Patent Grant
11694782
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to medication dispensing from the central pharmacy or medication storage area in a healthcare facility to a patient. Embodiments may include full or partial automation of the process and may include mechanisms for improving the efficiency and accuracy of medication dispensing.
Medication dispensing in healthcare facilities can be a complex and time consuming process. With medication orders changing, and with the significant potential ramifications of dispensing the incorrect medication to a patient, the process of delivering medication from the central pharmacy to the patient can be a high-risk process in a healthcare setting.
Healthcare facilities generally dispense medications from a central pharmacy to patients with a number of verification steps performed along the way to ensure that the medication is of the correct type and dose and that the appropriate patient receives the medication. The verification steps may add complexity and time to the process, thereby reducing the efficiency. Therefore it may be desirable to implement apparatuses, systems, and methods which may automate some or all of the process and which may increase the efficiency with which medications are delivered to a patient.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide various apparatuses, systems, and methods for improving the efficiency of medication distribution within a healthcare facility. In particular, embodiments may provide for dispensing medications needed and medications anticipated to be needed to an authorized medical person for administration to a patient in a healthcare facility. Medications that are anticipated to be needed may be predicted based on a number of factors. The medications may be gathered, transported, stored, staged, and dispensed using one or more of the components described herein. Combinations of the components may be implemented for a system to automate or partially automate the dispensing of medications from a central pharmacy of a healthcare facility to a patient.
An example embodiment of the present invention may a method including receiving an indication of one or more unit dose medications anticipated to be needed by a patient; retrieving the one or more unit dose medications from a unit storage device; loading the one or more unit dose medications onto a transport device; transporting the one or more unit dose medications from the unit storage device to a location proximate the patient; and transferring the one or more unit dose medications from the transport device to a staging area at the location proximate the patient. Receiving an indication of one or more unit dose medications anticipated to be needed by the patient may include predicting the one or more unit dose medications anticipated to be needed by a patient over a specified period of time based on at least one of a conventional medication regimen for a particular ailment, a physician specific medication regimen for a particular ailment, a historical record of unit dose medications, or an algorithm. The algorithm may be based upon one or more of patient gender, patient age, patient symptoms, or patient vital statistics including one or more of temperature, pulse, blood-oxygen content, cholesterol level, or blood sugar.
According to methods of example embodiments, receiving an indication of one or more unit dose medications anticipated to be needed by a patient may include receiving a request for the one or more unit dose medications anticipated to be needed by the patient. Methods may also include estimating the time of arrival of the one or more unit dose medications at the location proximate the patient, and providing the estimated time of arrival. Retrieving the one or more unit dose medications from the unit storage device may include directing an X-Y robot to a location within the unit storage device for reach of the one or more unit dose medications, and retrieving each of the one or more unit dose medications from their respective locations within the unit storage device. Transporting the one or more unit dose medications from the unit storage device to the location proximate the patient may include advancing the one or more unit dose medications along a track with a car carrying the one or more unit dose medications.
Methods of example embodiments may optionally include dispensing the one or more unit dose medications from the staging area to authorized medical personnel in response to receiving a request from the authorized medical personnel. Receiving a request from authorized medical personnel may include identifying the authorized medical personnel by at least one of a biometric scan, receipt of an identification number, or receipt of identifying credentials. Methods may include retrieving at least one of the one or more unit dose medications from the staging area in response to a recall of the at least one of the one or more unit dose medications.
Example embodiments of the present invention may provide for a system for transporting medication within a healthcare environment. The system may include: a unit storage device configured to store a plurality of unit dose medications; a retrieving device configured to retrieve one or more of the plurality of unit dose medications from the unit storage device; a transport device configured to transport the retrieved one or more of the plurality of unit dose medications to a location proximate the patient; and a loading device configured to load the retrieved one or more plurality of unit dose medications onto the transport device. Each of the plurality of unit dose medications may be stored within the unit storage device in a bin, wherein each bin may include a uniform profile. Each of the plurality of unit dose medications may be stored within the unit storage device in an overpack, wherein each overpack includes unique identifying indicia disposed thereon.
