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

Abstract

This information processing device comprises: a first acquisition unit that acquires action history information of a user; and a control unit that supplies, to a first determination unit that determines a health risk of the user, first action history information obtained by restricting the action history information acquired by the first acquisition unit on the basis of a privacy level set by the user, and outputs, with respect to a medical interview item based on medical interview information corresponding to a disease, second action history information obtained by restricting the action history information acquired by the first acquisition unit on the basis of the privacy level set by the user, as response information for the medical interview item on basis of the user's operation.

Description

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

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program that enable an appropriate medical interview.

[0002] In recent years, in the medical field, medical services that provide information for searching for medical institutions, making doctor appointments, providing health information, managing medical appointments, etc. have become widespread, improving the convenience of users when visiting medical institutions, etc. Users assess their own health status and consider using such medical services. In recent years, with the evolution and spread of functions of mobile devices and their peripheral devices, it has become easier to acquire and manage individuals' behavioral history and biometric information over time, making it easier for users to assess their own health status.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-44023 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a method for determining a patient's symptoms, disease, and risk by referring to the patient's behavioral history information or interview information and test information. In Patent Document 1, after a definitive diagnosis of the patient is made, the system is updated to keep information on the correspondence relationship between behavior, date and time, and disease up to date, thereby obtaining a determination system that can respond to epidemics and the like.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-44023

[0005] However, information automatically acquired by a mobile device or the like, or information acquired through a medical interview, contains sensitive information related to the user's privacy. Therefore, when using information such as behavioral history information acquired from a mobile device or the like, there is a problem in that it is necessary to consider the protection of personal information. The present invention aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can collect effective information while protecting individual privacy, thereby enabling appropriate medical support.

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires behavioral history information of a user, and a control unit that supplies first behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, to a first determination unit that determines the user's risk of illness, and outputs second behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, as answer information for the questionnaire item based on the user's operation, for the questionnaire item based on the questionnaire information corresponding to the illness.

[0007] An information processing system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first device that collects and stores behavioral history information of multiple users, a database that stores environmental information for each region, a knowledge database that stores multiple pieces of medical diagnosis information, an inference model that infers the name and onset timing of a disease that will occur in a specific user of the multiple users based on first behavioral history information restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first device, the environmental information, and the medical diagnosis information, and generates medical interview information having questionnaire items corresponding to the disease name, a medical interview presentation device that presents the questionnaire items based on the medical interview information to the user at a timing based on the onset timing, and a control unit that outputs second behavioral history information restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first device as answer information for the questionnaire items based on the user's operation.

[0008] In an information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention, a first acquisition unit acquires behavioral history information of a user, and a control unit supplies first behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, to a first determination unit that determines the user's risk of illness, and outputs second behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit for a questionnaire item based on questionnaire information corresponding to the illness, as answer information for the questionnaire item based on the user's operation.

[0009] An information processing program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquire a user's behavioral history information; supply first behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, to a first determination unit that determines the user's risk of illness; and output second behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, for a medical questionnaire item based on medical questionnaire information corresponding to the illness as answer information for the medical questionnaire item based on the user's operation.

[0010] In another aspect of the information processing method of the present invention, a first acquisition unit acquires user behavioral history information, and a control unit supplies the first behavioral history information to a first determination unit that determines the health risk of the user, and processes second behavioral history information required by a questionnaire item based on questionnaire information corresponding to the health risk and outputs it as answer information for the questionnaire item based on the user's consent operation.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to protect personal information while enabling collection of effective information, thereby enabling appropriate medical support to be provided.

[0012] 1 is a block diagram showing an information processing system including an information processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the medical knowledge database 30 in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an inference model created by an inference model creation unit 40. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to initial settings. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to initial settings. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to initial settings. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the contents of a privacy importance DB 18c. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of time-series environmental information supplied by a various service providing unit 50. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to a medical interview. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to a medical interview. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to a medical interview. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to a medical interview. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to a medical interview.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information processing system including an information processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the medical knowledge database 30 in FIG. 1. This embodiment enables protection of a user's personal information when using various information related to the user's health (hereinafter referred to as health information) automatically and sequentially acquired by a mobile device or the like. Furthermore, this embodiment uses the health information acquired while protecting the personal information to determine at least one of the content and timing of questions (medical interview information) for obtaining information about the patient's symptoms, health, etc., thereby improving the accuracy of the medical interview and making it easier to obtain effective medical interview responses from the user. In other words, this embodiment provides technology for monitoring a user's health, and by assessing health risks based on behavior, etc. while protecting the user's personal information and providing the user with health-related information, it enables the user to access prompt and appropriate medical treatment.

[0015] Health risks can be attributed to staying in a specific area where a contagious disease is prevalent, or to consuming certain foods and drinks that have already caused problems (due to the store, ingredients, or cooking), such as food poisoning. Other risks are thought to be heightened by a user's constitution and behavior, such as developing allergies due to their physical constitution. Lifestyle habits are also thought to increase the risk of chronic diseases. Therefore, a user's constitution and behavior affect their health risk. This risk naturally arises even if the behavior has already been completed, and if the behavior is planned for the future and meets the conditions, it becomes a future risk. If the behavior has already been completed, symptoms may not be noticed until they occur, but early detection and treatment can prevent the condition from worsening. Future risks can be reduced by abandoning the planned behavior or by acting with advance knowledge. A specific high-risk area could be an area where multiple patients with the same disease are found in the same household at a particular time, an area where the number or percentage of school, grade, or class closures is higher than a specific value, or an area where there are more cases or a higher percentage of cases than other areas. A specific high-risk area could also be an area where statistics for a specific area show a sudden increase in the number of patients with a specific disease (or a trend of increasing or remaining high). A specific high-risk area could also be determined by municipality, where statistics are easier to collect. Commercial facilities such as specific stores and restaurants where high-risk people gather could also be treated as specific high-risk areas.

[0016] Health information can include an individual's behavioral history information and biometric information (biological data, vital data) that are automatically and sequentially acquired by mobile devices such as smartphones and smartwatches. Health information also includes information such as the number of steps taken. Note that step count information has both an aspect of behavioral history information, which indicates how far an individual has traveled, and an aspect of biometric information, which indicates whether or not an individual is engaging in healthy activities.

[0017] The behavioral history information also includes information on sleep duration obtained from a smartwatch or the like, and information on the range of movement obtained from GPS. The behavioral history information also includes information on photos of the user's meals and electronic data generated when purchasing food (based on electronic payments and receipt information). For example, the behavioral history information also includes information on preferences and information related to illnesses such as drinking and smoking. Furthermore, the behavioral history information also includes information from social networking sites (SNS) posts made on mobile devices, and information entered into scheduling, diary, and memo functions. The behavioral history information may also be called lifestyle habit information.

[0018] Furthermore, future plans may also be scheduled on the smartphone, and information about the user's future planned activities can also be acquired from the smartphone, etc. In this embodiment, not only the user's past behavior history information but also information about the user's future planned activities is treated as behavior history information. In other words, the behavior history information may include not only the user's past behavior history but also information about the user's future planned activities.

[0019] Examples of biometric information acquired by a mobile device include heart rate, stress level, blood oxygen concentration, calorie consumption, body temperature, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, electromyogram, and blood glucose level. Information on the number of steps may also be classified as biometric information. Health information may include not only information automatically acquired by the sensor unit 12, information input unit 13, and lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 (described later), but also information acquired based on user input and future health information, such as the user's future planned activities, acquired based on user input. Thus, the health information acquired by a mobile device or the like is diverse.

[0020] Mobile devices are owned by individuals through contracts with telecommunications service providers and other organizations, which require the identity of the subscriber, the user, and payment of service fees, including credit card information. Therefore, they are designed for personal use and various information is linked to the device. Therefore, much of the information obtained through mobile devices must be protected as personal information. Furthermore, the various functions of mobile devices are not solely determined by contracts with telecommunications service providers. When connecting to the Internet, they are also connected to Internet service providers and their intermediary service providers under certain conditions during the setup process. When using various services connected via the Internet, users also enter into contracts with these providers. These contracts may include provisions regarding privacy (personal information). Furthermore, the protection of personal information is mandated by law, and care must be taken to avoid disclosing information that reveals personal details about users' lives, information that users would not want to be made public, or information not yet known to the general public. In other words, users and various service providers work together to protect personal information.

[0021] Mobile devices are often managed by individuals and may contain not only confidential information, classified information, and trade secrets, but also information related to those information. Access to such related information also requires caution and may be treated as part of personal information.

[0022] Therefore, in this embodiment, as will be described later, multiple privacy levels can be set for each piece of information. This allows the user to set the extent to which their own information can be disclosed in stages. Note that this setting may require compliance with contracts with various service providers, and various service providers may also be forced to set the disclosure extent in accordance with such contracts.

[0023] For example, privacy levels can be set in three stages, from privacy level 1 to privacy level 3. For example, privacy level 1 is a setting that respects privacy the most, in which the user's behavioral history and biometric information are unlikely to be disclosed, and is set so that, for example, the user's behavioral history, such as visited places, is difficult to guess. Privacy level 2 is a setting that discloses part of the user's behavioral history, and is set so that, for example, the user's behavioral history, such as visited places, can be roughly guessed. Privacy level 3 is a setting that discloses the most personal information of the user, and is set so that, for example, the user's behavioral history, such as visited places, can be ascertained. Note that, in the initial state, privacy level 1, which provides the strongest level of protection, may be set.

[0024] Some of these settings are determined by referring to the contracts entered into when using various services, and some cannot be determined solely by the user, but others can be determined. Taking these conditions into consideration, when a user writes that a setting is "set," it is intended to include cases where the setting is not necessarily determined solely by the user's will. Furthermore, the privacy information determined by such contractual relationships is digitized and recorded in a database installed on a server operated by each service provider, and can be viewed from the device as needed by operating each mobile device or acquiring information via communication. The user behavior information stored in the various service providing unit 50 (see Figure 1, which will be described later) also records when, which service, and what type of contract the user entered into. Since the user is expected to confirm the user behavior information before using various services, the privacy level may be determined based on the privacy terms recorded in the user behavior information.

[0025] In this way, the privacy level to be set may be fixed by a contract or rule at a specific time, or it may be changeable. For example, for information such as the number of steps, a user may be able to change the privacy level relatively easily depending on the situation, whereas information such as the user's diary stored on a mobile device may be difficult to change from a single privacy level that respects privacy the most. Also, for example, meal information may be obtained by a user's manual input operation or by a user taking a photo of the meal. In this case, different privacy levels may be set for the meal information obtained by manual input operation and the meal information obtained by a photo.

