JP2023133501A - Information processing device, method for controlling information processing device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce a burden on a radiologist who performs tertiary radiologic interpretation.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises first acquisition means, second acquisition means and generation means. The first acquisition means acquires a first observation number which indicates the number of observations included in a result of first radiologic interpretation input by a first radiologist in primary radiologic interpretation according to a radiologic interpretation request. The second acquisition means acquires a second observation number which indicates the number of observations included in a result of second radiologic interpretation input by a second radiologist in secondary radiologic interpretation according to the radiologic interpretation request. If a value calculated by using the acquired first observation number and the acquired second observation number satisfies a predetermined condition, the generation means generates information for determining a third radiologist performing tertiary radiologic interpretation according to the radiologic interpretation request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a method of controlling the information processing device, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a radiologic technician photographs a patient using a modality such as a CT (Computed Tomography) device or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device, and then an image interpreter interprets the medical image obtained by the photographing.

However, image interpreters are not available in all hospitals and clinics. Therefore, hospitals and clinics that do not have an image interpreting doctor may use remote image reading services. A remote image interpretation service is a service in which a requesting facility, such as a hospital or clinic, requests an external image interpretation center to interpret the image, and the image is interpreted by a doctor at the image interpretation center.

When the image interpretation center receives a request for image interpretation from a requesting facility, the person in charge of the image interpretation center determines the image interpreting doctor who will be in charge of the image interpretation. When determining the image interpreting doctor, the person in charge takes into account the field of view, schedule, etc. of the image interpreting doctor, and manually distributes the image interpretation requests to the image interpreting doctors. As a result, it took time for the person in charge to complete the work. Furthermore, if the person in charge of the work lacks work experience, there is a problem in that the load among the interpreting doctors cannot be well distributed.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for automatically determining an image interpreting doctor who will interpret a medical image based on the schedules of a plurality of image interpreting doctors.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-329190

The technique described in Patent Document 1 is a technique in which one image interpretation doctor is assigned to one image interpretation request. However, Patent Document 1 does not take into account the case where a plurality of interpreting doctors interpret one image interpretation request. For example, there is a case where two interpretation doctors interpret a medical image related to a request for interpretation. In this case, since two doctors interpret images without viewing each other's interpretation results, such an image interpretation method is utilized as a so-called second opinion.

However, if the interpretation results of two interpretation doctors are different from each other, the requesting facility may be confused as to which interpretation result to trust. Therefore, it is conceivable that a third image reading doctor refers to the respective image interpretation results and performs the final image interpretation (tertiary image interpretation). In this case, if tertiary interpretation is performed for all interpretation requests, there is a problem in that the burden on the interpreting doctor is heavy.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the burden on an interpreting doctor who performs tertiary image interpretation.

An information processing device according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the information processing apparatus includes a first acquisition means for acquiring a first number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the first interpretation result input by the first interpretation doctor in the primary interpretation related to the interpretation request. and a second acquisition means for acquiring a second number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the second interpretation result input by the second interpretation doctor in the secondary interpretation related to the interpretation request; If the value calculated using the obtained first number of findings and the obtained second number of findings satisfies a predetermined condition, a third interpretation doctor who performs the tertiary interpretation related to the interpretation request is selected. A generating means for generating information for making a decision.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the interpreting doctor who performs the tertiary image interpretation.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a business server according to the first embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing for assigning an interpretation doctor to an assignment slot. It is a figure which shows an example of a request information table. It is a figure which shows an example of a request distribution screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an image interpretation screen. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation. It is a figure which shows an example of an image interpretation result table. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a request information table after the allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation is generated. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a request distribution screen after the allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation has been generated. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a business server in a third embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation in the third embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of an importance table. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation in the fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated example.

<First embodiment>
The information processing device in the first embodiment calculates the number of findings included in the first interpretation result obtained in the primary interpretation and the number of findings included in the second interpretation result obtained in the secondary interpretation. This device determines the interpretation doctor who will perform the tertiary interpretation when the value calculated using the image satisfies a predetermined condition.

Specifically, when a request for image interpretation is sent from a requesting facility to an image interpretation center, the information processing device performs a secondary interpretation for the image interpretation request with a first image interpreting doctor who performs the primary interpretation for the image interpretation request. Decide on a second interpreting doctor. Then, primary interpretation and secondary interpretation are performed by a first interpretation doctor and a second interpretation doctor. At this time, in the primary interpretation and the secondary interpretation, the first interpretation doctor and the second interpretation doctor interpret each other's images without viewing each other's interpretation results. This is so-called blind double interpretation. When each image interpretation is completed, the information processing device obtains a first image interpretation result that is the image interpretation result of the primary image interpretation, and a second image interpretation result that is the image interpretation result of the secondary image interpretation. Then, the information processing device obtains the number of findings included in each image interpretation result. Multiple findings may be observed in a single reading. Therefore, the number of findings that the information processing device acquires here is not limited to two. The information processing device calculates a total value of the number of acquired findings, and determines whether this total value is greater than or equal to a threshold value. If it is determined that it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the information processing device generates information (allocation frame for tertiary interpretation) for determining a third interpretation doctor who will perform the tertiary interpretation related to the interpretation request. The information processing device then uses at least this generated information to determine the third interpretation doctor.

