Medical information processing program and medical information processing system

Abstract

A control unit of a medical information processing device according to the present invention executes a patient identification step, a standby setting step, and a storage step. In the patient identification step, the control unit allows a user to identify, at a terminal device, a subject patient of whom medical information scheduled to be transmitted is acquired. In the standby setting step, the control unit sets a standby state for waiting for reception of the medical information on the subject patient identified in the patient identification step. In the storage step, when the medical information is received during the standby state, the control unit performs association processing of the received medical information and the subject patient identified in the patient identification step, and stores the medical information with which the subject patient has been associated in the database.

Description

Medical information processing program and medical information processing system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medical information processing program and a medical information processing system for processing medical information related to a patient.

[0002] Various technologies for processing patient-related medical information have been proposed to improve the efficiency of medical treatment for patients. In order to properly process medical information, it is desirable to appropriately link supplementary information related to the medical information (e.g., at least one of information about the patient from whom the medical information was acquired, information about the medical device from which the medical information was acquired, and information about the operator who operated the medical device) to each piece of medical information. For example, in a medical support device disclosed in Patent Literature 1, patient identification information (an identifier such as a barcode attached to the patient's wristband) stored in a patient identification storage medium is read by a reading unit of a handheld terminal. Next, the medical information about the patient corresponding to the read patient identification information is processed.

[0003] JP 2013-142989 A

[0004] In medical institutions, multiple pieces of medical information acquired by multiple medical devices are often stored in a common database. In this case, if additional information is pre-linked to the medical information in each of the multiple medical devices, each piece of medical information is also stored in the common database linked to the additional information. However, all of the multiple medical devices must be equipped with a function for linking additional information to medical information. In addition, additional information may be linked to a patient's medical information after it has been acquired by a medical device. However, in this case, the more medical information is acquired, the higher the possibility of incorrect processing of the medical information (e.g., the possibility that incorrect additional information may be linked to the medical information), which increases the work of medical professionals. Therefore, a technology for easily and appropriately linking additional information when storing medical information is desired.

[0005] A typical object of the present disclosure is to provide a medical information processing program and a medical information processing system that can easily and appropriately link additional information when storing medical information.

[0006] A medical information processing program provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure is a medical information processing program executed in a medical information processing device that processes medical information related to patients, wherein the medical information processing device is connectable to a plurality of medical devices that acquire medical information of patients and at least one terminal device operated by a user, and the medical information processing program is executed by a control unit of the medical information processing device to cause the medical information processing device to execute the following steps: a patient identification step that allows the user to identify, on the terminal device, a target patient from whom medical information to be transmitted to the medical information processing device will be acquired; a standby setting step that sets a standby state in which the medical information for the target patient identified in the patient identification step is to be received; and a storage step that, when the medical information is received during the standby state, performs a process of linking the received medical information with the target patient identified on the terminal device in the patient identification step, and stores the medical information linked to the target patient in a database.

[0007] A medical information processing system provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure is a medical information processing system that processes medical information related to patients, and includes a medical information processing device that processes medical information and at least one terminal device that can be connected to the medical information processing device and is operated by a user, wherein a plurality of medical devices that acquire patient medical information can be connected to the medical information processing device, and a control unit of the medical information processing system executes: a patient identification step in which the user identifies, on the terminal device, a target patient for whom medical information to be transmitted to the medical information processing device is to be acquired; a standby setting step in which the medical information processing device sets a standby state in which it waits to receive the medical information for the target patient identified in the patient identification step; and a storage step in which, when the medical information processing device receives the medical information during the standby state, it performs a linking process between the received medical information and the target patient identified on the terminal device side in the patient identification step, and stores the medical information linked to the target patient in a database.

[0008] According to the medical information processing program and medical information processing system of the present disclosure, when medical information is saved, the incidental information is easily and appropriately linked.

[0009] The medical information processing program exemplified in the present disclosure is executed in a medical information processing device that processes medical information related to patients. The medical information device is connectable to multiple medical devices that acquire patient medical information and at least one terminal device operated by a user. A control unit of the medical information processing device executes a patient identification step, a standby setting step, and a storage step. In the patient identification step, the control unit prompts the user on the terminal device to identify a target patient from whom medical information to be transmitted is to be acquired. In the standby setting step, the control unit sets a standby state in which the control unit waits for reception of medical information about the target patient identified in the patient identification step. In the storage step, when medical information is received during the standby state, the control unit performs a process of linking the received medical information with the target patient identified on the terminal device in the patient identification step, and stores the medical information linked to the target patient in a database.

