Abstract:
A system for securely providing medications in a group setting includes a medication dispensing apparatus for securely loading a portable medication container. The container can respond to one or more individual identifying indicia and unlock one or more storage containers which contain medications to be dispensed to the individual.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention pertains to systems and methods for securely providing medications, for example prescription medications, in accordance with an individual&#39;s specific schedule. More particularly, the invention pertains to systems and methods which combine a medication dispensing apparatus for loading a portable medication container. The container can respond to one or more individual identifying indicia. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    As the population of individuals living in assisted care facilities as well as nursing homes increases, there is a continually expanding need to safely and securely provide prescription medications to such individuals in accordance with their specific personal schedule as prescribed by their physicians. It&#39;s important in such environments to avoid mix ups and/or confusion between individuals and medications, as well as medication schedules at the time of delivery of the medication. 
         [0003]    Most jurisdictions require that the person dispensing prescription medications be a licensed professional. Examples include physicians, dentists, as well as registered nurses. With an expanding population of individuals living in assisted care facilities, nursing homes and other types of managed care facilities there is a continual need for qualified personnel to provide such dispensing services. 
         [0004]    It&#39;s been recognized that there is value in being able to automatically associate an individual with a group of medications in accordance with a preset schedule. One solution in this regard was disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/180,490 filed Jul. 13, 2005 and entitled Biometric Medication Container. The &#39;490 application is assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated by reference. 
         [0005]    Notwithstanding the effectiveness of the medication containers of the type disclosed of the &#39;490 application, there continues to be a need for systems and methods which address medication schedules as well as secure distribution of the appropriate medication in a multi-individual of living environment. Preferably such systems and methods would be flexible enough to address substantially different medication schedules between different individuals as well as enabling professionals to add or delete medications and/or change respective schedules for such individuals. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is an overall view of a system in accordance with the invention; 
           [0007]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  taken together illustrate various aspects of a portable medication dispensing; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates aspects of a method in accordance with the invention; and 
           [0009]      FIGS. 4A , B taken together illustrate aspects of a dispensing method in accordance with the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. 
         [0011]    A locking medication tray which embodies the invention could be implemented as a clear plastic tray with multiple compartments, of the appropriate size to fit a single does of medication. It could be filled by a automated dispenser which would assign a tray compartment to a specific patient. 
         [0012]    Each compartment could be filled with the appropriate medication and locked. The assigned compartment could be unlocked only when in the vicinity of the patient. 
         [0013]    A computer controlled identification mechanism would assure the patient only received the medication from their assigned compartment, because only that one would unlock. By eliminating the interaction between the non-licensed employee and the medication, it may become legal for a non-licensed employee to dispense the medication. 
         [0014]    In one aspect of the invention, the medication tray would incorporate multiple locking compartments. The locks on the compartments would be normally engaged and seal each respective compartment. 
         [0015]    The tray could contain a microprocessor which could be programmed with dispensing information when the medication is loaded into a tray compartment. The compartment would be assigned to an identifier of the patient who is to receive the medication. 
         [0016]    Each compartment could be loaded with a single patient&#39;s dosage by an automated dispenser. The care giver would transport the filled tray to each patient in their route. 
         [0017]    The tray would identify the patient by a bar code or RFID directly attached to the patient (wristband, badge etc). This id would be checked by the trays microprocessor and it would open the appropriate compartment for just that patient. It could also log the dispensing time. 
         [0018]    When the tray is empty it would be returned to the automatic dispensing unit which would upload the medication dispenser logs and prepare it for the next schedule dose. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system  10  which embodies the present invention. The system  10  includes an automatic dispensing unit  12 . Unit  12  obtains information in connection with dispensed medications from and provides a plurality of medications and scheduling information to a relatively portable medication dispensing container  14 . 
         [0020]    Container  14 , as discussed in more detail subsequently, incorporates a plurality of compartments which can be filled with various medications, automatically, by the unit  12 . To facilitate this process, container  14  can be inserted into a slot or opening  16  in unit  12 . 
         [0021]    When the container  14  has been inserted in the slot  16  of the unit  12  it can communicate, electrically, with an internal control unit, indicated in phantom,  18 . The control unit or control circuits  18  can incorporate a programmable processor  20   a  and associated executable software  20   b  as well interface circuitry of a type that would be known to those of skill in the art for communicating with container  14 . Additionally, control circuits  18  can incorporate a mass storage unit, either a magnetic or optical drive  22  which can support a database of patient medication schedules as well as dispensing information. 
         [0022]    The unit  22  and associated database are accessible to the control circuits  18  and programmable processor  20   a . The unit  12  also incorporates a medication storage area  24   a  and associated dispensing mechanisms  24   b  indicated in phantom. 
         [0023]    The dispensing mechanism  24   b  is coupled to and operates under the control of the control circuits  18  to dispense medications in accordance with an individual schedule, loaded onto the database stored on unit  22 . Medication storage area  24   a  and dispensing mechanisms  24   b  are enclosed in a secure region of unit  12 . 
         [0024]    A user&#39;s terminal  30 , which could be implemented with a personal computer, could be in wired or wireless communication with the processor  20   a  and the control circuits  18 . The terminal  30  can support a graphical user&#39;s interface on a display unit  30   a  by which an operator or user can either add or modify stored dispensing schedules, stored in unit  22  or obtain information as to medications dispensed by container  14 . A keyboard, mouse, or other user input device  30   b  can also be provided to enable the user to input or modify the medication schedule or schedules stored on unit  22 . 
