Procedure and assembly for drawing blood

• US 5,166,498 A
• Filed: 03/04/1992
• Issued: 11/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: William E. Neeley
• Inventors: Neeley, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LaRoche, Eugene R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GLEMBOCKI, CHRISTOPHE
• Application Number:
  US07/844,926
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/449, 235/472, 235/462, 364/413.01, 364/413.03, 364/567
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/005 Identification bracelets, e.g. secured to the arm of a person
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/207 in the form of a badge to be worn by a person

Abstract

Patients in hospitals are pvovided with identification bracelets which display the patient identity number in a machine-readable form, such as a bar code. Blood or other samples are taken from patients by a technician, nurse, or the like who carries a microprocessor-operated device for optically scanning the identification bracelet-coded patient identifications. When the patient ID is read, the device automatically prints out a label for securement to the specimen tube. The label includes the patient'"'"'s name; ID number; tests to be performed on the specimen sample; and the time and date the sample was drawn. The device is preferably housed in the tray which carries the sample tubes and sampling needles. A connection can be made between a mainframe computer and the device'"'"'s microprocessor so that the device can confirm to the mainframe computer that all of the samples were drawn, and so that the mainframe computer can preprogram the device to prepare for the next round of specimen samples.

Claims

1. A method for taking specimen samples from patients, said method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a portable device having the following components;

an onboard printer;

an onboard computer containing stored patient identification information and specimen sample testing instructions keyed to said patient identification information;

an onboard supply of blank labels for said printer to print information on; and

an onboard scanner means operably connected to said computer, for transmitting patient identity information of said computer;

all of said components being housed in a single portable container;

b) providing a patient tag having disposed thereon machine readable indicia containing said patient identity information which identifies the patient to whom the tag was issued;

c) scanning said machine readable indicia at the time the specimen sample is taken to transmit said patient identity information to said onboard computer;

d) creating a specimen sample container label by printing with said printer the patient identification information and the specimen sample test instructions on a blank label taken from said supply thereof, said identification information and test instructions being keyed to the patient identity information input from said scanning step;

said supply of blank labels providing the primary source of specimen sample container labels for affixation to specimen sample containers; and

e) attaching said printed specimen sample container label to a specimen sample container for the first time at the time the patient specimen is taken.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said supply of blank labels is the sole source of specimen sample container labels.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising the further step of printing on the label the time and date on which the label is created.