days. As shown in Figure 6, if the prescription duration is 1 day or more and 4 days or less, no notification of insufficient remaining quantity will be issued. If the prescription duration is 5 days or more and 13 days or less, the remaining notification days are 3 days. If the prescription duration is 14 days or more and 27 days or less, the remaining notification days are 7 days. If the prescription duration is 28 days or more, the remaining notification days are 10 days. The storage unit 14 may pre-store, for example, a table showing the relationship between prescription duration and remaining notification days. The remaining days determination unit 1102 may refer to this table to determine the remaining notification days.

[0055] Once the number of days remaining for notification is determined, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the scheduled notification date based on the remaining days and the dispensing date and prescription duration indicated by the provided medication information. For example, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the scheduled notification date to be the day before the scheduled end date of medication, based on the number of days remaining for notification. The remaining days determination unit 1102 may store the determined scheduled notification date in the notification schedule DB 14c.

[0056] The notification determination unit 1103 may decide on a daily basis whether or not to execute a low-storage notification based on the scheduled notification date determined by the remaining days determination unit 1102. For example, the notification determination unit 1103 may make a decision based on the scheduled notification date and today's date. For example, the notification determination unit 1103 may decide on a daily basis whether or not the scheduled notification date has arrived. For example, this decision may be made at a predetermined time every day. Alternatively, the notification determination unit 1103 may search the notification schedule DB 14c for notification schedule information that includes the scheduled notification date indicating today's date. The notification determination unit 1103 may perform this search on a daily basis. If the notification determination unit 1103 finds the relevant notification schedule information, it may decide to execute a low-storage notification.

[0057] The notification control unit 1104 may execute a low-quantity notification. For example, the notification control unit 1104 may execute a low-quantity notification on the scheduled notification date when the sum of the number of days elapsed since the dispensing date, indicated by the provided drug information acquired by the drug information acquisition unit 1101, and the number of remaining notification days determined by the remaining days determination unit 1102 equals the prescription days indicated by the provided drug information acquired by the drug information acquisition unit 1101. After midnight, it may be considered that one day has passed. In this embodiment, the scheduled notification date is determined by the remaining days determination unit 1102, so the notification control unit 1104 may execute a low-quantity notification on the determined scheduled notification date. The notification control unit 1104 may also execute a low-quantity notification when the notification determination unit 1103 determines that it is appropriate to execute a low-quantity notification.

[0058] In this embodiment, the notification control unit 1104 may cause the user terminal 2 to execute a low battery notification. For example, the notification control unit 1104 may send notification information to the user terminal 2 on the scheduled notification date. The notification information may be information indicating an instruction to execute the low battery notification. The notification information may include a message to be displayed on the user terminal 2. The notification control unit 1104 may send the notification information, for example, by push notification. For example, the notification control unit 1104 may perform push notifications using FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging), APNs (Apple Push Notification Server), or PWA (Progressive Web Apps), etc. In another embodiment, the notification control unit 1104 may send information including, for example, the scheduled notification date to the user terminal 2 in advance. The user terminal 2 may store the scheduled notification date received from the health management server 1. When the stored scheduled notification date arrives, the user terminal 2 may execute the low battery notification. In this case, the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 may function as a notification determination unit 1103.

[0059] Figure 7 shows examples of when a low-dose notification is issued. As shown in Figure 7(a), the dispensing date of the medication is June 1st. The prescription period for that medication is 21 days. According to the example shown in Figure 6, the number of days remaining for notification is 7 days. The scheduled end date of medication is June 22nd, 21 days after the dispensing date. As of June 15th, 14 days after the dispensing date, there are 7 days remaining until the scheduled end date. Therefore, June 15th is the scheduled notification date, and a low-dose notification is issued on this day. As shown in Figure 7(b), when the prescription period is 7 days, the number of days remaining for notification is 3 days. The scheduled end date of medication is June 8th. As of June 5th, 4 days after the dispensing date, there are 3 days remaining until the scheduled end date. Therefore, June 5th is the scheduled notification date, and a low-dose notification is issued on this day. As shown in Figure 7(c), when the prescription period is 2 days, no low-dose notification is issued.

[0060] In another embodiment, the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 may function as a drug information acquisition unit 1101, a remaining days determination unit 1102, a notification determination unit 1103, and a notification control unit 1104. In this case, the communication system S may or may not include the health management server 1.

[0061] Furthermore, the entity executing the notification may be the health management server 1 itself. The health management server 1 may also send notifications to terminal devices (not shown) used by the hospital. These notifications may, for example, be requests for appointments. Alternatively, the health management server 1 may also send notifications to terminal devices (not shown) used by pharmacies. These notifications may, for example, be requests for prescription reservations.

[0062] [1-3-2. User Terminals] Next, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, an overview of the functions of the system control unit 21 in the user terminal 2 will be described. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 21 in the user terminal 2 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 21 may function as a drug information acquisition unit 2101, a drug information transmission unit 2102, a notification information receiving unit 2103, and a notification unit 2104, etc., as shown in Figure 8, by having the CPU 21a read and execute various program codes included in the health management application.

[0063] The drug information acquisition unit 2101 may acquire information on the provided drug. As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the provided drug information only needs to include at least the dispensing date and the number of days prescribed. The drug information acquisition unit 2101 may, for example, cause the imaging unit 28 to capture a two-dimensional code indicating the provided drug information based on user operation. The drug information acquisition unit 2101 may acquire the provided drug information by decoding the two-dimensional code based on the image of the two-dimensional code obtained by imaging. Alternatively, a user who has received a paper document from the pharmacy containing the details of the dispensing may manually input the provided drug information into the user terminal 2 while looking at the paper document.

[0064] The drug information transmission unit 2102 may transmit the provided drug information obtained by the drug information acquisition unit 2101 to the health management server 1. At this time, the drug information transmission unit 2102 may add the user ID of the user using its user terminal 2 to the provided drug information.

[0065] The notification information receiving unit 2103 may receive notification information transmitted from the health management server 1.

[0066] The notification unit 2104 may execute a low-quantity notification. For example, the notification unit 2104 may execute a low-quantity notification on the scheduled notification date when the sum of the number of days elapsed since the dispensing date, indicated by the provided drug information obtained by the drug information acquisition unit 2101, and the remaining days determined by the remaining days determination unit 1102 equals the prescription days indicated by the provided drug information obtained by the drug information acquisition unit 2101. In this embodiment, the notification unit 2104 may execute a low-quantity notification when notification information is received by the notification information receiving unit 2103.