[0026] Even data for which a service operator has a privacy policy may be available for use on other services if the user gives permission. In such cases, the data may be fully or partially available. Services such as diaries may allow users to set their data to be viewable by anyone on the Internet, to be limited to friends, or not to be made public. However, even if a data is set to "not public," users may be able to change the setting to make it public on specific services at their discretion. Furthermore, even if an individual wishes to make their data public, they may be required to comply with the rules of their country, local government, or organization. While strictly speaking, such situations are not personal settings, as individuals live under those rules, they can be interpreted as personal settings that acknowledge these rules and are therefore a level of privacy set by the user.

[0027] It is also possible to set a uniform privacy level for the same type of information, or to set a privacy level for each piece of information even if the information is of the same type. For example, a uniform privacy level of 2 can be set for all information about visited places, and a privacy level different from that for information about visited places on a particular day can be set. Furthermore, privacy levels can be set not only for information directly acquired by the mobile device, but also for information acquired by external access from the mobile device. For example, privacy level 3, which provides the least protection, may be set to allow not only information to be acquired from the user's mobile device, but also various information such as medical records from the hospital the user visits. In this way, the user can set any privacy level for each piece of information and freely change the level.

[0028] As mentioned above, "freely" means within the scope of contracts, laws, and rules. However, when medical institutions are involved, additional conditions may be added. In other words, hospital data must be stored in a highly secure system; if anyone has free access, problems such as identity theft are likely to occur. For this reason, hospital systems are equipped with robust firewalls to protect against cyberattacks. Such systems are contracted with specific intermediaries, and users access the system through these intermediaries. In this case, users must respect the intermediary's policies and decide their privacy level. On the other hand, users can request to see their own medical records, so they can, for example, obtain hard copies, photograph them with a camera, and save them, and then decide the security level at the time of saving them.

[0029] There are various locking methods to prevent the risk of unwanted information being seen when a mobile device is lost. The simplest method is to allow access by entering a password, PIN, or other key. When this technology is applied to the present invention, access to the data requires entering a specific key each time, which can also be considered as privacy at the key entry verification level.

[0030] 1 includes a mobile terminal 10, a medical interview creation unit 20, a medical knowledge database 30, a variety of service providing unit 50, and an in-hospital system 60, which are configured by linking together. Note that the information processing device of the present embodiment is configured by the mobile terminal 10, but the information processing device of the present embodiment may also be configured by linking together the mobile terminal 10 and the medical interview creation unit 20.

[0031] The in-hospital system 60 stores information about multiple doctors and patients in the hospital. The information about the doctors includes a doctor ID that identifies the doctor, background information about the doctor, and schedule information about the doctor. The background information includes skill information about the doctor, personal connections, and patient evaluation information indicating patient evaluations. The information about the patients includes a patient ID that identifies the patient, the patient's hospital visit history, prescription history, doctor in charge, profile information, and reservation information.

[0032] The medical knowledge database 30 is a database that stores medical knowledge and may be installed in a public institution such as a government or a university. The information stored in the medical knowledge database 30 is medical diagnostic information that can be used for medical diagnosis. The medical knowledge database 30 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, and multiple case-specific databases (DBs) 33. Note that FIG. 1 shows one of the multiple case-specific DBs 33. The control unit 31 may be configured by a processor using a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like.

[0033] The control unit 31 controls the communication unit 32 to operate in cooperation with external devices and manage the case-specific DB 33. The communication unit 32 communicates with the external devices via a predetermined transmission path to exchange data. The control unit 31 receives various information to be recorded in the case-specific DB 33 via the communication unit 32 and builds the case-specific DB 33.

[0034] The case-specific DB 33 stores information for each case, and includes the disease name, affected area, onset symptoms, subjective symptoms, cause information, treatment information, epidemic information, progress information, and representative patient information for each case.

[0035] Videos in which doctors or other medical professionals explain various types of medical technology, such as the medical instruments used in the treatment of each case, how to use them, and the state of the procedure, may be stored on a predetermined server in a state accessible to users as medical knowledge. Such videos may be used as representative patient examples. In this case, the representative patient example may include patient attributes obtained from the medical record, such as age, gender, and medical history; a video ID that identifies the video related to the case; instruments used in the video to treat the case; the timing at which the video portion in which the procedure is performed (the procedure video) begins; and memo information, which is various reference information such as the difficulty and benefits of the surgery, the characteristics of the equipment, and the burden on the patient.

[0036] The causal information includes genetic information, constitution, living environment, environmental climate, and other information. The progress information includes records of the period leading up to the onset of the disease, such as the period until onset, and records of the period until recovery, such as the period required for recovery.

[0037] That is, the medical knowledge database 30 stores knowledge information on the incubation period, infection route, main symptoms, testing methods, treatment methods, etc. for each type of disease. For example, knowledge information about COVID-19 indicates that the incubation period is 1-14 days, infection routes include droplets, contact, and aerosols, main symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, cough, phlegm, and impaired taste and smell, testing methods include PCR testing, and treatment methods include symptomatic treatment. Furthermore, knowledge information about influenza indicates that the incubation period is 2-5 days, infection routes include droplets and contact, main symptoms include high fever, joint pain, muscle pain, cough, sore throat, and runny nose, testing methods include antigen testing, and treatment methods include anti-influenza drugs. Data also exists about the average incubation period for each strain of COVID-19.

[0038] The medical knowledge database 30 also stores various other types of knowledge information, such as knowledge information for each disease covering a wide range of symptoms including fever, cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, muscle pain / joint pain, chills / shivering, fatigue / lethargy, headache, diarrhea, taste / smell disorders, etc. The medical knowledge database 30 stores this knowledge information and can provide medical diagnosis information based on the stored knowledge information.

[0039] The control unit 31 of the medical knowledge database 30 can send medical diagnosis information to the outside via the communication unit 32 in accordance with the stored contents of the case-specific DB 33. For example, when information such as an affected area, onset symptoms, subjective symptoms, and various cause information is received from a predetermined sender via the communication unit 32, the control unit 31 can transmit medical diagnosis information regarding treatment information, progress information, and representative patient cases to the sender of the information based on the information in the case-specific DB 33. Alternatively, when information on an affected area and subjective symptoms is received from a sender, the control unit 31 can send medical diagnosis information regarding the corresponding onset symptoms and disease name.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the control unit 31 receives lifestyle (behavioral history) information from a user who has not yet developed symptoms, it can infer the onset of symptoms and the name of the disease by, for example, referring to cause information and epidemic information, and can transmit to the sender information such as progress information, the period until onset and the time required for recovery. For example, if information from a specific user reveals from the behavioral history that the user was in a location where a COVID-19 cluster has occurred, the control unit 31 can infer that the user is likely to be infected with COVID-19 based on epidemic information, predict the period during which symptoms such as fever will appear, and transmit to the user information such as how many days it will take for the user to recover after taking prescribed medication.

[0041] The various service providing unit 50 is also a database that stores time-series environmental information. The time-series environmental information includes regional weather information, regional pollen information, regional infectious disease information, and user behavior information. In addition to these pieces of information, the various service providing unit 50 may also store various other time-series environmental information that changes over time. For example, information about food poisoning can also be treated as time-series environmental information. This information includes not only current information but also future prediction information and information indicating changes in conditions. The various service providing unit 50 can supply the stored information to the mobile terminal 10, the medical interview creation unit 20, and the medical knowledge database 30. This allows the mobile terminal 10, the medical interview creation unit 20, and the medical knowledge database 30 to acquire time-series environmental information such as weather, pollen, and infectious diseases for each region.

[0042] The various service providing unit 50 may also be configured to record user behavior information received from a mobile terminal. By recording each user's behavior, medical history, health condition, etc., together here, it is possible to use these as training data to create an inference model that infers what behavior will result in what health condition, and provide reference information to the user. Such an inference model can annotate the type of disability for people who have developed health problems and their behavioral patterns according to the type of disability, making it possible to infer what type of health problem will occur when a specific behavioral pattern is input.

[0043] It is also possible to provide an inference model that infers problematic behavior by annotating behaviors occurring during the incubation period preceding the onset of a health problem. Furthermore, if regional differences, climate, or other factors are involved in the onset of a disease, statistical data can be collected and analyzed for each region and used as information on the incubation period and onset timing. Problematic behaviors can be annotated with health problems and incubation periods (the relationship between behavior and awareness of the problem) to create an inference model that infers the incubation period for each region. This information can be linked to the medical knowledge database 30 or the in-hospital system 60. The onset timing can be compiled and determined by the various service providing unit 50, or it can be determined directly using information contained in a knowledge database that compiles information on incubation periods for each disease or a database that collects the relationship between user behavior information and the time of awareness of the disease. Alternatively, these pieces of information can be collected and determined by the various service providing unit 50 or an information processing device. Furthermore, the medical interview items corresponding to the name of a specific disease may differ depending on the environment of each region, and the content of the interview items can be determined based on environmental information. When deciding on the items to be included in the medical interview, it is effective for medical institutions and schools in each region to compile information on the main complaints of patients regarding their symptoms.

[0044] Although the various service providing unit 50 has been described as storing time-series environmental information that changes over time, it may also store regional environmental information that does not change over time. Trend information stored in the medical knowledge database 30 can also be used as environmental information.

[0045] That is, the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50 can provide the user with information to determine whether or not the user is at risk of developing a disease, etc. The medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50 can also provide the user with information to determine the type of risk that the user may experience, how the risk will manifest (symptoms), when the risk will occur, and the like, and can also provide information to determine the items of questions (medical interviews) to ask to determine whether or not the risk will actually occur.

[0046] In this embodiment, by utilizing the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50, it is possible to conduct a medical interview with a user at an appropriate time or with appropriate content. For example, since a medical interview specific to otolaryngology diseases does not need to be included in a medical interview for a dermatology disease, a medical interview with content appropriate for the dermatology disease can be conducted for a dermatology patient. Furthermore, if it is known that a user has visited a location where a COVID-19 cluster has occurred, the timing of onset can be predicted in relation to that time, and the medical interview can be conducted at an appropriate time.

