News

On November 25, Shimadzu Corporation began providing ExpertTWIN (hereinafter this system) in Japan. This system is an infectious disease management support system that connects the medical institution^*1 of an attending physician (hereinafter the attending physician) who has a patient with an infectious disease, with an infectious disease specialist via the internet. It lessens the burden at medical care facilities by enabling consultations on a patient-by-patient basis between specialists and attending physicians concerned about the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. This is the first system in Japan to offer a means of providing web services and subscription plans for enhance the efficiency of consultations, contract signing, and payment arrangements, which can be cumbersome for both parties.

Typically, when attending physicians who are not specialists in infectious diseases find it difficult to decide on diagnoses and treatment plans related to infectious diseases, they seek the advice of specialists. However, the number of infectious disease specialists is only about half of what is required at medical care facilities, and accommodating inquiries from outside their hospitals in addition to their regular workload can be a burden. Furthermore, conventional telephone and email-based consultations make it difficult to assess the amount of work done by the specialists and their degree of contribution. This system lessens the burden on site by enabling direct consultations between both parties on a patient-by-patient basis. In addition, by reducing medical expenses through the suitable use of antibacterial agents and by enabling continuous interventions even in difficult cases, shorter hospital stays for patients can be expected.

Shimadzu completed this system based on approximately 30 experimental studies using a prototype of the infectious disease management support system, through research for product development, starting in 2018 with collaborative needs assessment research together with a research group consisting of the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System^*2, the Department of Infectious Diseases at Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya University Innovative Research Center for Preventive Medical Engineering, and the endowed chair faculty at the Department of Infection Control, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University. (Research representative: Professor Tetsuya Yagi, Department of Infectious Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University). In future, further functional enhancement and overseas deployment will be considered. The development of this system is part of the construction of a diagnostic workflow, a med-tech project that is part of the medium-term management plan. Shimadzu is committed to resolving issues that arise at medical care facilities, by heightening diagnostic efficiency.

Features

1. Attending Physicians Consult with Specialists via Webchat

Attending physicians can freely select infectious disease specialists from those registered with this system, and consult with them directly. Attending physicians obtain advice from specialists regarding treatment methods for medical cases and when selecting antibiotics taking into account antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Only physicians accredited as specialists and medical advisors by the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and thereby satisfying certain standards can register with this system.

2. Preparations Completed Simply through Questions and Answers

When the patient’s medical records, imaging information, and examination reports are entered by the attending physician, this system’s medical language processing engine and dictionary listing engine recognize the patient’s information, and display related information on the computer. This system facilitates smooth consultations by supplementing ahead of time the patient information required by the specialist in order to reply.

3. Displays Guidelines and Useful Diagnostic Scores

Reference information is provided for diagnosis based on the information entered. Related diagnostic guidelines are displayed, as well as creatinine clearance and other scores utilized in clinical settings, and recommended drug dosages. The information displayed is updated periodically based on specialist supervision.

• *1 In addition to the attending physician (a clinical physician at a medical facility), it is anticipated this system will be used by a support team, for the suitable use of antibacterial agents, and an infection control team, which will protect the patients, their families, and hospital personnel from infection. The infection control team will consist of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, physical therapists, dental hygienists, and clinical engineers.
• *2 The Tokai National Higher Education and Research System was established in April 2020 by Japan’s first single corporation, multiple universities system through the cross-prefectural corporate consolidation of two national university corporations, Gifu University and Nagoya University. It has supported the development of each university and has fostered a synergy born from the strengths of the universities with the aim of contributing to resolving societal issues and issues facing humanity and taking initiatives in education, research, and regional creation.

Related Information
September 6, 2023 | News & Notices
Release of Japan’s First Infectious Disease Management Support System
Connecting Attending Physicians with Infectious Disease Specialists and Reducing the Burden of Diagnosis and Treatment