[0010] According to the technology exemplified in the present disclosure, when a medical device is ready to transmit medical information to a medical information processing device, a user (medical professional) of a terminal device can link the medical information to the target patient and store it in a database simply by identifying the target patient on the terminal device. Therefore, regardless of whether the medical device has a function for linking the medical information to the target patient, the medical information can be appropriately linked to the target patient. Because the target patient to be linked to the medical information is identified before the medical information is actually transmitted to the medical information processing device, the possibility of the medical information being erroneously processed is reduced compared to linking the target patient after the medical information is transmitted. Furthermore, even when multiple pieces of medical information are acquired by multiple medical devices, a user can link each of the multiple pieces of medical information to the target patient simply by operating a single terminal device. Therefore, according to the technology exemplified in the present disclosure, the target patient can be appropriately linked to each of the multiple pieces of medical information and stored with a simple operation.

[0011] Various types of information (e.g., information indicating at least one of the patient's examination results, medical images taken of the patient, and details of treatment or surgery performed on the patient) can be used as medical information. In other words, various types of equipment, such as an examination device, an imaging device, a treatment device, and a surgical device, can be used as medical equipment for acquiring patient medical information.

[0012] Various methods (e.g., wireless communication, wired communication, or communication via a network (e.g., an intranet or the Internet)) can be used for communication between the medical information processing device and the medical equipment, and between the medical information processing device and the terminal device. The database may be provided in a device separate from the medical information processing device, or may be provided in the medical information processing device. When the database is provided in a device separate from the medical information processing device, the various methods described above can also be used for communication between multiple devices.

[0013] The control unit may execute an order information acquisition step of acquiring order information in which a patient whose medical information is to be acquired is associated with the content of the medical information acquired from the patient. The order information may be information indicating a medical treatment plan for the patient. In the patient identification step, the control unit may have a user select one or more pieces of order information on the terminal device, and identify the patient indicated by the selected order information as a target patient.

[0014] In this case, the user does not need to input the patient's name, ID, or the like into the terminal device; they can simply select, from the order information generated in advance according to the medical treatment plan, the order information for the target patient on the terminal device, and have the medical information associated with the target patient stored in the database. Therefore, the medical information can be stored appropriately with a simpler procedure. Furthermore, because the medical information to be acquired is associated with the patient in advance in the order information, the possibility of the medical information being processed incorrectly is further reduced.

[0015] The specific method by which the medical information processing device acquires the order information can be selected as appropriate. For example, various devices (e.g., personal computers, tablet terminals, smartphones, etc.) may generate the order information in response to instructions input by a medical professional (e.g., a doctor, a nurse, a laboratory technician, etc.). The medical information processing device may acquire the generated order information via wired communication, wireless communication, a network, etc. Alternatively, a terminal device may generate the order information in response to instructions input by a user. Alternatively, the medical information processing device may generate the order information in response to instructions input by a user on a browser of the terminal device.

[0016] However, the method by which the medical information processing device allows the user to identify the target patient is not limited to the method of having the user select order information. For example, the medical information processing device may identify the target patient based on the patient's name or ID, etc., entered by the user into the terminal device.

[0017] The control unit of the medical information processing device may execute an operator identification step of identifying an operator of a medical device that is scheduled to transmit medical information to the medical information processing device. In the storing step, when medical information is received during a standby state, the control unit may perform processing to link the received medical information with the operator identified in the operator identification step, and store the medical information linked to the operator in the database.

[0018] In this case, the control unit of the medical information processing device can appropriately link the operator of the medical device (e.g., the examiner) who has been identified in advance before receiving the medical information to the received medical information and store the linked information in the database. Therefore, compared to when the operator of the medical device is identified after the medical information is transmitted to the medical information processing device, the possibility that a different operator will be linked to the medical information is reduced. Therefore, both the target patient and the operator can be appropriately linked to the medical information.

[0019] The control unit of the medical information processing device may further execute a user identification step of identifying a user using the terminal device. In the operator identification step, the control unit may automatically identify the user of the terminal device identified in the user identification step as the operator of the medical device. In this case, the user can link themselves to the medical information as the operator simply by operating both the medical device and the terminal device they use. This makes it even easier to link the operator to the medical information.

[0020] A specific method for identifying the user of a terminal device can be selected as appropriate. For example, user information (e.g., a user ID) that identifies the user may be acquired when the terminal device is started up or when the browser of the terminal device is started up. The user of the terminal device may be identified based on the user information acquired at startup. Furthermore, if the user who uses the terminal device is fixed for each terminal device, the user of the terminal device may be identified based on user information assigned to each terminal device.

[0021] However, the control unit of the medical information processing device can also identify the operator of the medical device without identifying the user of the terminal device. For example, the control unit may allow the user of the terminal device to identify the operator of the medical device that will transmit medical information to the medical information processing device. In this case, even if multiple users use the same terminal device in parallel, the appropriate operator can be linked to the medical information.

[0022] The control unit of the medical information processing device may further execute a medical device identification step. In the medical device identification step, the control unit allows a user on the terminal device to identify a medical device from among the multiple medical devices that is scheduled to transmit medical information to the medical information processing device. In the storage step, when the control unit receives medical information during the standby state, the control unit may perform a process of linking the received medical information with the medical device identified in the medical device identification step, and store the medical information linked to the medical device in the database.