If there are a large number of findings, there is a high possibility that the lesions are progressing in multiple locations, such as metastasis. Further, even if there are multiple lesions but they are not related to each other, if there are many lesions, it is easy for the interpreting doctor to overlook them. Therefore, in such a case, it is better to perform a tertiary interpretation to confirm whether there are any errors between the results of the primary interpretation and the results of the secondary interpretation. In the first embodiment, in order to solve such a problem, the information processing device performs the above-described processing. In addition, the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment can determine a third interpretation doctor for an interpretation request that requires tertiary interpretation through the above-described process, so the third interpretation doctor can be determined for all interpretation requests. The burden on the third reading doctor can be reduced rather than determining the reading doctor. The configuration and processing of the first embodiment will be described below using FIGS. 1 to 11.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a remote image interpretation system as an information processing system according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the remote interpretation system includes a data center 100, a request facility 110, an interpretation center 120, and an interpretation doctor's home (not shown). Each facility is communicably connected to each other via a network 130 such as the Internet. Note that although each facility in the first embodiment is described as being a different facility located at a different position in real space, the present invention is not limited to this. The data center 100 may exist within the image interpretation center 120, or the request facility 110 and the image interpretation center 120 may be the same facility.

The data center 100 includes a business server 101, an image management server 102, and a database server 103. The business server 101 corresponds to an example of an information processing device in the present invention. In the first embodiment, the data center 100 is described as a physical server device, but it may also be a form in which a required number of virtual servers are operated in one or more server devices using virtualization technology. . The requested facility 110 includes a client terminal 111 operated by a business person. The image interpretation center 120 includes a client terminal 121 operated by a business person and an image interpreter. A plurality of (N) client terminals 121 are prepared in the image interpretation center 120 for operation by a business person and an image interpreting doctor. In the first embodiment, a client terminal operated by a business person is referred to as a client terminal 121-1, and a client terminal operated by an image interpretation doctor is referred to as a client terminal 121-2. Note that since there are a plurality of business personnel and image interpretation doctors, a client terminal 121-1 and a client terminal 121-2 may be prepared for each user, or a predetermined number of client terminals 121 may be shared by a plurality of users. You may.

At the requesting facility 110, a radiologic technologist images a patient using a modality (imaging device) such as a CT device, an MRI device, or a CR (computed radiography) device. Medical image data generated by imaging is collected on the client terminal 111 via various recording media, communication means, and the like. The medical image data is, for example, image data based on the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) standard. Image data according to the DICOM standard is composed of patient information such as patient name, patient ID, and patient gender, incidental information including modality type, imaging conditions, etc., and image data.

A person in charge of requesting image interpretation at the requesting facility 110 uses the client terminal 111 to input information (request information) necessary for requesting image interpretation, and transmits the request information to the data center 100 together with medical image data. The request information is stored in the database server 103 of the data center 100. Medical image data is transmitted to the image management server 102 of the data center 100. The image management server 102 issues and stores a unique image ID (identification information) for each piece of medical image data.

The person in charge of the image interpretation center 120, which accepts image interpretation requests from the requesting facility 110, uses the client terminal 121-1 to confirm whether sufficient image interpretation request information has been input, and also sends each image interpretation request to the interpreting doctor. Perform the distribution work to allocate to. In the distribution work, the person in charge of the work may manually allocate the interpretation requests by taking into consideration the specialty of each interpretation doctor, or may set the specialty of each interpretation doctor, interpretation schedule, etc. in the business server 101 in advance. Then, the business server 101 may be instructed to perform automatic distribution processing to distribute the image interpretation requests. In the following explanation, it will be assumed that allocating an image interpretation request to an image interpreting doctor and assigning an image interpreting doctor to one or more quotas corresponding to the image interpretation request are synonymous. The quota will be explained later.

An image interpreting doctor who performs image interpretation uses a client terminal 121-2 (or an image interpretation terminal at home), which is an image interpretation terminal located at the image interpretation center 120, to obtain medical image data corresponding to the image interpretation request assigned by the person in charge. is downloaded from the image management server 102. When the download is completed, the client terminal 121-2 displays the medical image data on a display device such as a display, and the image interpreting doctor interprets the image while referring to this. The image interpretation doctor then transmits the image interpretation results to the data center 100. The image interpretation results sent from the image interpretation doctor's client terminal 121-2 are stored in the database server 103 of the data center 100. The image interpretation results stored here are stored in association with the request information. Thereafter, the image interpretation results are converted into a report or report format and sent back to the requesting facility 110. In the first embodiment, the image interpretation center 120 and the interpretation doctor's home are shown as examples of facilities where the client terminal 121-2 is placed, but the client terminal 121-2 may be placed at other locations.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each server device and terminal device included in the remote image interpretation system.