[0067] The notification unit 2104 may perform a low-stock notification, for example, by outputting a notification sound using the audio output unit 29 or by vibrating the user terminal 2 using the vibration unit 30. The notification unit 2104 may also display a low-stock notification message on the screen of the display unit 27. For example, the notification unit 2104 may display a message included in the notification information as the low-stock notification message. Figure 9 shows an example of the display of a low-stock notification message. As shown in Figure 9, the low-stock notification message 110 is displayed on the screen 100 of the user terminal 2. The low-stock notification message 110 may include a message such as, "Your medication is running out, do you need your next medication?" Or, for example, the low-stock notification message 110 may include a message such as, "Would you like to schedule your next appointment?"

[0068] [1-4. Operation of the communication system] Next, the operation of the communication system S will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. The processes shown in Figures 10 and 11 are illustrative examples, and any processes may be executed as long as the objective is achieved. The order of the processes is not limited to the order shown in Figures 10 and 11. In addition, at least one of the steps shown in Figures 10 and 11 may be omitted.

[0069] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in the communication system S according to this embodiment. For example, a user brings a prescription to a pharmacy and requests dispensing. The pharmacy gives the user the dispensed medicine and a piece of paper printed with a two-dimensional code indicating the provided medicine information. The user scans the two-dimensional code with the user terminal 2. As a result, the medicine information acquisition unit 2101 of the user terminal 2 reads the two-dimensional code as shown in Figure 10 and acquires the provided medicine information from the two-dimensional code (step S101). Next, the medicine information transmission unit 2102 transmits the acquired provided medicine information to the health management server 1 (step S102). At this time, the medicine information transmission unit 2102 adds the user ID to the provided medicine information. The medicine information acquisition unit 1101 of the health management server 1 stores the received provided medicine information in the provided medicine information DB 14b. At this time, the medicine information acquisition unit 1101 generates a new provided medicine information ID and adds this provided medicine information ID to the provided medicine information. Next, the health management server 1 executes the notification date determination process (step S103).

[0070] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the notification date determination process by the system control unit 11 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, first the drug information acquisition unit 1101 acquires the dispensing date and prescription days from the provided drug information (step S201). Next, the remaining days determination unit 1102 determines whether the prescription days are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S202). This predetermined value corresponds to the second prescription days mentioned above. If the prescription days are less than the threshold (step S202: NO), the notification date determination process ends, and steps S104 to S106 shown in Figure 10 are not executed.

[0071] If the prescription duration is greater than or equal to the threshold (Step S202: YES), the remaining days determination unit 1102 determines the remaining notification duration according to the prescription duration (Step S203). Next, the remaining days determination unit 1102 adds the prescription duration to the dispensing date to calculate the scheduled end date of medication (Step S204). Next, the remaining days determination unit 1102 subtracts the remaining notification duration from the scheduled end date of medication to calculate the scheduled notification date (Step S205). Next, the remaining days determination unit 1102 associates the scheduled notification date with the provided medication information ID and user ID included in the provided medication information and stores it in the scheduled notification DB 14c (Step S206), and the notification date determination process ends.

[0072] Returning to Figure 11, after the notification date determination process is completed by determining the notification date, for example, the notification determination unit 1103 of the health management server 1 searches the notification date database 14c for the notification date indicating the current day at a predetermined time each day. If a matching notification date is found, the notification determination unit 1103 determines that the notification date has arrived (step S104). In response to this determination, the notification control unit 1104 sends notification information to the user terminal 2 of the user indicated by the user ID stored in the notification date database 14c in association with that notification date (step S105). The notification unit 2104 of the user terminal 2 that receives the notification information executes a low remaining capacity notification based on the notification information (step S106).

[0073] As described above, according to this embodiment, the health management server 1 acquires information on the medication provided. The health management server 1 also determines the remaining notification days according to the prescription duration indicated by the medication provided information. Furthermore, the health management server 1 executes a low-quantity notification on the notification day when the sum of the number of days elapsed since the dispensing date indicated by the medication provided information and the determined remaining notification days equals the prescription duration. Therefore, notifications can be made at a timing appropriate to the prescription duration of the dispensed medication.

[0074] Here, the health management server 1 may determine the notification date. Alternatively, the health management server 1 may decide on a daily basis whether or not to execute a low-stock notification based on the determined notification date. Furthermore, if the health management server 1 determines that a low-stock notification should be executed, it may execute the low-stock notification. In this case, the notification is executed when the notification date arrives.

[0075] Furthermore, the remaining notification days determined by the health management server 1 when the prescription duration is 1 or more days may be greater than the remaining notification days determined when the prescription duration is less than 1 day. In this case, when the prescription duration is 1 or more days, the notification will be executed earlier than when the prescription duration is less than 1 day, based on the number of days after the dispensing date.

[0076] Here, health management server 1 may output a notification if the prescription duration is equal to or greater than the second prescription duration. Conversely, health management server 1 does not need to execute a low-quantity notification if the prescription duration is less than the second prescription duration. In this case, notifications that are not necessary due to the short prescription duration can be eliminated.

[0077] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Except for the points described below, the second embodiment may be identical to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a single drug information item may trigger a low-quantity notification multiple times.

[0078] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the notification remaining days to be the first remaining days and the second remaining days as described above if the prescription duration is equal to or greater than the first prescription duration. In other words, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine multiple notification remaining days. In this case, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may include in the notification remaining days it determines the remaining days that originally correspond to the range of prescription durations indicated by the provided drug information, and the remaining days that originally correspond to the range of prescription durations that is less than the range of prescription durations indicated by the provided drug information, from among a predetermined range of prescription durations.

[0079] Figure 12 shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration and remaining notification days. As shown in Figure 12, if the prescription duration is 1 day or more and 4 days or less, no low-supply notification will be issued. If the prescription duration is 5 days or more and 13 days or less, the remaining notification days are 3 days. In this case, a low-supply notification will be issued only once. If the prescription duration is 14 days or more and 27 days or less, the remaining notification days are 7 days and 3 days. In this case, a low-supply notification will be issued twice. If the prescription duration is 28 days or more, the remaining notification days are 10 days, 7 days, and 3 days. In this case, a low-supply notification will be issued three times. Alternatively, if the prescription duration is 28 days or more, the remaining notification days may be 10 days and 7 days.

[0080] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may, for example, determine a notification schedule date for each of the multiple remaining notification days determined. The remaining days determination unit 1102 may also generate notification schedule information for each determined notification schedule date and store it in the notification schedule DB 14c.

[0081] If the remaining days determination unit 1102 determines multiple notification remaining days, the notification control unit 1104 may execute a low-capacity notification on each of the multiple scheduled notification dates determined according to each of those multiple remaining notification days. As mentioned above, if scheduled notification information for each of the multiple remaining notification days is stored in the notification schedule DB 14c, it is possible to execute multiple low-capacity notifications based on that scheduled notification information.

