Medication management

• US 10,133,848 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TouchStream Corp.
• Original Assignee: TouchStream Corp.
• Inventors: Benzel, Joel, Gretzinger, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Gort, Elaine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hein, Devin C
• Application Number:
  US14/451,022
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

Medication management is facilitated at least by accessing at least a portion of data, the data may identify medication sets to be taken by a user according to a schedule including time periods. Each of the plurality of medication sets may be associated in the data with identification codes and at least one of the time periods. A medication message may be output identifying a particular medication set of the medication sets to be taken at a particular time period of the time periods. An input identification code may be received, and it may be determined whether the input identification code corresponds to the particular medication set. A warning message may be output in response to it being determined that the input identification code does not correspond to the particular medication set.

Claims

1. A system for providing medication management, the system comprising:

a first medication container assembly including a first plurality of individual medication containers, the first plurality of individual medication containers configured to retain a first plurality of medication sets, the first medication container assembly associated with a first patient, the first plurality of individual medication containers including a first plurality of computer-readable identification codes, each individual medication container of the first plurality of individual medication containers including a respective computer-readable identification code of the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes that is different than every other computer-readable identification code of the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes, and each individual medication container of the first plurality of individual medication containers configured to retain a respective medication set of the first plurality of medication sets;

a second medication container assembly including a second plurality of individual medication containers, the second plurality of individual medication containers configured to retain a second plurality of medication sets, the second medication container assembly associated with a second patient, the second plurality of individual medication containers including a second plurality of computer-readable identification codes, each individual medication container of the second plurality of individual medication containers including a respective computer-readable identification code of the second plurality of computer-readable identification codes that is different than every other computer-readable identification code of the second plurality of computer-readable identification codes, the second plurality of computer-readable identification codes of the second medication container assembly associated with the second patient mutually exclusive with the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes of the first medication container assembly associated with the first patient, and each individual medication container of the second plurality of individual medication containers configured to retain a respective medication set of the second plurality of medication sets; and

a computer system physically distinct from the first medication container assembly and the second medication container assembly and comprising an input-output device system, a processor-accessible memory device system storing a program, and a data processing device system communicatively connected to the processor-accessible memory device system and the input-output device system,

wherein the input-output device system comprises a display device and a code reader device, the code reader device configured to read the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes of the first plurality of individual medication containers of the first medication container assembly, and the code reader device configured to read the second plurality of computer-readable identification codes of the second plurality of individual medication containers of the second medication container assembly, and

wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to;

store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes (a) in association with an identification of the first patient, (b) respectively in association with a first plurality of medication taking events, and (c) respectively in association with the first plurality of medication sets, each medication taking event of the first plurality of medication taking events different than every other medication taking event of the first plurality of medication taking events, the first plurality of medication taking events respectively associated with the first plurality of medication sets, which are respectively associated with the first plurality of individual medication containers, and each of at least some medication sets of the first plurality of medication sets includes a respective group of different types of medications, such that the respective group of different types of medications is associated in the processor-accessible memory device system with a single respective computer-readable identification code associated with the respective individual medication container;

store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, the second plurality of computer-readable identification codes (a) in association with an identification of the second patient, (b) respectively in association with a second plurality of medication taking events, and (c) respectively in association with the second plurality of medication sets, each medication taking event of the second plurality of medication taking events different than every other medication taking event of the second plurality of medication taking events, and the second plurality of medication taking events respectively associated with the second plurality of medication sets, which are respectively associated with the second plurality of individual medication containers;

store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, in a state in which at least two medication sets of the first plurality of medication sets include an identical medication, different computer-readable identification codes of the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes in association with the at least two medication sets of the first plurality of medication sets, respectively;

present, via the display device, and before a first medication taking event of the first plurality of medication taking events associated with the first patient, a first user-interface concurrently including (a) an indication of the first medication taking event, and (b) an indication of a non-medication-taking event associated with the first patient, the first medication taking event associated in the processor-accessible memory device system with a first individual a first medication set of the first plurality of medication sets and associated with a first individual medication container of the first plurality of individual medication containers;

