JP7651156B2 - Remote medical examination and medication instruction system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a remote medical treatment and medication instruction system.

Various methods have been proposed for remotely conducting medical treatment using information and communication technology.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system in which a patient uses a terminal device to self-diagnose and self-measure blood pressure and other parameters, and transmits the results to a server. If the server determines that the results of the interview or measurement are abnormal, a doctor can make a remote diagnosis.

Patent document 2 describes a system in which a call center operator talks to the patient over the phone, asks questions, and then calls a doctor suited to the patient based on the results of the questions.

Patent document 3 describes a system that searches for and displays dispensing pharmacies that can dispense the drugs listed in the prescription data, as well as the dispensing costs for each dispensing pharmacy.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-312430 JP 2019-185518 A JP 2018-156165 A

However, there is no system yet available that focuses on facilitating the use of information related to remote medical care and medication instructions, or on actively supporting the use of these applications to improve the user experience in remote medical care and medication instructions.

In this regard, in recent years, "medicine notebooks," which were previously provided on paper, have been digitized and patients' prescription dispensing histories are being managed using applications that can be used on smartphones, PCs (Personal Computers), etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "medicine notebook apps").

However, existing medicine notebook apps are primarily intended to manage information about dispensing offline. As a result, there have been no sufficient proposals yet on how to effectively use medicine notebook apps in remote medical consultations and remote medication instructions as described above.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a highly convenient remote medical treatment and medication instruction system.

According to one embodiment, the remote medical treatment and medication instruction system includes a patient terminal and a management device, the patient terminal having a medical interview information input unit that presents questions for a medical interview and obtains answers to the questions as medical interview information, and the management device has a remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit that selects a doctor that can provide remote medical treatment or a pharmacy that can provide remote medication instructions to the patient based on the medical interview information.
According to one embodiment, the medical interview information input unit presents a first question for estimating the medical subject or disease name, followed by a second question specific to the estimated medical subject or disease name.
According to one embodiment, the patient terminal further has a medical interview information storage unit that stores at least a portion of the input answers, and the medical interview information input unit sets the answers stored in the medical interview information storage unit as the initial value of the medical interview information.
According to one embodiment, a concierge terminal is provided instead of or in addition to the patient terminal, and the concierge terminal has a medical interview information input/viewing unit that accepts input of the medical interview information obtained by the concierge from the patient.
According to one embodiment, the medical interview information input/viewing unit verifies the identity of the patient by comparing personal identification information obtained from the patient by the concierge with medical records stored in the management device.
According to one embodiment, the pharmacy further comprises a pharmacy terminal used by the pharmacy, the pharmacy terminal having a prescription information input/viewing unit that outputs a list of the patients to whom medicines have been shipped.
According to one embodiment, the management device further includes a prescription information management unit that stores content that explains how to take medicines.
According to one embodiment, the pharmacy further includes a pharmacy terminal used by the pharmacy, the pharmacy terminal having a prescription information input/viewing unit that accepts questions from the patient who has viewed the content and provides medication instructions.
According to one embodiment, the dispensing information management unit records the state of the medication instruction and stores it together with the content.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical treatment and medication instruction system further includes a medical institution terminal used by the doctor, the medical institution terminal having a medical information input unit that records the details of the remote medical treatment conducted between the doctor and the patient.
According to one embodiment, the patient terminal has a means for viewing at least one of the record of the remote medication instruction and the record of the remote medical treatment.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical care and medication instruction system has a medical interview information input unit that presents questions for a medical interview, obtains answers to the questions as medical interview information, and selects a doctor or pharmacy to visit from among doctors who can provide remote medical care to the patient or pharmacies who can provide remote medication instructions to the patient, selected based on the medical interview information.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical care and medication instruction system has a patient terminal, a management device, and a pharmacy terminal, wherein the pharmacy terminal transmits information about medication shipped to the patient to the management device, the patient terminal transmits a comparison result between the information about the shipped medication and the medication received by the patient to the management device, and the management device transmits a shipping notification including information about the shipped medication to the patient terminal and transmits a receipt notification including the comparison result to the pharmacy terminal.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical consultation and medication instruction system has a management device and a medical institution terminal or a pharmacy terminal, the management device stores prescription information or dispensing information related to a patient, and the medical institution terminal or the pharmacy terminal performs online medical consultation or online medication instruction while referring to the prescription information or dispensing information.
According to one embodiment, in the remote medical care and medication instruction system, the online medical care includes providing an online explanation of a medical examination or test result.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical care and medication instruction system is such that the online medication instruction includes providing medication other than medicines or providing dietary advice online.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical care and medication instruction system identifies the patient by image recognition or reading of identification information, and the patient includes an animal.
According to one embodiment, the remote medical care and medication instruction system has a management device that stores patient information, medical interview information, diagnostic information, prescription information or dispensing information relating to a patient, and provides the patient information, medical interview information, diagnostic information, prescription information or dispensing information in response to a request from the medical institution terminal or the pharmacy terminal based on the patient's prior authorization.

The present invention provides a highly convenient remote medical care and medication instruction system.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a correlation diagram of typical users of the remote medical care and medication instruction system 1. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the remote medical treatment and medication instruction system 1.

The following describes in detail specific embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1 includes a patient terminal 10 used by patients, a concierge terminal 20, a management device 30, a medical institution terminal 50 used by medical institutions, and a pharmacy terminal 70 used by pharmacies. The management device 30 is connected to the patient terminal 10, the medical institution terminal 50, and the pharmacy terminal 70 via a network 90 so as to be able to communicate with them.

Figure 1B is a correlation diagram of a typical user who uses the system 1. A patient using the patient terminal 10 performs a preliminary interview by himself or herself, or with the support of a concierge using the concierge terminal 20. After that, the patient accesses a doctor using the medical institution terminal 50 and receives medical treatment remotely. When the doctor prescribes a drug, the doctor transmits prescription data to a pharmacist using the pharmacy terminal 70. Note that the prescription data may be sent directly from the doctor to the pharmacy (pharmacist) or may be sent via a concierge. The pharmacist prepares the drug, delivers it to the patient, and provides medication instructions remotely. Note that in this paper, the service provided by the pharmacy (pharmacist) to the patient, including preparation of the drug and medication instructions, is referred to as dispensing. Records of the interview, medical treatment, prescription, and dispensing are stored in the management device 10. Each of the patient terminal 10, the medical institution terminal 50, and the pharmacy terminal 70 can access the necessary information on the management device 10.

The patient terminal 10, concierge terminal 20, medical institution terminal 50, and pharmacy terminal 70 are typically information processing devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and PCs (personal computers). The management device 30 is typically an information processing resource accessible via a network 90 such as a server computer, cloud computing environment, edge computing environment, or fog computing environment. These information processing devices (information processing environments) include hardware such as a CPU (central processing unit), storage device, communication device, display device, and input device, and the CPU can read and execute programs stored in the storage device to realize the following specified functions.

2A to 2E are block diagrams showing an example of a functional configuration of the remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1 according to the embodiment. The remote medical examination and medication instruction system 1 includes an information providing unit 101, a remote medical examination and medication instruction application unit 102, a patient information input and storage unit 103, a dispensing information input and storage unit 105, a medical interview information input unit 107, a medical interview information storage unit 109, an evaluation information input unit 111, a payment processing unit 113, a patient information input and viewing unit 201, a medical interview information input and viewing unit 203, a diagnosis information input and viewing unit 205, a prescription information input and viewing unit 207, a dispensing information input and viewing unit 209, an accounting information input and viewing unit 211, a patient information management unit 300, a dispensing The system has an information management unit 301, a medical interview information management unit 303, an evaluation information management unit 305, a diagnosis information management unit 307, a prescription information management unit 309, a payment processing unit 311, a remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313, a patient information viewing unit 500, a medical interview information viewing unit 501, a dispensing information viewing unit 503, a diagnosis information input and viewing unit 505, a prescription information input and viewing unit 507, an accounting processing unit 509, a patient information viewing unit 700, a medical interview information viewing unit 701, a dispensing information input and viewing unit 703, a prescription information viewing unit 705, and an accounting processing unit 709. A typical implementation example of each processing unit is shown below. However, it is basically arbitrary which of the hardware shown in FIG. 1 each processing unit is implemented in, and for example, a certain processing unit may be distributed and implemented in multiple hardware units.