[0082] Figure 13 shows an example of when a low-dose notification is issued. As shown in Figure 13(a), the dispensing date of the medication is June 1st. The prescription period for the medication is 21 days. According to the example shown in Figure 12, the remaining notification days are 7 days and 3 days. On June 15th, 14 days after the dispensing date, there are 7 days remaining until the scheduled end date of medication, so a low-dose notification is issued on this day. Subsequently, on June 19th, 18 days after the dispensing date, there are 3 days remaining until the scheduled end date of medication, so a low-dose notification is also issued on this day. As shown in Figure 12(b), when the prescription period is 7 days, the remaining notification days are 3 days. In this case, similar to Figure 7(b), a low-dose notification is issued only on June 5th.

[0083] As explained above, according to this embodiment, if the prescription period is equal to or greater than the first prescription period, a low supply notification will be issued again on the day when the remaining number of days until the scheduled end date of medication becomes the number of remaining days determined when the prescription period is less than the first prescription period. Therefore, if a user forgets to obtain medication even after a low supply notification has been issued once, this can be used to remind the user.

[0084] [3. Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, the third embodiment may be identical to at least one of the first and second embodiments.

[0085] [3-1. Health Management Server Configuration] First, the configuration of the health management server 1 will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 14, the same elements as in Figure 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The difference between Figure 14 and Figure 2 is that in Figure 14, the drug database 14d is further stored in the storage unit 14.

[0086] Figure 15 shows an example of information stored in the drug database 14d. The drug database 14d may store drug information for each drug. For example, the drug database 14d may store drug ID, drug name, and availability difficulty in relation to each other. The drug ID is identification information that identifies the drug. Availability difficulty indicates the degree of difficulty for a user to obtain the drug. The higher the availability difficulty, the more difficult the drug is to obtain. For example, the higher the availability difficulty, the fewer pharmacies that can provide the drug, or the lower the average nationwide stock level of the drug.

[0087] [3-2. Overview of Functions] Next, with reference to Figures 16 and 17, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 will be described. Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 16, the same elements as in Figure 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The difference between Figure 16 and Figure 5 is that in Figure 16, the system control unit 11 also functions as an accessibility acquisition unit 1105.

[0088] In this embodiment, the drug information obtained by the drug information acquisition unit 1101 may include information that identifies the dispensed drug. This information may be, for example, the drug name.

[0089] The Difficulty of Acquisition Unit 1105 may acquire a difficulty of acquisition score indicating the difficulty of obtaining the dispensed medicine. For example, the Difficulty of Acquisition Unit 1105 may acquire the difficulty of acquisition score when the drug information acquisition unit 1101 acquires the provided drug information. The Difficulty of Acquisition Unit 1105 may, for example, acquire the drug name from the provided drug information and search for drug information containing that drug name from the drug database 14d. The Difficulty of Acquisition Unit 1105 may acquire the difficulty of acquisition score from the retrieved drug information.

[0090] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days based on the difficulty of obtaining the medication obtained by the difficulty of obtaining the medication unit 1105. For example, the more difficult the medication is to obtain, the more days the notification remains. The notification remains may increase in stages as the difficulty of obtaining the medication increases. The more days the notification remains, the earlier the low-quantity notification will be issued. The more difficult the medication is to obtain, the more difficult it becomes to obtain the dispensed medication. By issuing a low-quantity notification earlier, the user can take action to obtain the medication sooner. Therefore, even if the medication is difficult to obtain, the user can obtain the next dose with ample time before the current dose runs out.

[0091] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days based on both the prescription duration and the difficulty of obtaining the medication. In this case, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days according to both the prescription duration and the difficulty of obtaining the medication. For example, under the condition that the prescription duration is the same, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days when the difficulty of obtaining the medication is above a predetermined level to be greater than the remaining notification days when the difficulty of obtaining the medication is below a predetermined level. Also, for example, under the condition that the difficulty of obtaining the medication is the same, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days when the prescription duration is equal to or greater than the first prescription duration to be greater than the remaining notification days when the prescription duration is less than the first prescription duration to be obtained.

[0092] Figure 17 shows an example of the correspondence between prescription duration, difficulty of obtaining the medication, and the remaining notification period. As shown in Figure 17, there are three levels of difficulty of obtaining the medication: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Level 1 indicates the lowest level of difficulty, and Level 3 indicates the highest level of difficulty. Note that there may be two levels of difficulty of obtaining the medication, or four or more levels. If the prescription duration is 1 day or more and 4 days or less, no notification of insufficient supply will be issued regardless of whether the difficulty of obtaining the medication is Level 1 to 3. If the prescription duration is 5 days or more and 13 days or less, the remaining notification period for Level 1 difficulty of obtaining the medication is 2 days. Within the same range of prescription durations, the remaining notification period for Level 2 difficulty of obtaining the medication is 3 days. Within the same range of prescription durations, the remaining notification period for Level 3 difficulty of obtaining the medication is 4 days. If the prescription duration is 14 days or more and 27 days or less, the remaining notification period for Level 1 difficulty of obtaining the medication is 5 days. Within the same prescription duration range, the remaining notification period for Level 2 difficulty of obtaining medication is 7 days. Within the same prescription duration range, the remaining notification period for Level 3 difficulty of obtaining medication is 9 days. If the prescription duration is 28 days or more, the remaining notification period for Level 1 difficulty of obtaining medication is 8 days. Within the same prescription duration range, the remaining notification period for Level 2 difficulty of obtaining medication is 10 days. Within the same prescription duration range, the remaining notification period for Level 3 difficulty of obtaining medication is 12 days. The memory unit 14 may pre-store, for example, a table showing the correspondence between combinations of prescription duration and difficulty of obtaining medication, and the remaining notification period.

[0093] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based only on the difficulty of obtaining the medication, out of the prescription days and the difficulty of obtaining the medication.

[0094] Furthermore, the health management server 1 may issue multiple notifications of insufficient remaining quantity for a single drug information based on the difficulty of obtaining the drug, in the same manner as in the second embodiment. For example, if the difficulty of obtaining the drug is above a predetermined level, the remaining days for notification may be determined to be a predetermined third remaining day and a predetermined fourth remaining day. The fourth remaining day is less than the third remaining day. Also, if the difficulty of obtaining the drug is below a predetermined level, the remaining days for notification may be determined to be the fourth remaining day. In other words, the remaining days for notification may include, among a predetermined range of difficulty of obtaining the drug, the remaining days that would normally correspond to the obtained difficulty of obtaining the drug, and the remaining days that would normally correspond to a difficulty of obtaining drug lower than the obtained difficulty of obtaining the drug, in the remaining days for notification that it determines. The remaining days for notification may also determine multiple remaining days for notification when using both the prescription days and the difficulty of obtaining the drug to determine the remaining days for notification. For example, in the example shown in Figure 17, if the prescription period is 28 days or more, the remaining notification period for Level 1 difficulty of obtaining the medication is 8 days. The remaining notification periods for Level 2 difficulty of obtaining the medication are 10 days and 8 days. The remaining notification periods for Level 3 difficulty of obtaining the medication may be 12 days, 10 days and 8 days, or 12 days and 10 days.