Systems according to example embodiments may optionally include a scanner attached to the retrieving device, where the scanner is configured to scan the identifying indicia of each overpack prior to retrieval. Each bin containing a unit dose medication may be disposed in a compartment, where the compartments are arranged along a substantially vertical plane, where each compartment is directly accessible by the retrieving device. The retrieving device may include an X-Y robot configured to move across the substantially vertical plane and retrieve the one or more of the plurality of unit dose medications. The transport device may include a car, where the car includes a payload area and one or more bogies. The car may be configured to be driven along a track by an electric motor disposed within the transport device. The loading device may be configured to advance the one or more of the plurality of unit dose medications from the retrieving device to the payload area of the transport device. Systems may optionally include an unloading device, where the unloading device is configured to unload one or more of the plurality of unit dose medications from the transport device. The unloading device may be configured to unload one or more of the plurality of unit dose medications to at least one of a proximate storage location for retrieval by authorized medical personnel, or a staging area to await dispensing.
Reference now will be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention may provide various apparatuses, systems, and methods for improving the efficiency of medication distribution within a healthcare facility. Some embodiments and components of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements.
Further, example embodiments of the present invention may provide a method, apparatus, and computer program product which may facilitate predicting the medications needed by a patient over a period of time. While automation of the dispensing of medications within a healthcare facility may improve efficiency of medication distribution, incorporating a mechanism to predict the medication needs for patients may allow automation to anticipate patient needs and to have medications readily available for administration to a patient when the patient requires the medications. Some medications for a patient may be previously prescribed such that they are known medications that will be needed for a patient. Other medications that may later be prescribed may not be known in advance of when they may be required. As such, a method of anticipating the medications which may be needed may help to ensure that medications are on hand when prescribed by a physician.
Embodiments of the invention configured to predict medications which may be needed by a patient may predict the medication based on a number of criteria. For example, the medications which may be needed by a patient may be predicted based on a knowledge of the patient's ailment, plurality of ailments, or combination of ailments, and the predicted medication may be based upon a conventional medication regimen for that ailment, plurality of ailments, or combination of ailments. Further, the medication regimen for the ailment, plurality of ailments, or combination of ailments may be physician specific, such that the medication regimen for ailments may be varied based upon the physician treating the patient. As a basic example, a patient with heartburn may be treated by one physician with a histamine antagonist medication while another physician may prefer proton pump inhibitor medication. The medication predicted for a particular patient may be dependent upon the preferences and/or historical information about the physician treating them.
Another criterion that may be used to predict medications which may be needed by a patient over a particular period of time may include a historical record of medication administered to the patient. For example, if a patient has a chronic condition and is on a maintenance medication, embodiments of the invention may predict that the patient will require their maintenance medication over the particular period of time. Further, a patient may have a historical record of medications taken for a particular ailment, such as in a prior visit to the healthcare facility. In such an embodiment, the record of the prior visit, the prior ailment, the prior medication administered, and the efficacy of the medication may each be considered.
While the aforementioned criteria are primarily historical correlations used for prediction of medication anticipated to be needed, additionally or alternatively, embodiments of the invention may implement an algorithm to predict the medication which may be needed by a patient over a predefined period of time. For example, if a patient has a combination of symptoms and/or particular abnormal vital statistics (e.g., pulse, temperature, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.), an algorithm may take each of these variables into consideration to determine a predicted medication or medication regimen that the patient will need over a particular period of time.
Medications may also require specific supplies to accompany the medication such that supplies may be predicted in the same manner as medications. For example, if a medication is administered intravenously, a syringe may be a required supply to accompany the medication. As such, when the medication is anticipated to be needed, a syringe is also anticipated to be needed. Alternatively, the supply could be predicted when a medication is ordered.
