JP7510739B2 - Apparatus, method and program for continuously providing medication instructions after dispensing medicine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and program for providing continuous medication instructions after medication is dispensed.

Currently, after receiving a diagnosis from a doctor, a patient presents the issued prescription to a pharmacy and receives the medication from a pharmacist. When receiving the medication, the patient receives medication instructions from the pharmacist. Patent Document 1 by the applicant discloses technology that enables pharmacists to provide sufficient medication instructions to patients.

Patent No. 6381088

As such, pharmacists provide guidance to patients so that they can take their medications appropriately, and there are techniques to make this easier; however, because patients do not visit pharmacists frequently, there are limited opportunities for pharmacists to provide guidance to patients over the entire period of medication use, and pharmacists are unable to fully grasp whether the medications prescribed to a patient are producing the expected effects without side effects, or whether the medications are being taken appropriately in the first place.

If pharmacists could continue to communicate with each patient after dispensing medication, they would be able to continue to understand the patient's condition; however, each pharmacist deals with a large number of patients, and it is currently unrealistic for them to continue communicating with all patients. As an example, if a pharmacy is visited by 100 patients per day and is open 20 days a month, it will dispense medication to 2,000 patients per month. Since multiple medications are often dispensed at one time, the total number of medications amounts to several thousand. If pharmacists cannot fully understand the patient's condition, they will not be able to provide appropriate guidance to each patient.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a device, method, or program for continuously providing medication instructions after medication is dispensed.

In order to achieve this object, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for continuously providing medication instructions after dispensing a drug, comprising the steps of: selecting one or more questions associated with the drug based on the drug name or drug identifier of the drug contained in prescription information received from a first terminal used by the patient; transmitting question information including the question text or question identifier of the one or more questions and the answer text or answer identifier of a plurality of candidate answers to each question to the first terminal; receiving answer information including the answer text or answer identifier of the answer selected by the patient from the first terminal; and determining whether the answer contained in the answer information is appropriate, and if it is inappropriate, generating an alert to be displayed on a second terminal used by a pharmacist.

The second aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, characterized in that the alert includes an answer sentence or answer identifier of the answer determined to be inappropriate and a question sentence or question identifier of the corresponding question.

The third aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, characterized in that the selection is made by referring to a correspondence between the drug and a set of questions.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is the third aspect, characterized in that the selection is made in descending order of priority assigned to each question among a set of questions associated with the drug included in the prescription information.

The fifth aspect of the present invention is the fourth aspect, characterized in that, if the answer included in the answer information is correct, the priority of the question corresponding to the answer determined to be correct is lowered for a predetermined period of time.

The sixth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, further comprising a step of receiving guidance information including a guidance text or guidance identifier for the drug that is the subject of the alert from the second terminal, and transmitting the guidance information to the first terminal.

The seventh aspect of the present invention is the first aspect, characterized in that when the prescription information includes multiple drugs, the group of each drug is determined, and the selection is made for one or more drugs that belong to the group with the highest priority.

In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a program for causing a computer to execute a method for providing continuous medication instructions after dispensing a drug includes the steps of: selecting one or more questions associated with a drug based on the drug name or drug identifier of the drug included in prescription information received from a first terminal used by a patient; transmitting question information including a question sentence or question identifier of the one or more questions and a plurality of answer sentences or answer identifiers of answer candidates for each question to the first terminal; receiving answer information including an answer sentence or answer identifier of an answer selected by the patient from the first terminal; and determining whether the answer included in the answer information is appropriate, and if it is inappropriate, generating an alert to be displayed on a second terminal used by a pharmacist.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is a device for continuously providing medication instructions after dispensing a drug, which selects one or more questions associated with the drug based on the drug name or drug identifier of the drug included in prescription information received from a first terminal used by the patient, transmits question information including the question text or question identifier of the one or more questions and the answer text or answer identifier of multiple candidate answers to each question to the first terminal, receives answer information including the answer text or answer identifier of the answer selected by the patient from the first terminal, determines whether the answer included in the answer information is appropriate, and if it is inappropriate, generates an alert to be displayed on a second terminal used by a pharmacist.