[0095] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the remaining notification period is determined according to the difficulty of obtaining the dispensed medicine. Under the condition that the prescription period is the same, if the difficulty of obtaining the medicine is above a predetermined level, the notification will be issued earlier than if the difficulty of obtaining the medicine is below a predetermined level. Therefore, for medicines that are more difficult to obtain, it is possible to make it relatively easier to obtain the medicine by allowing more time for when the medicine will be available again.

[0096] [4. Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, the fourth embodiment may be identical to at least one of the first to third embodiments.

[0097] [4-1. Health Management Server Configuration] First, the configuration of the health management server 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 18 and 19. Figure 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 18, the same elements as in Figure 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The difference between Figure 18 and Figure 14 is that in Figure 18, the storage unit 14 also stores the pharmacy DB 14e and the inventory DB 14f.

[0098] Figure 19 shows an example of information stored in the pharmacy DB14e and inventory DB14f. The pharmacy DB14e may store pharmacy information for each pharmacy. For example, the pharmacy DB14e may store pharmacy information such as pharmacy ID, pharmacy name, and address, all of which are related to each other. The pharmacy ID is identification information that identifies the pharmacy. The pharmacy name indicates the name of the pharmacy.

[0099] The inventory database 14f may store inventory information indicating the inventory status of drugs at each pharmacy, for each pharmacy-drug combination. For example, the inventory database 14f may store inventory information such as pharmacy ID, drug ID, and inventory quantity, associated with each other. The pharmacy ID indicates the pharmacy whose inventory status is shown. The drug ID indicates the drug whose inventory status is shown. The inventory quantity indicates the number of units of that drug in stock at that pharmacy. For example, if the drug is in tablet form, the inventory quantity may be shown in units of tablets. The health management server 1 may provide each pharmacy with a drug inventory management function. For example, pharmacists may be able to input the inventory quantity of each drug and the number of drugs purchased into a terminal device (not shown) used by the pharmacy. The health management server 1 may generate inventory information based on the input information and store it in the inventory database 14f, or update the inventory quantities stored in the inventory database 14f. In addition, when a pharmacy sells a drug, pharmacists may be able to input the number of drugs sold into the terminal device. The health management server 1 may update the inventory count stored in the inventory DB 14f based on the input information. This embodiment assumes that the facility dispensing the medicine is a pharmacy. However, the facility dispensing the medicine may also include a hospital that dispenses prescribed medicines and provides them to outpatients. In that case, the inventory DB 14f may store inventory information indicating the inventory status of the medicine at that hospital.

[0100] [4-2. Overview of Functions] Next, with reference to Figures 20 and 21, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 will be described. Figure 20 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 20, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as in Figure 5. The difference between Figure 20 and Figure 5 is that in Figure 20, the system control unit 11 also functions as an inventory information acquisition unit 1106.

[0101] In this embodiment, the drug information obtained by the drug information acquisition unit 1101 may include information that identifies the dispensed drug. This information may be, for example, the drug name. The drug information may also include information indicating the facility that dispensed the drug. This information may be, for example, the name of the dispensing pharmacy.

[0102] The inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may acquire inventory information that specifies the quantity of dispensed drugs in stock at a facility indicated by the drug information acquisition unit 1101. For example, the inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may acquire inventory information when the drug information acquisition unit 1101 acquires drug information. The inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may acquire, for example, the drug name and the name of the dispensing pharmacy from the drug information. The inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may acquire a drug ID associated with the drug name from the drug DB 14d. In this embodiment, the drug DB 14d is used for searching for drug IDs. Therefore, the drug DB 14d does not need to store the difficulty of obtaining the drug. The inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may acquire a pharmacy ID associated with the same pharmacy name as the dispensing pharmacy name from the pharmacy DB 14e. The inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may then search the inventory DB 14f for inventory information including the combination of the acquired drug ID and pharmacy ID.

[0103] The inventory number and inventory quantity indicated by the inventory information may differ. As will be described later, the inventory quantity is used to determine the remaining days for notification. Therefore, the inventory quantity may indicate, for example, how many days' worth of medication a user who has been provided with dispensed medication will have. In other words, the inventory quantity may indicate the number of days a user can take the medication before the medication in stock runs out. The inventory quantity may be calculated using the number of times the medication is taken per day and the single dose amount included in the provided medication information. For example, the inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may calculate the number of times the medication is taken per day by multiplying the number of times the medication is taken per day by the single dose amount. The inventory information acquisition unit 1106 may also calculate the inventory quantity by dividing the number of times the medication is taken per day by the inventory number.

[0104] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days based on the inventory information obtained by the inventory information acquisition unit 1106. For example, the remaining days for notification may increase as the amount of inventory identified from the inventory information decreases. The remaining days for notification may increase gradually as the amount of inventory decreases. When a user obtains medicine again, they may go to the same pharmacy as last time and have the medicine dispensed. The less stock of that medicine there is at that pharmacy, the more likely it is that the medicine will run out of stock sooner. If the amount of stock is even lower, a low-stock notification will be issued earlier, allowing the user to obtain the medicine while it is still in stock. Therefore, even if the medicine is difficult to obtain, the user can obtain the next medicine with ample time before the medicine they currently have runs out.

[0105] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days based on both the prescription duration and the inventory quantity. In this case, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days according to both the prescription duration and the acquired inventory quantity. For example, under the condition that the prescription duration is the same, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days when the inventory quantity is less than a predetermined amount to be greater than the remaining notification days when the inventory quantity is above a predetermined amount. Also, for example, under the condition that the inventory quantity is the same, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days when the prescription duration is equal to or greater than the first prescription duration to be greater than the remaining notification days when the prescription duration is less than the first prescription duration to be.