The CPU 201 centrally controls each device and controller connected to the system bus 204. The ROM 202 or external memory 211 stores a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), an operating system (OS), and various programs necessary to realize the functions of each terminal.

The RAM 203 functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 201. The CPU 201 loads necessary programs and the like from the ROM 202 or the external memory 211 into the RAM 203 and executes them, thereby realizing various operations. An input controller 205 controls input from an input device 209 such as a keyboard or a pointing device (not shown) such as a mouse. Video controller 206 controls display on display 210 (display unit).

A memory controller 207 controls access to an external memory 211 that stores various data and the like. Examples of the external memory 211 include an external storage device (HD), a flexible disk (FD), and a compact flash (registered trademark) memory that is connected to a PCMCIA card slot via an adapter. The communication I/F controller 208 performs connection and communication control with external devices via a network (for example, the network 130 shown in FIG. 1). The communication I/F controller 208 is capable of communication using, for example, TCP/IP.

Various programs for realizing various processes in this embodiment are recorded in the external memory 211, and are executed by the CPU 201 by being loaded into the RAM 203 as necessary. Further, definition files, various information tables, and the like used when executing the program are also stored in the external memory 211, and detailed explanations thereof will be given later.

[Functional configuration]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the business server 101. The business server 101 includes a first acquisition unit 301, a second acquisition unit 302, a generation unit 303, a screen generation unit 304, and an interpretation doctor determination unit 305 as functional units.

The first acquisition unit 301 acquires from the database server 103 a first image interpretation result that is the result of the image interpretation performed by the first image interpreting doctor in the primary image interpretation. The interpretation results include findings (site where the finding was observed, finding name, judgment result, finding text, etc.). If there are multiple sites where findings are observed, the interpretation doctor inputs the findings for each of the multiple sites. Therefore, one image interpretation result may include multiple findings. In this case, the image interpretation result includes multiple combinations of parts, finding names, determination results, finding text, etc. The first acquisition unit 301 also acquires the first number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the acquired first image interpretation result. The number of findings included in the first image interpretation result indicates the number of combinations described above. Note that the number may simply be the number of finding names included in the first image interpretation result. Then, the first acquisition unit 301 outputs the acquired first number of findings to the generation unit 303. In this way, the first acquisition unit 301 acquires the first number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the first interpretation result input by the first interpretation doctor in the primary interpretation related to the interpretation request. This corresponds to an example of the first acquisition means.

The second acquisition unit 302 acquires a second interpretation result from the database server 103, which is the result of an interpretation performed by a second interpretation doctor in the secondary interpretation. Further, the second acquisition unit 302 acquires a second number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the acquired second image interpretation result. These processes are similar to those of the first acquisition unit 301. Then, the second acquisition unit 302 outputs the acquired second number of findings to the generation unit 303. In this manner, the second acquisition unit 302 obtains the second number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the second interpretation result input by the second interpretation doctor in the secondary interpretation related to the interpretation request. This corresponds to an example of a second acquisition means.

The generation unit 303 calculates a value using the first number of findings acquired by the first acquisition unit 301 and the second number of findings acquired by the second acquisition unit 302. Specifically, the total value of the number of first findings and the number of second findings is calculated. Note that the generation unit 303 may calculate not only the total value but also an average value or a difference between the first number of findings and the second number of findings. Further, another functional unit (for example, a calculation unit) different from the generation unit 303 may calculate the value. The generation unit 303 then determines whether the calculated value satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, it is determined whether the calculated total value is greater than or equal to a threshold value. If it is determined that the predetermined condition is met, the generation unit 303 generates information for determining a third interpretation doctor who will perform the tertiary interpretation. The information for determining the third interpretation doctor is information indicating the allocation frame for the third interpretation. The assignment slot is a virtual slot to which an interpretation doctor in charge of image interpretation is assigned. The interpretation doctor determination unit 305 assigns an interpretation doctor to this allocation frame. For example, when the interpretation center 120 receives an interpretation request for blind double interpretation, the interpretation doctor determination unit 305 selects the primary interpretation quota and the secondary interpretation quota that were generated when the interpretation center 120 received the interpretation request. An interpreting doctor will be assigned to each. In this way, by generating information indicating the allocation frame, a new interpretation doctor can be determined. The generation unit 303 then outputs the generated information to the screen generation unit 304 and the interpretation doctor determination unit 305. In this way, when the value calculated using the acquired first number of findings and the acquired second number of findings satisfies a predetermined condition, the generation unit 303 generates a value related to the image interpretation request. This corresponds to an example of a generation means that generates information for determining a third interpretation doctor who performs tertiary interpretation.