<Patient terminal>
The patient terminal 10 includes an information providing unit 101, a remote medical examination and medication instruction application unit 102, a patient information input and storage unit 103, a dispensing information input and storage unit 105, a medical interview information input unit 107, a medical interview information storage unit 109, an evaluation information input unit 111, and a payment processing unit 113. These processing units can be realized as one function of a medicine notebook app that runs on the patient terminal 10. The medicine notebook app may be implemented in any form, such as a local application or a web application. Note that the present invention is not limited to implementation in the medicine notebook app, and can be provided in any form, such as a dedicated app specialized for remote medical examination and medication instruction.

The information providing unit 101 provides various information to patients. Typically, a medicine notebook app can provide a news distribution function and a function to introduce excellent doctors.

News distribution function: The information provider 101 displays on the screen news received from the management device 30 or other distribution servers, etc., as well as advertisements provided by sponsors, etc.

Featured doctor introduction function: The information provider 101 can display evaluation information acquired from the evaluation information manager 305 (described later) along with the profile of the doctor providing remote medical care via the system 1. The doctor's profile may include, for example, diseases for which the doctor has a track record of treating the patient.

The remote medical examination and medication instruction application unit 102 accepts applications for remote medical examination and medication instruction from patients. For example, the remote medical examination and medication instruction application unit 102 detects that the "Online medical examination and medication instruction" menu in the medicine notebook app has been selected, and requests the remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 (described later) of the management device 30 to start the remote medical examination and medication instruction process.

The remote medical treatment and medication instruction application unit 102 can accept the following requests when applying.
Pharmacy designation: We accept advance designation of pharmacies that will provide remote medication instructions.
Designation of doctor: A doctor who will perform remote medical treatment is designated in advance. For example, a specific doctor can be selected from the best doctor introduction function of the information providing unit 101 and designated as the doctor to be requested for remote medical treatment.

The remote medical consultation and medication guidance application unit 102 may also accept remote medical consultation and medication guidance only for specific chronic diseases. Since it is possible to assume to some extent the contents of medical treatment and the types of medicines to be prescribed for chronic diseases, it is easy to assign, for example, a doctor familiar with the treatment of a specific chronic disease or a pharmacy that has a specific medicine in stock. In other words, by limiting the target of remote medical consultation and medication guidance to chronic diseases, it is possible to reduce the burden on doctors who have to deal with remote medical treatment for a wide range of diseases and the burden on pharmacies who have to stock a large number of medicines. In this case, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance application unit 102 detects that a "chronic disease-specific online medical consultation and medication guidance" menu provided in the medicine notebook app has been selected, and displays several predetermined chronic disease names. When it detects that the patient has selected a specific chronic disease name, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance application unit 102 requests the remote medical consultation and medication guidance management unit 313 (described later) of the management device 30 to start a remote medical consultation and medication guidance process for the specific chronic disease.

The patient information input and storage unit 103 accepts input of patient information. The patient information includes, for example, the patient's health insurance card information (including identification information linked to the health insurance card, such as health insurance card number or My Number), payment information (including information necessary for cashless payment, such as credit card information), attribute information (name, age, sex, address, etc.), results of past medical examinations, medical history, side effects, allergy history, etc. The patient information input and storage unit 103 associates the input patient information with a patient ID and transmits it to the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30. The patient information management unit 300 stores the received patient information.

The patient may also send documents containing patient information (e.g., health insurance card, credit card, or results of past medical examinations) to the concierge by any means, such as fax or email. The patient information input and storage unit 103 may also be provided with a means for uploading these images. The information contained in the transmitted images is input by the concierge from the patient information input and viewing unit 201. Alternatively, the patient information input and viewing unit 201 may input patient information that has been digitized by automated means such as OCR.

In addition, patients can import various medical data about themselves from any data source and register it as patient information. For example, the patient information input and storage unit 103 requests a testing company's server (not shown) to transmit the patient's test data held by the server. At this time, if necessary, information indicating the patient's consent (ID, passcode, etc.) can be transmitted. The patient information input and storage unit 103 transmits the received test data to the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30 for storage.

The patient information input and storage unit 103 can also accept the registration of a referral letter that the patient has received from a doctor in the past. The referral letter may have been issued either online or offline. The patient information input and storage unit 103 may accept the contents of the referral letter as text data. Alternatively, it may accept the input of online location information where the contents of the referral letter are stored. Alternatively, it may accept the input of data in which this information is encoded (QR code (registered trademark), etc.). Alternatively, it may accept the input of an image of the referral letter. The information contained in the image may be input from the patient information input and viewing unit 201 by a concierge, or the patient information input and viewing unit 201 may convert the information into data using automated means such as OCR and input it.

Preferably, the patient information input/storage unit 103 can give the doctor listed on the referral letter permission to access the patient's personal information in advance. That is, in the management device 30, restrictions are placed on access to various personal information only when a passcode issued based on the patient's will is entered. The patient information input/storage unit 103 issues a passcode for accessing each processing unit of the management device 30 to the medical institution terminal 50 of the doctor. The passcode may be a one-time passcode that allows one-time access only, or a passcode that allows access permanently or for a specified period of time. This allows the doctor listed on the referral letter to access the patient's medical information at any time, even when an unexpected incident occurs to the patient.

The patient information input and storage unit 103 can also save a copy of the patient information managed by the patient information management unit 300 and the patient ID issued by the patient information management unit 300 in the patient terminal 10. It can also edit the saved information and send it again to the patient information management unit 300. The patient information management unit 300 stores the received patient information.

The dispensing information input and storage unit 105 is the main function of the medicine notebook app, and stores and displays the patient's dispensing information. Dispensing information is a history of dispensing that the pharmacy has performed on the patient, and includes, for example, the patient ID, dispensing date, drug name and amount, and records of medication instructions. Dispensing information is typically input from the dispensing information input unit 705 of the pharmacy terminal 70 each time a drug is dispensed, and is accumulated in the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30. The dispensing information input and storage unit 105 can copy dispensing information related to its own patient ID from the dispensing information management unit 301 and store it in the patient terminal 10 or display it on a display device.

The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 may also include a means for viewing various contents for medication instructions (such as videos and texts prepared in advance to explain to patients how to take medication, etc.) stored in the dispensing information management unit 301, and for receiving remote medication instructions by sending and receiving messages to and from the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70.

In addition, the dispensing information input/storage unit 105 may be provided with a means for transmitting a notification of receipt of the medicine to the management device 30 when the medicine delivered from the pharmacy is received. For example, when the scheduled arrival date of the medicine approaches, the remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 313 of the management device 30 transmits a notification including a message such as "Did the medicine arrive?" and a list of the medicines that have been shipped. The message or list may be in any format including text, image, photo, video, or audio. The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 displays the received notification on the screen and prompts the user to check the contents of the shipping list against the medicines actually received. The user checks for himself whether the contents of the shipping list and the medicines received match in type and number, and notifies the remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 313 of the confirmation result. Typically, the dispensing information input/storage unit 105 displays buttons such as "correct" and "wrong" on the screen, and notifies the remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 313 of the contents of the button selected by the user. If "Incorrect" is selected, the dispensing information input/storage unit 105 may provide a function to have the patient input information about the received medication and upload it to the remote medical care/medication instruction management unit 313. The information about the received medication can be input in any format, including text, images, photos, videos, audio, etc.