[0106] Figure 21 shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration, inventory quantity, and the remaining notification period. As shown in Figure 21, if the prescription duration is 1 day or more and 4 days or less, no notification of insufficient stock will be issued, regardless of the inventory quantity. If the prescription duration is 5 days or more and 13 days or less, and the inventory quantity is 1000 days or more, the remaining notification period is 2 days. Within the same prescription duration range, if the inventory quantity is 500 days or more and 999 days or less, the remaining notification period is 3 days. Within the same prescription duration range, if the inventory quantity is 499 days or less, the remaining notification period is 4 days. If the prescription duration is 14 days or more and 27 days or less, and the inventory quantity is 1000 days or more, the remaining notification period is 5 days. Within the same prescription duration range, if the inventory quantity is 500 days or more and 999 days or less, the remaining notification period is 7 days. Within the same prescription duration range, if the inventory is 499 days or less, the remaining notification days are 9 days. If the prescription duration is 28 days or more, and the inventory is 1000 days or more, the remaining notification days are 8 days. Within the same prescription duration range, if the inventory is 500 days or more and 999 days or less, the remaining notification days are 10 days. Within the same prescription duration range, if the inventory is 499 days or less, the remaining notification days are 12 days. The storage unit 14 may pre-store, for example, a table showing the correspondence between combinations of prescription duration and inventory quantity and the remaining notification days.

[0107] Furthermore, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based only on the inventory information among the prescription days and inventory information. Alternatively, for example, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based only on the inventory information and the difficulty of obtaining the drug. Alternatively, for example, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based on the prescription days, inventory information, and the difficulty of obtaining the drug.

[0108] Furthermore, the health management server 1 may issue multiple notifications of insufficient remaining quantity for a single drug information item based on the inventory quantity, in a manner similar to that of the second embodiment. For example, if the remaining days determination unit 1102 is less than a predetermined amount, it may determine the notification remaining days to be a predetermined fifth remaining day and a sixth remaining day. The sixth remaining day is less than the fifth remaining day. Also, if the remaining days determination unit 1102 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, it may determine the notification remaining days to be a sixth remaining day. That is, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may include in the notification remaining days it determines the remaining days that originally correspond to the range of inventory quantities that include the inventory quantity identified from the inventory information, and the remaining days that originally correspond to a range that is less than the range of inventory quantities identified from the inventory information. The remaining days determination unit 1102 may also determine multiple notification remaining days when it determines the notification remaining days using both the prescription days and the inventory quantity. For example, in the example shown in Figure 21, if the prescription period is 28 days or more and the inventory is 1000 days or more, the remaining notification days are 8 days. If the inventory is 500 days or more and 999 days or less, the remaining notification days are 10 days and 8 days. If the inventory is 499 days or less, the remaining notification days may be 12 days, 10 days and 8 days, or 12 days and 10 days.

[0109] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the number of days remaining until notification is issued is determined according to the amount of the drug in stock at the facility where the drug was dispensed. Under the condition that the prescription period is the same, if the amount of stock is less than a predetermined amount, the notification is issued earlier than if the amount of stock is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. Therefore, for drugs with low stock levels, it is possible to increase the likelihood of obtaining the drug while it is still in stock by allowing more time for when the next supply will arrive.

[0110] [5. Fifth Embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, the fifth embodiment may be identical to at least one of the first to fourth embodiments. In this embodiment, the health management server 1 may be able to accept at least one of the following from the user: a medical consultation appointment, a prescription dispensing appointment, and a medication guidance appointment. The medical consultation that can be booked may be an offline consultation or an online consultation. If prescription dispensing can be booked, the user goes to a pharmacy to pick up the dispensed medication. If the user goes to a pharmacy to pick up the medication, medication guidance may also be provided at that pharmacy. Medication guidance that can be booked may also be provided online. If medication guidance is provided online, the dispensed medication may be delivered, for example, from the pharmacy to the user's address.

[0111] [5-1. Health Management Server Configuration] First, the configuration of the health management server 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 22 and 23. Figure 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 22, the same elements as in Figure 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The difference between Figure 22 and Figure 14 is that in Figure 22, the storage unit 14 further stores the hospital DB 14g, the pharmacy reservation status DB 14h, and the hospital reservation status DB 14i, while the pharmaceutical DB 14d does not necessarily need to be stored.

[0112] Figure 23 shows an example of the information stored in the hospital DB14g, pharmacy reservation status DB14h, and hospital reservation status DB14i.

[0113] Hospital DB14g may store hospital information for each hospital. For example, Hospital DB14g may store hospital information such as hospital ID, hospital name, address, and medical department list, all of which are related to each other. The hospital ID is identification information that identifies the hospital. The hospital name indicates the name of the hospital. The medical department list is a list of department IDs that identify the medical departments at that hospital.

[0114] The pharmacy reservation status DB14h may store pharmacy reservation status information, indicating the status of reservations for dispensing or medication guidance at a pharmacy, for each reservation slot. A reservation slot may be a combination of, for example, a pharmacy, a date, and a time slot. Reservations for dispensing or medication guidance may be possible on a per-reservation slot basis. For example, the pharmacy reservation status DB14h may store pharmacy reservation status information such as reservation slot ID, pharmacy ID, target date, start time, business flag, reservation flag, and reservation holder ID, all associated with each other. The reservation slot ID is identification information that identifies the reservation slot for which the reservation status is shown. The pharmacy ID indicates the pharmacy to which the reservation corresponds. The target date indicates the date to which the reservation corresponds. The start time indicates the start time of the time slot to which the reservation corresponds. The length of the time slot may be predetermined, for example. Examples of time slot lengths include 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. The business flag indicates whether the pharmacy is open on the date and time slot corresponding to that reservation slot. The business flag may be set to either "Open" or "Closed". "Open" indicates that the business is open. "Closed" indicates that the business is closed. You cannot reserve a reservation slot if the business flag is set to "Closed". The reservation flag indicates whether the reservation slot is already reserved or not. The reservation flag may be set to either "Not Reserved" or "Reserved". "Not Reserved" indicates that the slot is not reserved. "Reserved" indicates that the slot is reserved. The reservation flag is valid when the business flag is "Open". The reservation user ID is the user ID of the user who reserved the reservation slot. The reservation user ID is valid when the reservation flag is "Reserved".

[0115] The health management server 1 may search for and reserve pharmacies in response to requests from the user terminal 2. For example, the user may input search criteria. Examples of search criteria include pharmacy name, address, date, and time slot. The health management server 1 may search the pharmacy database 14e for pharmacies that meet the search criteria, such as pharmacy name and address. For each pharmacy found, the health management server 1 may search for available reservation slots that meet the search criteria, such as date and time slot. The health management server 1 may send information to the user terminal 2 as a search result, indicating the date and time slots of available reservation slots for each pharmacy found. When the user selects a reservation slot, the health management server 1 may change the reservation flag in the pharmacy reservation status information corresponding to the selected reservation slot to "reserved". The health management server 1 may also send information indicating the reservation status of each pharmacy to a terminal device (not shown) used by each pharmacy. Pharmacy employees can check the reservation status on that terminal device.

