Algorithm and program for the handling and administration of radioactive pharmaceuticals

• US 7,630,907 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ec2 Software Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Biodose LLC
• Inventors: Whittacre, Bretten H., Johnson, Jared, Curnutt, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor; Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RANGREJ, SHEETAL
• Application Number:
  US10/283,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20030139640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,597 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• 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

An algorithm and associated program for performing method steps in the maintaining of records and generating of reports used in the processing of radioactive pharmaceuticals. The algorithm is used as the basis of a program which can accomplish this method automatically. The method involves the determination of dose, the acquisition of the materials, scheduling for the issuance of doses and for future doses, the actual monitoring and control of material and equipment disposal. The algorithm and method are also adapted for the generation of reports on a periodic basis. In short, the method performed by the algorithm allows for an automation through a computer system and this, in turn, allows for the automatic processing of the steps performed and the controls involved in the dispensing of radioactive pharmaceuticals and automatically allows for the generation of governmental and other reports therefor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for introduction and processing of data and thereafter determining and generating presentations on a display screen of an electronic data processing system for controlling administration of radioactive pharmaceuticals to patients, comprises the steps of:

processing patient data relating to at least one patient to whom a particular radioactive pharmaceutical is to be administrated and radioactive pharmaceutical data relating to the particular radioactive pharmaceutical itself;

presenting, on the screen of the electronic data processing system, a complete main flow diagram showing all essential routines;

displaying each essential routine selected by an operator on the screen in sequence, enabling the operator to perform each step in that selected essential routine and allowing for immediate return to the complete main flow diagram for obtaining details on each successive essential routine so that all the essential routines can be efficiently performed;

introducing into at least one database, a first set of information about the at least one patient, a second set of information about the particular radioactive pharmaceutical, a third set of information about at least one dose of the particular radioactive pharmaceutical to the at least one patient, and a fourth set of information about dates administrations of the particular radioactive pharmaceutical to the at least one patient are to be performed;

automatically assigning to the respective first, second, third and fourth sets of introduced information, a separate one of first codes about the at least one patient who is to receive a radioactive pharmaceutical, a separate one of second codes about each radioactive pharmaceutical to be administered to the at least one patient, a separate one of third codes about the doses of radioactive pharmaceuticals which can be administrated to the at least one patient, and a separate one of fourth codes about dates in which administration may take place;

automatically locating information about the at least one patient, information about the particular radioactive pharmaceutical, information about the doses, information about the dates of activities to determine the particular radioactive pharmaceutical to be administrated to each patient and the doses thereof, and the dates of administration of the doses by locating the first, second, third, and fourth codes, and generating a display thereof;

automatically correlating the first, second, third and fourth codes to the information sought so that the patients and the pharmaceuticals and the doses and the dates of activities are in the at least one database and can be automatically retrieved from the at least one database by the codes assigned thereto, thereby reducing the redundancy of information recorded;

introducing into the at least one database a fifth set of information about tests to be performed on the at least one patient and a separate one of fifth codes assigned to each of those tests that will always remain the same for such tests regardless of the patients on whom the tests are to be performed;

introducing into the at least one database a sixth set of information about studies to be performed based on the tests conducted on the at least one patient and a separate one of sixth codes assigned to each of those studies that will always remain the same for such studies regardless of the patients on whom the studies are to be performed; and

introducing into the at least one database a seventh set of information about testing for radioactivity levels and a separate one of seventh codes assigned to each of the tests for radioactivity levels, wherein the same codes will be applied to such tests regardless of the radioactive pharmaceuticals with respect to which the tests are to be performed;

wherein each of the codes are automatically assigned information which is introduced into the electronic data processing system such that the codes do not have be manually introduced by the operator thereof; and

