Pharmaceutical dispensing device and methods

• US 5,745,366 A
• Filed: 10/10/1995
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Omnicell Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Arnold, Richard C., Higham, John D., Godlewski, Peter P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elmore, Reba I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Monica
• Application Number:
  US08/544,379
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 364/479, 364/900, 364/403, 361/727, 361/391, 395/250, 395/210, 312/215, 221/2, 221/153, 53/55, 340/825.35
• US Class Current: 700/242
• 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
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides improved methods and apparatus for providing access to items to be dispensed and for maintaining an inventory of the items. According to one aspect of the invention, a dispensing unit is provided having an enclosure with an interior. A plurality of storage locations are distributed over a surface of the enclosure. Sensors associated with at least some of the individual storage locations are provided. The unit further includes a multiplicity of receptacles disposed within at least some of the storage locations. Sensors associated with at least some of the individual receptacles are provided. A processor is disposed on the enclosure and connected to receive signals from the storage location-associated sensors and the receptacle-associated sensors.

Claims

1. A method for dispensing pharmaceutical and medical supply items from a dispensing unit comprising a cabinet having a processor and a plurality of retractable drawers, with at least some of the drawers having a plurality receptacles for holding the items and with at least some of the drawers having lockable lids for at least some of the receptacles in the drawer, the method comprising:

entering user identification information into the processor to identify a user that is requesting access to the pharmaceutical or medical supply items held in the dispensing unit;

entering pharmaceutical or medical supply item identification information into the processor, the pharmaceutical or medical supply item identification information identifying specific pharmaceutical or medical supply items that the user requests to remove from the dispensing unit;

comparing the user identification information with an access list having information as to which of the requested pharmaceutical or medical supply items that the user may be given access based on the previously entered user identification information to determine one or more of the drawers to which the user may be given access;

unlocking one of the drawers having one of the requested pharmaceutical or medical supply items if the access list indicates that the user may have access to the requested pharmaceutical or medical supply item in that drawer;

retracting the unlocked drawer;

actuating a receptacle visual indicator adjacent one of the receptacles in the retracted drawer having the requested pharmaceutical or medical supply item;

unlocking the lid adjacent the actuated visual indicator if the retracted drawer includes at least some lockable lids to allow access to the receptacle adjacent the actuated visual indicator while preventing access to the other receptacles having lockable lids; and

removing the requested pharmaceutical or medical supply item from the receptacle adjacent the actuated visual indicator.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising entering the quantity of each item to be removed into the dispensing unit.

3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising entering or selecting patient identification information into the dispensing unit.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the entering step comprises selecting patient identification information from a list stored in the dispensing unit.

5. A method as in claim 1, further comprising producing an alarm if access is attempted to one of the receptacles for which an adjacent receptacle visual indicator is not actuated.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein all other drawers remain locked.

7. A method as in claim 2, wherein the removing step comprises at least partially removing a lid covering the receptacle and sensing removal of the lid.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the lid is locked prior to entering user and item identification.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein the lid is unlocked upon actuation of the adjacent visual indicator.

10. A method as in claim 7, wherein sensing of lid removal is used to confirm access to the receptacle and to acknowledge removal of the initially entered quantity.

11. A method as in claim 7, further comprising producing an alarm if the lid is not replaced following removal of the item.

12. A method as in claim 2, further comprising touching an item button corresponding to the receptacle to confirm removal of the item and quantity.

13. A method as in claim 1, further comprising actuating a drawer visual indicator on the unlocked drawer.

14. A method as in claim 1, further comprising actuating a second receptacle visual indicator adjacent another receptacle in the retracted drawer having another item from the entered item identification information and removing an item from that receptacle.

15. A method as in claim 1, further comprising closing and locking the drawer if no receptacle visual indicators are actuated.

16. A method as in claim 15, further comprising unlocking a second one of the drawers having at least one item from the entered item identification information if the user may have access to that drawer, and retracting the unlocked drawer.

17. A method as in claim 2, wherein a plurality of the receptacles each contain multiple items of the same type.

18. A method as in claim 17, further comprising entering a quantity of more than one of the same type of item into the dispensing unit, and actuating a visual indicator adjacent a second receptacle if a first of the receptacles having the item lacks a sufficient quantity to fill the requested quantity.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein each receptacle is covered by a lid and has a corresponding item button, and wherein the visual indicator adjacent the second receptacle is actuated after the lid for the first receptacle has been lifted and the corresponding item button selected.