The medical interview information input unit 107 accepts input of medical interview information by a patient. The medical interview refers to questions asked prior to receiving remote medical treatment and medication instructions, and the medical interview information refers to the answers to those questions. The medical interview information includes answers to questions such as "What are your symptoms today?" (chief complaint), "What illnesses have you had in the past?" (medical history), and "Have you ever had an allergy?" (allergy history). The questions are typically sent from the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30. The medical interview information input unit 107 displays these questions on the screen of the patient terminal 10 and can acquire answers selected or freely entered by the patient. The medical interview information input unit 107 transmits the acquired medical interview information to the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30. The medical interview information management unit 303 stores the received medical interview information in association with the patient ID of the sender.

The medical interview information storage unit 109 is a means for storing reusable medical interview information that has been input by the patient in the past. For example, information such as medical history and allergy history does not change frequently, and it is highly likely that the same information will be input each time a medical interview is conducted. Therefore, this medical interview information is reusable. The medical interview information storage unit 109 stores reusable medical interview information that the patient inputs during a medical interview, and can have reusable answers pre-entered in the answer input field of the medical interview information input unit 107 at the time of the next medical interview. This can significantly reduce the effort required for inputting medical interview information.

The patient can also edit the stored medical interview information as appropriate. That is, when accepting input of medical interview information, the medical interview information input unit 107 allows editing of the initial values input in advance. The medical interview information storage unit 109 stores the edited medical interview information, and the edited medical interview information can be reused as the initial value at the next medical interview. This allows the patient to update and deepen the content of the medical interview information.

In this embodiment, the medical interview information storage unit 109 is provided in the patient terminal 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be provided in the management device 30, for example. In this case, the reusable medical interview information is stored in association with the patient ID. This makes it possible to reuse part of the medical interview information even when the same patient uses multiple different patient terminals 10.

The evaluation information input unit 111 accepts input of evaluation of the doctor by the patient. Typically, after the remote medical treatment is completed, the evaluation information input unit 111 allows the patient to input an evaluation of the doctor who was in charge of the medical treatment, for example, by selecting an evaluation value from several levels. Free comments may also be input. The evaluations input by individual patients are transmitted as evaluation information to the evaluation information management unit 305 of the management device 30. The evaluation information is accumulated and processed by the evaluation information management unit 305, and is used by the information provision unit 101 and the like described above. The evaluation information input unit 111 may also notify the medical institution terminal 50 of the content of the input evaluation. Such feedback enables the doctor to improve the content of his or her medical treatment.

The evaluation information input unit 111 may also allow the patient to input evaluations of the pharmacy, the concierge, and the app that realizes the patient terminal 10 (such as a medicine notebook app) in a similar manner. These evaluations are notified to the pharmacy terminal 70, the concierge terminal 20, etc., and are fed back to each user. Note that, if the evaluation of the app that realizes the patient terminal 10 (such as a medicine notebook app) is above a predetermined standard (for example, 3 or more out of 5), the evaluation information input unit 111 may also prompt the patient to also enter an evaluation of the app on the app distribution platform.

The payment processing unit 113 obtains the billing amount for remote medical care, medication instructions, etc. from the payment agency processing unit 311 of the management device 30. That is, the payment agency processing unit 311 of the management device 30 automatically calculates the amount to be paid by the patient to the medical institution or pharmacy in relation to remote medical care, medication instructions, etc., and notifies the payment processing unit 113. The payment processing unit 113 receives the obtained billing amount from the patient. For example, the payment processing unit 113 has a function to execute payment by the patient using a credit card, debit card, electronic money, other payment agency services, etc. This so-called online cashless payment is a publicly known technology, so a description of the specific implementation method will be omitted in this article.

<Concierge terminal>
The concierge terminal 20 includes a patient information input/viewing unit 201, a medical interview information input/viewing unit 203, a diagnosis information input/viewing unit 205, a prescription information input/viewing unit 207, a dispensing information input/viewing unit 209, and an accounting information input/viewing unit 211. These processing units can be realized as functions of a concierge application that runs on the concierge terminal 20. The concierge application may be implemented in any form, such as a local application or a web application. The concierge can assist with various tasks while communicating with each user (patient, doctor, or pharmacist) at, for example, a call center.

The patient information input/viewing unit 201 accepts input of patient information obtained by the concierge from the patient. Obtaining information from the patient means obtaining information from the patient via telephone, video call, electronic transmission of text or images, or other remote communication means, or in person. Patient information that can be input includes, for example, health insurance card information (health insurance card number, etc.), payment information (credit card information, etc.), attribute information, etc. The patient information input unit 201 associates the input patient information with a patient ID and transmits it to the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30. The patient information management unit 300 stores the received patient information.

The concierge can also import various medical data and the like relating to the patient from any data source and register it as patient information. For example, the patient information input/viewing unit 201 requests the testing company's server (not shown) to transmit the patient's test data stored in the server. At this time, if necessary, information indicating consent from the patient or doctor (ID, passcode, etc.) can be transmitted. Here, the patient information input/viewing unit 201 either retains information indicating consent from the patient or doctor in advance, or asks the patient or doctor for consent. The patient information input/viewing unit 201 transmits the received test data to the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30 for storage.

The patient information input/viewing unit 201 can also accept the registration of a referral letter that the patient has received from a doctor in the past. The referral letter may have been issued online or offline. The patient information input/viewing unit 201 may accept the contents of the referral letter as text data. Alternatively, the patient information input/viewing unit 201 may accept the input of online location information where the contents of the referral letter are stored. Alternatively, the patient information input/viewing unit 201 may accept the input of encoded data (QR code (registered trademark), etc.) of this information. Alternatively, the patient information input/viewing unit 201 may ask the patient about the contents of the referral letter by receiving an image of the referral letter. The contents of the referral letter may be input by a concierge from the patient information input/viewing unit 201, or the patient information input/viewing unit 201 may digitize the image using automated means such as OCR and input it.

Preferably, the patient information input/viewing unit 201 can give the doctor listed on the referral letter access permission to the patient's personal information in advance. That is, in the management device 30, restrictions are placed on access to various personal information only when a passcode issued based on the patient's will is entered. The patient information input/viewing unit 201 issues a passcode for accessing each processing unit of the management device 30 to the medical institution terminal 50 of the doctor. The passcode may be a one-time passcode that allows one-time access, or a passcode that allows access permanently or for a specified period of time. This allows the doctor listed on the referral letter to access the patient's medical information at any time, even when an unexpected incident occurs to the patient.

The patient information input/viewing unit 201 can also view specific patient information stored in the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30. The viewable patient information also includes the patient ID issued by the patient information management unit 300. It may also be possible to provide an editing function or a copying function for the stored patient information. This makes it possible to update patient information or easily input new patient information.

The medical interview information input/viewing unit 203 accepts input of medical interview information obtained by the concierge from the patient. Questions used during the medical interview are sent from the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30. The medical interview information storage unit 107 displays these questions on the screen of the concierge terminal 20 and accepts input of answers by the concierge. The medical interview information input unit 203 sends the acquired medical interview information together with the patient ID to the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30. The medical interview information management unit 303 stores the received medical interview information.

The medical interview information input/viewing unit 203 can also view specific medical interview information stored in the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30. It may also provide an editing function or a duplication function for the stored medical interview information. This allows the medical interview information to be updated and new medical interview information to be easily input.

The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 205 accepts input of diagnostic information obtained by the concierge from the doctor. Obtaining from the doctor means obtaining information from the doctor via telephone, video call, electronic transmission of text or images, or other remote communication means, or face-to-face. Diagnostic information is information indicating the results of remote medical treatment, including the name of the diagnosis, and includes, for example, the patient ID, consultation date, and name of the diagnosis. If tests that can be performed remotely, such as blood pressure, body temperature, and blood glucose level, are performed, the results of those tests may also be included. The diagnostic information input unit 205 transmits the input diagnostic information to the diagnostic information management unit 307 of the management device 30. The diagnostic information management unit 307 stores the received diagnostic information.

