Medication administration system
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention comprises a system and method for administering medications to a plurality of patients in a medication institution. A preferred system comprises a workflow program for generating a scheduler, wherein the scheduler coordinates the administration of medications to the patients, a medicine cabinet, responsive to said scheduler, for storing medications and dispensing the medications to an authorized user for administration to the patients, the workflow program providing the cabinet with patient specific information relating to said dispensation of the medications including a physician order for each patient, and a medicine cart, coupled to the medicine cabinet, for instructing said authorized user in the administration of said medication to each of said patients. The cart comprises a plurality of patient specific cart drawers for storing the medication to be administered to each patient, wherein each cart drawer remains unidentified as patient specific until the medication cart receives said patient specific information, and a cart processor, wherein the cart drawers are filled with medicine from the medicine cabinet for each patient associated with each patient specific cart drawer in accordance with the respective physician order for each patient.
62 Citations
57 Claims
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1-25. -25. (canceled)
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26. A method for administering one or more medications to each of a plurality of patients comprising the steps of:
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generating a scheduler, using a workflow program, which coordinates the administration of medications to each patient;
providing patient specific information to a medicine cabinet, controlled by a cabinet program, which cabinet stores the medications therein;
dispensing the medications to a medicine cart by an authorized user in response to said scheduler and said patient specific information;
assigning each patient one or more cart drawers upon the cart receiving said patient information, wherein each assigned cart drawer becomes patient specific;
controlling access to the medications in the patient specific cart drawer by a cart program; and
administering the medications to each patient from the patient specific cart drawer. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A system for dispensing medications and medical supplies to patients, said system comprising:
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a central cabinet in which said medications and supplies may be stored, and from which said medications and supplies may be dispensed;
one or more mobile dispensing carts which may transport said medications and supplies to each patient, each cart comprising one or more drawers, wherein each drawer is associated with an individual patient and contains said medications or supplies which are to be dispensed to said individual patient; and
a control system by which said cabinet and each said cart may exchange one or more of patient identification data, medications or supplies to be distributed to each said patient, times said medications or supplies are to be administered to each said patient, times at which said medications or supplies are dispensed to each said patient, and said drawer in which each said patient'"'"'s medications or supplies are located. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A delivery device for a medication dispensing system, said delivery device comprising:
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a plurality of sections for receiving medication dosages prescribed for named patients;
and a central display central display screen for displaying the patient names and their respective medication dosages. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52)
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53. A medicine cabinet for a medication dispensing system, said medicine cabinet comprising:
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a housing including a plurality of compartments for containing supplies of different kinds of medications to be accessed by a health care attendant for preparing individual medication dosages for named patients;
a processor having a memory for storing the names of patients and their prescribed medication dosages;
and a display screen for displaying said patient names and their respective prescribed medication dosages. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57)
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Specification