[0023] In this case, when the medical device is ready to transmit medical information to the medical information processing device, the user of the terminal device can simply identify the medical device that will transmit the medical information on the terminal device, and the medical information can be linked to the medical device that acquired the medical information and stored in the database. Furthermore, the medical device that acquired the medical information is identified before the medical information is actually transmitted to the medical information processing device. Therefore, the medical information processing device can properly determine which medical device transmitted the received medical information. This further reduces the possibility of erroneous processing of the medical information.

[0024] A method for allowing a user to identify a medical device (hereinafter referred to as a "device in use") that will transmit medical information to a medical information processing device among multiple medical devices can be selected as appropriate. For example, the control unit of the medical information processing device may display a device in use selection screen on the display unit of the terminal device, allowing the user to select a device in use from the multiple medical devices. The control unit may identify the medical device selected by the user on the device in use selection screen as the device in use. Furthermore, if identification information for identifying each of the multiple medical devices is set, the user may select the device in use by inputting the identification information of the device in use into the terminal device.

[0025] The control unit may associate, for each medical device identified in the medical device identification step, a target patient of the medical information to be transmitted by the identified medical device. In the consultation waiting step, the control unit may set, for each medical device identified in the medical device identification step, a standby state in which the control unit waits for reception of the medical information transmitted by the medical device. In the saving step, when the control unit receives medical information during the standby state, the control unit may perform a process of linking the received medical information with the target patient associated with the medical device that transmitted the medical information, and save the medical information linked with the target patient in the database.

[0026] As described above, by executing the medical device identification step, the medical information processing device can appropriately determine which medical device transmitted the received medical information. Therefore, when the control unit receives certain medical information while waiting to receive multiple pieces of medical information in parallel, it can identify the medical device that transmitted the medical information from among the multiple medical devices and link the medical information to the target patient associated with the identified medical device. Therefore, a user can store medical information acquired by multiple medical devices in a database in parallel using a single terminal device. In other words, the medical information processing device can wait to receive medical information from each of the multiple medical devices in parallel.

[0027] Furthermore, for each identified medical device, in addition to the target patient of the medical information to be transmitted by the medical device, the operator of the medical device may be associated. In the storing step, when medical information is received during the standby state, the control unit may store the received medical information in the database, linking the received medical information to the target patient and operator associated with the medical device that transmitted the medical information. In this case, when the control unit receives certain medical information while waiting to receive multiple pieces of medical information in parallel, it can identify the medical device that transmitted the medical information from among the multiple medical devices and link the target patient and operator associated with the identified medical device to the medical information. As described above, a user can also store medical information acquired by multiple medical devices in a database in parallel using a single terminal device.

[0028] However, the specific method for waiting in parallel to receive multiple pieces of medical information may be changed. For example, the control unit may set a standby state for each target patient identified in the patient identification step, in which the control unit waits to receive medical information acquired for that target patient. In the storage step, if medical information is received during the standby state, the control unit may associate the received medical information with the target patient and store it in the database. Even in this case, the control unit can appropriately determine which patient the received medical information belongs to by executing the patient identification step. Therefore, the control unit can wait in parallel to receive multiple pieces of medical information. The control unit may also associate, for each target patient, the medical device that has acquired the medical information to be transmitted. When medical information is acquired during the standby state, the control unit may associate the received medical information with the target patient and the medical device associated with the target patient and store it in the database. In this case, the control unit can appropriately associate the target patient and the operator with the received medical information while waiting in parallel to receive multiple pieces of medical information.

[0029] When the storage step completes, the control unit of the medical information processing device may execute a cancel step of canceling the standby state for receiving the stored medical information. In this case, a series of processes (standby state setting process and storage process) are appropriately performed for each piece of medical information. This further reduces the likelihood of problems such as inappropriate incidental information being linked to the medical information.

[0030] The control unit may execute a state switching step of canceling the standby state set in the standby setting step and resetting the canceled standby state in response to an instruction input by the user via the terminal device. In this case, the user can also suspend and resume transmission of medical information from the medical device to the medical information processing device. This makes it easier to process the medical information more appropriately.

[0031] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a medical information processing system. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of medical information processing executed by the medical information processing device 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an order selection screen displayed on the terminal device 10. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an order selection screen when order information for patient "A" is selected from the state of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a device to be used selection screen displayed on the terminal device 10. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a medical information confirmation screen displayed on the terminal device 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an order selection screen when an order for patient "A" is completed from the state of FIG. 3.

[0032] (System Configuration) A typical embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an example of the system configuration of a medical information processing system 100 according to this embodiment will be outlined with reference to FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, a medical information processing system 100 that processes ophthalmology medical information will be described as an example. However, the technology exemplified in this disclosure can also be applied to processing medical information in fields of care other than ophthalmology. The medical information processing system 100 according to this embodiment includes a medical information processing device 1, a terminal device 10, a medical device 20, and an import device 30.