The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 205 can also view specific diagnostic information stored in the diagnostic information management unit 307 of the management device 30. It may also provide an editing function or a duplication function for the stored diagnostic information. This allows the diagnostic information to be updated and new diagnostic information to be easily input.

The prescription information input/viewing unit 207 accepts the input of prescription information obtained by the concierge from the doctor. Prescription information is a record of medication prescribed by the doctor based on findings during remote medical care, and is an electronic prescription, including, for example, the patient ID, prescription date, and name and amount of medication. The prescription information input/viewing unit 207 transmits the input prescription information to the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30. The prescription information management unit 309 stores the received prescription information. The prescription information viewing unit 705 of the pharmacy terminal 70 then refers to the prescription information stored in the prescription information management unit 309 and uses it to dispense medication to the patient.

The prescription information input/viewing unit 207 can also view specific prescription information stored in the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30. It may also provide an editing function or a copying function for the stored prescription information. This allows the prescription information to be updated or new prescription information to be easily input.

The dispensing information input/viewing unit 209 accepts input of prescription information obtained by the concierge from the doctor. Dispensing information is a record of dispensing performed by the pharmacy for the patient, and includes, for example, the patient ID, dispensing date, name and amount of the drug, and a record of medication instructions. The dispensing information input unit 209 transmits the input dispensing information to the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30. The dispensing information management unit 301 stores the received dispensing information.

The dispensing information input/viewing unit 209 can also view specific dispensing information stored in the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30. An editing function or a copying function for the stored dispensing information may also be provided. This allows dispensing information to be updated or new dispensing information to be easily input.

The accounting information input/viewing unit 211 accepts the input of accounting information obtained by the concierge from a doctor or a pharmacy. The accounting information includes the accounting amount for remote medical treatment at a medical institution, or the accounting amount for dispensing including remote medication instructions at a pharmacy. The accounting information input unit 211 sends the input accounting information to the payment agent processing unit 311 of the management device 30. The payment agent processing unit 311 then performs processing to add up these amounts and bill the patient.

<Medical institution terminal>
The medical institution terminal 50 includes a patient information viewing unit 500, an interview information viewing unit 501, a dispensing information viewing unit 503, a diagnosis information input/viewing unit 505, a prescription information input/viewing unit 507, and an accounting processing unit 509. These processing units can be realized as one function of a doctor's application that runs on the medical institution terminal 50. The doctor's application may be implemented in any form, such as a local application or a web application.

The patient information viewing unit 500 obtains the patient information stored in the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30, which is associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. The patient information includes, for example, health insurance card information (health insurance card number, etc.), attribute information, etc. By using the patient information viewing unit 500, a doctor can perform remote medical treatment while viewing the patient information. The patient information viewing unit 500 can also copy the information obtained from the patient information management unit 300 and store it in the medical institution terminal 50.

In addition, doctors can import various medical data about patients from any data source and register it as patient information. For example, the patient information viewing unit 500 requests a testing company's server (not shown) to transmit the patient's test data held by the server. At this time, if necessary, information indicating the doctor's consent (ID, passcode, etc.) can be transmitted. The patient information viewing unit 500 transmits the received test data to the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30 for storage. The test data stored in the patient information management unit 300 can naturally be viewed by the patient information viewing unit 500.

The medical interview information viewing unit 501 obtains the medical interview information stored in the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. It is assumed that the patient has registered the medical interview information in advance when receiving remote medical treatment and medication instructions. By using the medical interview information viewing unit 501, the doctor can perform remote medical treatment while viewing the medical interview information entered prior to the medical treatment. The medical interview information viewing unit 501 can also copy the information obtained from the medical interview information management unit 303 and store it in the medical institution terminal 50.

The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 accepts input of diagnostic information by a doctor. Diagnostic information is information indicating the results of remote medical treatment, including the name of a diagnosis, etc., and includes, for example, a patient ID, consultation date, and name of a diagnosis. If tests that can be performed remotely, such as blood pressure, body temperature, and blood glucose level, are performed, the results of those tests may also be included. The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 transmits the input diagnostic information to the diagnostic information management unit 307 of the management device 30. The diagnostic information management unit 307 stores the received diagnostic information.

Alternatively, the doctor may send documents containing the diagnostic information related to this remote medical consultation to the concierge by any means, such as fax or email. The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 may also be provided with a means for uploading these images. The diagnostic information contained in the transmitted images is input by the concierge from the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 205. Alternatively, the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 205 may input diagnostic information that has been digitized by automated means, such as OCR.

The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 also acquires diagnostic information stored in the diagnostic information management unit 307 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. By using the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505, a doctor can perform remote medical treatment while viewing the patient's past diagnostic information. The diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 can also copy the information acquired from the diagnostic information management unit 307 and store it in the medical institution terminal 50.

The dispensing information viewing unit 503 obtains dispensing information stored in the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. The dispensing information management unit 301 stores the history of dispensing that the pharmacy has performed on patients, such as the dispensing date, the name and amount of the drug, and records of medication instructions. By using the dispensing information viewing unit 503, a doctor can perform remote medical treatment while viewing the patient's past dispensing information. The dispensing information viewing unit 503 can also copy the information obtained from the dispensing information management unit 301 and store it in the medical institution terminal 50.

The prescription information input/viewing unit 507 accepts prescription information input by a doctor. Prescription information is a record of medication prescribed by a doctor based on findings during remote medical care, and is an electronic prescription, including, for example, a patient ID, prescription date, and medication name and amount. The prescription information input/viewing unit 507 transmits the input prescription information to the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30. The prescription information management unit 309 stores the received prescription information. The prescription information viewing unit 705 of the pharmacy terminal 70 then refers to the prescription information stored in the prescription information management unit 309 and uses it to dispense medication to the patient.

Alternatively, the doctor may send a document including prescription information for this remote medical treatment, such as a prescription, to the concierge by any means, such as fax or email. The prescription information input/viewing unit 507 may also be provided with a means for uploading these images. The diagnostic information included in the transmitted images is input by the concierge from the prescription information input/viewing unit 207. Alternatively, the prescription information input/viewing unit 207 may input diagnostic information that has been digitized by automated means, such as OCR.

The prescription information input/viewing unit 507 also acquires prescription information stored in the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. The prescription information management unit 309 stores prescriptions that have been created by doctors in the past. By using the prescription information input/viewing unit 507, doctors can perform remote medical treatment while viewing the patient's past prescription information. The prescription information input/viewing unit 507 can also copy the information acquired from the prescription information management unit 309 and store it in the medical institution terminal 50.

The accounting processing unit 509 calculates the insurance points for this remote medical consultation and sends them to the computer of the insurer (health insurance association, etc.). The accounting processing unit 509 also calculates the billing amount, i.e., the amount to be charged to the patient, based on the insurance points and sends it to the payment agency processing unit 311 of the management device 30. Note that since there are many publicly known techniques for automatically calculating insurance points and billing amounts, a detailed explanation of the processing will be omitted in this article.

Alternatively, the doctor may send a document including information on the billing amount for this remote medical consultation, such as an image of an invoice or receipt, to the concierge by any means, such as fax or email. The accounting processing unit 509 may also be provided with a means for uploading these images. The billing amount included in the sent image is input by the concierge from the accounting information input/viewing unit 211. Alternatively, the accounting information input/viewing unit 211 may input the billing amount that has been digitized by an automated means, such as OCR.

<Pharmacy terminal>
Pharmacy terminal 70 includes a patient information viewing unit 700, a medical interview information viewing unit 701, a dispensing information input/viewing unit 703, a prescription information viewing unit 705, and an accounting processing unit 709. These processing units can be realized as one function of a pharmacist application that runs on pharmacy terminal 70. The pharmacist application may be implemented in any form, such as a local application or a web application.

