Medication compliance, co-ordination and dispensing system
First Claim
1. A medication compliance, co-ordination and dispensing system for dispensing a plurality of medications in a medication regimen according to a defined prescription schedule, comprising:
- an upright, centrally located main housing containing a plurality of electronic devices, a power supply, a main front panel for attaching a plurality of output devices, and a control element, whereinsaid control element is in communication with said plurality of electronic devices, each said device being actuable by said control element and in communication with said plurality of output devices, each device actuable by said control element, said control element including memory means for storing programs and data and a microprocessing means for processing a program for generating a prescription schedule containing administration times for each medication in the medication regimen;
clock means associated with said control element for indicating real time;
a plurality of secondary housing means positioned in two rows on opposite sides of the main housing, each said secondary housing means engageable with adjacent secondary housing means and/or the main housing;
storage means located inside each secondary housing means and dedicated to storing a medication with defined administration times in accordance with the program generated prescription schedule;
dispensing means located inside each secondary housing means and associated with said storage means for dispensing said medication, wherein said dispensing means is actuable by the control element when the clock means indicates real time matching said defined administration times;
receiving means dedicated to each dispensing means and capable of receiving medications delivered by the dispensing means;
compartment means dedicated to each receiver means and capable of containing medication received by said receiver means until said medication is removed by the patient; and
a plurality of first indicator means positioned on the outside of each secondary housing means, said indicator means actuable by the control element when real time equals said defined medication administration time for the said medication.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medication compliance, co-ordination and dispensing system for coordinating the administration of medication regimens at home equipped with a system for monitoring patient compliance and protection from overdosage and underdosage. The system is accessible to all types of patients, including children, the elderly, the visually-impaired, the hearing-impaired and patients with other handicaps. The device comprises a centrally positioned main housing containing a control element, a plurality of storage and dispensing units dedicated to different medications engageable with the main housing, and a system of input and output devices in communication with the control element. The I/O devices include visual and audible alarms for alerting the patient of administration times, voice and display means for providing extended medication information to the patient, a mini-camera for recording patient compliance and a user-wearable message receiving component for doing same. The compliance, co-ordination and dispensing system of the invention automatically dispenses medication according to a prescribed schedule but has built-in features which, in addition to recording non-compliance, allows inter alia adjustment of the medication criteria to protect against overdosage, as well as underdosage and preferably double-checks on the patient taking the dispensed medication and records and tracks when the medication is taken and co-ordinates this information with the medication regime programmed into the system.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A medication compliance, co-ordination and dispensing system for dispensing a plurality of medications in a medication regimen according to a defined prescription schedule, comprising:
an upright, centrally located main housing containing a plurality of electronic devices, a power supply, a main front panel for attaching a plurality of output devices, and a control element, wherein said control element is in communication with said plurality of electronic devices, each said device being actuable by said control element and in communication with said plurality of output devices, each device actuable by said control element, said control element including memory means for storing programs and data and a microprocessing means for processing a program for generating a prescription schedule containing administration times for each medication in the medication regimen; clock means associated with said control element for indicating real time; a plurality of secondary housing means positioned in two rows on opposite sides of the main housing, each said secondary housing means engageable with adjacent secondary housing means and/or the main housing; storage means located inside each secondary housing means and dedicated to storing a medication with defined administration times in accordance with the program generated prescription schedule; dispensing means located inside each secondary housing means and associated with said storage means for dispensing said medication, wherein said dispensing means is actuable by the control element when the clock means indicates real time matching said defined administration times; receiving means dedicated to each dispensing means and capable of receiving medications delivered by the dispensing means; compartment means dedicated to each receiver means and capable of containing medication received by said receiver means until said medication is removed by the patient; and a plurality of first indicator means positioned on the outside of each secondary housing means, said indicator means actuable by the control element when real time equals said defined medication administration time for the said medication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25)
-
23. A method of dispensing a first and second medication in a medication regimen, comprising the steps of:
-
providing a control element including clock means for indicating real time, memory means and microprocessor means; providing a cabinet including a main housing, a plurality of storage means, dispensing means associated with each storage means and actuable by the control element, and compartment means associated with each dispensing means and for receiving medication dispensed by said dispensing means; selectively storing the first medication inside a first storage means and the second medication inside a second storage means; storing a schedule program in the memory means; storing a user-defined medication administration criteria in the memory means; using the microprocessing means to process the schedule program such that prescription schedules for each of the first and second medications are generated in accordance with the medication administration criteria, said prescription schedules including defined medication administration times; using the control element to cause the first dispensing means to deliver a predetermined amount of the first medication into the first compartment means when real time equals the medication administration time for the first medication; and
,using the control element to cause the second dispensing means to dispense a predetermined amount of the second medication into the second compartment means when real time equals the medication administration time for the second medication. - View Dependent Claims (24, 26)
-
Specification