[0116] The hospital reservation status DB14i may store hospital reservation status information, indicating the status of appointments for consultations at hospitals, for each reservation slot. A reservation slot may be a combination of, for example, a hospital, a medical department, a date, and a time slot. Consultations may be possible on a per-reservation slot basis. For example, the hospital reservation status DB14i may store hospital reservation status information such as reservation slot ID, hospital ID, department ID, target date, start time, consultation availability flag, reservation flag, and reservation holder ID, all associated with each other. The reservation slot ID is identification information that identifies the reservation slot whose reservation status is shown. The hospital ID indicates the hospital to which the reservation corresponds. The department ID indicates the medical department to which the reservation corresponds. The target date indicates the date to which the reservation corresponds. The start time indicates the start time of the time slot to which the reservation corresponds. The length of the time slot may be predetermined, for example. The consultation availability flag indicates whether a consultation is possible in that reservation slot. The consultation availability flag may be set to either "consultation possible" or "consultation impossible," for example. "Available" indicates that an appointment is possible. "Not Available" indicates that an appointment is not possible. Some hospitals have days when they are closed. If the day in question is a closed day, the availability flag is set to "Not Available". In addition, each hospital has designated time slots during the day when appointments are possible. If the time slot for the appointment falls within the time slot when appointments are possible, the availability flag is set to "Available". If the time slot for the appointment falls within the time slot when appointments are not possible, the availability flag is set to "Not Available". It is not possible to book an appointment slot when the availability flag is set to "Not Available". The reservation flag indicates whether the appointment slot is already booked or not. The reservation flag may be set to either "Not Booked" or "Booked", for example. "Not Booked" indicates that the slot is not booked. "Booked" indicates that the slot is booked. The reservation flag is valid only when the availability flag is "Available". The reservation user ID is the user ID of the user who booked the appointment slot. The reservation ID is valid only when the reservation flag is set to "Reserved".

[0117] The health management server 1 may search for and book hospitals in response to requests from user terminal 2. For example, the user may input search criteria. Examples of search criteria include hospital name, address, medical specialty, date, and time slot. The health management server 1 may search the hospital database 14g for hospitals that meet the search criteria, such as hospital name, address, and medical specialty. For each hospital found, the health management server 1 may search for available appointment slots that meet the search criteria, such as date and time slot. As a search result, the health management server 1 may send information to user terminal 2 indicating the date and time slots of available appointment slots for each hospital found. When the user selects an appointment slot, the health management server 1 may change the reservation flag in the hospital appointment status information corresponding to the selected appointment slot to "booked". The health management server 1 may also send information indicating the appointment status of each hospital to terminal devices (not shown) used by each hospital. Hospital employees can check the appointment status on these terminal devices.

[0118] The memory unit 14 may store only one of the pharmacy reservation status DB14h or the hospital reservation status DB14i.

[0119] [5-2. Overview of Functions] Next, with reference to Figures 24 and 25, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 will be described. Figure 24 is a diagram showing an example of the functional block of the system control unit 11 in the health management server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 24, the same elements as in Figure 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The difference between Figure 24 and Figure 5 is that in Figure 24, the system control unit 11 also functions as a reservation status information acquisition unit 1107.

[0120] In this embodiment, the drug information acquired by the drug information acquisition unit 1101 may include information indicating at least one of the facility that dispensed the drug and the hospital that prescribed the drug. This information may be, for example, at least one of the name of the dispensing pharmacy and the name of the prescribing hospital.

[0121] The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire reservation status information indicating the reservation status of at least one of the facilities indicated by the provided drug information acquired by the drug information acquisition unit 1101, which is either the facility that dispensed the drug or the hospital that prescribed the drug. The acquired reservation status information may include, for example, pharmacy reservation status information and hospital reservation status information, at least one of the latter. For example, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire reservation status information when the provided drug information is acquired by the drug information acquisition unit 1101. When acquiring pharmacy reservation status information, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may, for example, acquire the name of the dispensing pharmacy from the provided drug information. The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire the pharmacy ID associated with the name of the dispensing pharmacy from the pharmacy DB 14e. The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may search the pharmacy reservation status DB 14h for pharmacy reservation status information including the acquired pharmacy ID. It is possible to identify whether the facility that dispensed the drug is a pharmacy or a hospital from the name of the dispensing pharmacy. If the name of the dispensing pharmacy indicates a hospital name, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire the hospital reservation status information instead. When acquiring hospital reservation status information, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may, for example, acquire the name of the prescribing hospital and the name of the medical department from the provided drug information. The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire the hospital ID associated with that hospital name from the hospital DB 14g. The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may also acquire the department ID corresponding to the name of the medical department. The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may search the hospital reservation status DB 14i for hospital reservation status information including the acquired hospital ID and department ID.

[0122] The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may acquire reservation status information that includes target dates within a predetermined reference period, for example. This reference period may be a past period or a future period. The length of the reference period may be predetermined or determined according to the number of days prescribed. If the reference period is a future period, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may determine the reference period within a range of dates prior to the scheduled end date of medication, for example. For example, the reference period may be the period from a predetermined number of days before the scheduled end date of medication to the day before the scheduled end date of medication.

[0123] The acquired reservation status information may include information that identifies the difficulty of making an appointment at the facility that dispensed the medication or the hospital that prescribed the medication. The difficulty of making an appointment may indicate the difficulty of making an appointment for dispensing, medication guidance, or consultation. The higher the difficulty of making an appointment, the more difficult it is to make an appointment. The difficulty of making an appointment may be indicated, for example, by the unavailability rate. The unavailability rate may be calculated by dividing the length of time when appointments are unavailable by the reference time length. The reference time length may be the sum of the lengths of predetermined time periods within the reference period. The predetermined time period may be, for example, a time period during the day when the pharmacy or hospital is relatively busy. For example, the predetermined time period may be from 8:00 to 20:00. The length of time when appointments are unavailable may be the sum of the lengths of time periods within the predetermined time period within the reference period when appointments are unavailable. The higher the unavailability rate, the higher the difficulty of making an appointment. The higher the unavailability rate, the fewer available appointment slots there are, so the lower the probability that a user can receive treatment, have medication dispensed, or receive medication guidance within those appointment slots. Also, when the unavailability rate reaches 100 percent, it becomes impossible to make an appointment at all. The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may, for example, calculate the reference time length by multiplying the number of days in the reference period by the length of a predetermined time slot. When pharmacy reservation status information is acquired, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may extract from the acquired pharmacy reservation status information, for example, pharmacy reservation status information where the business flag is "open" and the reservation flag is "not booked". The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may, for example, calculate the total length of the time slots that can be booked based on the number of extracted pharmacy reservation status information, and then calculate the length of the time slots that cannot be booked based on that total and the length of the time slots that cannot be booked. When hospital reservation status information is acquired, the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may, for example, extract from the acquired hospital reservation status information pharmacy reservation status information, for example, hospital reservation status information where the consultation availability flag is "available" and the reservation flag is "not booked". The reservation status information acquisition unit 1107 may, for example, calculate the total length of the time slots that can be booked based on the number of extracted hospital reservation status information, and then calculate the length of the time slots that cannot be booked based on that total and the length of the time slots that cannot be booked.