[0047] The timing of onset may be determined based on information such as the incubation period in academic papers or medical reports. Furthermore, for diseases that may be affected by regional or seasonal differences, the incubation period varies depending on the disease. Therefore, when predicting the timing of onset using an inference model, a method may be adopted in which the incubation period is taken into account during learning and weighting is applied according to the timing of behavior. In this case, the inference result is an inference model that can provide a guideline and prediction of the onset time.

[0048] To conduct such an appropriate interview at an appropriate time or with appropriate content, a mobile terminal 10 and an interview creation unit 20 are employed. The mobile terminal 10 can be operated by, for example, the user. While FIG. 1 shows one mobile terminal 10, multiple mobile terminals 10 that can be linked to the interview creation unit 20 may be used. The mobile terminal 10 may be, for example, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet, a personal computer, or any of various information processing terminals, such as an accessory device. The mobile terminal 10 includes a control unit 11, a sensor unit 12, an information input unit 13, a lifestyle information acquisition unit 14, an external link unit 15, an information transmission unit 16, and an information recording unit 18. Each unit of the mobile terminal 10, such as the control unit 11, may be configured by a processor using a CPU, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. The control unit 11 may operate according to a program stored in a memory (not shown) to control each unit, or may implement some or all of its functions using hardware electronic circuits.

[0049] The information input unit 13 may be configured with an input operation unit such as a keyboard or a touchpad, or may be configured with various interfaces for receiving data from the outside. The information input unit 13 acquires operation information based on user operations and information from the outside. For example, the information input unit 13 can acquire answer information to a medical interview by character input or voice input by the user.

[0050] The control unit 11 receives user operations on the input operation unit and controls each unit of the mobile terminal 10 based on the user operations. The control unit 11 can also read and execute applications (apps) (not shown) recorded in the information recording unit 18.

[0051] The sensor unit 12, the information input unit 13, and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 each constitute a first acquisition unit (first device) and are interface devices that acquire various information. The sensor unit 12, the information input unit 13, and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 are controlled by the control unit 11 to, for example, automatically and sequentially acquire lifestyle habit information and biological information, which are health information. For example, the sensor unit 12 and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 may be composed of various sensors such as a heart rate sensor, an accelerometer and gyroscope, a GPS (Global Positioning System), a temperature sensor, an electrodermal activity sensor, and a blood oxygen level sensor. Note that the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit may include not only the user's past behavioral history but also information about the user's future behavioral plans.

[0052] The sensor unit 12 and lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 enable measurement of heart rate and its fluctuations, tracking of steps and exercise, monitoring sleep, tracking and route acquisition of running, cycling, etc. by acquiring location information, monitoring body temperature, evaluation of stress level, relaxation level, etc. by measuring electrical activity of the skin, measurement of oxygen concentration in the blood, etc.

[0053] The sensor unit 12 may also be configured with a camera. For example, if the sensor unit 12 is configured with a camera, lifestyle information related to diet and the like can be acquired by the sensor unit 12 capturing images of the user's meals, receipts for food, supplements, etc. The information input unit 13 can also acquire health information through input operations by the user.

[0054] The information recording unit 18 records the user's behavioral history along with time information, as well as changes in vital signs indicating the user's disease history along with time information. Disease history can be understood not only from vital signs but also from hospital visit history, etc. From these records in the information recording unit 18, the relationship between behavior and disease can be understood, for example, depending on the application. If a disease has environmental causes, it can be determined whether a specific behavior was associated with the onset of a specific disease (or before that). For example, if multiple past illnesses are associated with similar behaviors, it can be predicted that the next similar behavior will similarly increase the risk. Such risks may be due to temperature, humidity, air pressure, temperature differences, pollen, dust, or other environmental factors. Therefore, if the behavioral history schedule information indicates a planned visit to a location similar to specific environmental information, it can be determined that there is a risk of illness (health risk).

[0055] For convenience, the following description will be given assuming that biometric information is acquired by the sensor unit 12 and lifestyle habit information (behavioral history) information is acquired by the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14. As described above, the various pieces of information acquired by the sensor unit 12, the information input unit 13, and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 are recorded in the information recording unit 18 together with time information.

[0056] The information recording unit 18 includes a vital information recording unit 18a that stores biometric information, a lifestyle habit recording unit 18b that records lifestyle habit information, and a privacy importance DB 18c. The sensor unit 12 records the acquired biometric information in the vital information recording unit 18a of the information recording unit 18, and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 records the acquired lifestyle habit information in the lifestyle habit recording unit 18b of the information recording unit 18. The control unit 11 also records profile information of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10, including information such as the name, age, sex, nationality, height, and weight, in the information recording unit 18.

[0057] The information transmission unit 16 transmits audio and video to the outside, enabling video display and audio output. For example, the information transmission unit 16 as a display control unit performs display based on the operating system executed by the control unit 11 or displays based on the application executed by the control unit 11.

[0058] A part of the lifestyle habit (behavioral history) information recorded in the lifestyle habit recording unit 18b may be transmitted to the various service providing unit 50 via the external linking unit 15. It is also possible to make it easier to create an inference model by converting the user behavior information into training data, for example.

[0059] The external collaboration unit 15 enables data exchange between the mobile terminal 10 and the medical interview creation unit 20, enabling collaboration between the mobile terminal 10 and the medical interview creation unit 20. For example, the external collaboration unit 15 outputs biometric information and behavioral history information to the medical interview creation unit 20. Furthermore, the external collaboration unit 15 acquires medical interview information from the medical interview creation unit 20 and outputs it to the control unit 11. Note that the external collaboration unit 15 may be configured to output one of the biometric information and the behavioral history information to the medical interview creation unit 20. For example, the external collaboration unit 15 may output behavioral history information to the medical interview creation unit 20.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 can set a privacy level for all information recorded in the information recording unit 18. The control unit 11 can set the privacy level for each piece of information based on the user's own operation, and further, the user can change the setting of the privacy level for each piece of information.

[0061] As mentioned above, privacy level settings can be decided by individuals, but if a user uses a service to record information, they may also be subject to the terms of the contract they signed when using that service, or rules established by their country, region, or organization. Users are aware of these contracts and rules, so it can be said that the privacy level settings based on these contracts and rules are also decided and set by individuals.

[0062] Certain services have a system that allows you to specify the range of information to share with others. This system allows you to categorize information according to specific rules, and separate certain categories of information so that some categories are made public, while other categories are not. For example, you can output (share) only profile information categorized as "age," "gender," and "interests," or you can make "name" and "email address" shareable. Sharing is possible only after confirming with the user which items to share.

[0063] In the privacy level settings, the lowest level data can be shared without user confirmation, and the next level data can be shared with the user's confirmation, such as by selecting OK on a confirmation message that appears before sharing. Furthermore, when the user makes such confirmation, the same data can be displayed as raw data or processed data, and the user's privacy level can be displayed at the same time, making it easier for the user to make a choice. For example, a display such as "This data has been processed with XX, so analysis of personal behavior is no longer possible" can be displayed, and the user can allow transmission only when they are satisfied with the displayed content, thereby enabling operations that require confirmation of the privacy level.

[0064] Methods of processing information include blurring images, erasing text from images, and categorizing the information into statistical information, all of which have the effect of obscuring private information.

[0065] In addition, users may set the conditions for using various services without being aware of them as "privacy levels," and may set them together with many other clauses in the contract for using the service. However, such settings can also be considered as privacy level settings by the user.

[0066] Furthermore, privacy levels may be unconsciously set based on ease of use rather than the actual level of privacy itself. For example, the complexity of passwords and other settings may also be unconsciously set as a privacy level. Setting a complex password with a long number of characters can be considered to set a high privacy level, while a simple password with a short number of characters can be considered to set a low privacy level. Setting a one-time password indicates a high security level, so this may be selectable by individual settings. Also, some people may not like to share passwords, and the privacy level may be set by whether or not to enter a specific code. In other words, if certain information is shared without the additional operation of entering a specific code, and other information is shared with the additional operation, the privacy level is considered to have been set.

[0067] In other words, in this specification, even if it appears at first glance that the user has not set a privacy level, if it can be considered that the user has set a privacy level, expressions such as "a privacy level set by the user" or "the user has set a privacy level" may be used. For example, when the first acquisition unit acquires the user's behavioral history, it may be expressed as restricting specific behavioral history information based on the privacy level set by the user, but in actual use, it may appear that no restrictions are applied. However, if the user consented to the setting through some kind of contract or input operation, it can be said that the user has applied restrictions based on the privacy level set by the user. For example, since each gender has its own health conditions, consenting to treat gender as having a low privacy level can prevent incorrect health information from being displayed.

[0068] In addition to the privacy level determined by the initial settings, there may be cases where more in-depth information about individual activities, or unprocessed information, is required. In such cases, the user will be asked to confirm whether they wish to share or disclose that information, giving them peace of mind.

[0069] For example, the privacy level setting may be realized by an application read and executed by the control unit 11. For example, an example of such an application may be a medical interview application that generates answer information for a medical interview and transmits the answer information from the external linkage unit 15 to the medical interview creation unit 20. The medical interview application may be capable of setting, based on a user operation, a privacy level (hereinafter referred to as a read restriction level) that restricts (read restriction) reading of information from the information recording unit 18 to the medical interview application, and may also be capable of setting a privacy level (hereinafter referred to as an output restriction level) that restricts (output restriction) information generated or transmitted by the medical interview application. For example, to set the read restriction level, the control unit 11 may encrypt information when recording it in the information recording unit 18.

[0070] The medical interview application may also be configured to set a read restriction level and an output restriction level in an initial setting based on a user operation. Furthermore, the output restriction level may be set to a high or low level, so that it is possible to set whether to output precise (high) information stored in the information recording unit 18 or output general (low) information stored in the information recording unit 18. For example, if information on the number of steps for each date and time (hour) is recorded in the information recording unit 18, a high privacy level that allows the number of steps for each date and time to be output, or a low privacy level that allows the average number of steps for a predetermined period to be output, may be set.

[0071] A privacy level database (DB) 18c in which the privacy level of each piece of information is registered may be provided in the information recording unit 18. The control unit 11 or the medical interview application may select or process information to be read when answering a medical interview by referring to the privacy level DB 18c.

