Dispensing system for medical items

• US 5,971,593 A
• Filed: 06/26/1998
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: McGrady, R. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Wonki K.
• Application Number:
  US09/105,294
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 364/479.03, 364/479.04, 364/479.06, 364/479.12, 364/479.13, 364/479.14, 364/479.02, 364/479.01, 221/13, 221/2
• US Class Current: 700/233
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/64 in which the articles are individually suspended from stationary supports
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A system for monitoring and dispensing medical items includes a plurality of hook registers (10). Each of the hook registers includes sensors (48, 60, 62, 64) sensing the removal or addition of a medical item to the storage location on the hook register. Each hook register has a microprocessor (66) connected to the sensor which stores a count of the items added or removed from the location. The microprocessor also includes location identifying information specifically associated with the particular hook register. The microprocessor is periodically polled by a controller (72) which reads and stores the count and location identifying information from each of the hook registers. The controller information is periodically read by a data terminal (76) which is connected through a local area network (82) to a remote computer (84) having a processor and data store. A user of the data terminal is enabled to specify a patient for whom medical items will be used when the items are removed from the hook registers or other storage locations. In addition, the system also monitors inventories of items and levels of usage by users. The system also monitors and controls the dispense of other medical items from box registers (110) as well as controls the dispense of items from secure storage locations such as electronic lock drawers (96) and medicine dispensers (100).

Claims

1. A method comprising in any order, the steps of:

(a) labeling a type medical item with machine readable indicia corresponding to the type medical item;

(b) storing the type medical item in a storage location in a dispenser;

(c) recording in a data store, data representative of the storage of the type medical item in the storage location;

(d) recording in the data store, data representative of the machine readable indicia corresponding to the type medical item;

and after steps (a) through (d), further comprising the steps of;

(e) requesting dispense of the type medical item with an input device, wherein the input device is in operative connection with the data store and the dispenser;

(f) dispensing the type medical item from the storage location in the dispenser responsive to the request for the type item to the input device and the data stored in the data store;

(g) reading with a reading device the machine readable indicia on the type medical item dispensed from the storage location; and

(h) verifying that the type medical item requested was dispensed, the verifying step including comparing the type medical item corresponding in the data store to the indicia read by the reading device in step (g) to the type medical item requested in step (e).

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the type medical item includes a container holding a medication, and wherein step (a) comprises labeling the container with the machine readable indicia corresponding to the medication and step (g) comprises reading the machine readable indicia on the container.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the type medical item includes a package holding a medication, and wherein step (a) comprises labeling the package with machine readable indicia corresponding to the medication, and step (g) comprises reading the machine readable indicia from the package.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein in step (a) the machine readable indicia comprises a bar code corresponding to the type medical item, and wherein in step (g) the bar code is read.

5. The method according to claim 1 and responsive to verifying in step (h) that the type medical item requested in step (e) was dispensed, further comprising the step of:

recording in the data store, data representative that the type medical item has been taken from the dispenser.

6. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a plurality of medical items in storage locations in a dispenser, wherein each medical item includes machine readable indicia corresponding to a type associated with the particular medical item;

(b) selectively dispensing a type medical item from its respective storage location in the dispenser, responsive to a request to dispense the type medical item input to an input device in operative connection with the dispenser;

(c) reading machine readable indicia on the medical item dispensed from the storage location with a reading device; and

(d) verifying that the machine readable indicia on the medical item read in step (c) corresponds to the type medical item requested in step (b).

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the dispenser delivers the dispensed type medical item to a delivery area from which it may be taken by a user, and wherein the reading device is positioned between the storage location and the delivery area, and wherein in step (c) the machine readable indicia is read on the medical item as the item moves between its respective storage location and the delivery area.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the machine readable indicia includes a bar code.

9. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a type medical item in a storage location in a dispenser;

(b) recording in a data store, data representative of storage of the type medical item in the storage location;

(c) requesting dispense of the type medical item with an input device, wherein the input device is in operative connection with the data store and the dispenser;

(d) operating the dispenser to dispense the type medical item from the storage location responsive to receipt of the request for the type item to the input device and the data stored in the data store; and

(e) sensing with a sensor the dispense of the type medical item from the storage location.