[0124] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days based on the reservation status information obtained by the reservation status information acquisition unit 1107. For example, the more difficult it is to make a reservation as identified from the reservation status information, the more days the notification remaining may be. The notification remaining days may increase in stages as the difficulty of making a reservation increases. When a user needs to obtain medication again, they may go to the same hospital they went to last time and get a prescription for the same medication. Alternatively, the user may go to the same facility they went to last time and have the medication dispensed. The more difficult it is to make a reservation at that facility, the less likely it is that the user will be able to obtain the next medication before their current medication runs out. If the difficulty of making a reservation is higher, an earlier notification of insufficient remaining medication will be issued, allowing the user to make a reservation at a hospital or pharmacy with ample time before their medication runs out.

[0125] The remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days based on both the prescription duration and the difficulty of making a reservation. In this case, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days according to both the prescription duration and the difficulty of making a reservation. For example, under the condition that the prescription duration is the same, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days when the difficulty of making a reservation is above a predetermined level to be greater than the remaining notification days when the difficulty of making a reservation is below a predetermined level. Also, for example, under the condition that the difficulty of making a reservation is the same, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining notification days when the prescription duration is equal to or greater than the first prescription duration to be greater than the remaining notification days when the prescription duration is less than the first prescription duration to be.

[0126] When using both pharmacy reservation status information and hospital reservation status information, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may, for example, identify the difficulty level of making a reservation for each of the pharmacy reservation status information and hospital reservation status information. The remaining days determination unit 1102 may, for example, use the higher of those reservation difficulty levels to determine the remaining days for notification.

[0127] Figure 25 shows an example of the relationship between prescription duration, reservation unavailability rate, and remaining notification days. In the example shown in Figure 25, the reservation unavailability rate is used as the difficulty of making a reservation. If the prescription duration is 1 day or more and 4 days or less, no notification of insufficient remaining quantity will be issued, regardless of the reservation unavailability rate. If the prescription duration is 5 days or more and 13 days or less, and the reservation unavailability rate is less than 70 percent, the remaining notification days are 2 days. Within the same range of prescription durations, if the reservation unavailability rate is 70 percent or more and less than 90 percent, the remaining notification days are 3 days. Within the same range of prescription durations, if the reservation unavailability rate is 90 percent or more, the remaining notification days are 4 days. If the prescription duration is 14 days or more and 27 days or less, and the reservation unavailability rate is less than 70 percent, the remaining notification days are 5 days. Within the same range of prescription durations, if the reservation unavailability rate is 70 percent or more and less than 90 percent, the remaining notification days are 7 days. Within the same prescription duration range, the number of days remaining for notification is 9 days if the reservation unavailability rate is 90 percent or higher. If the prescription duration is 28 days or more and the reservation unavailability rate is less than 70 percent, the number of days remaining for notification is 8 days. Within the same prescription duration range, the number of days remaining for notification is 10 days if the reservation unavailability rate is 70 percent or higher and less than 90 percent. Within the same prescription duration range, the number of days remaining for notification is 12 days if the reservation unavailability rate is 90 percent or higher. The memory unit 14 may pre-store, for example, a table showing the correspondence between combinations of prescription duration and reservation unavailability rate and the number of days remaining for notification.

[0128] Furthermore, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based only on the reservation status information among the prescription days and reservation status information. Alternatively, for example, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based on the reservation status information and both or either of the difficulty in obtaining the drug and inventory information. Alternatively, for example, the remaining days determination unit 1102 may determine the remaining days for notification based on the prescription days and reservation status information and both or either of the difficulty in obtaining the drug and inventory information.

[0129] Furthermore, the health management server 1 may issue multiple notifications of insufficient remaining quantity for a single drug information item based on the difficulty of making a reservation, in the same manner as in the second embodiment. For example, if the difficulty of making a reservation is above a predetermined level, the remaining days for notification may be determined to be a predetermined 7th remaining day and an 8th remaining day. The 8th remaining day is less than the 7th remaining day. Also, if the difficulty of making a reservation is below a predetermined level, the remaining days for notification may be determined to be an 8th remaining day. In other words, the remaining days for notification may include in the remaining days for notification that it determines the remaining days that originally correspond to the range of reservation difficulty identified from the reservation status information, and the remaining days that originally correspond to a range lower than the range of reservation difficulty identified from the reservation status information, among a predetermined range of reservation difficulty levels. The remaining days for notification may also determine multiple remaining days for notification when determining the remaining days for notification using both the prescription days and the difficulty of making a reservation. For example, in the example shown in Figure 25, if the prescription period is 28 days or more and the rate of unavailability of appointments is less than 70 percent, the remaining notification days are 8 days. If the rate of unavailability of appointments is 70 percent or more but less than 90 percent, the remaining notification days are 10 days and 8 days. If the rate of unavailability of appointments is 90 percent or more, the remaining notification days may be 12 days, 10 days and 8 days, or 12 days and 10 days.

[0130] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the number of days remaining for notification is determined according to the difficulty of making an appointment at at least one of the facilities that dispensed the medicine and the hospital that prescribed the medicine. Under the condition that the prescription period is the same, if the difficulty of making an appointment is above a predetermined level, the notification is made earlier than if the difficulty of making an appointment is below a predetermined level. Therefore, for facilities or hospitals where it is more difficult to make an appointment, it is possible to make an appointment relatively easier by allowing more time between the next time the medicine is dispensed at that facility or the next time the patient is seen at that hospital.

[0131] (Note 1) A notification control device comprising: drug information acquisition means for acquiring drug information indicating the dispensing date and prescription period of a dispensed drug; determination means for determining the remaining number of days according to the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information; and notification control means for executing a notification related to the decrease in the remaining amount of the dispensed drug on a notification date when the sum of the number of days elapsed from the dispensing date indicated by the acquired drug information and the determined remaining number of days equals the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information.

[0132] (Note 2) The notification control device according to Note 1, wherein the determination means further determines the notification date and determines on a daily basis whether or not to execute the notification based on the determined notification date, and the notification control means executes the notification if it is determined that the notification should be executed.

[0133] (Note 3) The notification control device according to Note 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination means determines the remaining number of days when the prescription period is equal to or greater than a predetermined first prescription period, which is greater than the remaining number of days determined when the prescription period is less than the first prescription period.