[0072] The medical interview creation unit 20 includes a control unit 21, an input / output unit 22, a guide unit 23, an inference linking unit 24, a display control unit 25, an other facility linking unit 26, and a patient information extraction unit 27. Each unit of the medical interview creation unit 20, such as the control unit 21, may be configured by a processor using a CPU, GPU, FPGA, or the like, and may operate according to a program stored in a memory (not shown) to control each unit, or may realize some or all of the functions by a hardware electronic circuit.

[0073] The patient information extraction unit 27 communicates with the external linkage unit 15 of the mobile terminal 10 to acquire information recorded in the information recording unit 18 of the mobile terminal 10, i.e., information for which data output is permitted according to the output restriction level, from the health information of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10. For example, the patient information extraction unit 27 acquires user behavior history information from the mobile terminal 10 according to the output restriction level. Note that the patient information extraction unit 27 may acquire health information from all mobile terminals 10 included in the external linkage unit 15 in a time-sharing manner, for example, at a predetermined cycle. The patient information extraction unit 27 extracts health information features of the user using each mobile terminal 10 from the health information for which data output is permitted for each mobile terminal 10. For example, the patient information extraction unit 27 extracts features from received behavior history information as first behavior history information, or extracts features from received biometric information as first biometric information.

[0074] The input / output unit 22 as a second acquisition unit is controlled by the control unit 21 and accesses the various service providing unit 50 to acquire environmental information. The input / output unit 22 acquires time-series environmental information, such as information on regional weather, pollen, and infectious diseases. The control unit 21 as a first determination unit determines the user's risk of illness based on the behavioral history and lifestyle habits included in the user's health information acquired by the patient information extraction unit 27 and the time-series environmental information. The control unit 21 determines whether or not a medical interview with the user is necessary depending on whether or not there is a risk of illness. For example, if the behavioral history of a certain user indicates that the user traveled to an area with relatively high pollen dispersion at the time when pollen dispersion began, the control unit 21 may determine that the user needs to be interviewed about hay fever.

[0075] The control unit 21 also controls the other-facility collaboration unit 26 to access the medical knowledge database 30, thereby acquiring various information, such as the user's potential illnesses, the timing of onset, treatment methods, and the time required for recovery, based on the behavioral history, lifestyle, and environmental information included in the user's health information acquired by the patient information extraction unit 27. That is, the control unit 21, functioning as the first to third determination units, can determine the user's risk of illness based on at least the behavioral history information and environmental information, and if it determines that the user is at risk, determine at least one of the name of the illness and the timing of onset. The other-facility collaboration unit 26 exchanges data with the medical knowledge database 30 and other facilities, such as hospitals and pharmacies, to collaborate. This allows the medical interview creation unit 20 to grasp the location, schedule, etc. of each hospital or pharmacy and provide this information to the user.

[0076] The control unit 21 acquires information from the various service providing units 50 and medical knowledge database 30 linked to it based on the health information of each user extracted by the patient information extraction unit 27, and determines the items of the medical interview based on the acquired information and instructs the guide unit 23.

[0077] By using the information recorded in the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50, the control unit 21 can determine the optimal timing and the types of medical interview items to include for a user whose health information characteristics have been extracted. For example, the control unit 21 may determine that the optimal timing for conducting a medical interview is when the user is likely to develop symptoms. In addition, with regard to hay fever, starting treatment before the onset of symptoms may be more effective in curing the condition. In this case, when the user's past behavioral history, medical examination history, subjective symptoms, and self-diagnosis (experience) indicate that the user is suffering from hay fever, the control unit 21 may determine that the optimal timing for the medical interview is when pollen is likely to start to spread, which is before the user develops symptoms.

[0078] Although the control unit 21 has been described as making various determinations regarding the user's risk based on the characteristics of the health information, it may also be configured to make various determinations regarding risk based on the characteristics of either biometric information or behavioral history (lifestyle) information included in the health information. For example, the control unit 21 may acquire various types of environmental information, such as time-series environmental information, from the medical knowledge database 30 or the various service providing unit 50 based on the characteristics of the behavioral history information.

[0079] The guide unit 23 generates medical interview information under the control of the control unit 21. When the medical interview information is generated by the guide unit 23 and the optimal timing for the medical interview arrives, the control unit 21 notifies the mobile terminal 10 of the user corresponding to the medical interview information that the medical interview information has been generated. Furthermore, the control unit 21 transmits the medical interview information to the mobile terminal 10 in response to a request from the mobile terminal 10.

[0080] The external linking unit 15 of the mobile terminal 10 accesses the medical interview creation unit 20 and receives the medical interview information generated by the guide unit 23 based on a user operation on the mobile terminal 10. Based on the medical interview information, the information transmitting unit 16 displays a display for the medical interview (hereinafter referred to as a medical interview display) on a display screen (not shown). For example, the medical interview display is displayed on the display screen by a medical interview application executed by the control unit 11.

[0081] That is, the control unit 21, the guide unit 23, the external collaboration unit 15, the control unit 11, and the information transmission unit 16 access the medical knowledge database 30 to generate medical interview information having interview items corresponding to the disease name, and function as a medical interview presentation unit (medical interview presentation device) that presents the medical interview items based on the medical interview information to the user at a timing based on the onset timing.

[0082] When the user responds to the medical interview while referring to the medical interview display displayed on the display screen, answer information based on the response is provided to the medical interview creation unit 20 by the external linkage unit 15. Note that the information readout and output restrictions remain valid for this response as well. That is, the mobile device 10 provides the medical interview creation unit 20 with, for example, behavioral history information (second behavioral history information) permitted by the privacy level setting as answer information. Note that the first behavioral history information and the second behavioral history information may be obtained based on different privacy levels. Based on the response, the guide unit 23 changes the medical interview display for the required medical interview. That is, the guide unit 23 provides guidance for the medical interview display for a series of medical interviews in cooperation with the external linkage unit 15. For example, the guide unit 23 generates guide information for presenting medical information, such as treatment methods, acquired from the medical knowledge database 30 as needed. The control unit 21 transmits the guide information to the mobile device 10 in response to the user's operation of the mobile device 10.

[0083] The medical interview display based on the medical interview information may include medical interview items that cannot be answered due to readout or output restrictions. If the medical interview creation unit 20 cannot obtain the medical interview answers necessary for creating guide information, the user of the mobile terminal 10 may not necessarily be able to obtain valid guide information. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user may be prompted to reset the privacy level so that valid medical information can be obtained by providing valid medical interview answers. By repeatedly sending medical interview information and medical interview answers and resetting the privacy level each time, it becomes possible to obtain the guide information that the user desires while protecting personal information in accordance with the user's wishes.

[0084] In the above description, the medical interview information is transmitted by the medical interview creation unit 20 in response to a request from the mobile terminal 10 in a pull-type manner, but the medical interview creation unit 20 may also transmit the medical interview information to the mobile terminal 10 in a push-type manner. The medical interview presentation unit may generate medical interview information having general-purpose interview items and present the medical interview items based on the medical interview information to the user at a timing based on the onset timing. The medical interview presentation unit may also generate medical interview information having interview items corresponding to a disease name and present the medical interview items based on the medical interview information to the user at any timing.

[0085] The medical interview creation unit 20 is provided with a display control unit 25. In the above description, the medical interview creation unit 20 automatically generates medical interview information and transmits it to the mobile terminal 10 at an appropriate timing after generation. However, the medical interview creation unit 20 may be configured to require an operator's judgment when generating and transmitting the medical interview information. The control unit 21 may control the display control unit 25 based on the operator's operation of an operation unit (not shown) to display a medical interview display or a guide display based on the medical interview information generated by the guide unit 23 on a display screen (not shown). If the operator checks this display and corrects the medical interview information as necessary, it may be possible to create more effective medical interview information.

[0086] (Inference Model) In the above explanation, an example was described in which the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50 were used to determine the risks that may occur to the user, but it is also possible to determine risks using an inference model. The inference model creation unit 40 in FIG. 1 creates an inference model for making risk-related determinations. The inference model created by the inference model creation unit 40 is used in the inference linkage unit 24 of the medical interview creation unit 20. That is, in response to a request from the control unit 21, the inference linkage unit 24 makes various inferences about risks using the inference model created by the inference model creation unit 40, and outputs the inference results to the control unit 21.

[0087] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the inference model created by the inference model creation unit 40.

[0088] The example in Figure 3 shows an example using two inference models: a disease inference model and a medical interview inference model. A first group of teacher data is provided to network N1 for learning, and a second group of teacher data is provided to network N2 for learning. Networks N1 and N2 are subjected to learning using a large amount of teacher data, for example, deep learning, to determine the network designs of networks N1 and N2 so that outputs corresponding to the respective inputs are obtained. By performing such learning, networks N1 and N2 are constructed as a disease inference model and a medical interview inference model, respectively.

[0089] In the example of Figure 3, the first teacher data group uses information on the disease name and behavioral environment. The behavioral environment information includes the user's behavior history information, environmental information that is time-series environmental information for each region, and information on the timing at which the symptoms become noticeable. The disease inference model obtained as a result of learning the network N1 using the first teacher data group receives as input the user's behavior (behavioral history information) and environmental information, and outputs as inference results the presence or absence of the user's risk, and if there is a risk, the name of the disease and the timing at which the symptoms become noticeable.

[0090] The second teacher data group also uses information on a disease name and a medical interview corresponding to the disease name. A medical interview corresponding to a disease name is an optimal medical interview that includes medical interview items necessary to determine the onset of the disease of the disease name and does not include unrelated medical interview items. The medical interview information included in the second teacher data group also includes medical interview information in which medical interview items are set with relatively high respect for the user's privacy and medical interview information in which medical interview items are set with relatively low respect for the user's privacy. The medical interview inference model obtained as a result of learning the network N2 using the second teacher data group can obtain medical interview information corresponding to the disease name as an inference result by inputting a disease name as input.

[0091] Therefore, by providing the user's behavior and environmental information to the disease inference model and providing the output of the disease inference model to the medical interview inference model, medical interview information can be obtained that includes optimal medical interview items that take privacy into consideration depending on the disease risk.In addition, since the output of the disease inference model includes information on the timing of awareness, the medical interview information obtained by the medical interview inference model can be provided to the user at the optimal timing, such as the timing of awareness.The control unit 21 can use the output of the inference linking unit 24 to output medical interview information to the mobile terminal 10 that is optimal at the optimal timing and that takes privacy into consideration.

[0092] That is, the inference model used by the inference linking unit 24 infers the name and onset timing of a disease that occurs in a specific user among multiple users based on behavioral history information, environmental information, and medical diagnosis information, and generates medical interview information that has interview items corresponding to the disease name and takes privacy into consideration.

