Patent ID: 6152364
Filing Date: 2000-11-28
Classification: G06Q,G07F,G16H

Abstract:
A method of prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient, said method comprising the steps of:a) providing an interactive medicament suggesting, prescribing, and delivering system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient, said system comprising at least one input unit and at least one automatic dispenser which can be loaded with medicaments, wherein the input unit comprises a data bank in which is stored data of a patient as well as suggested prescription data, said suggested prescription data comprising indications and corresponding suggested prescriptions for medicaments for treating a patient presenting with such indications, whereby the prescription for a medicament for a patient can be selected from a list of suggested medicaments provided by the input unit and entered into the input unit together with the identity of the patient, the input unit checking according to a predetermined algorithm whether a selected prescription prescribed for a patient corresponds to the data stored in the data bank and the input unit generating a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription selected and entered, wherein the system further comprises a pharmacy computer that is remote from and coupled to the input unit, said pharmacy computer further processing the prescription signal received from the input unit and generating a control signal corresponding to the prescription, the at least one automatic dispenser then dispensing the prescribed medicament under the control of the control signal generated by the pharmacy computer, whereby the doctor can interactively select and prescribe a medicament for a patient selected from said list of suggested medicaments at a first location and the patient can automatically receive the medicament at another, remote location;b) having a doctor at said first location select a medicament for the patient from the list of suggested medicaments and enter the prescription for a medicament for the patient, together with the identity of the patient, into one of said at least one input unit;c) having the input unit check according to a predetermined algorithm whether the prescription prescribed for the patient corresponds to the data stored in the data bank and generate a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription that has been entered;d) having said pharmacy computer, under the independent control of a pharmacist, process the prescription signal received from the input unit and generate a control signal corresponding to the prescription; ande) having said at least one automatic dispenser dispense the prescribed medicament based on the control signal generated by the pharmacy computer.