Drug delivery method and apparatus

• US 4,127,311 A
• Filed: 05/27/1975
• Issued: 11/28/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William Weiman
• Original Assignee: William Weiman
• Inventors: Weiman, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Tollberg, Stanley H.
• Application Number:
  US05/580,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 312/209, 312/234.3, 221/2, 206/534, 206/538, 206/539, 116/119, 116/121
• US Class Current: 312/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00

Abstract

A hospital drug dispensing cart is provided with discrete compartments with each of the compartments corresponding to an individual hospital patient. An individual drug dispensing tray is placed in each compartment for each patient. The trays each consist of a row of drug storage bins with an attached correspondent chart. The chart, typically attached by a hinge to the tray, is movable from a vertical storage position to a horizontal indicating and recording position. In operation, the drug dispensing cart is moved to the vicinity of the patient where the individual drug dispensing tray for that particular patient is removed. The chart attached to the tray is moved from its vertical storage position to its horizontal indicating and recording position. Dispensing information for each drug in each bin is indicated and recorded in columns which correspond in width to the corresponding width of the drug storage bin and extend away from the corresponding drug storage bin in columns on the chart. Time of drug dispensing is indicated by horizontal rows across the vertical columns on the chart for each drug storage bin. Registry of a horizontal guide with the appropriate time of the drug dispensing route for the cart produces horizontal indication underlying each drug bin of the particular drug to be dispensed.

Claims

1. A drug storage tray with attached chart comprising:

an elongate tray for supporting a plurality of discrete drug containers thereon;

a series of partitions extending across said elongate tray to delimit the length of said tray into a series of discrete drug bins for receiving discrete drugs in each bin;

a chart suitable as a permanent medicine record;

means for attaching said chart to said drug storage tray with a portion of said chart juxtaposed to each said drug storage bin;

discrete columns on said chart having column margins extending from each discrete bin proximate the partitions delimiting each bin to define columns on said chart between said margins having a width substantially equal to the width of each discrete storage bin at the point of juxtaposition of said chart; and

, defined areas on said chart at each discrete column for receiving indicia for identifying each drug in each discrete bin as to drug identity, and a plurality of defined areas in each column at differing distances from each drug storage bin for receiving the times of dally drug administration, the defined areas for corresponding times for said drug administration being at corresponding distances from each drug storage bin.

2. The drug storage tray with attached chart of claim 1 and wherein said means for attaching said chart to said tray comprises a hinge, said hinge having an axis along the juxtaposition of said each said discrete storage bin to said chart to permit said chart to move relative to said tray about said hinge axis between a vertical storage position and a horizontal recording and indicating position.

3. The invention of claim 1 and wherein said chart includes a removably attached hospital record over the surface of a portion of said chart, said removably attached record having scribed thereon said column margins.

4. A process for administering drugs to a group of hospital patients comprising:

providing an elongate tray for each of said group of hospital patients, said tray including a series of partitions extending across said elongate tray to delimit the length of said tray into a series of discrete drug storage bins;

attaching a chart to said drug storage tray with a portion of said chart juxtaposed to each said drug storage bin, said chart being suitable as a permanent medicine record and including discrete columns on said chart having column margins extending from each discrete bin proximate the partitions delimiting each bin to define column on said chart between said margins having a width substantially equal to the width of each discrete storage bin at the point of juxtaposition of said chart;

placing a supply of a discrete drug in an amount sufficient for multiple administrations in at least one of said drug storage bins for administration to said one of said group of hospital patients at a preselected time sequence; and

, recording on said chart in the column adjacent each bin the drug identity and at common distances from each bin common times for the administration of each of said drugs; and

thereafter recording actual times of repeated administrations of said supply of drugs at common distances from each bin for common times for such administrations.

5. In a hospital drug dispensing cart including discrete medicine dispensing trays for discrete patients, said chart having means on the bottom for moving said cart over the floor of the hospital;

a series of individual compartments defined interiorly of said hospital cart, each of said compartments corresponding to an individual hospital patient;

an individual drug dispensing tray placed interiorly of each compartment for each patient, said tray comprising an elongate tray for supporting a plurality of discrete drug dispensing containers thereon;

a series of partitions extending across said elongate tray to delimit the length of said tray into a series of discrete drug bins for receiving discrete drugs in each bin;

a chart suitable as a permanent medicine record for each said drug dispensing tray;

means for attaching said charts to each of said drug storage trays with a portion of said chart juxtaposed to each said drug storage bin;

discrete columns on said chart having column margins extending from each discrete bin proximate the partitions delimiting each bin to define columns on each said chart between said margins having widths substantially equal to the widths of each discrete storage bin at the point of juxtaposition of said chart; and

indicia on said chart at each discrete column identifying each drug in each discrete drug storage bin as to identity and time of daily drug administration, the indicia in each discrete column being at differing distances from said drug bins and that which relates to a corresponding time of daily drug administration being at a corresponding distance from each drug storage bin.