present, via the display device, a second user-interface after presenting the first user-interface, the second user-interface including (a) an indication of an identification of the first patient, (b) the indication of the first medication taking event, (c) an indication of a time period in which the first medication taking event should be completed, (d) instructions to obtain the first individual medication container, (e) indications of a plurality of different medications included in the first medication set, and (f) instructions on how each of the plurality of different medications included in the first medication set should be taken;

receive a first input identification code from the code reader device;

determine that the first input identification code is improper based at least on a comparison of the first input identification code with an expected identification code, the expected identification code selected from at least the first plurality of computer-readable identification codes from the first plurality of individual medication containers of the first medication container assembly associated with the first patient, and the first input identification code determined to be improperly associated with the second patient instead of the first patient; and

cause the input-output device system to output a first warning in response to it being determined that the first input identification code is improperly associated with the second patient instead of the first patient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each individual medication container of the first plurality of individual medication containers is associated with a time window within a 24-hour period, each time window associated in the processor-accessible memory device system with a respective medication taking event of the first plurality of medication taking events, as well as a start time and an end time.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an identification badge, which includes computer-readable identification credentials of a caregiver providing assistance to the first patient, wherein the code reader device is configured to read the computer-readable identification credentials from the identification badge, and wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to receive the computer-readable identification credentials via the code reader device and, consequently, store information in the processor-accessible memory device system confirming a visit and medical attention provided on a particular day and time by the caregiver to the first patient.

4. The system of claim 1,

wherein the computer system is a patient computer system associated with the first patient, and the system further comprises a caregiver computer system associated with a caregiver of the first patient and a system management server,

wherein the system management server is communicatively connected to the patient computer system and the caregiver computer system,

wherein the data processing device system of the patient computer system is configured by the program stored by the processor-accessible memory device system of the patient computer system at least to transmit a first message to the system management server indicating that the first patient has failed a medication taking event, and

wherein a data processing device system of the system management server is configured by a program stored by a processor-accessible memory device system of the system management server at least to transmit a second message to the caregiver computer system indicating that the first patient has failed the medication taking event.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to:

receive, via the input-output device system, a second input identification code;

determine that the second input identification code corresponds to an on-demand medication and the first patient; and

receive input confirmation, via the input-output device system and in response to it being determined that the second input identification code corresponds to the on-demand medication, the input confirmation indicating that the on-demand medication has been taken by the first patient.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to:

store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, an indication of the on-demand medication, a present dosage taken of the on-demand medication, and a time at which the present dosage of the on-demand medication was taken by the first patient, in response to receiving the input confirmation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to:

receive, via the input-output device system, a second input identification code;

determine that the second input identification code corresponds to an on-demand medication and the first patient;

determine that the first patient would exceed a maximum dosage of the on-demand medication within a time period in response to it being determined that the second input identification code corresponds to the on-demand medication and the first patient; and

cause the input-output device system to output a warning message in response to it being determined that the first patient would exceed the maximum dosage of the on-demand medication within the time period.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to:

associate, in the processor-accessible memory device system, a first medication container of the first plurality of individual medication containers with a first time window of a first type on a first day of a week;

associate, in the processor-accessible memory device system, a second medication container of the first plurality of individual medication containers with a second time window of the first type on a second day of the week, the second day of the week different than the first day of the week;

associate, in the processor-accessible memory device system, the first time window of the first type on the first day of the week with a first period of time within a 24-hour period;

associate, in the processor-accessible memory device system, the second time window of the first type on the second day of the week with a second period of time within a 24-hour period, the second period of time different than the first period of time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first type is a morning time window type or an evening time window type.

10. The system of claim 1,

wherein the code reader device is configured to read a particular computer-readable identification code of a stand-alone medication container distinct from the first plurality of individual medication containers of the first medication container assembly and the second plurality of individual medication containers of the second medication container assembly, and

wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, the particular computer-readable identification code, which is associated with the stand-alone medication container, in association with an identification of the first patient and a medication taking event.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing device system is configured by the program at least to store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, a first medication taking event of the first plurality of medication taking events in association with a first dosage of a first medication, and to store, in the processor-accessible memory device system, a second medication taking event of the first plurality of medication taking events in association with a second dosage of the first medication.