Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6175779?ie=ISO-8859-1&dq=5,884,271
Timestamp: 2014-03-14 13:37:45
Document Index: 329427716

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 10']

Patent US6175779 - Computerized unit dose medication dispensing cart - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA computerized medication dispensing cart and system for dispensing prepackaged unit-dose medications to a patient in a medical facility including a computer system on the cart for storing medication information regarding each patient provided by a pharmacy and a plurality of dispensers on the cart that...http://www.google.com/patents/US6175779?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6175779 - Computerized unit dose medication dispensing cartAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6175779 B1Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/162,588Publication dateJan 16, 2001Filing dateSep 29, 1998Priority dateSep 29, 1998Fee statusPaidPublication number09162588, 162588, US 6175779 B1, US 6175779B1, US-B1-6175779, US6175779 B1, US6175779B1InventorsJ. Todd BarrettOriginal AssigneeJ. Todd BarrettExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (27), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (61), Classifications (18), Legal Events (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetComputerized unit dose medication dispensing cartUS 6175779 B1Abstract A computerized medication dispensing cart and system for dispensing prepackaged unit-dose medications to a patient in a medical facility including a computer system on the cart for storing medication information regarding each patient provided by a pharmacy and a plurality of dispensers on the cart that automatically dispense prepackaged unit dosages of prescribed medications at the request of nursing personnel while making rounds. A separate dispenser on the cart is used to dispense each type of medication. An input device, such as a touch screen monitor, is mounted on the cart to permit nursing personnel to access the medication information regarding the patient and to request that the cart dispense the prescribed medications. A detector is mounted on each dispenser that detects the administration of the medications to the patient and records the time and date that the medications were administered.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a computerized medication dispensing cart and, more particularly, to a computerized medication dispensing cart having a computer system on the cart for storing medication information regarding each patient downloaded from a pharmacy, a plurality of dispensers on the cart that automatically dispense prescribed medications in prepackaged unit dosages at the request of nursing personnel and a detector on each dispenser for detecting the administration of the medication to the patient in order to update the medication information in the computer system for each patient.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prior art discloses various types of computerized medication dispensing carts used by nursing personnel in medical facilities. The basic objects of these inventions are to improve the documentation of the dispensing of medications, to reduce the errors in the dispensing of medications, to lower the costs associated with the dispensing of medications and to improve the security associated with the dispensing of medications. Such prior art discloses a computerized medication dispensing cart that uses a computer system to assist nursing personnel to view and input medication information regarding a patient while making rounds and to transmit and receive medication information regarding a patient with a pharmacy. The use of a computer system eliminates the need for each nurse to manually document the date and amount of the medication given to each patient and to later enter such information into the patient's records. The computerized medication dispensing cart shown in U.S. Pat. No. 536,084 includes a computer system on the cart which transmits and receives medication information regarding each patient while the nurse is making the rounds permitting the real time transfer of data as the cart is being moved throughout the medical facility. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,243, such computerized medication dispensing carts disclosed in the prior art may provide for a plurality of drawers in the housing of the cart that each contain the specific medication to be administered to a patient. For purposes of increased security, the drawers are kept locked as the nurse makes rounds until the particular patient's room is reached. The drawers may be unlocked by the nurse by entering a predetermined access code in order to permit the nurse to remove and administer the medications from the drawer to the patient. Thus, the nurse no longer is required to search a cart loaded with hundreds of medications to administer to a patient. However, nurses and other hospital personnel still must spend a substantial amount of time in sorting the medications into the various drawers and reviewing patient medication information prior to making their rounds. Because of the involvement of nurses in preparing the contents of the respective drawers, mistakes in medication dosages and amounts are made.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The computerized medication dispensing cart of the present invention significantly reduces the costs and errors associated with medication dispensing in medical facilities and improves the security and accuracy of such medication dispensing. By greatly reducing the amount of time that nurses and other hospital personnel must devote to the administration of medication, it is an object of the present invention to free up the valuable time of such nurses and other hospital personnel to allow such staff to perform other functions necessary for patient care.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the computerized unit dose medication dispensing cart of the present invention;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1-6 illustrate the preferred embodiment of the apparatus and method of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the computerized unit dose medication dispensing cart of the present invention includes a cart 10 that includes a plurality of wheels 12 mounted to the cart 10 which permit transport of the cart 10 from room to room by a nurse while making patient rounds. The cart 10 further includes a touch screen monitor 14 mounted on the cart 10 for easy access and view by the nurse. Alternatively, the touch screen monitor 14 can be further equipped with a conventional mouse or keyboard or replaced with a conventional monitor equipped with a conventional mouse or keyboard. The cart 10 further includes a plurality of compartments 16 for receiving dispensers 100 and conventional storage drawers 20. The conventional storage drawers are used by the nurse to store bandages and other types of medical supplies as well as other medications that cannot be easily packaged such as medications in liquid form for dispensing to a patient. For security purposes, such drawers 20 may be locked. The plurality of compartments 16 also house a computer system 50 and a plurality of batteries 18 for powering the computer system 50 of the present invention.