[0093] Deep learning is a multilayered version of the machine learning process using neural networks. A typical example is a forward propagation neural network, which sends information from front to back and makes a judgment. In its simplest form, it requires three layers: an input layer consisting of m1 neurons, a hidden layer consisting of m2 neurons determined by parameters, and an output layer consisting of m3 neurons corresponding to the number of classes to be discriminated. The neurons in the input and hidden layers, and those in the hidden and output layers, are connected by connection weights, and a bias value is added between the hidden and output layers, making it easy to form logic gates. While three layers are sufficient for simple discrimination, increasing the number of hidden layers makes it possible to learn how to combine multiple features during the machine learning process. In recent years, neural networks with 9 to 152 layers have become practical due to their training time, judgment accuracy, and energy consumption.

[0094] Various known networks may be used for machine learning. For example, R-CNN (Regions with CNN features) or FCN (Fully Convolutional Networks) using CNN (Convolution Neural Network) may be used. This involves a process called "convolution" that compresses image features, operates with minimal processing, and is strong in pattern recognition. In addition, "recurrent neural networks" (fully connected recurrent neural networks) that can handle more complex information and flow information bidirectionally may be used to handle information analysis in which the meaning changes depending on the order or sequence of information.

[0095] To realize these technologies, conventional general-purpose arithmetic processing circuits such as CPUs and FPGAs can be used, but because much of the processing in neural networks involves matrix multiplication, GPUs and Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are specialized for matrix calculations, may also be used.In recent years, such dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) hardware, called "neural network processing units (NPUs)," have been designed to be integrated and embeddable with CPUs and other circuits, and may even become part of the processing circuit.

[0096] Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as above will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 16. Figures 4 and 5 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the embodiment, and Figures 6 to 8 are explanatory diagrams showing display examples related to initial settings. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the contents of the privacy importance DB 18c, and Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of time-series environmental information provided by the various service providing unit 50. Figures 11 to 16 are explanatory diagrams showing display examples related to the medical interview.

[0097] In S1 of Fig. 4, the control unit 11 of the mobile device 10 determines whether initial setup has started and whether various health information has been acquired. When the user instructs initial setup, the control unit 11 displays an initial setup screen and accepts user operations related to privacy protection. Fig. 6 shows a user P holding the mobile device 10 and viewing its display screen 10a. A plurality of icons I1, each indicated by a rectangular frame, are displayed on the display screen 10a. Among the icons I1, the icon located at the top left corner is an initial setup icon Ii for initial setup.

[0098] Now, assume that the user touches the initial setting icon Ii. Then, the information transmission unit 16 is controlled by the control unit 11 to display the privacy level setting display shown in FIG. 7. The privacy level setting display shown in FIG. 7 has a patient information display area A11 for displaying patient information and an application access permission level setting area A12 for setting the privacy level (read restriction level) for allowing access to an application. The patient information display area A1 is provided with a patient profile field. The patient profile field displays the profile of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10.

[0099] The application access permission level setting area A12 displays items for setting the read restriction level for each piece of information that is permitted to be accessed by a medical interview application, etc. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, Fig. 7 shows three items of information to be set: number of steps, places visited, and meals; however, in practice, it is possible to set all items for which a privacy level setting is required. Fig. 7 also shows an example of a method for setting each privacy level, and other setting methods different from those shown in Fig. 7 may also be used.

[0100] In the example of Figure 7, the privacy level 1 questionnaire, which respects privacy the most, allows the user to manually input information about the number of steps taken per day, whether or not the user has gone out, and meals as places visited. Furthermore, the privacy level 2 questionnaire allows the number of steps taken per hour, information about places visited based on GPS or a diary, and information about meals based on photos or a diary. Furthermore, the privacy level 3 questionnaire allows the acquisition of information from clinics the user has visited.

[0101] That is, in the privacy level 2 interview, the interview application and the like can refer to more detailed information than in the privacy level 1 interview. Furthermore, in the privacy level 3 interview, the interview application and the like can refer to detailed information about the user's health. In the example of FIG. 7, the dot pattern indicates the privacy level selected by the user. In the example of FIG. 7, the user has set privacy level 2 as the read restriction level for all three pieces of information.

[0102] Furthermore, the control unit 11 displays a privacy level setting display shown in Fig. 8. The privacy level setting display shown in Fig. 8 has a patient information display area A11 and a server reference permission level setting area A13 for setting a privacy level for permitting output from an interview application or the like to a server such as the interview creation unit 20 as an output restriction level.

[0103] The server reference permission level setting area A13 displays items for setting the output restriction level for each piece of information that allows a server such as the medical questionnaire creation unit 20 to reference. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 8 shows information items corresponding to those in FIG. 7 as examples, but in reality, it is possible to set all items for which a privacy level setting is required. Also, FIG. 8 shows an example of a method for setting each privacy level, and a setting method different from that in FIG. 8 may also be used. Also, while FIG. 8 shows an example of a setting method similar to that in FIG. 7, a setting method different from that in FIG. 7 may also be used.

[0104] In the example of Figure 8, the dot pattern indicates that the user selected privacy level 1. In other words, the user has set a relatively light read restriction level (which respects privacy relatively little) for the medical interview application, etc., but has set privacy level 1, which respects privacy most, as the output restriction level for information to be output to the medical interview creation unit 20, etc. Therefore, when the privacy level of Figure 8 is set, detailed information is not transmitted, for example, when providing information to the medical interview creation unit 20 or during a medical interview. For example, even if the user is asked about places visited in the medical interview, the external linkage unit 15 or the medical interview application can only transmit a response indicating whether the user went out, and specific information about places visited cannot be obtained by the medical interview creation unit 20, etc.

[0105] Meanwhile, the various sensors constituting the sensor unit 12, the information input unit 13, and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 acquire various types of health information, for example, at predetermined intervals, and when the health information is acquired, the control unit 11 records the acquired information together with time information in the information recording unit 18 in S2, and proceeds to S3. In this way, the vital information recording unit 18a sequentially records the biometric information of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10, and the lifestyle habit recording unit 18b sequentially records the lifestyle habit information of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10. Of the health information recorded in the information recording unit 18, information that is permitted to be transmitted based on the privacy level is transmitted by the external linkage unit 15 to the medical interview creation unit 20 (S3).

[0106] Fig. 5 shows an example of a specific operational flow of S3 in Fig. 4, and is intended to explain the information transmitted by the external linkage unit 15 to the medical questionnaire creation unit 20. Fig. 5 enables output at a privacy level set by selecting or processing information, and shows an example of a method for determining information to be transmitted by selecting or processing specific conditions of the living environment and behavioral history (destination status). Note that Fig. 5 shows information corresponding to Figs. 7 and 8. The flow in Fig. 5 is executed by the control unit 11 when transmitting from the external linkage unit 15.

[0107] In S41, the control unit 11 determines whether to transmit the average step count as step count information based on the set privacy level. If it is indicated that the average step count should be transmitted (YES in S41), the control unit 11 calculates the average daily step count based on the step count information read from the information recording unit 18 (S42). If it is not indicated that the average step count should be transmitted (NO in S41), the control unit 11 determines whether it is indicated that information on the number of steps per date and time (step count vs. date and time) should be transmitted (S43). If it is indicated that information on the number of steps per date and time should be transmitted, the control unit 11 acquires the information on the number of steps per date and time (step count data) read from the information recording unit 18. Note that if it is not indicated that information on the number of steps per date and time should be transmitted, the control unit 11 determines not to output information on the number of steps.

[0108] The control unit 11 displays the average step count calculated in S42 or the step count information for each date and time obtained in S44, and accepts the user's selection or modification of the displayed content (S45). For example, the control unit 11 determines, based on a user operation, whether to transmit the information obtained in S42 or S44 as is, or whether the user modifies the information and transmits it. For example, the user can use the information obtained in S42 instead of the information obtained in S44 for a specific period of time, or can change the value obtained in S42 or S44 to an appropriate value before transmitting it.

[0109] In S46, the control unit 11 determines whether to transmit manually entered information regarding the stay location, visited place / place name questionnaire, etc., based on the set privacy level. If the output constraint level indicates that manually entered information should be transmitted (YES in S46), the control unit 11 transmits simple information, such as whether or not the user has manually entered information about going out (S47). If the output constraint level does not indicate that manually entered information should be transmitted (NO in S46), the control unit 11 determines whether or not information recorded in the information recording unit 18 should be referenced (memory reference) regarding the stay location, visited place / place name, etc. (S48). If memory reference is indicated, the control unit 11 references GPS history information and diary information read from the information recording unit 18 (S49). Note that if memory reference is not indicated, the control unit 11 determines not to transmit the stay location, visited place / place name, etc.

[0110] The control unit 11 displays the GPS history and diary information referenced in S49 and accepts the user's selection and modification of the displayed content (S50). For example, the control unit 11 determines, based on a user operation, whether to transmit the information obtained in S49 as is or whether the user will modify and transmit the information. For example, the user may change (falsely) the specific visited places obtained in S49 or change the information to a broader area name before transmitting the information. Such modifications are considered to be information modification, and the user's preference regarding whether or not to modify the information is accepted. In this case, it is important to reassure the user by displaying a note indicating that the modified information is safe; such a message to the user can be displayed, audible, or the like. If the user consents to the information being safely modified, the modified information is transmitted.

[0111] In other words, in the present invention, an information processing method can be provided in which the control unit 11 supplies first behavioral history information based on the user's behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit to a first judgment unit that judges the health risk of the user, and processes second behavioral history information required by a questionnaire item based on the questionnaire information corresponding to the health risk, and outputs the processed second behavioral history information as answer information for the questionnaire item based on the user's consent operation.

[0112] In S51, the control unit 11 determines whether to transmit manually entered information regarding the meal questionnaire, etc., based on the set privacy level. If it is indicated that manually entered information should be transmitted (YES in S51), the control unit 11 transmits simple information, such as the number of meals eaten, the number of snacks eaten, whether or not the user ate or ate out, which is manually entered (S52). If it is not indicated that manually entered information should be transmitted (NO in S51), the control unit 11 determines whether it is indicated that information regarding meals, such as photos and diary entries, recorded in the information recording unit 18 should be referenced (memory reference) (S53). If it is indicated that memory reference should be referenced, the control unit 11 references the photo and diary entries read from the information recording unit 18 (S54). Note that if it is not indicated that memory reference should be referenced, the control unit 11 determines not to transmit information regarding meals.

