Abstract:
A medical treatment cart includes two compartments, each housing five individually slidable drawers which can be closed and locked by vertically pivoted doors in turn carrying individual and distinct locking mechanisms, such as different keys for associated locks or different combinations for combination locks. At least some of the drawers include patient baskets containing appropriate treatment supplies and medications with each patient basket being identified by name and room number with all odd numbered patient rooms being located on one side of the medical treatment cart and all even numbered patient rooms being located on another side of the medical treatment cart. Preferably, two nurses or like care-givers utilize opposite sides of the medical treatment cart to treat patients on opposite sides of the corridor in a typical medical facility.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention is directed to a wheeled medical treatment cart which can be utilized in hospitals, nursing homes or like medical facilities by nurses or similar healthcare providers for treating patients who normally reside in rooms on opposite sides of a corridor within the medical facility. 
         [0002]    Typical medical treatment carts are disclosed in the below-listed United States publications and patents: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 3,834,778 
                 Morrison et al. 
               
               
                   
                 3,969,006 
                 Brown 
               
               
                   
                 4,652,062 
                 Greenwood 
               
               
                   
                 4,875,696 
                 Welch et al. 
               
               
                   
                 5,290,058 
                 Adams et al. 
               
               
                   
                 5,702,115 
                 Pool 
               
               
                   
                 5,765,842 
                 Phaneuf et al. 
               
               
                   
                 6,663,202 B2 
                 Spann 
               
               
                   
                 6,820,878 B2 
                 Safari et al. 
               
               
                   
                 2005/0159784 A1 
                 Arcreta 
               
               
                   