[0033] The medical information processing device 1 processes various types of medical information. In this embodiment, a server is used as the medical information processing device 1. The server may be, for example, a server of a manufacturer that provides cloud services (a so-called cloud server), or a server other than a cloud server (for example, a server of a manufacturer that provides a medical information processing program, or a server installed in a medical institution). However, the medical information processing device 1 is not limited to a server. For example, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "PC") installed in a medical institution may be used as the medical information processing device 1. Multiple devices may work together to function as the medical information processing device 1.

[0034] The medical information processing device 1 includes a CPU 2, which is a controller responsible for control, and a storage device 3 capable of storing programs, data, and the like. The storage device 3 may store a medical information processing program for executing at least a part of the medical information processing (see FIG. 2 ), which will be described later. In this embodiment, the storage device 3 of the medical information processing device 1 functions as a database for storing medical information. However, the database for storing medical information may be provided in a device different from the medical information processing device 1. The medical information processing device 1 has a communication function and is connected to each of the terminal device 10 and the medical devices 20 to exchange various information, data, signals, and the like. Various communication methods (e.g., wireless communication, wired communication, or communication via a network (e.g., an intranet or the Internet)) can be used.

[0035] The terminal device 10 is used by a user who is a medical professional (e.g., at least one of a laboratory technician, a nurse, a doctor, etc.). Various devices equipped with communication functions (e.g., at least one of a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "PC"), a mobile phone, etc.) can be used as the terminal device 10. As an example, in this embodiment, a tablet terminal is used as the terminal device 10. The medical information processing system 100 uses one or more terminal devices 10. The terminal device 10 may be owned by each of multiple users, or may be located at each of multiple locations within a medical institution. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , one terminal device 10 is located at each of multiple locations (location A, location B, etc.) within the medical institution. Each of the multiple terminal devices 10 is communicatively connected to the medical information processing device 1.

[0036] The terminal device 10 includes a control unit 11 that performs various control processes. The control unit 11 includes a CPU 12, which is a controller responsible for control, and a storage device 13 that can store programs, data, and the like. The terminal device 10 also includes an operation unit 16 and a monitor 17. The operation unit 16 is operated by a user to input various instructions to the terminal device 10. The operation unit 16 can be, for example, at least one of a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. The monitor 17 is an example of a display unit that can display various images. The medical information processing device 1 can display various information on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10 by using a browser, etc.

[0037] The medical device 20 acquires patient medical information (in this embodiment, medical information related to the patient's eyes, etc.). Medical information that can be processed by the technology disclosed herein includes various types of information (e.g., information indicating at least one of the patient's examination results, medical images taken of the patient, and details of treatment or surgery performed on the patient). That is, the medical device 20 can employ various devices, such as an examination device, an imaging device, a treatment device, and a surgical device. The medical device 20 that acquires examination results as medical information can employ at least one of an eye refractive power measurement device, a corneal shape measurement device, an axial length measurement device, and an intraocular pressure measurement device. The medical device 20 that acquires medical images as medical information can employ at least one of an OCT device, a laser scanning ophthalmoscope (SLO), a fundus camera, a goniography device, and a corneal endothelial cell imaging device (CEM). The medical device 20 that acquires details of treatment or surgery as medical information can employ at least one of a photocoagulation device, a YAG laser surgery device, and a cataract surgery device. A medical information processing system 100 uses a plurality of medical devices 20. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of terminal devices 10 are disposed at each of a plurality of bases (base A, base B, etc.) within a medical institution. Each of the plurality of medical devices 20 is communicatively connected to a medical information processing device 1.

[0038] The medical device 20 includes a control unit 21 that performs various control processes. The control unit 21 includes a CPU 22 that is a controller responsible for control, and a storage device 23 that can store programs, data, and the like. The medical device 20 also includes a medical information acquisition unit 26 that acquires medical information about the patient. The medical device 20 can transmit the medical information about the patient acquired by the medical information acquisition unit 26 to the medical information processing device 1.

[0039] The importing device 30 receives and imports medical information transmitted by one or more medical devices 20, and transmits the imported medical information to the medical information processing device 1. That is, in this embodiment, the medical information transmitted by the medical devices 20 is transmitted to the medical information processing device 1 via the importing device 30. However, the medical information transmitted by the medical devices 20 may be transmitted directly to the medical information processing device 1 without going through the importing device 30. That is, the importing device 30 may be omitted. When the importing device 30 is employed, various devices (e.g., PCs) equipped with communication functions can be employed as the terminal device 10. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 1 , one importing device 30 is disposed at each of multiple locations (location A, location B, etc.) within the medical institution.

