Systems and methods for tracking pharmaceuticals within a facility

• US 20050088306A1
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meps Real-Time, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Safety Syringes Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Caputo, Jimmy C., Andreasson, Christer O.
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A pad is provided for monitoring administration of medical products to a patient, each of the medical products including a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for storing data related to the respective medical product. The pad includes an RF antenna for reading RFID tags associated with medical products placed in close proximity to the pad to obtain data stored in the RFID tags. A processor coupled to the antenna compares the data with data associated with a patient to verify that the patient is intended to receive the medical products. The pad may include an output device that is activated when the processor detects a mismatch between the data from the RFID tags and the patient data. Optionally, the patient data may be accessed by a remote computer device communicating with the processor to verify that the patient is intended to receive the medical products.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring administration of unit dose medical products to a patient, each of the medical products comprising a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for storing data related to the respective medical product, the apparatus comprising:

a reader for reading the RFID tags associated with a plurality of unit dose of medical products placed in close proximity to the reader to obtain the data stored in the RFID tags; and

a processor coupled to the reader for processing the data obtained from the RFID tags to identify the medical products.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor controls the display to display the identified medical products.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a network interface coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor is configured for transmitting the data obtained from the RFID tags using the network interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured for receiving a notification via the network interface, in response to the transmission, indicating whether to administer the identified medical products.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a display coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor is configured for displaying the received notification on the display.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an output device coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor activates the output device when the received notification indicates that the identified medical products should not be administered.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the output device comprises at least one of a light indicator and an audio indicator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reader comprises an antenna mounted in an entrance to the patient'"'"'s room, the antenna configured to read the RFID tags associated with the medical products when the medical products pass through the entrance.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a read pad, and wherein the reader comprises an antenna in the read pad for reading the RFID tags associated with the medical products when the medical products are placed in close proximity to the read pad.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reader is configured for substantially simultaneously reading a plurality of RFID tags associated with a plurality of medical products placed in close proximity to the reader.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data stored in the RFID tags comprises at least one of a product name, a dosage, and a product serial number.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying a mismatch notification when there is a mismatch between the data obtained from the RFID tag and the data associated with a patient.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output device activated when there is a mismatch between the data obtained from the RFID tag and the data associated with the patient.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag reader is located at an entrance to a patient'"'"'s room.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag reader is a read pad.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein administration of the medical product to the patient is recorded after there is a match between the data obtained from the RFID tag and a data associated with a patient.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag reader substantially simultaneously reads RFID tags associated with a plurality of medical products, and wherein the apparatus verifies that each of the plurality of medical products is intended for a patient.