The screen generation unit 304 generates a screen using the information generated by the generation unit 303. Specifically, the screen generation unit 304 generates a request allocation screen for allocating an interpretation doctor to the quota for tertiary image interpretation. Note that the information used when generating the screen is not limited to the information generated by the generation unit 303. The screen generation unit 304 may use information stored in advance in the external memory 211 of the business server 101. On the request allocation screen, allocation slots for which interpretation doctors have not yet been determined are displayed. This screen is a web page that can be displayed on the web browser of the client terminal 121, for example. Therefore, the screen generation unit 304 transmits the generated screen to the client terminal 121. Then, when the person in charge of operations issues a manual or automatic allocation instruction to this screen, the interpretation doctor determination unit 305 assigns an interpretation doctor to the assigned slot. In this way, the screen generation unit 304 corresponds to an example of a screen generation unit that generates a screen for determining the third interpretation doctor using at least the generated information.

The image interpreting doctor determination unit 305 assigns an image interpreting doctor to an assignment frame for which an image interpreting doctor has not yet been determined. At that time, the interpreting doctor may be automatically assigned to the assigned slot by taking into consideration the schedule, field of responsibility, experience, etc. of the interpreting physician, or the interpreting physician designated by the person in charge may be assigned to the assigned slot. . As the automatic allocation technique, for example, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-035739 may be used, or the technique described in Patent Document 1 may be used. In this way, the interpretation doctor determining unit 305 corresponds to an example of a third determining means that determines the third interpretation doctor using at least the generated information.

[Processing flow]
Next, the flow of processing in the first embodiment will be explained using FIGS. 4 to 11. First, we will explain a series of steps in which a person in charge of an image interpretation center receives an image interpretation request from a requesting facility and allocates an image interpreting doctor to an assigned slot (distributes an image interpreting request to an image interpreting doctor).

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of processing for allocating an interpretation doctor to an assigned slot.

In step S401, the client terminal 121-1 displays the request distribution screen 600 transmitted from the business server 101 on the display 210. An example of the request distribution screen 600 is shown in FIG. On the left side of the request distribution screen 600, a list of allocation slots for which the interpretation center 120 has received an interpretation request and for which the assignment of an interpretation doctor has not been completed is displayed. The information on quotas is managed by the database server 103 in the form shown in a request information table 500 shown in FIG. Therefore, the business server 101 acquires the request information table 500 from the database server 103, and specifies the information on the quota that has not been determined by the interpretation doctor (records in the request information table). Then, using the information on the specified quota, a request distribution screen 600 is generated and sent to the client terminal 121-1. The client terminal 121-1 displays the received request distribution screen 600 on the display 210.

In step S402, the client terminal 121-1 receives a selection of the allocation slot to which the interpretation doctor is to be assigned, from among the allocation slots displayed on the request allocation screen 600. Then, in step S403, the client terminal 121-1 determines whether the automatic sorting button displayed on the request sorting screen 600 has been pressed. If the automatic sorting button is pressed, the process advances to step S404. If not, wait. In FIG. 4, a process of automatically assigning an image interpreting doctor to an assigned slot will be described, but as described above, manual assignment may also be performed. In the case of manual assignment, the client terminal 121-1 receives the selection of the interpretation doctor to be assigned to the selected assignment slot, and creates a pair of the assignment slot and the interpretation doctor. Then, the information on the pair is sent to the business server 101, and the business server 101 registers the pair in the request information table 500.

In step S404, the client terminal 121-1 instructs the business server 101 to automatically allocate the selected quota. Then, in step S405, the interpretation doctor determination unit 305 executes automatic allocation to automatically allocate the interpretation doctor to the allocation frame whose selection was accepted in step S402. As described above, the automatic distribution may use the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-035739, or the technology described in Patent Document 1, for example. In step S406, the interpretation doctor determining unit 305 transmits the automatic allocation results to the client terminal 121-1.

In step S407, the client terminal 121-1 displays the automatic allocation result on the request allocation screen 600. That is, as shown on the right side of the request distribution screen 600 in FIG. 6, when and how many images each interpretation doctor will perform is displayed. The person in charge of the interpretation center checks this content and presses the save button if there are no problems.

In step S408, the client terminal 121-1 determines whether the save button has been pressed. If it is determined that the save button has been pressed, the process advances to step S410. If not, that is, if there is a problem with the automatic allocation result, the process advances to step S409.

In step S409, the client terminal 121-1 discards the automatic allocation result executed in step S405. In step S410, the client terminal 121-1 registers the automatic allocation result executed in step S405 in the request information table 500 of the database server 103. In this way, the interpretation doctors are assigned to the assigned slots.

Thereafter, each image interpretation doctor performs image interpretation according to the assignment results. The interpretation doctor interprets the medical image downloaded to the client terminal 121-2 and determines the presence or absence of findings.