                 2005/0236940 A1 
                 Rockoff 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0003]    As one example of a transportable medical treatment cart, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,202 granted to James P. Spann, reference is made to medical treatment carts which have drawers for holding medical supplies needed for a particular medical procedure and in describing related prior art mention is made of structural ability, slideable drawers, a large upper support surface, side extensions and the like with references being made to a dozen different patents. 
         [0004]    Somewhat more germane to the invention disclosed herein is U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,778 issued to Robert B. Morrison which discloses a nurse&#39;s cabinet cart having a plastic liner tray with integral raised and spaced ribs for supporting individual patient medicine trays, as well as a hypodermic needle tray. The purpose is to assure that a nurse&#39;s time and accuracy in presenting the proper medicine to the proper patient occurs each time and without touching the pills or other medicines of another patient. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,062 granted to Sidney Greenwood discloses a cart particularly designed for responding to emergencies and includes an interior housing a plurality of shelves which can be closed by a pair of doors mounted for pivotal movement on vertical axes and which are capable of being locked to each other to prevent access to the interior shelves and the products housed thereon. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In keeping with the forgoing, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel medical treatment cart which includes a housing which defines a chamber with a central wall dividing the chamber into back-to-back separate individual first and second compartments each accessible from an opposite side of the cart. Each compartment includes a plurality of vertically disposed horizontally slidable drawers which are partitioned to house baskets in each of which supplies/medications are housed for a specific patient. In the closed position, the drawers are covered by pivoted doors which are locked in the closed position thereof by either different locks or different combinations associated with locks on opposite sides of the medical treatment cart. Typically, as the medical treatment cart is pushed down the corridor in a hospital, nursing home or a similar health-provider facility, odd and even numbered rooms are normally located on opposite sides of the corridor. By appropriately providing the baskets with the patient&#39;s name and room number, odd room numbers are located on one side of the medical treatment cart and even room numbers are located on an opposite side of the medical treatment cart. Therefore, simply by utilizing the latter arrangement, a fifty percent (50%) reduction in error will occur because automatically odd and even baskets will be utilized only with respect to odd and even patient room numbers and the patients administered therein. 
         [0007]    In further accordance with the invention, not only are the baskets on opposite sides of the medical treatment cart appropriately correctly numbered with odd and even numbers and the names of the patients associated with the rooms, but lockable doors in the closed position cover the drawers housing the patient baskets and prevent the drawers from being opened unless the doors are opened utilizing a key or a combination which on the one hand will only open the door covering the drawers carrying the even numbered basket room numbers while another set of doors similarly cover and lock the drawers containing the odd numbered basket room numbers. By utilizing different keys, namely, an odd opening door key and an even opening door key and preferably utilizing two nurses or like health providers simultaneously treating patients from one and only one side (odd or even) of the medical treatment cart and maintaining control of the keys (combinations) assigned thereto, dosing and medication mishandling is further reduced. Moreover, this added control places direct responsibility upon the attendant for his/her side of the medical treatment cart and there is thereby established a direct patient responsibility at the drawers, the associated basket contents and the doors associated therewith so as to be closed and locked when, for example, the medical treatment cart is left unattended in the passageway or corridor and the nurse or other health provider is treating the designated patient. In this relatively straightforward manner there is virtually a guaranteed one hundred percent (100%) assurance that all patients will be treated only in the manner specified and only using the specific patient&#39;s prescribed medication. 
         [0008]    With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a novel medical treatment cart of the present invention, and illustrates one of two compartments, five horizontally slidable drawers associated with the compartments, two vertically pivotal doors for closing the compartment in its closed position, and a locking mechanism for locking the doors in the closed position thereof. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the medical treatment cart of  FIG. 1 , and illustrates two drawers partially slid outwardly to an open position and partitions in the lower drawer defining basket-receiving compartments, patient baskets associated therewith, and a cooperative locking mechanism for locking the doors in a closed position thereof. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 , and illustrates a vertical central partition or wall dividing the medical treatment cart housing into back-to-back separate individual first and second compartments each housing horizontally sliding drawers and each held closed by individual vertically pivoted doors locked to each other by different locks to prevent cross access or inadvertent access thereto. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0012]    A novel medical treatment cart constructed in accordance with this invention if fully illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 3  of the drawings and is generally designated by the reference numeral  10 . 
         [0013]    The medical treatment cart  10  includes a housing or chamber (unnumbered) defined by a top wall  11 , a bottom wall  12  ( FIG. 3 ) a front wall  13 , a rear wall  14  and means  15  ( FIG. 3 ) in the form of a central wall or partition integral with and extending between the top and bottom walls  11 ,  12 , respectively, for dividing the housing or chamber into back-to-back separate individual first and second compartments  21 ,  22 , respectively. 
         [0014]    A first plurality of five vertically disposed horizontally slidable drawers  31  through  35  are located in the first compartment  21  while a second plurality of five vertically disposed horizontally slidable drawers  41  through  45  are located in the second compartment  22  with the vertical wall  15  ( FIG. 3 ) and the front and rear walls  13 ,  14 , respectively, separating the two compartments  21 ,  22 . 
         [0015]    Each drawer  31  through  35  and  41  through  45  includes conventional roller bearing slides  50  for facilitating the sliding movement of the drawers  31 - 35  and  41 - 45  between the fully closed and opened positions thereof. 