10. The method according to claim 9 and responsive to sensing the dispense of the type medical item in step (e), further comprising the step of recording in the data store, data representative of the dispense of the type medical item.

11. The method according to claim 9 and prior to step (c) further comprising the steps of:

storing in the data store, data representative of a plurality of patients; and

inputting with an input device data representative of one selected patient among the plurality of patients;

and after step (e) further comprising the step of recording data representative of the taking of the type medical item for the one selected patient responsive to sensing the dispense of the type medical item with the sensor in step (e).

12. The method according to claim 9 and prior to step (a) further comprising the step of labeling the type medical item with machine readable indicia corresponding to the type medical item, and wherein step (e) comprises reading the machine readable indicia on the dispensed type medical item.

13. The method according to claim 12 and further comprising the steps of:

storing in the data store data representative of the machine readable indicia corresponding to the type medical item;

and subsequent to step (e),

verifying that the machine readable indicia read from the dispensed medical item by the sensor in step (e) corresponds to the type medical item requested for dispense in step (c).

14. A system comprising:

a medical item dispenser, wherein the dispenser includes a plurality of storage locations therein adapted for holding medical items, wherein the dispenser is selectively operative to dispense medical items from storage locations;

an input device in operative connection with the dispenser, wherein the input device accepts requests to dispense medical items from the dispenser;

a data store in operative connection with the input device and the dispenser;

a sensor in operative connection with the dispenser, wherein the sensor is operative to sense a medical item dispensed from the storage locations; and

wherein the data store is operative to record data therein representative of the dispense of a type medical item responsive to input of a request to the input device to dispense the type medical item, and the sensor sensing dispense of a medical item from a storage location.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the sensor includes a reader, wherein the reader is operative to read machine readable indicia, and wherein medical items stored in the storage locations include machine readable indicia thereon, wherein the machine readable indicia on each medical item corresponds to a type associated with the particular medical item, and wherein the reader is operative to read the machine readable indicia on the medical items dispensed, and wherein the data store is operative to record data representative of the dispense of the medical item responsive to the reader reading the indicia on the dispensed item.

20. The system according to claim 15 wherein the reader is operative to sense the dispense of a medical item from a storage location and to read machine readable indicia on the dispensed medical item.

16. A system comprising:

a medical item dispenser, wherein the dispenser includes a plurality of storage locations, wherein each storage location holds at least one medical item, and wherein each medical item in the dispenser includes thereon a machine readable indicia, wherein the machine readable indicia on each medical item corresponds to a type associated with the particular item, wherein the dispenser further includes a reader, wherein the reader is operative to read the machine readable indicia on dispensed medical items;

an input device, wherein the input device is operative to accept requests to dispense at least one type medical item;

a processor in operative connection with the dispenser, reader and input device;

a data store in operative connection with the processor, wherein the data store includes data representative of the type medical item stored in each storage location in the dispenser and the machine readable indicia corresponding to each type medical item; and

wherein the processor is operative responsive to a request to the input device, to cause a dispense of a type medical item from a storage location represented as holding the type medical item in the data store, and wherein the processor is further operative to verify that the type medical item was dispensed by determining the type medical item corresponding to the machine readable indicia read by the reader on the medical item dispensed by the dispenser.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the machine readable indicia includes a bar code, and wherein the reader includes a bar code reader.

18. The system according to claim 16 wherein the dispenser includes a delivery location, wherein medical items dispensed from a storage location are movable through the delivery location, and wherein the reader is positioned adjacent to the delivery location.

19. The system according to claim 16 and further comprising:

data stored in the data store representative of a plurality of patients;

a patient selection device, wherein the patient selection device is in operative connection with the processor, wherein a user is enabled to input a selection corresponding to any of the plurality of the patients with the patient selection device; and

wherein the processor is operative responsive to selection of a patient with the selection device, a request to dispense a type medical item to the input device and verification by the processor that the indicia on the item dispensed corresponds to the type item requested by the request to the input device, to store data in the data store representative of the dispensing of the type medical item for the patient.