[0113] The control unit 11 displays the information of the photo and diary referenced in S55 and accepts the user's selection and modification of the displayed content (S55). For example, the control unit 11 determines whether to transmit the information obtained in S54 as is or whether to transmit the information after the user has made some modifications, based on a user operation. For example, the user can delete part of the photo obtained in S50, or delete or modify part of the diary obtained in S50, and then transmit the information.

[0114] In this way, to acquire the user's behavioral history information, the control unit supplies the first behavioral history information to the medical interview creation unit 20. The received first behavioral history information alone may be insufficient for the medical interview creation unit 20 to create effective information related to the user's health. In this case, the user may perform an authorization operation (setting a privacy level) to provide more detailed information for the health status assessment, and the second behavioral history information is output based on this authorization operation. In this way, there is a difference in privacy level between the first behavioral history information and the second behavioral history information.

[0115] 5 shows an example of information according to the privacy level, but it is also possible to create a database in advance as to what information is permitted as information according to the privacy level. The privacy level DB 18c registers the privacy level of each piece of information.

[0116] FIG. 9 shows an example of information content corresponding to the level of privacy for each piece of behavioral history information. In the example of FIG. 9 , for exercise information, the number of steps is shown as an average number of steps as an example of low privacy (more open information), and the number of steps per date and time (steps vs. date and time) as an example of high privacy (stricter privacy protection). Furthermore, for location information, whether the user is at work or at home (city, town, or village) is shown as an example of low privacy, and the route and place name are shown as an example of high privacy. Furthermore, for food and drink information, the number of meals and whether or not alcohol was consumed is shown as an example of low privacy, and what was eaten and drunk is specifically shown as an example of high privacy. Furthermore, for excretion information, the presence or absence of a problem is shown as an example of low privacy, and the number of excretions is shown as an example of high privacy. Furthermore, for sleep information, whether or not the user is sleep deprived is shown as an example of low privacy, and the daily sleep time (sleep time vs. day) and breathing sounds are shown as examples of high privacy.

[0117] The control unit 11 can transmit information according to the set privacy level to the medical interview creation unit 20 by referring to the privacy level DB 18c.

[0118] The patient information extraction unit 27 of the medical interview creation unit 20 acquires health information corresponding to the privacy level of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10 and extracts its features. The control unit 21 instructs the other-facility collaboration unit 26 to perform collaborative communication to collaborate with the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service provision unit 50 based on the features of the health information extracted by the patient information extraction unit 27 (S3). The control unit 21 also determines a specific condition from the user's behavioral history and lifestyle habits based on the features of the health information extracted by the patient information extraction unit 27. For example, the control unit 21 may determine that the specific condition is that the user has entered an area that they do not usually visit. The other-facility collaboration unit 26 acquires various information from the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service provision unit 50 in accordance with the instructions of the control unit 21.

[0119] In some cases, this information can be used more effectively by collecting data from many people and turning it into big data, and the information may be shared with the various service providers 50 and the medical knowledge database 30. Personal information, etc., is anonymized according to the privacy level setting. With such measures, even if there are regional or climatic differences in the timing of onset of each disease, optimal information can be used from information contained in a knowledge database that compiles information on the incubation period of each disease, which can be updated sequentially, or a database that collects the relationship between user behavior information and the time when the user becomes aware of the disease.

[0120] Figure 10 shows patient information by disease, with the horizontal axis representing date and time and the vertical axis representing the number of patients (those who have developed the disease). The patient information by disease in Figure 10 shows the change in the number of people with symptoms of fevers No. 1 to No. 3 in Regions A and B over time. The solid line in Figure 10 indicates the number of adults who have developed the disease, and the dashed line indicates the number of children who have developed the disease. In the example in Figure 10, as indicated by the circles, it can be seen that in Region A, the number of patients with the first fever disease increased on Month Y, and in Region B, the number of patients with the second fever disease increased three days later, on Month Y (Y+3).

[0121] In this example, the first to third fever diseases are assumed to be COVID-19, influenza A, and influenza B, respectively. For example, the control unit 21 determines whether the user has visited an area that the user does not usually visit, as a specific condition. For example, assume that the user visited area A in FIG. 10 , which the user does not usually visit. In this case, the control unit 21 acquires information about area A based on the user's behavioral history and determines the risk (S4). For example, if the control unit 21 determines that the user visited area A on a date close to month Y, the control unit 21 determines that the user is at risk of contracting COVID-19. In this case, the control unit 21 may send contact information to the mobile device 10 owned by the user to confirm whether the user has visited area A. For example, the control unit 21 may send contact information as needed or every morning. The control unit 21 may also acquire information corresponding to the characteristics of health information according to the user's privacy level from the medical knowledge database 30, the various service providing unit 50, or the in-hospital system 60, without determining the specific condition.

[0122] The second acquisition unit may be configured to cooperate with the in-hospital system to compile the conditions of each region into information as shown in Fig. 10, or the various service providing unit 50 may have this function. In this way, the environmental information indicating the environment of each region is disease statistical information held by medical facilities in each region, and the second acquisition unit may acquire information from the in-hospital system of each hospital in addition to information from the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50.

[0123] The control unit 11 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether contact information has been received via the external linkage unit 15 (S5). When the control unit 11 receives the contact information, it controls the information transmission unit 16 to display a contact display based on the contact information on a display screen (not shown). For example, this contact display may be a display inquiring whether the user has visited area A around month X and date Y. The user responds to the contact display using the information input unit 13 (S6). Information based on this response is returned from the external linkage unit 15 to the medical interview creation unit 20.

[0124] For example, it is assumed that a response from the mobile terminal 10 confirms that the user who owns the mobile terminal 10 has been to area A around month X and date Y. In this case, the control unit 21 causes the guide unit 23 to generate medical interview information having medical interview items corresponding to COVID-19, and enables the medical interview information to be transmitted to the mobile terminal 10 of the user at a timing that takes into account the timing of the onset of COVID-19.

[0125] For example, even if a COVID-19 cluster occurs in area A, the statistical information about the cluster will not yet be accumulated in the various service providing unit 50 on the day after the cluster occurrence, and the incubation period must also be taken into consideration. Therefore, the control unit 21 estimates the day on which the symptoms of COVID-19 will begin to appear in the user based on the date on which the COVID-19 cluster occurred, the date on which the user visited area A, and the incubation period, and transmits or notifies the user of the medical interview information to the mobile terminal 10 owned by the user on the estimated day, for example.

[0126] That is, in this embodiment, if it is possible to estimate the area to which the user has traveled based on the user's behavioral history information disclosed according to the privacy level, information about a disease occurring in the area is searched for, and if the date on which a specific disease occurred in the area is similar to the date on which the user traveled to the area, a questionnaire item related to the specific disease can be presented to the user. Note that, depending on the privacy level, it may not be possible to estimate the area to which the user has traveled. In this case, information such as the occurrence of a specific disease in a certain area and the date of occurrence may be presented to the user.

[0127] When the control unit 11 receives the medical interview information or a notification thereof, the control unit 11 causes the information transmission unit 16 to display on the display screen a message indicating that the medical interview information has been received or is now receivable. Fig. 11 shows the notification message displayed on the display screen in this case.

[0128] 11 shows a user P holding the mobile terminal 10 and viewing the display screen 10a. A plurality of icons I1, each indicated by a rectangular frame, are displayed on the display screen 10a. The icon at the top right of the icons I1 is a medical interview icon I2. A notification mark I2a indicating that a notification for the user has been received is displayed on the medical interview icon I2.

[0129] The notification mark 12a lets the user know that the medical interview information can now be displayed. If the user of the mobile terminal 10 wishes to take a medical interview, he or she touches the medical interview icon I2. As a result, if the medical interview information has not been received, the control unit 11 requests the medical interview creation unit 20 to send the medical interview information. If the medical interview information has been received, the control unit 11 controls the information transmission unit 16 to display a medical interview display based on the medical interview information sent from the medical interview creation unit 20 on the display screen 10a. In this way, the medical interview is conducted at a predetermined timing (S7). The user answers the medical interview, for example, by touching the display screen 10a or by inputting information on the information input unit 13. The answer is sent to the medical interview creation unit 20 by the external linkage unit 15.

[0130] Upon receiving the answers to the medical interview, the control unit 21 of the medical interview creation unit 20 provides advice on medical procedures based on the answers (S8). For example, if the user's answers indicate that they are experiencing symptoms such as a sore throat or abnormal taste, the guide unit 23 creates guide information to present various information, such as the possibility of COVID-19 infection, treatment methods, the locations of their family doctor and hospitals near the user's address, and the number of days until recovery. Furthermore, if the user's answers indicate that they are not experiencing any health abnormalities, the guide unit 23 may create guide information to warn that a COVID-19 cluster has occurred in area A where the user has visited. The control unit 21 transmits this guide information to the mobile device 10.

[0131] The control unit 11 of the mobile terminal 10 displays a guide display based on the guide information on the display screen 10a. The guide display for the user's symptoms makes it easy for the user to determine whether or not they may be infected with COVID-19. Furthermore, if they are infected, the guide display also allows the user to recognize what measures they should take.

[0132] However, depending on the privacy level, the user may not be presented with the desired guide display. For example, if a privacy level is set that does not permit disclosure of information about visited places, even if a COVID-19 cluster occurs in the visited place, a guide display warning the user about the possibility of infection may not be presented. Therefore, in this embodiment, the privacy level setting can be changed based on a user operation. After displaying the guide display, the control unit 11 inquires in S31 whether the user is satisfied with the displayed guide information. If the user indicates that they are satisfied with the guide display, the control unit 11 proceeds to S9. If the user indicates that they are not satisfied, the control unit 11 returns to S7. In S7, a medical interview display is displayed, and the privacy level setting can be changed in this medical interview display. Thereafter, S7, S8, and S31 are repeated. If the user indicates that they are satisfied with the guide display through a user operation, the control unit 11 proceeds to S9.

[0133] In S9, the control unit 11 determines whether or not any other operation unrelated to the medical interview has been performed. If no other operation has been performed (NO in S9), the control unit 11 returns the process to S1. If another operation has been performed (YES in S9), the control unit 11 transmits information or performs other control in accordance with the operation, and then returns the process to S1.