         [0016]    The two uppermost drawers  31 ,  32  and  41 ,  42  are each a storage drawer and each storage drawer is approximately 4 inches in height, 24 inches in depth, 36 inches in length, and each includes three adjustable dividers  51  through  53  ( FIG. 2 ) which can divide each of the upper storage drawers  31 ,  32 ,  41  and  42  into a maximum of four compartments or can be individually or completely removed as circumstances dictate. The drawers  33  through  35  and  43  through  45  are patient basket drawers and each patient basket drawer is divided into three basket compartments  65  by two parallel partitions  61 ,  62  which extend normal to the divider wall  15 . Each basket drawer  33  through  35  and  43  through  45  is thereby divided into three individual basket compartments  65 . While the height of each of the basket drawers  33  through  35  and  43  through  45  is approximately 9 inches, the height of respective front walls  33   w  through  35   w  and  43   w  through  45   w  and the height of the partitions  61  and  62  is approximately 2-½ inches to provide easy access for the insertion and the withdrawal of patient baskets  66  from the individual basket compartments  65  ( FIG. 2 ). Suitable conventional means ( 80 ) may be utilized to adjust the partitions  61 ,  62  relative to each other and relative to the basket drawers  33  through  35  and  43  through  45  to vary the size of each basket compartment  65 , should such be desired. 
         [0017]    Each individual patient basket  66  is preferably constructed of disposable plastic material and includes means  67  ( FIG. 2 ) in the form of a slot for receiving an identification card  69  bearing thereon at least the patients name and room number. The lower height (2-½) inches of the basket drawer front walls  33   w  through  35   w  and  43   w  through  45   w  allow information on each identification card  69  to be easily read when any patient basket  65  is still in a drawer  33  through  35  and  43  through  45  irrespective of whether or not the drawer is pulled out of its associated compartment  21 ,  22  or not. Compare, for example, drawer  45  of  FIG. 3  with the drawers  43  and  44  of  FIG. 3 . As was described earlier herein, patient baskets  66  accessible from one side of the treatment compartment  10  have therein only odd numbered patients room numbers, while patients basket  66  accessible from the opposite side of the medical treatment cart  10  have only even numbered patient room numbers thereon. 
         [0018]    The front compartment  21  ( FIG. 1 ) of the medical treatment cart  10 , when all drawers  31  through  35  are closed, can then be completely closed by two doors  70 ,  71  which are each mounted for vertical pivoting movement about a respective vertical pivot or pivot pin  72 ,  73  for movement between the open position thereof ( FIG. 1 ) and the closed position ( FIG. 3 ). In a like manner, when the drawers  41  through  45  are completely closed, two doors  80 ,  81  ( FIG. 2 ) mounted for hinging movement about respective vertical pivots or pivot pins  82 ,  83  permit the doors to the closed. Most importantly, the doors  70 ,  80  include locking means  75 ,  85 , which latch/lock with locking lugs  76 ,  86  of the doors  71 ,  81 , respectively, in a conventional manner to hold the doors  80 ,  81  locked. Most importantly, however, the lock associated with the locking means  75  is different than the lock associated with the locking means  85  and, therefore, whether by a different key or a different combination, whatever the locking mechanism involved can only lock and unlock one of the locking means  75 ,  85 , not both. 
       Use of the Medical Treatment Cart 
       [0019]    The medial treatment cart  10  is preferably utilized in conjunction with two nurses or medical attendants, though a single nurse or medical attendant can perform the desired treatment of patients along a corridor, hallway or passageway of a medical facility, such as a hospital, nursing home, etc. Two nurses or medical attendants are preferable with each being provided a key or combination or other locking means which will lock and unlock only one of the locking means  75 ,  85 . Thus, in this fashion only one medical attendant will have access to and will be responsible for the medicines, materials and treatments associated with and contained in only the drawers  31  through  35  or only in the drawers  41 through  45 , respectively, and the patient baskets  66  associated therewith. Therefore, the drawers and/or patient baskets  66  associated therewith of the drawers  31  through  35  would include only odd numbered patient rooms, whereas the drawers and baskets  66  associated with the drawers  41  through  45  would include only even numbered patient rooms or vice-versa. Thus, only one nurse/medical attendant would be responsible for patients on one side of a hallway or passage way, while the other nurse/medical attendant would be responsible for patients on the opposite side of the hallway/passageway. 
         [0020]    Obviously, a single nurse/medical attendant provided with both keys/combinations to the locking means  75 ,  85  could utilize the medical treatment cart  10 , but additional care would have to be taken to make certain that cross-medication, so to speak, would not occur through personal vigilance, most notably by treating all of the patients in odd numbered rooms first and only thereafter the remaining patients in even numbered rooms second or vice-versa. 
         [0021]    The medical treatment cart  10  is rolled freely upon the conventional castors C to the doorway of the patient&#39;s/resident&#39;s room or rooms and whether being treated by one or two nurses or the like, the physicians order is verified by checking the physicians order in a conventional treatment book (not shown). Thereupon the proper locking means  75 ,  85  is unlocked and the specific basket  66  is removed with the correct patient&#39;s name and room number appearing thereon with additional supplies as needed, such as scissors, a bio-hazard bag, pen, gloves, medirules, etc. being removed from the drawers  31 ,  32  or  41 ,  42 . Since the medical treatment cart  10  may be left unattended in the hallway, the doors  70 ,  71  or  80 ,  81  must be locked before entering the patient&#39;s room. The conventional steps of wiping all nozzles, scissors, bottle tops, etc. with alcohol pledgets or disinfecting the patient&#39;s over-bed table will not be considered, except to indicate that all procedures required to effect a clean field will normally be followed. The proper basket  66  with the patient&#39;s name and room number is then placed in an area for convenient usage and whatever items need be administered from the basket  66  are administered to the patient after which materials, such as old dressings, are placed in the bio-hazard bag. Other materials can simply be placed back in the basket  66 . The basket  66  is returned to the medical treatment cart  10 , the procedure documented in the treatment book and the procedure repeated for the next patient in the next room. 
         [0022]    Drawers  31  and  41  typically might include 17-½″×24″ under pads, small clear trash bags, small bio-hazard bags and disinfectant wipes. 
         [0023]    Drawers  32  and  42  might typically include a box of gloves (sterile and non-sterile), tape, bandages, scissors, small and large zip lock bags, labels with resident/patient room number and name, disposable medirules, sterile cotton applicators, sterile tongue blades and cultrurettes. 
         [0024]    Typical items to be placed in the individual resident/patient baskets  66  are 4×4&#39;s, tape, normal saline, sterile water, Kling, ointments, gels and creams, special bandages, tongue blades, irrigation syringes and needles and associated medications, liquid and pill form, dependent upon the specific physician written order. 
         [0025]    Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.