Here, an example of a screen displayed when an image interpreting doctor interprets an image using the client terminal 121-2 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an image interpretation screen. As shown in FIG. 7(a), a medical image 700 to be interpreted is displayed on the display 210. In the displayed medical image 700, when the interpreting doctor clicks a position where a finding is recognized, a finding input screen 701 is displayed on the medical image. An enlarged view of the finding input screen 701 is shown in FIG. 7(b). As shown in FIG. 7(b), a schema is provided on the left side of the screen, and a finding entry field is provided on the right side of the screen. In the schema, the position 702 clicked by the interpretation doctor is displayed. The finding input field includes a site selection field for selecting the site where the finding was found, a finding name selection field for selecting the finding name, a judgment result selection field for selecting the judgment result, a finding text input field for entering comments regarding the finding, A finding addition button is provided for adding new findings. When the add finding button is pressed, the entered findings are added to the finding column 703. In this way, when findings are found in multiple locations, the interpretation doctor can input multiple findings. The input findings are registered in an image interpretation result table 900 as shown in FIG. The image interpretation result table 900 is a data table stored in the database server 103. The image interpretation result table 900 stores information on the interpreting doctor and findings (information on the site where the finding was found, information on the finding name, information on the judgment result, and finding text) for each allocation frame related to the image interpretation request. Ru.

Then, the client terminal 121-2 receives the input of the image interpretation result and registers it in the database server 103.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation. The processing from step S801 to step S807 is executed by the business server 101.

In step S801, the business server 101 determines whether all the image interpretations related to the image interpretation request have been completed. Specifically, when a certain image interpretation request is to be processed, the business server 101 uses the request information table 500 to specify the image interpretation corresponding to the image interpretation request. Then, if the identified flag indicating that the image interpretation has been completed exists, the business server 101 determines that the image interpretation has been completed.

If it is determined in step S801 that the image interpretation is complete, the process returns to step S802. If it is determined that the image interpretation has not been completed, the system waits until the image interpretation is completed.

In step S802, the business server 101 determines whether the image interpretation request to be processed is a blind double image interpretation and whether or not an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation has not yet been generated. Whether blind double interpretation is performed or not can be determined by referring to the interpretation method item in the request information table 500. Whether or not the allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation has not yet been generated can be determined by referring to the allocation frame ID. If it is determined that it is blind double interpretation, the process advances to step S803. If it is determined that blind double interpretation is not performed, this series of processing ends.

In step S803, the first acquisition unit 301 acquires the number of findings (first number of findings) included in the first interpretation result input by the first interpretation doctor in the primary interpretation. Specifically, the number of records with the allocation frame ID "1" in the image interpretation result table 900 is acquired as the first number of findings. In the example of FIG. 9, the first number of findings is "1".

In step S804, the second acquisition unit 302 acquires the number of findings (second number of findings) included in the second interpretation result input by the second interpretation doctor in the secondary interpretation. The second number of findings is also obtained in the same manner as in step S803. In the example of FIG. 9, the second number of findings is "2".

In step S805, the generation unit 303 calculates the total value of the first number of findings obtained in step S803 and the second number of findings obtained in step S804. In the example of FIG. 9, the total value is "3". As described above, instead of determining the total value, the average value or the difference between the number of first findings and the number of second findings may be determined.

In step S806, the generation unit 303 determines whether the total value obtained in step S805 is greater than or equal to a threshold value. Note that it may be determined whether the total value is larger than a threshold value. Further, it is assumed that the threshold value is set in advance according to the operation of the image interpretation center. If it is determined that the total value is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process advances to step S807. If not, this series of processing ends.

In step S807, the generation unit 303 generates, in the request information table 500, an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation related to the image interpretation request to be processed. Request ID "7" in the request information table 500 is a request for blind double interpretation. FIG. 10 shows an example of the result of generating the allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation for this image interpretation request. The lowest record in the request information table 500 shown in FIG. 10 is the newly generated tertiary interpretation quota. In this way, when the above-described step S401 in FIG. 4 is executed after the tertiary interpretation quota is generated, the generated tertiary interpretation quota is displayed on the request allocation screen 600. An example of this display result is shown in FIG. On the left side of the request allocation screen 600 shown in FIG. 11, information indicating the allocation frame of the tertiary image interpretation related to the above-mentioned request ID "7" is displayed. In this state, the interpretation doctor determining unit 305 determines the third interpretation doctor who will perform the tertiary interpretation by automatically or manually assigning the interpretation doctor to the assigned slot.

As explained above, the business server 101 determines the necessity of tertiary interpretation according to the number of first findings and the number of second findings, and if tertiary interpretation is necessary, a third interpretation is performed. Information for determining the interpretation doctor can be generated. Therefore, the burden on the third interpretation doctor can be reduced rather than determining a third interpretation doctor for all interpretation requests.