[0134] (Display Examples) Figures 12 to 16 show display examples related to medical interviews. Figures 12 and 13 show examples of medical interviews when the user is at risk of COVID-19 in the privacy level setting states corresponding to Figures 7 and 8. Figures 14 to 16 show examples when the user who owns the mobile terminal 10 recently visited City B, which is in an area with high pollen counts.

[0135] 12 shows a display that is initially displayed when the user touches the medical interview icon I2 in FIG. 11, for example, and shows a setting display for the privacy level to be set during the medical interview. The privacy level setting display shown in FIG. 12 has a patient information display area A14 that displays patient information and a privacy level setting area A15 that sets the privacy level for the medical interview. The patient information display area A1 is provided with a patient profile field and an explanation field. The patient profile field displays the profile of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10. In addition, the explanation field displays a message such as "There are areas where the number of infectious disease patients is increasing" to warn of health risks.

[0136] The privacy level setting area A15 displays items for setting the privacy level (output restriction level) of answers to the medical interview for each piece of information. Note that Fig. 12 shows the medical interview items of the medical interview information created by the medical interview creation unit 20 assuming the risk of COVID-19 infection. The example in Fig. 12 displays setting items according to the user's risk, and the medical interview items only include an item inquiring about visited places to determine COVID-19 infection.

[0137] In the example of Fig. 12, the privacy level 1 questionnaire, which has the highest respect for privacy, allows information indicating whether or not the user has gone out as a visited place, while the privacy level 2 questionnaire allows GPS and diary entries as visited places, and the privacy level 3 questionnaire allows information from clinics the user has visited.

[0138] Here, the user touches the display area for the visited place (whether or not the user has gone out, etc.) to specify a privacy level 1 medical interview. Based on this specification, the control unit 11 displays the medical interview display shown in FIG. 13. The medical interview display in FIG. 13 includes a patient information display area A16 and a symptom input area A17. The patient information display area A16 is provided with a patient profile field and an explanation field. The patient profile field displays the profile of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10. Furthermore, the explanation field displays information to reduce the user's health risk, such as "There are areas where the number of infectious disease patients is increasing. Please enter 2 / 03 to ensure accuracy."

[0139] The symptom input area A17 displays medical interview items according to the privacy level selected by the user. In the example of Fig. 13, information about visited places (whether or not the user has gone out, etc.) is requested as medical interview items. In the example of Fig. 13, in order to improve user operability, candidates for information to be sent are displayed, and the user can easily send information by selecting one of them.

[0140] The example of FIG. 13 illustrates a state in which the medical interview application can refer to information recorded in the information recording unit 18 for days from February 1 (2 / 01) to February 4 (2 / 04) except for February 3 (2 / 03), but cannot refer to information for February 3 (2 / 03). The medical interview application displays information that can be transmitted by referencing the information recorded in the information recording unit 18. Then, the user's touch operation allows transmission of the corresponding information. In the example of FIG. 13, dot patterns indicate information that the user has permitted to be transmitted. Note that even in this case, because privacy level 1 is set for the medical interview response, general information indicating that the user went out on days from February 1 (2 / 01) to February 4 (2 / 04) except for February 3 (2 / 03) is transmitted.

[0141] However, with this medical interview response, it is conceivable that the user will not receive a guide display to confirm whether or not they are infected with COVID-19. In this case, the user may redisplay the privacy level setting display of FIG. 12 and reset the privacy level. As a result, when actual place names can be sent as visited places, information about the names of places visited on the specified day is sent by the user's touch operation. Note that even in this case, information about places visited on February 3rd is not sent. If the user wishes to send information about places visited on February 3rd, the user can manually enter the places visited on February 3rd or set a privacy level (read restriction level) that allows reference by the medical interview application.

[0142] Next, another example will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0143] For example, the control unit 21 of the medical interview creation unit 20 determines, based on the user's behavioral history and regional pollen information from the various service providing unit 50, that the user visited City B, where pollen dispersion was high, during a period when pollen dispersion was high. In this case, the control unit 21 controls the guide unit 23 to create medical interview information for diagnosing hay fever. The control unit 21 transmits the created medical interview information to the user's mobile terminal 10. Upon receiving the medical interview information, the information transmission unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 displays a notification mark 12a shown in FIG. 11 on the display screen 10a. This allows the user to recognize that the medical interview information has been received.

[0144] FIG. 14 shows, for example, a medical interview display that is displayed when the user touches the medical interview icon I2 in FIG. 11. The medical interview display shown in FIG. 14 has a patient information display area A1 that displays patient information and a symptom input area A2 that inputs symptoms as a response to the medical interview. The patient information display area A1 has a patient profile field and an explanation field. The patient profile field displays the profile of the user who owns the mobile terminal 10. The explanation field also displays the reason for the medical interview, such as, for example, "City B, which I visited the other day, is an area with a lot of pollen dispersion."

[0145] In the symptom input area A2, medical questionnaire items are displayed. The example in Fig. 14 is related to hay fever, and the medical questionnaire items include whether or not there is "itchy face or scalp," whether or not there is "itchy eyes," whether or not there is "runny nose," and whether or not there is "tiredness." In Fig. 14, item displays I3 corresponding to these medical questionnaire items are displayed, and a message display I4 saying "touch if there is a corresponding symptom" is displayed to prompt the user to perform an operation.

[0146] In this embodiment, the number of medical interview questions is limited to those appropriate for the disease, and medical interview questions not necessary for diagnosing hay fever are not adopted. Therefore, the number of medical interview questions is small, and the user can answer the questions relatively easily. Moreover, in the example of FIG. 14, the parts of the human body that are the subject of the medical interview questions are displayed using an indication of the human body and arrows indicating the parts of the body, making it easy for the user to understand the content of the medical interview. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 14, the medical interview questions can be answered by touching a designated area on the display screen 10a, making it extremely easy for the user to answer the medical interview questions.

[0147] FIG. 15 shows an example of a user's response. Assume that the user has symptoms such as "itchy face and scalp," "itchy eyes," "runny nose," and "tiredness." In this case, the user touches the corresponding item display I3. FIG. 15 shows the display in this case, and a selection display M, colored (shown as a filled-in area), is displayed at the beginning of each item display I3. This selection display M indicates the user's response to the medical questionnaire. The control unit 11 transmits the user's response to the medical questionnaire creation unit 20. The control unit 21 determines the user's risk based on the user's response and causes the guide unit 23 to create a guide based on the determination result. In the example of FIG. 15, the control unit 21 determines that the user is at risk of hay fever and causes the guide unit 23 to create guide information for measures against hay fever, for example. The control unit 21 transmits the guide information created by the guide unit 23 to the mobile device 10. The information transmission unit 16 of the mobile device 10 displays a guide display based on the guide information on the display screen 10a.

[0148] A guide display I5 is displayed at the bottom of FIG. 15. In the example of FIG. 15, the guide display I5 reads, "I had similar symptoms last year. Would you like to see recommended medical institutions?" The user can learn about medical institutions that can treat their current symptoms by referring to the guide display I5. For example, when the user touches the guide display I5, this operation information is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 to the medical interview creation unit 20, and the guide unit 23 of the medical interview creation unit 20 generates guide information for introducing medical institutions and transmits it to the mobile terminal 10. Note that information about medical institutions can be obtained by the inter-facility collaboration unit 26 collaborating with each clinic.

[0149] FIG. 16 shows a guide display displayed on the display screen 10a by the information transmission unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 in this case. In the example of FIG. 16, a schedule display field A3 showing a schedule for visiting a medical institution is displayed instead of the symptom input field A2 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. The schedule display field A3 displays a schedule display I6 showing the schedule for visiting a medical institution and a map display I7 showing the location of the hospital. In the example of FIG. 16, the schedule display I6 displays the date at the top and the priority order at the left, with "Clinic A" displayed as a candidate when priority is given to date and time, "Clinic C" displayed as a candidate when priority is given to location, and "Clinic B" displayed as a candidate when priority is given to a family doctor as other information. In addition, the map display I7 displays a map showing the locations of "Clinic A," "Clinic B," and "Clinic C."

[0150] By referring to the display in the schedule display field A3, the user can easily find a hospital that meets his or her preferences.

[0151] In this embodiment, at least one of the medical interview items and the timing of providing the medical interview information to the user is determined based on health information automatically acquired by a mobile device or the like, thereby enabling effective acquisition of the user's responses to the medical interview. In this case, the user can set the privacy level regarding the reading and transmission of the acquired information by their own operation. This ensures the protection of the user's personal information while making it easier for the user to understand their current or future health condition and enabling effective treatment.

[0152] Second Embodiment Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation flow employed in a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the mobile terminal 10 and the medical interview creation unit 20 were configured separately. In contrast, in this embodiment, the functions of the mobile terminal 10 and the medical interview creation unit 20 are realized by an application executed on the mobile terminal 10. In other words, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 and the medical interview creation unit 20 are integrated, and other hardware configurations are the same as those in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0153] In an embodiment configured as described above, the control unit 11 of the mobile terminal 10 executes a medical interview application recorded in the information recording unit 18. In this application, the control unit 11 performs initial setup and inputs the user's profile information (user information) based on a user operation (S11). In the initial setup, for example, privacy levels (read restriction level and output restriction level) shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are set. After setting the privacy level, the control unit 11 records the profile information in the information recording unit 18. Note that this profile information may include information about the user's medical history, such as hay fever, if permitted by the privacy level.

[0154] The control unit 11 controls the sensor unit 12, the information input unit 13, and the lifestyle habit information acquisition unit 14 to acquire at least one of biometric information and behavioral history (lifestyle) information, and stores the information in the information recording unit 18. Note that using behavioral history information may enable more effective medical interviews, and for example, the control unit 11 stores the behavioral history information in the information recording unit 18. Furthermore, the control unit 11 also records the user's future plans, such as future behavior, as behavioral history information in the information recording unit 18 as necessary based on user input (S12). By acquiring future behavioral history information, it is also possible to determine future risks, etc. Furthermore, by recording future destinations, it is also possible to prioritize the acquisition of information about those destinations.

[0155] The control unit 11 selects or processes specific conditions of the living environment and the behavior history (destination situation) (S32). In this case, the processing may employ the techniques shown in Figs. 5 and 9, for example.

[0156] The control unit 11 determines the living environment and destination situation based on the information obtained as a result of the selection or processing in S32, for example, the behavioral history information, and acquires various information by accessing the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50 according to the determination result (S13). For example, the control unit 11 acquires the determination result (knowledge DB determination) by the medical knowledge database 30, etc.