According to one aspect of the present invention, one or more questions are selected based on the patient's prescription information and transmitted to the patient's terminal, and an alert can be displayed on the pharmacist's terminal if the corresponding answer is inappropriate. This makes it possible to grasp the patient's condition after dispensing medication, efficiently detect patients who may be experiencing problems from among a large number of patients, and prioritize the most necessary medication instructions.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flow diagram of a method in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of prescription information generated in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a patient's answer screen in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an alert notification screen for a pharmacist in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a message sending screen for a pharmacist to send a message including medication instructions to a patient in one embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 includes a server 110, a first terminal 120 used by a patient, and a second terminal 130 used by a pharmacy or a pharmacist, which are capable of communicating with each other via the server 100.

The first terminal 120 can be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, and is equipped with an image sensor to capture an image of a two-dimensional code 141 representing the prescription information written on a prescription and generate the prescription information. The two-dimensional code 141 is written on a document 140 that is provided together with the medicine, such as a medication record data sheet, and the patient can take a picture of this using the first terminal 120, for example, at home.

The server 110 includes a communication unit 111 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 112 such as a processor or CPU, and a storage unit 113 including a storage device or storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk, and can be configured by executing a program for performing each process, and may include one or more devices, computers, or servers. The server 110 may further include a database 114 for storing data required for sending a question sentence, which will be described later, in addition to the storage unit 113, but in the following description, these will not be distinguished and will be referred to as the storage unit 113. The program may include one or more programs, and may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium to form a non-transient program product. The program may be stored in a storage device or storage medium accessible from the storage unit 113 or the server 110, and can be executed by the processing unit 112. Although not shown, the first terminal 120 and the second terminal 130 may also be configured in a similar manner. An application for enabling continuous medication instruction according to this embodiment is installed in each of the first terminal 120 and the second terminal 130 as necessary.

Figure 2 shows a flow chart of a method for continuously providing medication instructions after dispensing medicines according to this embodiment. First, the patient photographs a two-dimensional code 141 written on a document 140 at home or the like using a first terminal device 120 such as a smartphone and transmits the generated prescription information to the server 110 (S201). Here, the two-dimensional code 141 has been described as being written on the document 140, but it may also be received electronically by the first terminal 120, and the prescription information represented by the two-dimensional code 141 may be generated by processing the two-dimensional code 141.

Figure 3 shows an example of the generated prescription information. The patient name is "Nakao Yutaka", the drug name is "Mucodyne Tablets 250 mg", and the drug identifier is the YJ code "2233002F1174". As shown in the figure, drug names other than "Mucodyne Tablets 250 mg" are written, and information on multiple drugs may be included in the prescription information. The format of the prescription information 300 is not necessarily the same depending on the system that generated the two-dimensional code 141. Furthermore, the prescription information is not limited to that represented by the two-dimensional code 141, but may include at least one of the drug name and drug identifier of one or multiple drugs.

When the prescription information includes multiple drugs, the server 110 determines the priority order between the drugs as necessary (S202). For example, the drugs may be divided into a first group including narcotics, anticancer drugs, etc. that may cause serious side effects, a second group including drugs in the first group that may cause milder but higher-risk side effects, a third group including drugs that are less likely to cause side effects but require continued drug-taking instructions, and a fourth group including other drugs. In one embodiment, the group is determined for each of the multiple drugs included in the prescription information, and one or more drugs in the highest priority group are targeted for further processing, so that the most necessary drug-taking instructions can be given priority.

Next, the server 110 selects one or more questions from the set of questions associated with each drug for the drugs included in the prescription information (S203), and transmits question information including question texts or question identifiers of the multiple questions to the first terminal 120 (S204). The server 110 stores the association between the drug and the set of questions in the storage unit 113 or a storage medium or storage device accessible from the server 110, and can extract at least a part of the set of questions based on the drug name or drug identifier included in the prescription information received from the first terminal 120. In one embodiment, during or after the extraction, a predetermined number of top questions can be selected as questions to be sent to the first terminal 120 with reference to the priority assigned to each question. The selected questions can be sent periodically or in response to receiving some kind of notification from the first terminal 120, and can be sent at various times.