<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the total value of the first number of findings and the second number of findings was compared with the threshold value. However, if the second interpretation result contains the same findings as those included in the first interpretation result, the total value becomes unnecessarily large. For example, assume that the number of first findings and the number of second findings are both two. In this case, the degree of importance is different depending on whether the same finding is input in the primary interpretation and the secondary interpretation or the case where completely different findings are input in the primary interpretation and the secondary interpretation. That is, in the former case, there are two places where findings are observed, while in the latter case, there are four places, so there are more items to confirm in the latter than in the former. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, in the second embodiment, a technique for determining the necessity of tertiary image interpretation more appropriately than in the first embodiment will be described.

The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the processing in the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, so only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be described.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation in the second embodiment. Steps S1201 to S1204 in FIG. 12 are the same as steps S801 to S804 in FIG. 8 described above, so a description thereof will be omitted. Further, steps S1207 to S1208 in FIG. 12 are the same as steps S806 to S807 in FIG. 8 described above, so the explanation will be omitted.

In step S1205, the second acquisition unit 302 calculates the number of findings included in the obtained second image interpretation result, excluding the same findings as those included in the first image interpretation result, and calculates the number of findings included in the obtained second image interpretation result. Obtained as the second finding count. Specifically, the second acquisition unit 302 compares each finding included in the first image interpretation result with each finding included in the second image interpretation result. If the second image interpretation result includes the same findings as those included in the first image interpretation result, the second acquisition unit 302 acquires the number of the same findings in step S1204. Subtract from the second finding count. In other words, findings that are the same as those included in the first image interpretation result are excluded from being counted in the number of second findings. This prevents duplication of findings that are counted as the number of findings. In the example of FIG. 9, the findings in the first record, which is the first interpretation result, and the findings in the third record, which is the second interpretation result, are the same. Therefore, the number of identical findings "1" is subtracted from the second number of findings "2" acquired in step S1204, and the second number of findings after the calculation becomes "1".

It should be noted that whether or not they are the same is determined to be the same if all items indicating findings such as site, finding name, and determination result match each other as shown in the image interpretation result table 900 shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be determined that they are the same if only a portion of them match. For example, even if the judgment result of a finding included in the first image interpretation result is different from the judgment result of a finding included in the second image interpretation result, as long as the respective finding names match, the two findings are the same. It may be determined that there is.

In step S1206, the generation unit 303 calculates the total value of the first number of findings obtained in step S1203 and the second number of findings obtained in step S1205. As described above, instead of determining the total value, the average value or the difference between the number of first findings and the number of second findings may be determined. The total value thus obtained is compared with the threshold value in step S1207.

As explained above, since only unique findings are counted as the number of findings, it is possible to determine the necessity of tertiary image interpretation more accurately than in the first embodiment.

<Modification 2-1>
In the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the findings included in the first image interpretation result and the findings included in the second image interpretation result are the same using each item of the findings shown in the image interpretation result table 900. I explained that it is based on judgment. On the other hand, the finding text included in the image interpretation result table 900 may be used for matching determination. Finding text is a comment about a finding. Since this is text freely input by the interpretation doctor, it is rare for it to match completely. Therefore, the business server 101 analyzes the meaning of the finding text included in the first image interpretation result and the finding text included in the second image interpretation result using known natural language processing, and determines whether or not they have the same meaning. By doing so, it may be determined whether the findings are the same.

Furthermore, as described above using FIG. 7(b), since the position 702 where the finding is recognized is specified on the schema, this is stored in the image interpretation result table 900 as the image interpretation result, and the match is determined in step S1205. May be used for. In this case as well, it is rare that the position of the finding included in the first image interpretation result and the position of the finding included in the second image interpretation result completely match. Therefore, if a match is determined by determining whether the position of the finding included in the second interpretation result is included within a predetermined range centered on the position of the finding included in the first interpretation result, good.

<Modification 2-2>
In the second embodiment, in step S1206, the total value of the first number of findings obtained in step S1203 and the second number of findings obtained in step S1205 from which the same findings are excluded is calculated. Ta. However, the processes do not necessarily have to be executed in this order. Specifically, the total value of the first number of findings obtained in step S1203 and the second number of findings obtained in step S1204 is first calculated. Then, the number of findings determined to be the same is subtracted from this total value. Even with such a configuration, the same effects as in the second embodiment can be obtained.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, if the total value of the number of first findings and the number of second findings is equal to or greater than a threshold value, an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation is generated. However, even if this condition is not met, tertiary interpretation may be necessary depending on the determination result. For example, if the determination result is input as "detailed examination required", the patient will be required to undergo an examination, which will impose a burden on the patient. Therefore, by having the interpreting doctor confirm through tertiary interpretation whether the image really requires a "detailed examination," it is possible to avoid imposing an unnecessary burden on the patient. In the third embodiment, a technique for performing tertiary image interpretation even in such a case will be described.