[0040] (Medical Information Processing) With reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 , the medical information processing executed by the medical information processing device 1 of this embodiment will be described. The medical information processing device 1 performs a process of linking patient medical information acquired by each of the multiple medical devices 20 with incidental information (in this embodiment, information on the target patient from whom the medical information was acquired, information on the medical device that acquired the medical information, and information on the operator who operated the medical device), and executes a process for storing the medical information linked with the incidental information in a database (in this embodiment, the storage device 3). In this embodiment, a user who is a medical professional can store the medical information acquired by the medical device 20 in the database by operating both the terminal device 10 and the medical device 20. The medical information processing is executed by the CPU 2 of the medical information processing device 1 in accordance with a medical information processing program stored in the storage device 3. Note that the medical information processing of this embodiment is executed in parallel by the multiple terminal devices 10 included in the medical information processing system 100. However, for simplicity of explanation, the following describes medical information processing executed by a single terminal device 10.

[0041] The medical information processing device 1 of this embodiment can use order information to assist a user in performing medical treatment for each patient (e.g., acquiring and storing medical information). In this embodiment, an order refers to a request to acquire and store medical information for a specific patient. The order information associates the patient for whom medical information is to be acquired with the medical information to be acquired from that patient. In other words, each piece of order information indicates a treatment plan for the patient. The method for generating order information can be selected as appropriate. For example, various devices (e.g., personal computers, tablet terminals, smartphones, etc.) external to the medical information processing system 100 (see FIG. 1 ) may generate order information in response to instructions input by a user. In this case, the medical information processing device 1 may acquire order information generated by a device external to the system via wired communication, wireless communication, a network, etc. Alternatively, the terminal device 10 may generate order information in response to instructions input by a user. Alternatively, the medical information processing device 1 may generate order information in response to instructions input by a user on a browser on the terminal device 10.

[0042] 2, the CPU 2 of the medical information processing device 1 displays an order selection screen 40 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 7) on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10 to allow the user to select one or more pieces of order information on the terminal device 10 (S1). As described above, the medical information processing device 1 can display various information such as the order selection screen 40 on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10 by using a browser or the like. The CPU 2 acquires the generated order information and displays the acquired order information on the order selection screen 40 (S2).

[0043] FIG. 3 shows an example of an order selection screen 40 in a state where all orders corresponding to multiple (three in FIG. 3 ) displayed order information have not yet been disclosed. In this embodiment, each order information is displayed in a horizontal row. As shown in FIG. 3 , the order selection screen 40 of this embodiment has a status column 41, a patient ID column 42, a patient name column 43, a patient birthday column 44, a patient gender column 45, and an order content column 46 for each order information. The status column 41 displays the progress status of the order. In this embodiment, the progress status displayed in the status column 41 is one of "Scheduled (scheduled execution state)," "In progress (progressing state)," "Completed (completed state)," etc. In the state shown in FIG. 3 , all three orders have not yet been disclosed, so "Scheduled" is displayed in all status columns 41. The patient ID column 42 displays an ID identifying the patient. The patient name column 43 displays the patient's name. The patient birthday column 44 displays the patient's birthday. The patient's gender is displayed in the patient gender column 45. The order content column 46 displays the details of the medical information acquisition work requested to be performed on the patient indicated in the patient ID column 42 and patient name column 43 (i.e., the details of the medical information to be acquired from the patient). For example, "OCT" indicates that there is a request to capture a tomographic image using an OCT device. "Fundus Camera" indicates that there is a request to capture a fundus image of the subject's eye using a fundus camera. "Basic Examination" indicates that there is a request to perform a basic examination on the patient.

[0044] Returning to the description of FIG. 2 , the CPU 2 determines whether the target patient from whom medical information to be transmitted to the medical information processing device 1 is to be acquired (or is scheduled to be acquired) has been identified by the user of the terminal device 10 (S4). For example, when the user of the terminal device 10 is ready to acquire patient medical information using the medical device 20, or when the user is ready to transmit medical information acquired by the medical device 20 to the medical information processing device 1 (i.e., when the user is ready to transmit medical information), the user operates the operation unit 16 of the terminal device 10 to identify the target patient from whom medical information to be transmitted is to be acquired (or has been acquired). In S4 of this embodiment, the CPU 2 determines whether the user has selected one or more pieces of order information displayed on the order selection screen 40 of the terminal device 10, thereby determining whether the target patient has been identified. If no order information has been selected (S4: NO), the process proceeds directly to S9.

[0045] If any order information is selected (S4: YES), the CPU 2 identifies the patient indicated by the selected order information as the target patient (S5). Therefore, the user can input an instruction to identify the target patient to the medical information processing device 1 simply by selecting, on the terminal device, order information for the target patient from the order information generated in advance according to the medical treatment plan, without having to input the name, ID, etc., of the target patient into the terminal device. In the example shown in FIG. 4, order information for patient "A" has been selected by the user. In this case, the CPU 2 identifies patient "A" indicated by the selected order information as the target patient. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 2 changes the display in the status column 41 for the selected order information from "Scheduled," which indicates a scheduled execution state, to "In progress," which indicates an ongoing state.