As an example, the following 14 questions may be associated with the drug "insulin."
"Do you store unused insulin in the refrigerator?"
"Do you check to see if any liquid comes out before you give the injection?"
"Did you press the injection button all the way until it stopped?"
"After pressing the injection button, do you count the specified number of seconds before removing the needle?"
"Can insulin be stored at room temperature (1-30°C) after opening?"
Do you dispose of needles after one use?
"Do you know how to dispose of used needles?"
"Does the injection site bleed after the injection?"
"Has the skin at the injection site become hard?"
"Are you careful not to inject into the same area consecutively?"
Do you have any pain or numbness in your toes, soles, or fingers?
"Are you having trouble seeing things or reading text?"
"Are you having trouble urinating or getting bloated easily?"
"Do you get tired easily or short of breath even with a little movement?"

Each question may be assigned a score, and the questions may be prioritized according to the score, with the top three questions being selected. In order to grasp the patient's condition more efficiently, the priority may be determined taking into consideration information other than prescription information, such as the past response history of the patient who sent the question information, and the past response history of patients other than the patient who sent the question information.

In the first terminal 120, at least a part of the multiple questions and multiple answer candidates for each question included in the received question information is displayed on the display screen 400, and answer information including the answer sentence or answer identifier of the answer selected by the patient, preferably by tapping or clicking, is transmitted to the server 110 (S205). FIG. 4 shows an example of the answer screen. Three question sentences are displayed, and multiple answer candidates are displayed selectably for each question. In other words, as an example, the question information transmitted from the server 110 is preferably in a format in which multiple answer candidates for each question can be displayed selectably by tapping on a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet. In FIG. 4, questions 3 and after that, which are displayed by scrolling, are omitted. The server 110 associates the received answer information with at least one of the patient who answered and the prescription information entered by the patient, and stores it in the memory unit 113 or a storage medium or storage device accessible from the server 110.

The server 110 determines whether the answer statement or answer identifier included in the received answer information is appropriate (S206), and if it is inappropriate, generates an alert to be displayed on the second terminal 130 (S207). In this way, the pharmacist using the second terminal 130 can continue to grasp the patient's condition even after dispensing the medicine, and efficiently detect patients who may be experiencing problems from among a large number of patients, that is, efficiently triage them and prioritize the most necessary medication instructions.

If the determination result is appropriate, the server 110 preferably stores the fact that the question was answered appropriately (S208) and lowers the priority of the question so that the question is not selected for a specified period of time. This makes it possible to grasp the patient's condition in more detail and more efficiently detect patients who may be experiencing problems, and prioritize the most necessary medication instructions. Examples of the specified period include January, March, etc. However, since the question information includes multiple questions, it is expected that some questions will be answered appropriately and other questions will be answered inappropriately.

The server 110 can determine whether an answer is appropriate by referring to the correspondence between the answer and its appropriateness. The correspondence can be stored in the memory unit 113 or a storage medium or storage device accessible from the server 110. Specifically, a flag of 1 can be set for an appropriate answer and a flag of 0 can be set for an inappropriate answer, and among the possible answers to the question "Do you check to see if the liquid will come out before injecting?", "I check" can be assigned a 1, and "I sometimes forget," "I don't check," and "I don't know how to do it" can be assigned a 0.

The generated alert may be viewed by the second terminal 130 accessing a website provided by the server 110, or may be sent to an application installed on the second terminal 130 and viewed on the application. As an example, the alert may display the question to which the inappropriate answer was given and the answer to the question, and may prompt the pharmacist to create a message for the patient as necessary. FIG. 5 shows an example of an alert notification screen. In the above explanation, the server 110 has generated an alert based on the prescription information received, but it is also possible to receive input information in a form other than a question from the first terminal 110 and generate an alert based on a predetermined judgment criterion. Examples of such input information include body condition such as body temperature and number of bowel movements, as shown in FIG. 5.

The pharmacist using the second terminal 130 checks the displayed alert, and if it is determined that a response is necessary, generates a message including medication instructions for the patient (S209). An example of a message creation screen is shown in FIG. 6. The pharmacist can select an instruction message for the drug that is the subject of the alert, and can send a message including the selected instruction message to the first terminal 110 via the server 110 (S210). From the perspective of the server 110, the flow is as follows: instruction information including an instruction message or instruction identifier for the drug that is the subject of the alert is received from the second terminal 130, and the instruction information is sent to the first terminal 110.