The third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment and the second embodiment except for the functional configuration shown in FIG. 3 and the processing in the flowchart shown in FIG. Only the parts that differ from the form will be explained.

[Functional configuration]
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the business server 101. The business server 101 includes a first determining unit 1301 and a second determining unit 1302 in addition to the functional units described in the first embodiment.

The first determination unit 1301 refers to an importance table (importance information) in which determination results and degrees of importance are associated, and determines the importance of the determination results included in the first interpretation result input in the primary interpretation. (first importance). FIG. 15 shows an example of the importance table 1500. In the example shown in FIG. 15, importance is associated with each determination result, and settings are made such that "no abnormality" has the lowest importance and "precision required" has the highest importance. In the third embodiment, the first determining unit 1301 uses such an importance table 1500 to determine the importance for each finding included in the first image interpretation result. In other words, if the first image interpretation result includes multiple findings, multiple degrees of importance are determined. Among these, the first determining unit 1301 determines the highest degree of importance as the degree of importance of the first image interpretation result. Note that the degree of importance may be associated with information other than the determination result, such as site, finding name, finding text, etc. For example, the finding name "nodular lesion" may be associated with the importance level "4", and the importance level may be determined based on this. Alternatively, the importance may be determined for each finding item included in the first image interpretation result, and the total value or average value thereof may be determined as the importance level of the first image interpretation result. In this way, the first determining unit 1301 uses the importance information in which the determination result and the importance are associated with each other to determine the first importance that indicates the importance of the determination result included in the first image interpretation result. This corresponds to an example of the first determining means for determining the degree.

The second determination unit 1302 refers to the importance table in which the determination results and the degrees of importance are associated with each other, and determines the importance of the determination results (second importance). The method of determining the degree of importance is the same as that of the first determining unit 1301. In this way, the second determining unit 1302 uses the importance information to determine the second importance level indicating the importance level of the determination result included in the second image interpretation result. This corresponds to an example.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of processing for generating an allocation frame for tertiary image interpretation in the third embodiment. Steps S1401 to S1406 in FIG. 14 are the same as steps S1201 to S1206 in FIG. 12 described above, so a description thereof will be omitted. Further, step S1408 in FIG. 14 is the same as step S1208 in FIG. 12 described above, so the explanation will be omitted.

In step S1407, the generation unit 303 determines whether the total value obtained in step S1406 is greater than or equal to a threshold value. Note that it may be determined whether the total value is larger than a threshold value. If it is determined that the total value is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process advances to step S1408. If not, the process advances to step S1409.

In step S1409, the first determining unit 1301 refers to the importance level table 1500 and determines the importance level corresponding to the determination result of the finding included in the first image interpretation result as the first importance level. The method for determining the degree of importance is as described above.

In step S1410, the second determining unit 1302 refers to the importance table 1500 and determines the importance corresponding to the determination result of the finding included in the second image interpretation result as the second importance. The method for determining the degree of importance in this step is also the same as described above.

In step S1411, the generation unit 303 determines whether the first importance obtained in step S1409 or the second importance obtained in step S1410 satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, it is determined whether the first importance level or the second importance level is greater than or equal to a threshold value. Note that it may be determined whether the first importance level or the second importance level is greater than a threshold value. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the first importance level and the second importance level are greater than or equal to a threshold value (or whether they are greater than a threshold value). Furthermore, it is assumed that the threshold value is set in advance according to the operation of the image interpretation center. If it is determined that the first importance level or the second importance level is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the process advances to step S1408. If not, this series of processing ends.

As explained above, by considering not only the number of findings but also the importance of the judgment results, even if the number of findings is small, if an important finding is input, the interpreting doctor can perform a tertiary interpretation. be able to.

<Modification 3-1>
In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when the total value of the number of findings is not equal to or greater than a threshold value, determination is performed based on importance. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, a configuration may be adopted in which only the determination based on the importance level is performed. FIG. 16 is a modification of the flowchart of FIG. 14. Steps S1601 to S1602 and S1608 to S1611 in FIG. 16 are the same as steps S1401 to S1402 and steps S1408 to S1411 in FIG. 14, respectively. If the target image interpretation request is blind double image interpretation, the business server 101 determines the first importance level and the second importance level, and determines whether any of them is equal to or greater than a threshold value. . In this way, information for determining the third interpretation doctor may be generated based on the importance level without considering the total number of findings.

<Modification 3-2>
In the third embodiment, it is determined whether the first importance level or the second importance level is greater than or equal to a threshold value. On the other hand, it may be determined whether the total value of the first importance level and the second importance level is greater than or equal to a threshold value. Furthermore, instead of using the total value, the average value of the first importance level and the second importance level or the difference between the first importance level and the second importance level may be used.

<Other embodiments>
Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention can also be embodied as, for example, a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system consisting of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to a device consisting of one device.