[0046] The CPU 2 identifies the operator of the medical device 20 that is scheduled to transmit medical information to the medical information processing device 1 (S6). Specifically, in S6 of this embodiment, the CPU 2 identifies the user using the terminal device 10 and automatically identifies the identified user as the operator of the medical device 20 that is scheduled to transmit medical information. Therefore, the user can have the medical information processing device 1 identify the user as the operator of the medical device 20 simply by operating both the medical device 20 and the terminal device 10 that the user uses. Note that the specific method for identifying the user of the terminal device 10 in S6 can be selected as appropriate. For example, the CPU 2 may acquire user information (e.g., a user ID) that identifies the user when the terminal device 10 is started or when the browser of the terminal device 10 is started. The user of the terminal device 10 may be identified based on the user information acquired at the time of startup. Furthermore, if the user who uses the terminal device 10 is fixed for each terminal device 10, the user of the terminal device 10 may be identified based on user information assigned to each terminal device 10.

[0047] The CPU 2 displays a device-in-use selection screen 50 (see FIG. 5 ) on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10 (S7). As shown in FIG. 5 , the device-in-use selection screen 50 is a screen for allowing the user to specify (in this embodiment, select) a medical device 20 (device-in-use) from among the multiple medical devices 20 that is to transmit medical information to the medical information processing device 1. In this embodiment, information about each of the multiple medical devices 20 is displayed in a horizontal row. The device-in-use selection screen 50 of this embodiment includes a medical device column 51, an examiner name column (operator name column) 52, a status column 53, a date and time column 54, a patient ID column 55, and a patient name column 56 for each medical device 20. The medical device column 51 displays information for identifying each of the multiple medical devices 20. The examiner name column 52 displays the name of the operator (examiner, etc.) who operates the medical device 20. The status column 53 displays information about the waiting state of the medical information processing device 1 to receive medical information. That is, the status column 53 displays whether the medical information processing device 1 is in a standby state waiting to receive medical information transmitted by the medical device 20. In this embodiment, the status column 53 displays "On" when the medical information processing device 1 is in a standby state to receive medical information transmitted by the medical device 20, and displays "Off" when the medical information processing device 1 is not in a standby state to receive medical information. The date and time column 54 displays the date and time when the medical information processing device 1 was placed in a standby state to receive medical information. The patient ID column 55 displays an ID that identifies the patient. The patient name column 56 displays the patient's name.

[0048] Next, the CPU 2 determines whether or not the device to be used has been selected by the user of the terminal device 10 (S9). In this embodiment, the user selects the device to be used by switching the device to be used status column 53 from "Off" to "On" on the device to be used selection screen 50 (see FIG. 5) displayed on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10. If the device to be used has not been selected (S9: NO), the process proceeds to S13.

[0049] When a medical device is selected on the device selection screen 50 (S9: YES), the CPU 2 identifies the medical device 20 selected by the user on the device selection screen 50 as the medical device to be used (S10). The CPU 2 then sets a reception standby state to wait for the reception of medical information transmitted by the medical device identified in S10 (S11). That is, in S11, the CPU 2 sets a reception standby state for the medical information transmitted by the identified medical device 20 (device to be used) for each medical device 20 identified in S10. Thus, the CPU 2 can simultaneously wait for the reception of medical information from each of the multiple medical devices 20. Note that, as shown in FIG. 5 , in this embodiment, the CPU 2 associates, for each medical device identified in S10, the target patient (target patient identified in S5) for which the medical information is to be transmitted to the medical information processing device 1 by the identified device to be used. Therefore, the processing of S11 in this embodiment can also be expressed as processing for setting a reception standby state for the medical information of the target patient identified in S5. Furthermore, the CPU 2 associates each of the devices identified in S10 with the operator of the identified device (the operator identified in S6).

[0050] Next, the CPU 2 of the medical information processing device 1 determines whether or not it has received medical information transmitted from at least one of the medical devices 20 (S13). If it has not received medical information (S13: NO), the process proceeds directly to S19. When medical information is received in S13, the medical information processing device 1 is set to a standby state for receiving medical information scheduled to be transmitted from the medical device 20. If medical information has been received (S13: YES), the CPU 2 associates the received medical information with the identified incidental information and stores it in the database (S14).

[0051] Specifically, the CPU 2 stores the medical information received in S13 by linking it to the patient information identified in S5 (S14). Therefore, when the terminal device 10 is ready to transmit medical information from the medical device 20 to the medical information processing device 1, the user of the terminal device 10 can link the medical information to the target patient and store it in the database simply by identifying the target patient of the medical information to be transmitted on the terminal device 10. Therefore, regardless of whether the medical device 20 has a function for linking the medical information to the target patient, the medical information is appropriately linked to the target patient. Because the target patient to be linked to the medical information is identified before the medical information is actually transmitted to the medical information processing device 1, the possibility of the medical information being erroneously processed is reduced compared to when the target patient is linked after the medical information is transmitted. Furthermore, even when multiple pieces of medical information are acquired by multiple medical devices 20, the user can link each of the multiple pieces of medical information to the target patient simply by operating a single terminal device 10.

