Method of dispensing and tracking the giving of medical items to patients

• US 20070208598A1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ArXium, Inc. (Van Humbeck Family)
• Original Assignee: AutoMed Technologies Incorporated (Cencora, Inc.)
• Inventors: McGrady, R., Slaymaker, R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A method of tracking dispensed medical items for use by patients associated with a health care institution. The method includes storing in a data store in connection with a computer, data representative of patients and medical items prescribed for the patients. A record is included in the data store of prescribed medical items for patients that have been dispensed. The dispensed medical items are tracked to the point of giving the item to the patients using portable terminals that are carried to the bedside of the patients. The activity of giving the appropriate medical item to each respective patient is recorded in the portable terminal as the medical items are given to the patients. The data stored in the portable terminal is communicated to the data store to provide a record that the medical items dispensed for a patient were actually administered.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a medical report,

wherein the medical report includes patient data corresponding to at least one characteristic of at least one patient,

wherein a characteristic of a first patient is represented in the medical report by both human-readable text and machine-readable indicia,

wherein the indicia differs from the text in format,

wherein the medical report includes medical item data corresponding to at least one characteristic of at least one medical item,

wherein a characteristic of a first medical item is represented in the medical report by both human-readable text and machine-readable indicia,

wherein the indicia differs from the text in format.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a same characteristic of the first patient is represented in the report by both text and indicia.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the same characteristic comprises a patient name.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the patient name is represented with bar code indicia.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein a same characteristic of the first medical item is represented in the report by both text and indicia.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the same characteristic comprises a medical item name.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the medical item name is represented with bar code indicia.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1

wherein a same characteristic of the first patient is represented in the report by both text and indicia,

wherein the same characteristic comprises a patient name,

wherein a same characteristic of the first medical item is represented in the report by both text and indicia,

wherein the same characteristic comprises a medical item name.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the patient name is represented with first bar code indicia, wherein the medical item name is represented with bar code indicia.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein at least one of the patient name and the medical item name is represented as machine-readable magnetic indicia.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1

wherein the report comprises paper,

wherein the paper has printed directly thereon, both machine-readable indicia representative of the characteristic of the first patient and machine-readable indicia representative of the characteristic of the first medical item.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 and further comprising a printer device,

wherein the printer device is operative to print on the paper the human-readable text representative of the characteristic of the first patient,

wherein the printer device is operative to print on the paper the machine-readable indicia representative of the characteristic of the first patient,

wherein the printer device is operative to print on the paper the human-readable text representative of the characteristic of the first medical item,

wherein the printer device is operative to print on the paper the machine-readable indicia representative of the characteristic of the first medical item.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 and further comprising a reader device,

wherein the characteristic of the first patient comprises a patient name,

wherein the reader device is operative to read from the paper the machine-readable indicia representative of the patient name,

wherein the characteristic of the first medical item comprises a medication name,

wherein the reader device is operative to read from the paper the machine-readable indicia representative of the medication name.

14. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing a medical report,

wherein the medical report includes patient data corresponding to at least one characteristic of at least one patient,

wherein a characteristic of a first patient is represented in the medical report by both human-readable text and machine-readable indicia,

wherein the indicia differs from the text in format,

wherein the medical report includes medical item data corresponding to at least one characteristic of at least one medical item,

wherein a characteristic of a first medical item is represented in the medical report by both human-readable text and machine-readable indicia,

wherein the indicia differs from the text in format;

(b) operating a reader device to read the machine-readable indicia representative of the characteristic of the first patient; and

(c) operating a reader device to read the machine-readable indicia representative of the characteristic of the first medical item, wherein the reading causes storage of data representative that the first medical item has been taken for use by the first patient.

15. The method according to claim 14 and further comprising a printer device,

wherein the medical report comprises paper,

wherein the characteristic of the first patient comprises a patient name,

wherein the characteristic of the first medical item comprises a medication name,

wherein the reader device is operative to read from the paper the machine-readable indicia representative of the medication name.

wherein step (a) includes operating the printer device to print directly on the paper each of:

human-readable text representative of the patient name,

machine-readable indicia representative of the patient name,

human-readable text representative of the medication name, and

machine-readable indicia representative of the medication name;

wherein step (b) includes operating the reader device to read the patient name from machine-readable indicia printed on the paper in step (a);

wherein step (c) includes operating the reader device to read the medication name from machine-readable indicia printed on the paper in step (a).

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein step (a) includes preparing a medical report that includes a same patient name represented by both text and indicia.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein step (a) includes preparing a medical report that includes a same medical item name represented by both text and indicia.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein step (a) includes representing the patient name with first bar code indicia and representing the medical item name with second bar code indicia.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein step (a) includes representing at least one of the patient name and medical item name with machine-readable magnetic indicia.

20. The method according to claim 14 wherein step (a) includes preparing a medical report that includes a same medical item name represented by both text and indicia.