The patient information viewing unit 700 obtains the patient information stored in the patient information management unit 300 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient being treated, and displays it on the screen. The patient information includes, for example, health insurance card information (health insurance card number, etc.), attribute information, etc. By using the patient information viewing unit 700, a pharmacist can prepare medicines and provide remote medication instructions while viewing the patient information. The patient information viewing unit 700 can also copy the information obtained from the patient information management unit 300 and store it in the pharmacy terminal 70.

The medical interview information viewing unit 701 obtains the medical interview information stored in the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30, which is associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. It is assumed that the patient has registered the medical interview information in advance when receiving online medical care and dispensing. By using the medical interview information viewing unit 701, the pharmacist can dispense medication while viewing the medical interview information that was previously entered. The medical interview information viewing unit 701 can also copy the information obtained from the medical interview information management unit 303 and store it in the pharmacy terminal 70.

The dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 accepts input of dispensing information by a pharmacist. Dispensing information is a record of the dispensing performed by the pharmacy for the patient, and includes, for example, the patient ID, dispensing date, name and amount of the drug, and a record of medication instructions. The dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 transmits the input dispensing information to the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30. The dispensing information management unit 301 stores the received dispensing information.

Alternatively, the pharmacist may send documents containing the dispensing information to the concierge by any means, such as by fax or email. The dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 may also be provided with a means for uploading these images. The dispensing information contained in the transmitted images is input by the concierge from the dispensing information input/viewing unit 209. Alternatively, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 209 may input dispensing information that has been digitized by automated means, such as OCR.

The dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 acquires dispensing information stored in the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient, and displays it on the screen. The dispensing information management unit 301 stores the history of dispensing performed by the pharmacy on patients, such as the dispensing date, the name and amount of the drug, etc. By using the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703, the pharmacist can dispense while viewing the past dispensing information. The dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 can also copy the information acquired from the dispensing information management unit 301 and store it in the pharmacy terminal 70.

In addition, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 may include a means for transmitting a drug shipment notification to the management device 30 when the drug is shipped to the patient. For example, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 accepts registration of a list of prepared drugs that are ready to be shipped and transmits it to the remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 313 of the management device 30. The list may be in any format including text, images, photos, videos, or audio. When the scheduled arrival date of the drug approaches, the remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 313 of the management device 30 transmits a notification to the patient terminal 10 including a message such as "Did your medicine arrive?" and a list of the shipped drugs. In addition, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 may include a means for receiving a drug receipt notification from the patient. Typically, the remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 313 of the management device 30 notifies the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 that it has received a drug receipt notification from the patient terminal 10. If there is a discrepancy between the contents of the shipping list and the contents of the medication actually received by the patient, information about the medication received by the patient will be sent along with the notification. The information about the medication received can be in any format, including text, images, photos, videos, or audio. The pharmacist can check the information about the medication received by the patient and instruct the patient to return the medication or resend the correct medication.

The prescription information viewing unit 705 obtains prescription information stored in the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30 and associated with the patient ID of the patient to be treated, and displays it on the screen. The prescription information management unit 309 stores prescription information recently given by the doctor to the patient, such as the prescription date, the name and amount of the drug, etc. By using the prescription information viewing unit 705, a pharmacist can dispense medicine while viewing the electronic prescription online. The prescription information viewing unit 705 can also copy the information obtained from the prescription information management unit 309 and store it in the pharmacy terminal 70.

The prescription information viewing unit 705 may also have a function of transmitting the prescription information acquired from the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30 by fax, e-mail, or the like. For example, the prescription information viewing unit 705 automatically acquires new prescription information, for example, by fetching from the prescription information management unit 309 or by a push from the prescription information management unit 309, and transmits the acquired prescription information to the pharmacy's fax or e-mail address in a push-type manner. This allows the pharmacy to receive the new prescription information more reliably.

The accounting processing unit 709 calculates the insurance points for this dispensing and sends them to the computer of the insurer (health insurance association, etc.). The accounting processing unit 709 also calculates the billing amount, i.e., the amount to be charged to the patient, based on the insurance points and sends them to the payment agency processing unit 311 of the management device 30. Note that since there are many publicly known techniques for automatically calculating insurance points and billing amounts, a detailed explanation of the processing will be omitted in this article.

Alternatively, the pharmacy may send a document including information on the billing amount for this prescription, such as an image of an invoice or receipt, to the concierge by any means, such as fax or email. The accounting processing unit 709 may also be provided with a means for uploading these images. The billing amount included in the sent image is input by the concierge from the accounting information input/viewing unit 211. Alternatively, the accounting information input/viewing unit 211 may input the billing amount that has been digitized by automated means such as OCR.

<Management Device>
The management device 30 includes a patient information management unit 300, a dispensing information management unit 301, a medical interview information management unit 303, an evaluation information management unit 305, a diagnosis information management unit 307, a prescription information management unit 309, a payment agent processing unit 311, and a remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313. These processing units can be realized as one function of an application or service that operates on the management device 30.

The patient information management unit 300 accumulates and provides patient information. The patient information is input from the patient information input/storage unit 103 or the patient information input unit 201 by the patient or concierge. The patient information management unit 300 accumulates the input patient information. The patient information includes, for example, health insurance card information (health insurance card number, etc.), attribute information, etc. When new patient information is registered, the patient information management unit 300 issues a unique patient ID and adds it to the patient information. It also notifies the patient information input/storage unit 103 or the patient information input/viewing unit 201 of the patient ID. In addition, the patient information management unit 300 transmits accumulated dispensing information to the patient information input/storage unit 103, the patient information input/viewing unit 201, the patient information viewing unit 500, and the patient information viewing unit 700 in response to a request from the patient, the concierge, the doctor, or the pharmacist.

The dispensing information management unit 301 accumulates and provides dispensing information. The dispensing information is input by the pharmacist from the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 each time the pharmacy dispenses a drug to a patient. The dispensing information management unit 301 accumulates the input dispensing information. In addition, in response to a request from the patient, concierge, doctor, or pharmacist, the dispensing information that has been accumulated is transmitted to the dispensing information input/storage unit 105, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 209, the dispensing information viewing unit 503, or the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703.

In addition, when the remote medical care and medication instruction management unit 313 receives a drug receipt confirmation result from the patient, the dispensing information management unit 301 may store the content of the result together with the dispensing information.

The medical interview information management unit 303 sends questions related to the medical interview and stores and provides the medical interview information.

Sending questions: The medical interview information management unit 303 sequentially sends questions for the medical interview to the medical interview information input unit 107 of the patient terminal 10 or the medical interview information input/viewing unit 203 of the concierge terminal 20. Sequential transmission means that when an answer to a question is received, the next question is sent. Note that multiple questions may be sent together.

The medical interview information management unit 303 may change the question to be sent next depending on the answer. For example, a question for estimating the medical specialty or disease name, etc. may be sent first, and the medical specialty or disease name, etc. may be estimated based on the answer. For example, the medical interview information management unit 303 may first send the question "What are your symptoms today?". If "My stomach hurts" is selected as the answer to this, the medical interview information management unit 303 estimates that the medical specialty is "Gastroenterology". Alternatively, if the answer is "My blood sugar level is high", the medical interview information management unit 303 estimates that the disease name is "Diabetes". Here, the medical interview information management unit 303 is assumed to previously store the correspondence between the answer and the medical specialty or disease name, etc. in the form of a table or the like. Note that the question for estimating the medical specialty or disease name, etc. may consist of one question or multiple questions.

Once the medical specialty or disease name, etc. has been estimated, the medical interview information management unit 303 then transmits questions specific to that medical specialty or disease name, etc. For example, if the medical specialty is "gastroenterology," questions prepared for gastroenterology patients are transmitted. If the disease name is "diabetes," questions prepared for diabetes patients are transmitted. Here, the medical interview information management unit 303 is assumed to hold questions for each medical specialty or disease name in advance. Note that each medical specialty or disease name may have one question or multiple questions.

