Development of a Medication Management for Home-Based Dementia Patients, Using a Web Conferencing System and a Memory Aid Device

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K00435
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Web informatics, Service informatics
• Research Institution: Seijoh University
• Principal Investigator: Fujita Takashi 星城大学, リハビリテーション学部, 教授 (10460627)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 能登谷 晶子 京都先端科学大学, 健康医療学部, 教授 (30262570)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 生活支援 / 遠隔医療 / サービス情報学 / アルツハイマー病

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we asked 15 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients in an institution and 28 non-AD individuals living in the community to take part in an experiment. In which we employed two means of prompting medication compliance, namely, “Arata,” a memory assistance tool, which is an application (app) that runs on a tablet-type computer, and Skype’s video telephone function. After that, we investigated problems associated with each of these methods and the adaption criteria. Both subject groups cited an “Accuracy of screen tapping” and “Difficulty in understanding the icons” as operational problems. Further investigations were on the adaption criteria using the Mini-Mental State Examination. The results showed a score of 16 points as the cut-off point for Arata and 21 points for Skype. Our findings suggest that there is a possibility that these adaption criteria may also apply to AD patients living in the community.

Free Research Field

サービス情報学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究のアルツマイマー病（AD）患者に対する遠隔での記憶支援ツールの操作上の問題点や、簡易認知スケールを用いたこのツールの適応カットオフ値を算出したことは、どのような点に介助や配慮が必要なのか、どの程度認知面が保たれていれば使用可能なのかを示すことができ、サービス情報学の医療・サービス分野に貢献できるだけでなく、今後、インターネット環境の普及に伴い、益々、遠隔からの生活支援が容易になっていくことや、わが国でのAD患者の増加が予想されている（厚生労働白書2018）ことを鑑みると、高齢者世帯または独居者のAD患者の生活支援に大きく貢献できる成果になったもの考える。