the first codes assigned to a patient will always remain the same for that patient, the second code assigned to the radioactive pharmaceutical will always remain the same for that radioactive pharmaceutical regardless of the patient the radioactive pharmaceutical is administered to, the third code assigned to the dose will always remain the same regardless of the patient and/or the pharmaceutical, and the fourth code will always remain the same for such date or dates regardless of the patient, dose and/or radioactive pharmaceutical.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising administering of the radioactive pharmaceuticals comprising steps of:

scheduling the administration of at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical to at least one selected patient;

electronically determining the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

obtaining the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical; and

electronically correlating the selected patient to the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical and acquiring at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical for use with the at least one selected patient.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

actually administrating the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical to the at least one selected patient; and

disposing of at least one instrumentality used in administration of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical to the at least one selected patient and electronically tracking information related thereto;

wherein the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical is obtained in advance of, but in reasonably close relation to, the actual administration of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of packaging the at least one instrumentality for delivery to at least one location having facilities to handle radioactively-contaminated instrumentalities;

and measuring the amount of radioactive contamination in the at least one instrumentality and in areas in which the radioactively-contaminated at least one instrumentality has been used.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising calibrating those instrumentalities which require calibration.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising taking the steps set forth in claim 2 for a plurality of patients who may receive different radioactive pharmaceuticals and different amounts thereof.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of electronically organizing data used in the performance of the method and sorting the data in such manner that the data can be organized and used for control of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of electronically organizing data used in the performance of the method and sorting the data in such manner that a governmental report can be generated electronically.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of physically preparing the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the preparing step comprises ordering the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

calculating a proper amount of the at least one dose; and

preparing an instrumentality of the proper amount of the at least one dose for administration.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of displaying in a selected order on the display screen:

certain patients;

respective dates the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical was administered to each of the certain patients; and

doses of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical given to each of the certain patients.

12. The method of claim 2, further characterized in that the scheduling, determining, obtaining, and correlating steps are electronically performed so that ordering the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical occurs in timed relation to the scheduling and preparing the at lease one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical for administration, by display of information relating to the at least one selected patient and to information about the at least one dose available in an inventory.

13. A computer-implemented process for generating presentations on a display screen of an electronic data processing system for controlling administration of radioactive pharmaceuticals to patients comprising steps of:

scheduling administration of at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical to at least one selected patient;

determining availability of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical in an inventory;

electronically correlating the at least one selected patient to the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

acquiring at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical for use with the at least one selected patient;

wherein the acquiring step comprises entering information about the at least one selected patient into the electronic data processing system in order to determine desired activity of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical at the time of administration to the at least one selected patient;

displaying activity range required at time of dispensing and at time of calibration;

selecting the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity from the inventory on the display screen;

measuring amount of radiation for the at least one dose if the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity is available;

entering the amount of radiation measured in the electronic data processing system;

ordering the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity at the time of administration if the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity is not available in the inventory;

scanning a label of a container holding the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

validating information scanned from the label against the inventory for proper radioactive pharmaceutical type and expiration parameters; and

administering the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical to the at least one selected patient.

14. A computer-implemented process for generating presentations on a display screen of an electronic data processing system for controlling administration of radioactive pharmaceuticals to patients comprising steps of:

prescribing an order for diagnostic imaging requiring administration of at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

determining availability of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical in an inventory;

electronically correlating the prescribed order to the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

acquiring at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical for use with the diagnostic imaging;

wherein the acquiring step comprises entering information about the prescribed order into the electronic data processing system in order to determine desired activity of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical at the time of administration;

displaying activity range required at time of dispensing and at time of calibration;

selecting the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity from the inventory on the display screen;

measuring amount of radiation for the at least one dose if the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity is available;

entering the amount of radiation measured in the electronic data processing system;

ordering the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity at the time of administration if the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical having the desired activity is not available in the inventory;

scanning a label of a container holding the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical;

validating information scanned from the label against the inventory for proper radioactive pharmaceutical type and expiration parameters; and

administering the at least one dose of the at least one required radioactive pharmaceutical for the diagnostic imaging.