The generation and transmission of questions does not necessarily have to be performed by the medical interview information management unit 303, but may be performed by, for example, the medical interview information input unit 107 or the medical interview information input/viewing unit 203.

Storing and providing medical history information: Answers to questions, i.e., medical history information, are input by the patient from the medical history information input unit 107 prior to remote medical treatment and medication instructions. The medical history information management unit 303 stores the input medical history information at least until the remote medical treatment and medication instructions are completed. In addition, in response to a request from a concierge, doctor, or pharmacist, it transmits the stored medical history information to the medical history information input/viewing unit 203, the medical history information viewing unit 501, or the medical history information viewing unit 701.

The evaluation information management unit 305 collects, processes, stores, and provides evaluation information.
Collection and processing: Evaluation information is input from the evaluation information input unit 111 by a patient who has received remote medical care. The evaluation information may include, for example, a graded evaluation value (such as a score out of 5 points). The evaluation information management unit 305 can process the evaluation values received from one or more patients using a predetermined algorithm to calculate a statistical evaluation value of the doctor. For example, the statistical evaluation value can be calculated by taking a simple average or a weighted average of the evaluation values collected from multiple patients.
Storage and provision: The evaluation information management unit 305 stores the calculated evaluation information. In addition, the evaluation information is distributed to the information provision unit 101 of the patient terminal 10. When selecting a doctor for remote medical treatment, the patient can refer to the evaluation information displayed on the medicine notebook app.

The diagnostic information management unit 307 accumulates and provides diagnostic information. Diagnostic information is input by the doctor from the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 each time the doctor examines a patient online. The diagnostic information management unit 307 accumulates the input diagnostic information. In addition, in response to requests from the concierge and doctor, the diagnostic information management unit 307 transmits accumulated diagnostic information to the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 205 and the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505.

Prescription information is input to the prescription information management unit 309 by the doctor from the prescription information input/viewing unit 507 each time the doctor prescribes a drug for a patient. The prescription information management unit 309 stores the input prescription information at least until dispensing is completed. In addition, in response to a request from the concierge, doctor, or pharmacist, the prescription information management unit 309 transmits the stored prescription information to the prescription information input/viewing unit 207, prescription information input/viewing unit 507, or prescription information viewing unit 705.

The patient information management unit 300, dispensing information management unit 301, interview information management unit 303, evaluation information management unit 305, diagnosis information management unit 307, and prescription information management unit 309 are processing units that manage advanced personal information related to patients. In general, access to this personal information is limited to only doctors, pharmacists, or concierges who input a passcode (which may be one-time, time-limited, or indefinite) issued each time or in advance based on the patient's will from the medical institution terminal 50, pharmacy terminal 70, or concierge terminal 20. In addition, in this embodiment, it is technically possible to allow doctors, pharmacists, businesses, etc., who are included in the range approved in advance by the patient by contract, etc., to access personal information using the passcode. For example, the management device 30 can provide a mechanism for checking the authority or attributes, etc., of doctors, pharmacists, and businesses, and a function for allowing doctors, pharmacists, businesses, etc., who meet certain conditions, to access personal information using a passcode stored in advance in the management device 30. This means that, for example, even if there are multiple businesses that provide online medical consultations or online medication instructions, by sharing patients' personal information, it will be possible to provide online medical consultations and online medication instructions services seamlessly across the boundaries of each business.

The payment agency processing unit 311 receives the billing amount for remote medical consultation from the medical institution's accounting processing unit 509. Similarly, it receives the billing amount for dispensing, including remote medication instructions, from the pharmacy's accounting processing unit 709. When the payment agency processing unit 311 receives the billing amounts for this series of remote medical consultations and medication instructions, etc., it sends the billing amount that is the combined total of both to the patient's payment processing unit 113. The payment processing unit 113 settles the billing amount through cashless payment. In this way, the payment agency processing unit 311 can combine the billing amounts for remote medical consultations and medication instructions, etc., and bill the patient together.

For example, if the remote medical consultation is the only treatment and no medication is dispensed (no prescription is issued), the payment processing unit 311 can bill the patient only for the amount of the remote medical consultation.

The remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 is a processing unit that coordinates the provision of a series of services in the appropriate order, from accepting a patient's application for remote medical examination and medication instruction, to providing the remote medical examination and medication instruction, and finally to settlement. The operation of the remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 will be explained step by step using the flowchart in Figure 3.

Step 1 (S1): Application for remote medical examination and medication instruction The remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 detects a request from the remote medical examination and medication instruction application unit 102 of the patient terminal 10, and starts a remote medical examination and medication instruction process.

When a doctor or pharmacy is specified in the application, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance management unit 313 judges whether the doctor or pharmacy can perform remote medical consultation. The logic for judging whether or not medical consultation is possible is not particularly limited in this embodiment, but the judgment can be made, for example, according to a schedule set in advance by the doctor or pharmacy, the maximum number of patients that can be accepted, the attributes of patients that can be accepted, etc. If the doctor or pharmacy is acceptable, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance management unit 313 decides that the doctor or pharmacy specified by the patient is the party to which remote medical consultation and medication guidance should be requested. If the doctor or pharmacy is not acceptable, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance management unit 313 notifies the remote medical consultation and medication guidance application unit 102 that the doctor or pharmacy designation was not accepted.

When a specific chronic disease name is specified during application, the remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 extracts doctors who can treat that disease and pharmacies that can dispense the medicines used for that disease, and determines which doctor or pharmacy to request remote medical examination and medication instruction from among them. Here, it is assumed that the remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 holds in advance a list of doctors and pharmacies that can treat the specific chronic disease name.

If a doctor, pharmacy, or chronic disease name is not specified when applying, the remote medical examination and medication guidance management unit 313 can determine the doctor or pharmacy to which remote medical examination and medication guidance is to be requested according to any logic. After receiving the medical interview information described below, the remote medical examination and medication guidance management unit 313 may extract a doctor or pharmacy that can handle the medical examination subject or disease name, etc. inferred by the medical interview information management unit 303, and determine that doctor or pharmacy as the party to which remote medical examination and medication guidance is to be requested. Here, the remote medical examination and medication guidance management unit 313 is assumed to previously hold the correspondence between the medical examination subject or disease name, etc. and the doctor or pharmacy that can handle it in the form of a table, etc.

In addition, regardless of whether a doctor, pharmacy, or chronic disease name is specified, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance management unit 313 may perform a preliminary screening to determine whether or not to accept remote medical consultation and medication guidance. For example, if the medical history information management unit 303 cannot guess the medical subject or disease name, etc., after receiving the medical history information described below, or if it cannot extract a doctor or pharmacy that can handle the guessed medical subject or disease name, etc., it can reject the application. In this case, the remote medical consultation and medication guidance management unit 313 can send a notification to the remote medical consultation and medication guidance application unit 102 indicating that the application was not accepted. This can reduce the risk of accidents such as misdiagnosis in cases that are not suitable for remote medical consultation and medication guidance.

The remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 can extract multiple doctors or pharmacies as candidates for remote medical examination and medication instruction, and allow the patient or concierge to select the doctor or pharmacist to request from among the candidates.

