Systems and methods for monitoring the use of medications

• US 9,155,833 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Nelson, Elizabeth, Feygin, David, Byrd, Richard, Peterson, Bart D., Ranganathan, Karthik, Harding, Weston F., Sonderegger, Ralph L., Marshall, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Desta, Elias
• Application Number:
  US13/410,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20120226446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/168 Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters ; Monitoring media flow to the body flow control in general G05D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring the use of a fluid over the lifecycle of the fluid, said systems including a plurality of fluid identification stations, each station having one or more sensors to detect and identify a parameter of a fluid, wherein a each station is operably interconnected thereby permitting each station to access and verify the identity of a fluid as determined by each independent fluid identification station.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a fluid, comprising:

a first fluid identification station having a first sensor for detecting a first characteristic of a fluid; and

a second fluid identification station having a second sensor for detecting a second characteristic of the fluid, wherein the first fluid identification station is operably connected to the second fluid identification station such that the second fluid identification station accesses and verifies the first characteristic of the fluid from the first fluid identification station, and the first fluid identification station accesses and verifies the second characteristic of the fluid from the second fluid identification station;

wherein the first fluid identification station comprises a first processing unit, and the second fluid identification station comprises a second processing unit, wherein the first and second processing units are operably connected via a computer network such that once the first fluid identification station identifies a characteristic of a fluid said first characteristic is stored on said computer network and such that once the second fluid identification station identifies a characteristic of a fluid said second characteristic is stored on said computer network such that proper fluid administration to a patient can be confirmed.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third fluid identification station having a third sensor for detecting a third characteristic of the fluid, wherein the third fluid identification station is operably connected to the first and second fluid identification stations such that the first and second fluid identification stations accesses the third characteristic of the fluid from the third fluid identification station, and the third fluid identification station accesses the first and second characteristics of the fluid from the first and second fluid identification stations, respectively.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third characteristics of the fluid is selected from the group consisting of:

a diluent of the fluid, a concentration of a constituent within the fluid, an identity of a constituent within the fluid, a temperature of the fluid, a concentration of the fluid, an age of the fluid, an expiration date of the fluid, and a dosage of the fluid.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer network wherein the first and second fluid identification stations are operably connected via the computer network.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising an electronic medical record operably connected to at least one of the first fluid identification station and the second fluid identification station via the computer network.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a processing unit operably connected to at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor, wherein the processing unit receives a sensing measurement from the connected sensors.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit comprises a computer device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second sensors further comprise a sensing element configured to detect at least one characteristic of the fluid, the sensing element being positioned so as to be in contact with the fluid.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensing element comprises a plurality of sensing elements.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an output device coupled to the first fluid identification station and configured to prepare a computer recognizable code with data communicating the first characteristic of the fluid.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the output device is at least one of a printer and an RFID programmer.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising an input device coupled to the first fluid identification station and configured to read the computer recognizable code.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display device for communicating the first and second characteristics of the fluid to a user.

14. The system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of fluid identification stations.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of fluid identification stations are operably connected via the computer network.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising a step for recording the first and second characteristics of the fluid in an electronic medical record.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first and second characteristics of the fluid is selected from the group consisting of:

a diluent of the fluid, a concentration of a constituent within the fluid, an identity of a constituent within the fluid, a temperature of the fluid, a concentration of the fluid, an age of the fluid, an expiration date of the fluid, and a dosage of the fluid.

16. A method of monitoring the use of a fluid, comprising:

identifying a first use of a fluid using a first fluid identification station having a first sensor for detecting a first characteristic of the fluid; and

identifying a second use of the fluid using a second fluid identification station having a second sensor for detecting a second characteristic of the fluid, wherein the first fluid identification station is operably connected to the second fluid identification station such that the second fluid identification station accesses and verify the first characteristic of the fluid from the first fluid identification station, and the first fluid identification station accesses and verify the second characteristic of the fluid from the second fluid identification station;

wherein the first fluid identification station comprises a first processing unit, and the second fluid identification station comprises a second processing unit, wherein the first and second processing units are operably connected via a computer network such that once the first fluid identification station identifies a characteristic of a fluid said first characteristic is stored on said computer network and such that once the second fluid identification station identifies a characteristic of a fluid said second characteristic is stored on said computer network such that proper fluid administration to a patient can be confirmed.