[0052] The CPU 2 stores the medical information received in S13 by linking it to the operator identified in S6 (S14). That is, the CPU 2 can appropriately link the operator of the medical device 20 (e.g., the examiner) who was identified in advance before receiving the medical information to the received medical information and store the information in the database. Therefore, compared to when the operator of the medical device 20 is identified after the medical information is transmitted to the medical information processing device 1, the possibility that a different operator will be linked to the medical information is reduced.

[0053] The CPU 2 stores the medical information received in S13 by linking it to the medical device 20 identified in S10 (i.e., the medical device 20 that acquired the medical information transmitted to the medical information processing device 1) (S14). Therefore, when the medical device 20 is ready to transmit the medical information to the medical information processing device 1, the user of the terminal device 10 can link the medical information to the medical device 20 that acquired the medical information and store the medical information in the database simply by identifying the medical device 20 that is scheduled to transmit the medical information on the terminal device 10. Furthermore, the medical device 20 that acquired the medical information is identified before the medical information is actually transmitted to the medical information processing device 1. Therefore, the medical information processing device 1 can appropriately determine which medical device 20 transmitted the received medical information. This further reduces the possibility of erroneous processing of the medical information.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for each medical device 20 identified in S10, the CPU 2 associates the target patient (target patient identified in S5) of the medical information to be transmitted to the medical information processing device 1 by the identified medical device 20 with the operator of the device (operator identified in S6) (see FIG. 5 ). In S11, the CPU 2 sets, for each medical device 20 identified in S10, a reception standby state for medical information transmitted by the identified medical device 20 (device 20). In S13, if the CPU 2 receives medical information during the reception standby state, the CPU 2 associates the received medical information with the target patient associated with the medical device 20 that transmitted the medical information and stores the medical information in the database. As described above, by executing the process of S10, the CPU 2 can appropriately determine which medical device 20 transmitted the medical information received in S13. Therefore, when the CPU 2 receives certain medical information while waiting to receive multiple pieces of medical information in parallel, it can identify the medical device 20 that sent the medical information from among the multiple medical devices 20 and link the medical information to the target patient and operator associated with the identified medical device 20. Therefore, the user can store medical information acquired by multiple medical devices 20 in a database in parallel using a single terminal device 10. In other words, the medical information processing device 1 can wait to receive medical information from each of the multiple medical devices 20 in parallel.

[0055] Before executing the process of S14, the CPU 2 displays a medical information confirmation screen 60 (see FIG. 6 ) on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10. As shown in FIG. 6 , the medical information confirmation screen 60 includes a received medical information display section 61, a save button 63, an edit button 64, and a delete button 65. The received medical information display section 61 displays the medical information received in S13. Therefore, the user of the terminal device 10 can appropriately determine the appropriateness of the medical information by checking the medical information displayed in the received medical information display section 61. When the save button 63 is operated on the terminal device 10, the CPU 2 executes a process of linking the medical information received in S13 with the incidental information and saving it. When the edit button 64 is operated on the terminal device 10, the CPU 2 separately displays an edit screen and executes an editing process for various information according to instructions input by the user. When the delete button 65 is operated on the terminal device 10, the CPU 2 deletes the medical information received in S13 without saving it in the database.

[0056] Next, the CPU 2 cancels the waiting state for medical treatment for the medical information received in S13 and saved in S14 (S15). Therefore, a series of processes (setting the waiting state for medical treatment and saving the medical information) are appropriately performed for each piece of medical information. This further reduces the possibility of problems such as inappropriate incidental information being linked to the medical information.

[0057] When the storage of the medical information received in S13 is completed, the CPU 2 displays the order selection screen 40 (see FIG. 7) on the monitor 17 of the terminal device 10 (S16). The CPU 2 changes the display in the status column 41 of the order information displayed on the order selection screen 40 for the medical information for which storage has been completed from "In progress" (see FIG. 4) indicating that processing is in progress to "Completed" (see FIG. 7) indicating that processing has been completed (S17).

[0058] Next, the CPU 2 determines whether a command to switch the reception standby state (a command to cancel or reset) has been input to the operation unit 16 of the terminal device 10 (S19). In this embodiment, the user can input a command to cancel the medical information reception standby state set for each medical device 20 in S11 and a command to reset the canceled reception standby state by operating the operation unit 16 of the terminal device 10. If a command to switch has not been input (S19: NO), the process returns to S2, and steps S2 to S19 are repeated. If a command to switch has been input (S19: YES), the CPU 2 cancels or resets the reception standby state in accordance with the input command (S20), and the process returns to S2. Therefore, the user can also suspend and resume transmission of medical information from the medical device 20 to the medical information processing device 1.