When the application for remote medical treatment and medication instruction is accepted, the remote medical treatment and medication instruction management unit 313 grants the doctor and the pharmacy the right to access various personal information related to the patient. In the processing unit that manages the personal information, it is preferable that the patient's consent is required for input, viewing, and editing of the personal information by anyone other than the patient (and the concierge). Therefore, a restriction is placed on the medical institution terminal 50 or the pharmacy terminal 70 so that the various personal information managed by the management device 30 can be accessed only when a passcode issued based on the patient's will is entered. The remote medical treatment and medication instruction management unit 313 determines that the access to the various personal information has been granted upon acceptance of the application for remote medical treatment and medication instruction, and issues a passcode for accessing each processing unit of the management device 30 to the medical institution terminal 50 or the pharmacy terminal 70. The passcode may be a one-time passcode that allows one-time access, or a passcode that allows access permanently or for a predetermined period of time. The latter is convenient because the doctor or pharmacy can continuously provide medical treatment or medication instruction to the patient.

When carrying out such processing, it is preferable to include in advance in the terms of use for system 1 a provision stating that "approval of an application for remote medical treatment and medication instructions will be deemed to grant permission to access various personal information."

Processing units that are preferably configured to perform access management using such passcodes include, but are not limited to, the patient information management unit 300 that manages patient information, the prescription information management unit 301 that manages prescription information, the medical interview information management unit 303 that manages medical interview information, and the diagnosis information management unit 307 that manages diagnosis information.

Step 2 (S2): Receiving medical interview information The remote medical consultation and medication instruction management unit 313 activates the medical interview information input unit 107 of the patient terminal 10 to input the medical interview information. The input medical interview information is transmitted to and stored in the medical interview information management unit 303 of the management device 30. In this case, the patient inputs the medical interview information by himself/herself, but may also do so with the advice of a concierge at the call center.

Alternatively, the concierge may obtain the patient's medical history information and input the medical history information from the medical history information input/viewing unit 203 of the concierge terminal 20. In this case, it is preferable for the concierge to verify the patient's identity before obtaining the medical history information. For example, the concierge first obtains the patient's health insurance card number and name, and checks whether a record containing the same combination of health insurance card number and name exists in the various personal information stored in the management device 30 and is actually used as valid information. If it exists, it is presumed that the health insurance card number and name are genuine. For example, if a record containing the combination of the health insurance card number and name obtained from the patient and the patient ID is recorded in the patient information management unit 300, and a record containing the patient ID is recorded in the prescription information management unit 301, it is known that a patient with that health insurance card number and name has received prescriptions in the past, so it can be presumed that the patient's identity and existence are certain. Note that if there is another personal identification number (such as My Number) managed by the management device 30 instead of the health insurance card number, the same processing may be performed using that number. Also, other personal authentication means such as biometric authentication may be combined. The medical interview information input/viewing unit 203 can accept the input of medical interview information only if such identity verification is cleared. On the other hand, if identity verification cannot be performed, a notification can be sent to the effect that acceptance is not possible.

Step 3 (S3): Implementing remote medical treatment The remote medical treatment and medication instruction management unit 313 notifies the patient terminal 10 and the medical institution terminal 50 of the doctor determined as the request recipient that remote medical treatment can be started. Remote medical treatment is implemented by, for example, a video call or sending and receiving test data between the patient terminal 10 and the medical institution terminal 50 via a communication line. A specific method for implementing remote medical treatment is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, and therefore will not be described here. Medical treatment may be conducted face-to-face if necessary.

At this time, for example, the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505 can record the remote medical examination in the form of video, audio, image, text data, or the like. The recorded information is sent to the diagnostic information management unit 307 of the management device 30. The diagnostic information management unit 307 stores the information on the examination for each patient. The patient can view this content as many times as they like using the patient terminal 10.

However, currently, not all diseases can be treated through remote medical care. If a doctor determines that a disease cannot be treated through remote medical care, the doctor may electronically create a referral letter to a specialist on the medical institution terminal 50 and send it to the patient terminal 10. The patient can receive more specialized medical care by bringing the received referral letter to the specialist.

Step 4 (S4): Implementing remote medication instruction When the remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 detects that prescription information has been input by the doctor and stored in the prescription information management unit 309 of the management device 30, it notifies the pharmacy terminal 70 of the pharmacy determined as the request destination that dispensing can begin. The pharmacist prepares the medicine based on the electronic prescription stored in the prescription information viewing unit 705, while referring to the medical interview information recorded in the medical interview information viewing unit 701, the past dispensing information accumulated in the dispensing information input and viewing unit 703, and the like.

The remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 notifies the patient terminal 10 and the pharmacy terminal 70 of the pharmacy determined as the request destination that remote medication instruction can be started. Remote medication instruction is implemented by the patient terminal 10 and the pharmacy terminal 70 making a video call, a voice call, a text chat, or the like, via a communication line. The remote medical examination and medication instruction management unit 313 may record the video call, the voice call, or the text chat and store it in the dispensing information management unit 301. The dispensing information management unit 301 may also store videos and texts prepared in advance to explain to the patient how to take the medicine, etc. The patient can view these contents as many times as he/she likes using the patient terminal 10.

The patient terminal 10 may provide a means for aggregating, displaying, and viewing content including remote medical examination details stored in the diagnostic information input/viewing unit 505, content including remote medication instructions stored in the dispensing information management unit 301, etc. The patient can select and view only any desired content, or can view multiple contents from remote medical examinations to remote medication instructions in succession.

The pharmacy arranges for the prepared medication to be delivered to the patient. At this time, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70 accepts the registration of a list of prepared medications that are ready for shipment, and transmits it to the remote medical examination/medication instruction management unit 313 of the management device 30. The list can be in any format, including text, images, photographs, videos, audio, etc. When it approaches the scheduled arrival date of the medication, the remote medical examination/medication instruction management unit 313 of the management device 30 transmits a notification to the patient terminal 10 including a message such as "Has your medication arrived?" and a list of the medications that have been shipped.

The patient can notify the pharmacy that the medicine has been received. The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 of the patient terminal 10 may be equipped with an input means for sending a notification of receipt of the medicine. For example, the patient compares the medicine delivery list displayed on the patient terminal 10 with the medicine that has actually been received. If they match, the patient inputs a message that they are "correct" from the dispensing information input/storage unit 105. On the other hand, if there is an excess, shortage, or error, the patient inputs information about the medicine that has been received into the dispensing information input/storage unit 105. Information about the medicine that has been received can be input in any format, including text, images, photos, videos, or audio. The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 transmits the result of the receipt confirmation (receipt notification) and information about the medicine that the patient has received to the remote medical care/medication instruction management unit 313.

When the remote medical treatment and medication instruction management unit 313 receives the receipt notification, it notifies the dispensing information input and viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70 of that fact. It also adds a note to the dispensing information that the receipt notification has been received. This allows the pharmacy to confirm that the medication has been delivered to the patient. Furthermore, if the medication received by the patient is over or under or contains an error, the pharmacist can use the dispensing information input and viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70 to specifically check the contents and take appropriate action. For example, the pharmacist can ask the patient to return the received medication to the pharmacy using the return envelope enclosed with the medication, or can resend the correct medication.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when providing online medication instructions, the pharmacist creates a list and photos of the medications to be given to the patient, and the patient checks whether the type and number of medications received are correct and sends a receipt notification, preventing the wrong medication from being given to the patient during online medical consultations and medication instructions. In addition, the patient can review the medication instruction video any number of times at any time, preventing the patient from taking the wrong medication.

Here, the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70 may have a function to generate and display a list of patients for whom delivery of medication has been arranged. This list can include, for example, whether or not a receipt notice has been received, the patient's contact information (such as a telephone number or email address), and a link to a function for sending comments to the patient. This allows the pharmacy to check the receipt status of medication at a glance. Furthermore, for patients who have not received a receipt notice, the receipt status can be easily checked by sending a comment using the list as a starting point or contacting the patient by telephone or email.