[0157] The control unit 11 determines the user's risk based on information acquired from the medical knowledge database 30 and the various service providing unit 50 (S14). If the control unit 11 determines that the user is not at risk (NO in S14), the process proceeds to S21, where it determines whether to terminate the application. If the control unit 11 determines that the user is at risk (YES in S14), the process proceeds to S15, where it determines whether the user has already engaged in behavior that creates the risk (S15). If the user has already engaged in behavior that creates the risk, such as visiting a location where an infectious disease cluster has occurred or an area where hay fever has begun to spread (YES in S15), the control unit 11 determines the onset time of the disease, which is a risk associated with the user's behavior, in S16.

[0158] The control unit 11 determines the optimal timing to conduct the medical interview based on the time when the user performed the behavior that created the risk and the time of the determination result of S16. For example, the control unit 11 determines the optimal timing to conduct the medical interview to be the prevention timing before the risk occurs or the timing when the risk occurs. The control unit 11 determines whether the optimal timing to conduct the medical interview has arrived (S17), and when the optimal timing has arrived (YES in S17), displays the medical interview display (S18). When the optimal timing to conduct the medical interview has not arrived (NO in S17), the control unit 11 proceeds to S21. Note that the control unit 11 also displays the medical interview display in S18 when it determines in S15 that the behavior has not been performed (NO in S15).

[0159] In this embodiment, a privacy level is set in the medical interview display in S18. For example, this setting may result in a display similar to that shown in FIG. 12 . The user refers to the medical interview display and answers the medical interview by, for example, operating the operation input unit. The control unit 11 determines in S19 whether or not the medical interview has been answered. If the medical interview has not been answered (NO in S19), the control unit 11 returns the process to S11. If the medical interview has been answered (YES in S19), the control unit 11 proceeds to S20.

[0160] The control unit 11 determines the occurrence of a risk based on the medical interview response. That is, if the user's medical interview response corresponds to the occurrence of a risk, the control unit 11 generates guide information for medical actions such as taking medication and visiting a hospital (S20). A guide display is displayed based on this guide information from the information transmission unit 16. The user refers to the guide display to determine whether useful information has been obtained. If the user determines that sufficient information has not been obtained from the guide display, the user performs an operation to conduct the medical interview again. Without medical knowledge, the user will not know which tests, such as blood tests, urine tests, endoscopies, CT scans, and MRIs, are required, and unless the user goes to a hospital that can perform such tests, they will have to go to another clinic again.

[0161] The control unit 11 determines whether a re-interview has been instructed (S33). If a re-interview has been instructed, the process returns to S18; if a re-interview has not been instructed, the process proceeds to S21. In the re-interview, the privacy level can be set again. For example, if the user resets the privacy level to make the information more open, the user's privacy may be less protected, but more useful information about the user's health risks may be more easily obtained. The processes of S18 to S20 and S33 are repeated until the user obtains the guide information they desire. In this way, the user's privacy can be protected while the user's desired information can be obtained.

[0162] The control unit 11 determines whether to terminate the application in S21, and returns the process to S11 if termination has not been instructed, and terminates the process if termination has been instructed.

[0163] (Display Example) FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display related to a medical interview. The display in the upper left column of FIG. 18 is an example of a display based on the user's behavioral history information, and the display in the upper right column is an example of a display based on regional pollen information provided by the various service providing unit 50. The control unit 11 displays behavioral display I11 shown in the upper left column of FIG. 18 on the display screen 10a based on the behavioral history information acquired and accumulated in S12 of FIG. 17 and opened to the application. The behavioral display I11 has date and time on the horizontal axis and movement amount on the vertical axis, and circles indicate the amount of movement, for example, relative to the user's home. From the behavioral display I11, it can be seen that the user's home is located in City A, and that during the latter half of the displayed period, the user traveled to City B, which is relatively far away.

[0164] Furthermore, the control unit 11 displays the cedar pollen amount display I12 shown in the upper right column of Fig. 18 on the display screen 10a based on the pollen information acquired in S13 of Fig. 17. The cedar pollen amount display I12 shows the amount of cedar pollen dispersed in City A and City B where the user stayed, with the same date and time on the horizontal axis as in the activity display I11 and the pollen amount on the vertical axis, and indicates the amount of cedar pollen dispersed in City B with circles. From the cedar pollen amount display I12, it can be seen that the amount of cedar pollen dispersed in City A was relatively low throughout the entire displayed period, while the amount dispersed in City B increased in the latter half of the displayed period. In other words, from the display of the activity display I11 and the cedar pollen amount display I12, the user can know that he or she visited City B during a period when cedar pollen dispersion was high.

[0165] The lower left column of Fig. 18 shows an example of the medical question display I13 in S18 of Fig. 17. In the medical question display I13, the display "Place with a lot of pollen" indicates that the user may have been in a place with a lot of pollen. The medical question display I13 also displays a medical question item asking "Are you okay with hay fever?" When the user touches this medical question item, the control unit 11 displays the guide display I14 shown in the lower right column of Fig. 18 in S20 of Fig. 17.

[0166] This guide display I14 indicates that measures to take against hay fever are displayed by displaying "Measures to take in areas with a lot of pollen." The guide display I14 displays a button display for "specialist clinic" and a button display for "over-the-counter medicine." By touching the button display for "specialist clinic," an introduction to a clinic specializing in hay fever is displayed (not shown), and by touching the button display for "over-the-counter medicine," an introduction to over-the-counter medicines for treating hay fever is displayed (not shown). By referring to the various displays in the lower column of FIG. 18, the user can easily answer the medical questionnaire and obtain information such as treatment methods for hay fever.

[0167] In this way, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained in this embodiment as well.

[0168] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some of the components shown in the embodiments may be omitted. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0169] Furthermore, among the technologies described herein, many of the controls and functions, mainly those described in the flowcharts, can be set by a program, and the above-described controls and functions can be realized by a computer reading and executing the program. The program can be recorded or stored, in whole or in part, as a computer program product on a portable medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM, or nonvolatile memory, or on a storage medium such as a hard disk or volatile memory, and can be distributed or provided at the time of product shipment, via a portable medium, or via a communication line. A user can easily realize the information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program of this embodiment by downloading the program via a communication network and installing it on a computer, or by installing it on a computer from a recording medium.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires behavioral history information of a user; and a control unit that supplies first behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, to a first determination unit that determines the user's risk of illness, and outputs second behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, as answer information for the questionnaire items based on the user's operation, for the questionnaire items based on the questionnaire information corresponding to the illness.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a display control unit that performs a display for setting the privacy level.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second behavioral history information are obtained by selecting or processing the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit based on the privacy level.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first behavioral history information and the second behavioral history information are obtained based on mutually different privacy levels.

5. The information processing device of claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that displays information for setting the privacy level, wherein the control unit instructs the display control unit to display information for setting the privacy level for obtaining the second behavioral history information when answering the questionnaire items.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit presents to the user guide information for medical actions created based on response information to the medical interview information.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit accepts a change in privacy level setting by the user to request the provision of further guide information in response to the presented guide information, and outputs answer information to the questionnaire items again.

8. An information processing device as described in claim 1, further comprising a second acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating the environment for each region, and wherein the first determination unit determines the name of the disease and the timing of onset if it determines that the user is at risk of illness based on the first behavioral history information and the environmental information.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit receives the medical interview information at a timing based on the onset timing from a medical interview presentation unit that generates medical interview information having medical interview items corresponding to the disease name.

10. The information processing device described in claim 8, wherein, when the environmental information is information about an area having disease-specific patient information including a disease with a specific disease name, the control unit processes information about the user's visited places based on the behavioral history information into information in accordance with the privacy level set by the user and uses it as the response information.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition unit is configured by a mobile terminal carried by the user and automatically acquires the behavior history information sequentially.

12. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the second acquisition unit accesses a database that stores the environmental information for each region and acquires the environmental information for each region.

13. The information processing device of claim 8, wherein the first acquisition unit acquires the user's behavioral history information and the user's biometric information, and the first determination unit determines the name of the disease and the timing of onset based on the first behavioral history information, the first biometric information restricted based on the privacy level set by the user for the biometric information acquired by the first acquisition unit, and the environmental information.

14. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein the first determination unit determines the name and onset timing of the disease by accessing a knowledge database.

15. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the medical interview presentation unit determines the medical interview items corresponding to the disease name by accessing a knowledge database.

16. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior history information acquired by the first acquisition unit includes information on the user's past behavior history and the user's future behavior plans.

17. An information processing system comprising: a first device that collects and stores behavioral history information of a plurality of users; a database that stores environmental information for each region; a knowledge database that stores a plurality of pieces of medical diagnosis information; an inference model that infers the name and onset timing of a disease that will occur in a specific user of the plurality of users based on first behavioral history information, the environmental information, and the medical diagnosis information, the first behavioral history information being restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first device, and generates medical interview information having interview items corresponding to the disease name; a medical interview presentation device that presents the interview items based on the medical interview information to the user at a timing based on the onset timing; and a control unit that outputs second behavioral history information, the second behavioral history information being restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first device, as answer information for the interview items based on the medical interview information, based on an operation of the user.

18. An information processing method, in which a first acquisition unit acquires behavioral history information of a user; a control unit supplies first behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, to a first determination unit that determines the user's risk of illness, and outputs second behavioral history information, which has been restricted based on a privacy level set by the user for the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit, for a medical interview item based on medical interview information corresponding to the illness, as answer information for the medical interview item based on the user's operation.

19. An information processing program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: acquire user behavioral history information; supply first behavioral history information, in which restrictions have been imposed on the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit based on a privacy level set by the user, to a first determination unit that determines the user's risk of illness; and output second behavioral history information, in which restrictions have been imposed on the behavioral history information acquired by the first acquisition unit based on a privacy level set by the user for a medical interview item based on medical interview information corresponding to the illness, as answer information for the medical interview item based on the user's operation.

20. An information processing method, in which a first acquisition unit acquires behavioral history information of a user, and a control unit supplies the first behavioral history information to a first determination unit that determines a health risk of the user, and processes second behavioral history information required by a questionnaire item based on questionnaire information corresponding to the health risk, and outputs the processed second behavioral history information as answer information for the questionnaire item based on a consent operation of the user.

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