Note that the present invention includes a system or device in which a software program that implements the functions of the embodiments described above is supplied directly or remotely. The present invention also includes a case where the present invention is achieved by the computer of the system or device reading and executing the supplied program code.

Therefore, in order to realize the functional processing of the present invention on a computer, the program code itself installed in the computer also realizes the present invention. That is, the present invention also includes the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

Examples of recording media for supplying programs include flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, MOs, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs. There are also magnetic tapes, nonvolatile memory cards, ROMs, DVDs (DVD-ROM, DVD-R), and the like.

Another method of supplying the program is to connect to an Internet home page using a browser on a client computer. It can also be supplied by downloading the computer program of the present invention itself or a compressed file containing an automatic installation function from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk.

It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, the present invention also includes a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer.

Additionally, the program of the present invention can be encrypted, stored on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributed to users, and users who meet certain conditions can download the key information for decrypting it from a homepage via the Internet. let It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the downloaded key information and install it on the computer.

Further, the functions of the embodiments described above are realized by the computer executing the read program. In addition, based on instructions from the program, an OS running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the embodiments described above can also be realized by this processing.

Furthermore, the program read from the recording medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, based on the instructions of the program, the CPU included in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are also realized by this processing.

The embodiments described above are merely examples of implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as limited by these embodiments. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical idea or main features.

101 Business server 301 First acquisition unit 302 Second acquisition unit 303 Generation unit

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can decide to perform tertiary interpretation when a specific result is included in at least one of the primary interpretation result and the secondary interpretation result.

The information processing device according to the present invention provides a first image interpretation result input by a first image interpreter in the primary image interpretation related to the image interpretation request, and a first image interpretation result inputted by the second image interpreter in the secondary image interpreter related to the image interpretation request. an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the second image interpretation result; and an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the second image interpretation result; and a control means for performing control to determine a third interpretation person who performs the tertiary interpretation when at least one of the judgment result, a specific finding name, and a finding in a specific region is included. It is characterized by

According to the present invention , it is possible to decide to perform tertiary interpretation when at least one of the primary interpretation result and the secondary interpretation result includes a specific result.

Claims (14)

a first acquisition means for acquiring a first number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the first interpretation result input by a first interpretation doctor in the primary interpretation related to the interpretation request;
a second acquisition means for acquiring a second number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the second interpretation result input by a second interpretation doctor in the secondary interpretation related to the interpretation request;
a third image interpretation doctor who performs a tertiary image interpretation related to the image interpretation request when a value calculated using the obtained first number of findings and the obtained second number of findings satisfies a predetermined condition; a generating means for generating information for determining the
An information processing device comprising: 2. The information is generated when the total value calculated using the obtained first number of findings and the obtained second number of findings is larger than a threshold value. The information processing device described. The second acquisition means acquires the number of findings included in the second image interpretation result excluding findings that are the same as the findings included in the first image interpretation result as the second number of findings. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second acquisition means removes, from among the findings included in the second image interpretation result, findings that are located within a predetermined range from the position on the schema where the findings included in the first image interpretation result are recognized. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the number is acquired as the second number of findings. The second acquisition means calculates the number of findings included in the second image interpretation result excluding findings having comments similar to the comments of the findings included in the first image interpretation result. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information processing device acquires the number of findings. a first determining means for determining a first importance level indicating the importance level of the determination result included in the first image interpretation result using importance information in which the determination result and the importance level are associated;
a second determining means that uses the importance information to determine a second importance level indicating the importance level of the determination result included in the second image interpretation result;
It further has
Claims 1 to 5, wherein the generating means generates the information when the determined first importance level or the determined second importance level satisfies a predetermined condition. The information processing device according to any one of the items. Information processing according to claim 6, characterized in that the generation means generates the information when the determined first importance level or the determined second importance level is greater than a threshold value. Device. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information is information indicating a quota for an image interpreting doctor. The information processing according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the secondary interpretation is an interpretation performed by the second interpretation doctor without viewing the first interpretation result. Device. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: third determining means for determining the third interpretation doctor using at least the generated information. further comprising screen generation means for generating a screen for determining the third interpretation doctor using at least the generated information;
11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the third determining unit determines the third interpretation doctor in response to an instruction from a user on the screen. 12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image interpretation request is an image interpretation request transmitted from a requesting facility to an image interpretation center. a first acquisition step of acquiring a first number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the first interpretation result input by a first interpretation doctor in the primary interpretation related to the interpretation request;
a second acquisition step of acquiring a second number of findings indicating the number of findings included in the second interpretation result input by the second interpretation doctor in the secondary interpretation related to the interpretation request;
a third image interpretation doctor who performs a tertiary image interpretation related to the image interpretation request when a value calculated using the obtained first number of findings and the obtained second number of findings satisfies a predetermined condition; a generation step of generating information for determining the
A method for controlling an information processing device, comprising: A program that causes a computer to function as each means of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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