The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 of the patient terminal 10 may also include a means for inputting a record of taking medication, questions to the pharmacist, and the like as medication information. For example, when the patient inputs a medication receipt notification, the dispensing information input/storage unit 105 displays a menu such as "Click here to ask a question to the pharmacist" in the medicine notebook app. When the patient selects a menu, the dispensing information input/storage unit 105 accepts input of medication information such as questions. The input medication information is transmitted to the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30. The dispensing information management unit 301 stores the received medication information and transmits a reception notification to the dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70. The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 accepts input of medication information such as questions. The dispensing information input/viewing unit 703 of the pharmacy terminal 70 displays new medication information on a screen and accepts input of comments on questions, etc. The input comment is sent to the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30. The dispensing information management unit 301 stores the received comment and sends a reception notification to the dispensing information input/storage unit 105 of the patient terminal 10. The dispensing information input/storage unit 105 displays the new comment on the screen and accepts the input of a reply comment. In this way, the system 1 functions as a platform for remote medication instructions by pharmacists. This is particularly advantageous for patients with certain chronic diseases, as it allows for the provision of continuous and specialized support.

Step 5 (S5): Payment agency When the remote medical care and medication instruction management unit 313 detects that dispensing information has been input by the pharmacy and stored in the dispensing information management unit 301 of the management device 30, it starts the payment agency processing unit 311. Alternatively, the payment agency processing unit 311 may automatically start operation when triggered by receiving the billing amount from the medical institution's accounting processing unit 509 and the pharmacy's accounting processing unit 709. As a result, the billing amount for the remote medical care and medication instruction, etc. is settled in a lump sum.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the user of the medical institution terminal 50 is assumed to be a doctor, and the user of the pharmacy terminal 70 is assumed to be a pharmacist, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any medical worker in a medical institution or pharmacy, or a business providing medical or health services, etc. may be the user of these terminals.

For example, the medical institution terminal 50 may be used by doctors, as well as businesses that perform tests and medical examinations, to explain the results of health checkups and various tests to patients. In this case, the doctor or business will explain the results of the health checkup and various tests online and provide various advice (including dietary therapy and exercise therapy). At this time, the doctor or business can refer to the patient information, dispensing information, interview information, diagnosis information, prescription information, etc. stored in the management device 30, so that accurate explanations and advice can be provided. In addition, as necessary, prescription information may be issued as shown in the above embodiment, and the pharmacist may take over and provide online medication instructions.

The pharmacy terminal 70 may be used by pharmacists, nutritionists who provide dietary advice, businesses that provide supplements and health foods, etc. For example, as a result of a health check or various tests, even if medication is not necessary, dietary therapy or efforts to improve using supplements and health foods may be considered desirable. In such cases, doctors, businesses, etc. issue prescription information that includes dietary advice and recommendations for the use of supplements and health foods, and hand it over to pharmacists, nutritionists, businesses, etc. Pharmacists, nutritionists, businesses, etc. use the pharmacy terminal 70 to provide online dietary advice and online guidance on the use of supplements and health foods. Alternatively, these online guidance may be provided to patients at the discretion of pharmacists, nutritionists, businesses, etc., regardless of prescription information. Supplements, health foods, etc. can be delivered to patients in the same way as drugs in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the patients can confirm receipt. This allows not only sick people who need medication, but also relatively healthy patients to receive support from medical professionals, businesses, etc.

In the above embodiment, the pharmacy terminal 70 receives prescription information from the medical institution terminal 50 and provides online medication guidance, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pharmacy terminal 70 can directly provide online guidance without a prescription at the request of the patient. A specific example is shown. The patient information input/storage unit 103 obtains the results of health checkups and various tests from businesses and displays them on the screen. At this time, the patient information input/storage unit 103 displays a "Consult a pharmacy" button on the screen, and when the button is selected, notifies the pharmacy terminal 70 of the selection. This allows the pharmacy terminal 70 to start online guidance with the patient terminal 10. As a result, even a relatively healthy patient who does not need to be examined by a doctor can be connected to a pharmacy and receive health consultation. In addition, the patient information input/storage unit 103 may present the patient with options such as consulting a pharmacy, receiving medical treatment from a doctor, or receiving medical treatment from a doctor and receiving consultation from a pharmacy, depending on the results of the health checkup and various tests.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the user of the patient terminal 10 is the patient himself, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied, for example, to cases where the child, parent, caregiver, guardian, etc. of the user of the patient terminal 10 receives remote medical treatment and medication instructions as a patient. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to medical treatment and dispensing for people, and can be applied, for example, to cases where pets, livestock, etc. receive remote medical treatment and medication instructions.

When dealing with animals such as pets or livestock, images or feature values of the animal's appearance (face, etc.), or identification information that can be read from a chip attached to the animal (typically implanted), can be used as part of the patient information. This allows animals to be uniquely identified through image recognition or matching of identification numbers, improving the convenience and accuracy of online medical consultations and online medication instructions.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which a doctor or pharmacist uses the medical institution terminal 50 or the pharmacy terminal 70 to view patient information, medical interview information, dispensing information, prescription information, and the like, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a concierge who has obtained prior consent from the doctor or pharmacist may obtain and compile this information using the concierge terminal 20, and provide it to the doctor or pharmacist by means of FAX, e-mail, or the like.

The present invention can also be realized by hardware, and any process can be realized by having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a computer program. In this case, the computer program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, programmable ROMs (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), flash ROMs, and random access memories (RAMs)). The program may also be provided to the computer by various types of transient computer-readable media. Examples of transient computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transient computer-readable media can provide the program to the computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

10 Patient terminal 101 Information providing unit 102 Remote medical treatment/medication instruction application unit 103 Patient information input/storage unit 105 Prescription information input/storage unit 107 Interview information input unit 109 Interview information storage unit 111 Evaluation information input unit 113 Payment processing unit 20 Concierge terminal 201 Patient information input/view unit 203 Interview information input/view unit 205 Diagnostic information input/view unit 207 Prescription information input/view unit 209 Prescription information input/view unit 211 Accounting information input/view unit 30 Management device 300 Patient information management unit 301 Prescription information management unit 303 Interview information management unit 305 Evaluation information management unit 307 Diagnostic information management unit 309 Prescription information management unit 311 Payment agent processing unit 313 Remote medical treatment/medication instruction management unit 50 Medical institution terminal 500 Patient information viewing unit 501 Interview information viewing unit 503 Dispensing information viewing unit 505 Diagnosis information input/viewing unit 507 Prescription information input/viewing unit 509 Accounting processing unit 70 Pharmacy terminal 700 Patient information viewing unit 701 Interview information viewing unit 703 Dispensing information input/viewing unit 705 Prescription information viewing unit 709 Accounting processing unit

Claims (2)

A patient terminal and a management device,
The patient terminal includes:
a medical interview information input unit that presents questions for a medical interview and acquires answers to the questions as medical interview information;
The management device includes:
a remote medical examination/medication instruction management unit that selects a doctor capable of providing remote medical examination or a pharmacy capable of providing remote medication instruction to the patient based on the interview information and performs the remote medical examination or remote medication instruction ;
a diagnosis information management unit that stores, for each patient, content that records the state of remote medical treatment carried out between the patient and the doctor, or a prescription information management unit that stores, for each patient, content that records the state of remote medication instruction carried out between the patient and the pharmacy;
The patient terminal includes:
The content recording the state of the remote medical treatment for the patient or the content recording the state of the remote medication instruction for the patient can be selected and viewed.
Remote medical consultation and medication instruction system. a remote medical examination/medication instruction management unit that selects a doctor capable of providing remote medical examination or a pharmacy capable of providing remote medication instruction to the patient based on the interview information received from the patient terminal, and executes the remote medical examination or remote medication instruction;
a diagnosis information management unit that stores, for each patient, content that records the state of remote medical treatment carried out between the patient and the doctor, or a prescription information management unit that stores, for each patient, content that records the state of remote medication instruction carried out between the patient and the pharmacy;
The diagnostic information management unit or the dispensing information management unit allows the patient to view the content that records the remote medical treatment or the content that records the remote medication instruction selected by the patient in response to a request from the patient terminal.
Management device.