In the above explanation, the case where the server 110 receives prescription information for the first time has been described. However, when prescription information including the same drug is received from the same patient, the questions may be selected independently, or the priority of questions that have been answered appropriately may be lowered based on the past answer history of the patient.

Please note that unless the word "only" is used, such as "based only on," "depending only on," or "only in the case of," this specification assumes that additional information may be taken into consideration. As an example, please note that the statement "do b when a" does not necessarily mean "do b always when a" or "do b immediately after a" unless expressly stated. Furthermore, the statement "each a constituting A" does not necessarily mean that A is composed of multiple components, but includes the case where the component is singular.

For the avoidance of doubt, even if there is an aspect of a method, program, terminal, device, server, or system (hereinafter "method, etc.") that performs an operation different from that described in this specification, each aspect of the present invention is directed to an operation identical to any of the operations described in this specification, and the existence of an operation different from that described in this specification does not cause the method, etc. to fall outside the scope of each aspect of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 System 110 Server 111 Communication unit 112 Processing unit 113 Storage unit 114 Database 120 First terminal 130 Second terminal 140 Document 141 Two-dimensional code 300 Prescription information 400 Answer screen 500 Alert notification screen 600 Message creation screen

Claims (7)

A method for continuously providing medication instructions after dispensing a drug, comprising:
A computer selects one or more questions associated with a drug based on a drug name or drug identifier of the drug included in the prescription information;
A step in which the computer transmits question information including question sentences or question identifiers of the one or more questions and answer sentences or answer identifiers of multiple answer candidates to each question to a first terminal used by the patient ;
receiving answer information including an answer sentence or an answer identifier of an answer selected by the patient from the first terminal by the computer;
The computer determines whether the answer included in the answer information is appropriate, and if the answer is inappropriate, generates an alert to be displayed on a second terminal used by a pharmacist;
The method includes a step of receiving guidance information from the second terminal, the guidance information including a guidance text or a guidance identifier for the drug that is the subject of the alert, and transmitting a message based on the guidance information to the first terminal. 2. The method of claim 1 ,
The instruction sentence or the instruction identifier is selected from a plurality of options by the pharmacist using the second terminal. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The alert includes an answer sentence or an answer identifier of the answer determined to be inappropriate and a question sentence or a question identifier of the corresponding question. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The selection is made with reference to a correspondence between the drug and a set of questions. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
The selection is performed in order of priority given to each question among a set of questions associated with the drug contained in the prescription information. A program for causing a computer to execute a method for continuously providing medication instruction after delivery of a medicine, the method comprising:
The computer selects one or more questions associated with the drug based on a drug name or a drug identifier of the drug included in the prescription information;
A step in which the computer transmits question information including question sentences or question identifiers of the one or more questions and answer sentences or answer identifiers of multiple answer candidates to each question to a first terminal used by a patient ;
receiving answer information including an answer sentence or an answer identifier of an answer selected by the patient from the first terminal by the computer;
The computer determines whether the answer included in the answer information is appropriate, and if the answer is inappropriate, generates an alert to be displayed on a second terminal used by a pharmacist;
The method includes a step of receiving guidance information from the second terminal, the guidance information including a guidance text or a guidance identifier for the drug that is the subject of the alert, and transmitting a message based on the guidance information to the first terminal. A device for continuously providing medication instructions after dispensing a drug ,
A processing unit that selects one or more questions associated with a drug based on a drug name or a drug identifier of the drug included in the prescription information;
a communication unit that transmits question information including question sentences or question identifiers of the one or more questions and answer sentences or answer identifiers of a plurality of answer candidates to each question to a first terminal used by a patient , and receives answer information including the answer sentences or answer identifiers of the answers selected by the patient from the first terminal;
Equipped with
determining whether the answer included in the answer information is appropriate or not, and if the answer is inappropriate, generating an alert to be displayed on a second terminal used by a pharmacist;
The device is configured to receive guidance information from the second terminal, the guidance information including a guidance text or a guidance identifier for the drug that is the subject of the alert, and to transmit a message based on the guidance information to the first terminal.

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