The operation of the present invention will now be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 4. The computer system 50 is designed to use easy to read and manipulate displays that permit the nurse to access and update information regarding the administration of each patient's medication. The patient's physician will develop a medication order 60 for a particular medication. The nurse will then determine whether or not the order is routine or an emergency �stat� order 61. If the order is a routine order 62, the nurse will call the pharmacy to place such order with the pharmacist 63. The pharmacist will enter the information relating to such order in the pharmacy's computer system 64 to record the order and to check the medication to be administered to the patient for drug-drug interactions with previously prescribed medications. On a periodic basis, the pharmacy's computer system is connected to the computer system 50 of the present invention via a two-way link over a conventional modem or other communication device and the medication information developed by the pharmacist relating to the order is downloaded into the computer system 50 of the present invention 65. The nurse then proceeds to administer and dispense the medication from the cart 10 in a prepackaged unit dose form to each patient in accordance with the present invention 66.
In the event of an emergency situation and the issuance of a �stat� order for a medication 67, the nurse will select the patient 68 to which the medication should be administered from the patient list displayed on the touch screen monitor 14. The nurse will then select the �stat� screen 69 and select the medication 70 that needs to be administered to the patient from the medication list displayed on the touch screen monitor 14. The computer system 50 will then determine whether there is a drug-drug interaction 71 between the selected medication and previously prescribed medications to the patient. If the computer system 50 detects a drug-drug interaction 72, the nurse will call the pharmacist 73 and the pharmacist will determine whether the drug-drug interaction is significant 74. If the pharmacist determines that the drug-drug interaction is not significant 75, the nurse may proceed to administer the medication to the patient in accordance with the present invention 76. If the pharmacist determines that the drug-drug interaction is significant, the pharmacist will contact the physician to discuss the issue 77. The nurse may input an override code provided by the pharmacist to dispense the medication, and the computer system 50 will record that an emergency dose of medication was dispensed for the patient and the override code used by the nurse to document the pharmacist and nurse dispensing such medication. If no drug-drug interaction is detected 78, the medication will be dispensed 79 and the nurse proceeds with administering the medication to the patient in accordance with the present invention.
A detector 124 is positioned adjacent to the first roller 116 to detect the dispensing of each pre-packaged unit dose medication from the dispenser 100 and to send a signal to the computer system 50 verifying that dispensing of the medication has occurred. The computer system 50 then records the time and date that the medication was administered, and makes such information available to the pharmacy when the computer system 50 for the pharmacy is connected to the computer system 50 on the cart 10. The computer system 50 also documents such information as whether the medication was dispensed pursuant to a routine order and the number of dosages of the medication administered. In those cases where the medication administered is a psychotropic drug or a PRN (�as needed�) drug, the computer system 50 permits the nurse to input data relating to the reaction of the patient to the administration of the psychotropic drug or PRN drug.
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TODD, MISSISSIPPIFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ADVANTAGE PHARMACY SYSTEMS, INC.;REEL/FRAME:017034/0056Effective date: 20050923Owner name: BARRETT, J. TODD, MICHIGANMar 2, 2004FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Sep 29, 1998ASAssignmentOwner name: ADVANTAGE PHARMACY SYSTEMS, INC., MISSISSIPPIFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BARRETT, J. TODD;REEL/FRAME:009778/0553Effective date: 19980921RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google