         [0025]    In one aspect of the method in accordance with the invention, the dispensing container  14  can be inserted into slot  16  and loaded with medications and scheduling information via unit  12 . Container  14  can then be removed from unit  12  and carried or moved around to the location of various individuals who are scheduled to receive one or more of the medications stored therein in accordance with a predetermined schedule. 
         [0026]    When an individual has been appropriately identified, one or more compartments within container  14  can automatically open to provide access to the medications previously loaded therein. The medications can be provided to the individual. The process of accessing the medications can also be logged within container  14  for purposes of providing an audit trail which could be downloaded to unit  12  and examined by the operator or user via terminal  30 . Hard copy printouts can also be provided as desired. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  together illustrate various details of the dispensing container  14 . Container  14  includes a housing indicated generally at  40  which defines a plurality of internal compartments such as  42   a ,  42   b  . . .  42   n . In an exemplary embodiment, a total of 8 compartments have been provided. 
         [0028]    Each of the compartments  42   a ,  42   b  . . .  42   n  can be loaded with one or more medications by the unit  12  and securely closed with a lid or cover best seen in  FIG. 2B ,  42   i - 1 . The lid or cover  42   i - 1  can be locked closed by an electrically actuatable latch  42   i - 2 . 
         [0029]    Housing  40  can also carry a control unit  44  and battery. Control unit  44  can incorporate a programmable processor  44   a  and associated software  44   b  which can executed by the processor  44   a  to dispense medication in accordance with a preloaded schedule therein. Such a schedule might be stored in a storage unit  44   c.    
         [0030]    Housing  40  also carries a connector for a bar code reader or other type of scanner such as an RFID scanner  46 . The scanner  46  can scan an individual&#39;s identification badger or bracelet to inform the control unit  44  as to the identity of the individual who is to receive one more medications stored in the compartments  42   a ,  42   b  . . .  42   n . Depending on the dispensing schedule stored in unit  44   c , and the signals received via scanner  46  the control unit  44  can actuate respective ones of the latches such as  42   i - 2  to release the respective cover or lid  42   i - 1 . 
         [0031]    The dispensing container  14  can communicate with the person carrying out the dispensing via an alphanumeric display such as  48   a  or audibly via an audible output device indicated generally at  48   b . If desired, a hard copy can be generated for audit purposes. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  illustrates aspects of a method in accordance with the invention. Initially, relative to the dispensing unit  12  which has received the container  14 , all compartments of container  14  can be opened, as  102 . A “compartment all open” indication can be logged by the device  12  as at  104 . In the event that some of the compartments of unit  14  still contain medication, such medication can be removed as at  106 . All compartments are then closed and locked as at  108 . 
         [0033]    For purposes of loading the container  14 , the patient&#39;s identifier can be entered, via terminal  30 , and the dispensing unit  12  along with the container  14  can be put into a “load mode” as at  110 . In a preferred embodiment, only one compartment on the container  14  can be opened at a time. 
         [0034]    A compartment associated with the individual&#39;s id can then be unlocked as at  112 . The prescribed medication can then be loaded into the respective compartment as at  114 . The compartment can then be locked at  116 . 
         [0035]    The above process can then be repeated until all of the desired compartments have been loaded with the appropriate medications for the respective individual. Loaded compartments can only be opened in the vicinity of the individual, or, in response to the “compartment all open” command as at  104 . The container  14  can then be moved to the vicinity of one or more individuals who are to receive the stored medication or medications. 
         [0036]    It will be understood that the processing  100  of  FIG. 3  could be carried out in part by a licensed professional such as a physician or registered nurse.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  taken together illustrate aspects of processing and method  200  wherein the medications loaded into the container  14  by the processing of the method  100  can be dispensed to the respective individual or individuals. Depending on the jurisdiction, it might be possible for the dispensing method  200  to be carried out by an individual less training than the individual who has loaded the container  14 . 
         [0037]    The container  14  is brought to the individual or patient who requires medication as at  202 . Scanner  46  can be used to identify the patient by scanning a bar code or RFID-type tag on or associated with the individual, a wrist band for example, using scanner  46  as at  204 . 
         [0038]    The control circuitry  44  of the container  14  compares the scanned code with individual identification and/or dispensing schedule information of storage unit  44   c  as at  206 . In the presence of a match, as at  208 , the respective latch, such as the latch  42   i - 2  is energized to release the associated cover or lid  42   i - 1  of the respective compartment which makes is possible to administer respective medication contained therein to that individual. The time that the cover  42   i - 1  opened can then be logged, as at  210  by the control unit  44 . 
         [0039]    The container  14  can then be brought to the next individual or patient as at  212 . The process is repeated until the medications preloaded into container  14  have been dispensed to the appropriate individuals, assuming that they are available. 
         [0040]    Once the available individuals have received their medication, as illustrated on  FIG. 4B  the container  14  can then be returned to the area of the dispensing mechanism  12  as at  216 . The log automatically maintained within the container  14  can then be downloaded to the dispensing unit  12  as at  218 . 
         [0041]    The process  100  can then be repeated, see  FIG. 3 , as needed. 
         [0042]    From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.