[0134] (Note 4) The notification control device according to Note 3, characterized in that the determination means determines the remaining days to a predetermined first remaining days and a predetermined second remaining days which are less than the first remaining days when the prescription days are equal to or greater than a predetermined first prescription days, and determines the remaining days to the second remaining days when the prescription days are less than the first prescription days, and the notification control means causes the notification to be executed on the notification date determined according to the first remaining days and the notification date determined according to the second remaining days, respectively, when the remaining days are determined to be the first remaining days and the second remaining days.

[0135] (Note 5) The notification control device according to Note 3 or 4, characterized in that the notification control means outputs the notification when the prescription period is equal to or greater than the second prescription period which is less than the first prescription period, and does not execute the notification when the prescription period is less than the second prescription period.

[0136] (Note 6) The notification control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, further comprising difficulty information acquisition means for acquiring difficulty information indicating the difficulty of obtaining the dispensed medicine, wherein the determination means determines the remaining number of days according to the prescription period and the difficulty of obtaining indicated by the acquired difficulty information, and under the condition that the prescription period is the same, the remaining number of days determined when the difficulty of obtaining is above a predetermined level is greater than the remaining number of days determined when the difficulty of obtaining is below a predetermined level.

[0137] (Note 7) The notification control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 6, wherein the acquired drug information further indicates the facility that dispensed the drug, and the device further comprises inventory information acquisition means for acquiring inventory information that can identify the amount of the dispensed drug in stock at the facility indicated by the acquired drug information, the determination means determines the remaining number of days according to the prescription period and the amount of stock identified by the acquired inventory information, and under the condition that the prescription period is the same, the remaining number of days determined when the amount of stock is less than a predetermined amount is greater than the remaining number of days determined when the amount of stock is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

[0138] (Note 8) The notification control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 7, wherein the acquired drug information further indicates at least one of the facilities that dispensed the drug and the hospital that prescribed the drug, and further comprises reservation status information acquisition means for acquiring reservation status information that indicates the reservation status of at least one of the facilities indicated by the acquired drug information, wherein the determination means determines the remaining number of days according to the prescription period and the reservation difficulty level identified from the acquired reservation status information, and under the condition that the prescription period is the same, the remaining number of days determined when the reservation difficulty level is above a predetermined level is greater than the remaining number of days determined when the reservation difficulty level is below a predetermined level.

[0139] (Note 9) The notification control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 8, characterized in that the notification control means causes the terminal device of the user to whom the dispensed medicine is delivered to execute the notification.

[0140] (Note 10) The notification control device according to any one of Notes 1 to 9, characterized in that the notification to be performed includes outputting notification information indicating at least one of the following: that the amount of medicine remaining is low and that the patient is advised to go to the hospital.

[0141] (Note 11) A terminal program characterized in that the computer of the terminal device functions as a drug information acquisition means for acquiring drug information indicating the dispensing date and prescription duration of dispensed drugs, and a notification means for executing a notification to the user of the terminal device on a notification day when the sum of the number of days elapsed from the dispensing date indicated by the acquired drug information and the remaining number of days determined according to the prescription duration indicated by the acquired drug information equals the prescription duration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1. Health Management Server 2 User terminals 11 System Control Unit 12 System Bus 13 Input / Output Interfaces 14 Storage section 14a UserDB 14b Provided Drug Information Database 14c Notification Schedule DB 14d Pharmaceutical Database 14e Pharmacy Database 14f Inventory Database 14g Hospital Database 14h Pharmacy Reservation Status Database 14i Hospital Appointment Status Database 15 Communications Department 21 System Control Unit 22 System Bus 23 Input / Output Interfaces 24 Memory section 25 Communications Department 26 Operation Input Section 27 Display section 28 Imaging Unit 29 Audio output section 30 Vibration section 1101 Drug Information Acquisition Department 1102 Remaining Days Determination Unit 1103 Notification determination unit 1104 Notification Control Unit 1105 Difficulty of acquisition part 1106 Inventory Information Acquisition Department 1107 Reservation Status Information Acquisition Department 2101 Drug Information Acquisition Department 2102 Drug Information Transmission Department 2103 Notification Information Receiving Unit 2104 Notification Department NW Network S Communication System

Claims

1. A means for obtaining drug information that shows the number of days the dispensed medication is prescribed, A determination means for determining the number of remaining days to give notice of how far in advance the scheduled end date of taking the dispensed medication will be, comprising a determination means for varying the number of remaining days depending on the prescription period indicated by the acquired medication information, A notification control means that causes the notification related to the decrease in the remaining amount of the dispensed medicine to be executed on a notification date determined based on the number of remaining days determined above, A notification control device characterized by comprising:

2. The notification control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination means increases the remaining number of days as the prescription period increases.

3. Multiple ranges are predetermined, each corresponding to a different number of remaining days. The notification control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination means determines the remaining number of days based on which of the plurality of ranges the prescription days fall into.

4. The claim further comprises a means for acquiring difficulty information that indicates the difficulty of obtaining the drug as shown by the acquired drug information, The notification control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination means causes the remaining number of days to differ depending on the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information and the difficulty of obtaining the drug indicated by the acquired difficulty information.

5. The notification control device according to claim 4, characterized in that the determination means increases the remaining number of days as the difficulty of obtaining the item increases.

6. The drug information obtained further indicates the facility that dispensed the drug, The system further comprises inventory information acquisition means for acquiring inventory information that can identify the quantity of the dispensed drug in stock at the facility, as indicated by the acquired drug information, The notification control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination means causes the remaining number of days to differ depending on the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information and the inventory quantity specified by the acquired inventory information.

7. The notification control device according to claim 6, characterized in that the determination means increases the remaining days as the amount of inventory decreases.

8. The drug information obtained further indicates at least one of the facilities that dispensed the drug and the hospital that prescribed the drug, The system further comprises reservation status information acquisition means for acquiring reservation status information that indicates the reservation status of at least one of the facilities indicated by the acquired drug information, and which can identify the difficulty of making a reservation at at least one of the facilities. The notification control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination means causes the remaining number of days to differ depending on the prescription period indicated by the acquired drug information and the difficulty of making a reservation identified from the acquired reservation status information.

9. The notification control device according to claim 8, characterized in that the determination means increases the number of remaining days as the difficulty of making a reservation increases.

10. On the terminal device's computer, A means for obtaining drug information that shows the number of days the dispensed medication is prescribed, A determination means for determining the number of remaining days to give notice of how far in advance the scheduled end date of taking the dispensed medication will be, comprising a determination means for varying the number of remaining days depending on the prescription period indicated by the acquired medication information, On the notification date determined based on the remaining number of days determined above, a notification means for executing the notification, A terminal program characterized by being configured to function as such.

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