[0059] The technology disclosed in the above embodiment is merely an example. Therefore, the technology exemplified in the above embodiment can be modified. For example, in S14 of the above embodiment, all of the following supplementary information are linked to the medical information received in S13: information on the target patient from whom the medical information was acquired, information on the medical device from which the medical information was acquired, and information on the operator who operated the medical device. However, the CPU 2 can also link only one or two of the target patient information, medical device information, and operator information to the medical information received in S13. In this case, some of the multiple steps in the medical information processing illustrated in FIG. 2 may be omitted.

[0060] The process of having the user identify the target patient on the terminal device 10 in S4 of FIG. 2 is an example of a "patient identification step." The process of setting a wait-for-visit state in S15 is an example of a "wait-for-visit setting step." The process of saving medical information in S14 is an example of a "save step." The process of acquiring order information in S1 is an example of an "order information acquisition step." The process of identifying the operator of the medical device 20 and the process of identifying the user of the terminal device in S6 are examples of an "operator identification step" and a "user identification step." The process of having the user identify the medical device on the terminal device 10 in S9 is an example of a "medical device identification step." The process of canceling the wait-for-visit state in S15 is an example of a "cancellation step." The processes of switching the wait-for-visit state in S19 and S20 are examples of a "state switching step."

[0061] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Medical information processing device 2 CPU 3 Storage device 10 Terminal device 16 Operation unit 17 Monitor 20 Medical equipment 40 Order selection screen 50 Medical equipment selection screen 100 Medical information processing system

Claims

1. A medical information processing program executed in a medical information processing device that processes medical information related to patients, the medical information processing device being connectable to: a plurality of medical devices that acquire patient medical information; and at least one terminal device operated by a user, wherein the medical information processing device is executed by a control unit of the medical information processing device to cause the medical information processing device to execute the following steps: a patient identification step of having a user identify, on the terminal device, a target patient from whom medical information to be transmitted to the medical information processing device is to be acquired; a standby setting step of setting a standby state in which the medical information for the target patient identified in the patient identification step is to be waited for reception; and a storage step of, when the medical information is received during the standby state, performing a process of linking the received medical information with the target patient identified on the terminal device side in the patient identification step, and storing the medical information linked to the target patient in a database.

2. A medical information processing program as described in claim 1, comprising: an order information acquisition step for acquiring order information indicating a treatment plan in which a patient whose medical information is to be acquired corresponds to the contents of the medical information acquired from the patient; and in the patient identification step, a user is prompted to select one or more of the order information on the terminal device, thereby identifying the patient indicated by the selected order information as the target patient.

3. A medical information processing program as described in claim 1 or 2, comprising: causing the medical information processing device to execute an operator identification step of identifying the operator of the medical device that is to transmit the medical information to the medical information processing device; and in the storage step, when the medical information is received during the standby state, performing a process of linking the received medical information with the operator identified in the operator identification step, and storing the medical information linked to the operator in the database.

4. A medical information processing program as described in claim 3, comprising: a user identification step for identifying a user using the terminal device, the medical information processing device is caused to execute the step; and in the operator identification step, the user of the terminal device identified in the user identification step is automatically identified as the operator of the medical equipment.

5. A medical information processing program as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: a medical device identification step in which the medical information processing device is caused to execute a medical device identification step in which a user identifies, on the terminal device, a medical device among the plurality of medical devices which is scheduled to transmit the medical information to the medical information processing device; and in the storage step, when the medical information is received during the standby state, a linking process is performed between the received medical information and the medical device identified in the medical device identification step, and the medical information linked to the medical device is stored in the database.

6. A medical information processing program as described in claim 5, characterized in that for each medical device identified in the medical device identification step, a target patient for the medical information to be transmitted by the identified medical device is associated, and in the waiting for consultation step, a waiting state is set for each medical device identified in the medical device identification step, in which the medical information to be transmitted by the medical device is waited for to be received, and in the storing step, when the medical information is received during the waiting state, a linking process is performed between the received medical information and the target patient associated with the medical device that transmitted the medical information, and the medical information linked to the target patient is stored in the database.

7. A medical information processing program as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the medical information processing device is caused to execute a cancellation step of canceling a waiting state for receiving the medical information that has been completely stored when the storage of the medical information in the storage step is completed.

8. A medical information processing program as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the medical information processing device is caused to execute a state switching step of canceling the standby state set in the standby setting step and resetting the canceled standby state in response to instructions input by a user via the terminal device.

9. A medical information processing system for processing medical information related to a patient, comprising: a medical information processing device that processes medical information; and at least one terminal device that can be connected to the medical information processing device and is operated by a user, wherein a plurality of medical devices that acquire patient medical information can be connected to the medical information processing device, and a control unit of the medical information processing system executes the following steps: a patient identification step in which a user identifies, on the terminal device, a target patient from whom medical information to be transmitted to the medical information processing device is to be acquired; a standby setting step in which the medical information processing device sets a standby state in which it waits to receive the medical information for the target patient identified in the patient identification step; and a storage step in which, when the medical information processing device receives the medical information from the medical device during the standby state, it performs a process of linking the received medical information with the target patient identified in the patient identification step, and stores the medical information linked to the target patient in a database.

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