MEDICINE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING MEDICINE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS

• US 20120179488A1
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanimoto, Takanobu, Gotou, Makoto, Matsukawa, Yoshihiko, Kenjou, Noriko, Kuwata, Hidenori
• Application Number:
  US13/496,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179488A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• 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

Abstract

A medicine management apparatus includes: a medicine storage (11); a tag detection unit (14) which detects (i) worker information for identifying a worker and a work position of the worker and (ii) worker information and a work position of a worker who is present in the first work area and worker information and a work position of a worker who is present in the second work area; a management unit (22) which determines, based on a result of the detection performed by the tag detection unit (14), whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, which is (i) plural workers who are authorized to use the medicine storage (11) are present in an area that is a combination of the first work area and the second work area and (ii) at least one of the workers is present in the first work area, in the state where the medicine storage (11) is locked, and a lock unit (13) which sets the medicine storage (11) to a state which allows the medicine storage to be unlocked, when it is determined, by the management unit (22), that the unlocking condition is satisfied.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a medicine management apparatus that includes a medicine storage and a detection unit that detects worker information for identifying a worker and a work position of the worker,

wherein a first work area and a second work area are preliminarily specified, the first work area including an installation position of the medicine management apparatus, and the second work area including a position from which the worker who operates the medicine management apparatus is directly visible,

the method of controlling a medicine management apparatus comprising:

detecting the worker information and the work position of the worker;

determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, based on a result of the detecting, the unlocking condition being that, in a state where the medicine storage is locked, (i) a plurality of workers authorized to use the medicine storage are present in an area that is a combination of the first work area and the second work area and (ii) at least one of the workers is present in the first work area; and

setting the medicine storage to a state which allows the medicine storage to be unlocked, when it is determined, in the determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, that the unlocking condition is satisfied.

2. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

the method further comprising:

determining whether or not a working condition is satisfied, based on the result of the detecting, the working condition being that, in a state where the medicine storage is unlocked, (i) the plurality of workers authorized to use the medicine storage are present in the area that is the combination of the first work area and the second work area and (ii) the at least one of the workers is present in the first work area; and

generating an alert signal when it is determined, in the determining whether or not a working condition is satisfied, that the working condition is not satisfied.

3. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 2, the method further comprising

locking the medicine storage when it is determined, in the determining whether or not a working condition is satisfied, that the working condition is not satisfied.

4. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in the detecting, the worker information and the work position of the worker are detected by reading the worker information in a non-contact manner, the worker information being stored in an ID tag held by the worker.

5. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in the detecting, the worker information and the work position of the worker are detected by analyzing a captured image of the worker.

6. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the medicine management apparatus further includes a user registration unit in which user information of a worker authorized to use the medicine management apparatus is stored, and

in the determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, whether or not the worker detected in the detecting is one of the workers authorized to use the medicine storage is determined by determining whether or not the worker information of the worker detected in the detecting is stored in the user registration unit.

7. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the medicine management apparatus further includes a user registration unit in which user information of a worker authorized to use the medicine management apparatus is stored, and

in the determining whether or not a working condition is satisfied, whether or not the worker detected in the detecting is one of the workers authorized to use the medicine storage is determined by determining whether or not the worker information of the worker detected in the detecting is stored in the user registration unit.

8. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in the determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, whether or not the unlocking condition is satisfied is determined based on a result of the detection in the detecting, the unlocking condition being that, in the state where the medicine storage is locked, (i) at least one of the workers authorized to work in the first work area is present in the first work area and (ii) at least one of the workers authorized to work in the second work area is present in the second work area.

9. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the medicine management apparatus further includes (i) a first authorized user registering unit in which use information of the worker authorized to work in the first work area is stored and (ii) a second authorized user registering unit in which use information of the worker authorized to work in the second work area is stored, and

the determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied includes:

determining whether or not worker information of a worker present in the first work area is stored in the first authorized user registering unit, to determine whether or not the worker present in the first work area is the worker authorized to work in the first work area, the worker information being detected in the detecting; and

determining whether or not worker information of a worker present in the second work area is stored in the second authorized user registering unit, to determine whether or not the worker present in the second work area is the worker authorized to work in the second work area, the worker information being detected in the detecting.

10. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein in the determining whether or not a working condition is satisfied, whether or not the working condition is satisfied is determined, based on a result of the detection in the detecting, the working condition being that, in the state where the medicine storage is unlocked, (i) at least one of the workers authorized to work in the first work area is present in the first work area and (ii) at least one of the workers authorized to work in the second work area is present in the second work area.

11. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the medicine management apparatus further includes (i) a first authorized user registering unit in which use information of a worker authorized to work in the first work area is stored and (ii) a second authorized user registering unit in which use information of a worker authorized to work in the second work area is stored, and

the determining whether or not a working condition is satisfied includes:

determining whether or not worker information of the worker present in the first work area is stored in the first authorized user registering unit, to determine whether or not the worker present in the first work area is the worker authorized to work in the first work area, the worker information being detected in the detecting; and

determining whether or not worker information of the worker present in the second work area is stored in the second authorized user registering unit, to determine whether or not the worker present in the second work area is the worker authorized to work in the second work area, the worker information being detected in the detecting.

12. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a checking apparatus for receiving a result of check performed by a worker is located in the second work area, and

the method further comprises:

determining whether or not a check condition is satisfied, the check condition being that at least one checker who is a worker authorized to check medicines is present in the second work area; and

receiving a result of check performed by the checker when it is determined, in the determining whether or not a check condition is satisfied, that the check condition is satisfied.

13. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the checking apparatus is located in the second work area and outside the first work area, and

in the determining whether or not a check condition is satisfied, it is determined whether or not a check condition that the at least one checker is present in the second work area and outside the first work area is satisfied.

14. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the first work area and the second work area are preliminarily specified such that a worker cannot operate the checking apparatus from the first work area and a worker cannot operate the medicine management apparatus from the second work area.

15. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein an area which belongs to none of the work areas is provided between the first work area and the second work area.

16. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the medicine management apparatus further includes a check result receiving unit for receiving a result of check, and

the method further comprises:

determining whether or not a check condition is satisfied, the check condition being that at least one checker who is a worker authorized to check medicines is present in the first work area; and

receiving a result of check performed by the checker when it is determined, in the determining whether or not a check condition is satisfied, that the check condition is satisfied.

17. The method of controlling a medicine management apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein in the determining whether or not a check condition is satisfied, it is determined whether or not a check condition that the at least one checker is present in the first work area and a worker unauthorized to check medicines is not present in the first work area is satisfied.

18. A medicine management apparatus which manages medicines, the apparatus comprising:

a medicine storage;

a detection unit configured to detect worker information for identifying a worker and a work position of the worker;

a management unit configured to determine whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, based on a result of detection performed by the detection unit, in a state where (i) a first work area including an installation position of the medicine management apparatus and a second work area including a position from which the worker who operates the medicine management apparatus is directly visible are preliminarily specified and (ii) the medicine storage is locked, the unlocking condition being that a plurality of workers authorized to use the medicine storage are present in an area that is a combination of the first work area and the second work area and at least one of the workers is present in the first work area; and

a lock unit configured to set the medicine storage to a state which allows the medicine storage to be unlocked, when it is determined, by the management unit, that the unlocking condition is satisfied.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, the recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for causing the computer to execute:

detecting the worker information and the work position of the worker;

determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, based on a result of the detecting, the unlocking condition being that, in a state where a first work area and a second work area are preliminarily specified and the medicine storage is locked, (i) a plurality of workers authorized to use the medicine storage are present in an area that is a combination of the first work area and the second work area and (ii) at least one of the workers is present in the first work area, the first work area including an installation position of the medicine management apparatus, and the second work area including a position from which the worker who operates the medicine management apparatus is directly visible; and

setting the medicine storage to a state which allows the medicine storage to be unlocked, when it is determined, in the determining whether or not an unlocking condition is satisfied, that the unlocking condition is satisfied.