20. A method as in claim 1, further comprising periodically restocking any emptied receptacles.

21. A method as in claim 20, wherein the restocking step comprises allowing access to only one receptacle at a time as the receptacles are refilled.

22. A method as in claim 20, wherein the restocking step comprises providing simultaneous access to all receptacles of a drawer when refilling the receptacles.

23. A method as in claim 20, further comprising entering a list of items and associated quantities that are to be restocked into the dispensing unit prior to restocking.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein the entering step comprises electronically transferring the list of items and quantities from a remote processor.

25. A method as in claim 24, further comprising touching a touch-sensitive button adjacent one of the receptacles to be restocked after the receptacle has been restocked to confirm completion of restocking and that the initially entered quantity has actually been restocked.

26. A method as in claim 25, further comprising entering updated quantity information into the dispensing unit if the quantity to be restocked is different from the initially entered quantity.

27. A method as in claim 1, further comprising requiring witness identification information to be entered into the dispensing unit prior to allowing access to selected ones of the drawers.

31. A method as in claim 1, wherein each receptacle holds only a single item.

35. A method as in claim 23, further comprising manually entering a modified quantity of items to be restocked into the dispensing unit if the quantity of actual items to be restocked is less than the entered quantity

39. A method as in claim 1, wherein the lids are slidable held over each of the receptacles.

40. A method as in claim 1, wherein the lids are attached over each of the receptacles by a hinge.

28. A method for dispensing pharmaceutical or medical supply items from a dispensing unit comprising a cabinet having a processor and a plurality of retractable drawers, with at least some of the retractable drawers having a plurality receptacles for holding the items and with at least some of the receptacles including lids which cover the receptacles, the method comprising;

entering user identification information into the processor to identify a user that is requesting access to the pharmaceutical or medical supply items held in the dispensing unit;

entering pharmaceutical or medical supply item identification information into the processor, the pharmaceutical or medical supply item identification information identifying specific types of pharmaceutical or medical supply items that the user requests to remove from the dispensing unit;

entering the quantity of each type of pharmaceutical or medical supply item into the processor that the user wishes to remove from the dispensing unit;

actuating a receptacle visual indicator adjacent one of the receptacles having one of the requested types of pharmaceutical or medical supply items if the drawer has multiple receptacles;

manually moving the lid covering the receptacle adjacent the actuated visual indicator and sensing movement of the lid to produce a record that access to the receptacle was attempted; and

removing the previously entered quantity of the requested pharmaceutical or medical supply item from the receptacle adjacent the actuated visual indicator.

29. A method as in claim 28, further comprising producing an alarm if one of the lids is moved that is not adjacent the receptacle having the actuated visual indicator.

30. A method as in claim 28, further comprising actuating a second receptacle visual indicator adjacent a second receptacle having another type of requested pharmaceutical or medical supply item after removal of the first type of pharmaceutical or medical supply item from the first receptacle.

32. A method as in claim 28, wherein each receptacle holds only a single item.

33. A method as in claim 28, further comprising periodically restocking items into depleted receptacles.

34. A method as in claim 33, wherein the restocking step comprises simultaneously removing all lids from the drawer to gain access to the receptacles.

36. A method as in claim 33, further comprising entering a list of items and associated quantities that are to be restocked into the dispensing unit prior to restocking, and wherein the entering step comprises electronically transferring the list of items and quantities from a remote processor.

37. A method as in claim 28, wherein at least one of the lids is transparent to permit visual access.

38. A method as in claim 28, wherein at least some of the lids are opaque to prevent the user from gaining visual access to the items.

41. A method as in claim 28, wherein the lids are slidable held over each of the receptacles.

42. A method as in claim 28, wherein the lids are attached over each of the receptacles by a hinge.

43. A method as in claim 28, wherein a plurality of the receptacles each contain multiple items of the same type, and further comprising entering a quantity of more than one of the same type of item into the dispensing unit, and actuating a visual indicator adjacent a second receptacle if a first of the receptacles having the item lacks a sufficient quantity to fill the requested quantity.