While the prediction of medication which may be needed by patients over a particular period of time may increase efficiency of medication distribution, having the predicted medication ready for dispensing at or near the patient's location may further increase the efficiency of medication dispensing and administration. Such prediction and staging of medication may increase the efficiency of an authorized medical person, such as a nurse. For example, staging a medication proximate a patient and dispensing a medication to an authorized medical person proximate the patient may reduce the time needed for the authorized medical person to walk to retrieve medications and wait for their delivery. By reducing the time spent retrieving medications, additional time is afforded to an authorized medical person for administration of the medication or for care of a patient. This additional time may allow for higher quality patient care and less time spent in non-value added tasks of tracking down needed medications and supplies for a patient. Additionally, automating all or part of the distribution of medication in a healthcare facility may increase medication accuracy by providing automated verification of the medication type and dose at various stages of the distribution process.
Example embodiments of the present invention may provide various apparatuses, systems, and methods which may automate or partially automate some or all of the process of medication fulfillment and delivery from a central pharmacy to a patient. Embodiments may be implemented in full or in part to increase the efficiencies of the complex process of dispensing medications to a patient. As such, components described herein can be used individually or in combination with one another to achieve an automated or partially automated system for dispensing medications and supplies.
While embodiments of the present invention may be described with respect to healthcare facilities, such as hospitals and long-term care facilities, for example, embodiments of the inventions described herein may be implemented in a variety of types of facilities, not limited to those explicitly described herein.
Healthcare facilities may include a central pharmacy in which medications are stored and dispensed to areas throughout the healthcare facility. Some healthcare facilities may rely on a supplier, distribution center, or remote central pharmacy which stores medications and supplies at a remote location and delivers the medications and supplies on an as needed basis. In such an embodiment, the medications from the supplier, distribution center, or remote central pharmacy may be received by a healthcare facility at a receiving area. While embodiments of the present invention may be described as transporting and dispensing medication from a central pharmacy, embodiments in which central pharmacies are located remotely or embodiments using distribution centers may implement embodiments of the inventions from the area in which medications and supplies are received from the central pharmacy or distribution center. The indication of medications anticipated to be needed may be provided to the central pharmacy or distribution center with sufficient lead time such that the healthcare facility may receive the medications in advance of when they are anticipated to be needed.
In some example embodiments of the present invention, medications may be received from a remote central pharmacy in overpacks (described further below) or packaged into overpacks in a local central pharmacy. Overpacks may be means for packaging medication into a package that is more conducive to automated handling. The overpacks facilitate uniform handling to ease distribution and tracking within a healthcare facility. The medications in overpacks may be grouped together according to their destination, and the grouped overpacks may be transported to their destinations. The destination for the medication may include a unit storage device which may serve as local storage for medication to avoid having authorized medical personnel walk between their healthcare facility unit and the central pharmacy to retrieve medications. While storing medication locally in a healthcare facility unit may allow authorized medical personnel to retrieve medication locally for dispensing to patients on the unit, additional automation to deliver the medication closer to the patient may be implemented to further increase the efficiency of medication distribution in the healthcare facility.
Medications located in the unit storage may be individually selected and transported by an automated system to a location proximate to a patient, such as a patient server or a nurse server. A nurse server, according to example embodiments as will be described further below, may be a location situated close to a number of patients for which a nurse is responsible. The nurse server may receive medications only for those patients and may have controlled access restricted to authorized medical personnel. Similarly, the patient server of example embodiments may be disposed at a location proximate to a patient and be configured to receive medications only for that patient. The patient server may also have access restricted to authorized medical personnel.
Transport from the unit storage to the nurse server or patient server may be accomplished in a number of ways as outlined further below. Medications, which may be contained in overpacks, as described further below, may be selected from the unit storage by a retrieval device, and subsequently loaded onto a transportation device configured to transport the medications to a location proximate to the patient for whom they are intended. The transport device may include a train, a shuttle, a pneumatic tube system, etc.
Upon arrival of the medication at the nurse server or patient server, the medication may be unloaded from the transport device, or alternatively the transport device may remain with the medication at the nurse server or patient server. The medication may then be considered staged for retrieval by authorized medical personnel. The staging of medication may be, for example, in an overhead storage area disposed proximate a ceiling above the nurse server or patient server, awaiting a request for dispensing. The authorized medical person, which may be a nurse, technician, physician, etc., may be alerted that the medication for a patient is staged at the nurse server or patient server. When the authorized medical person is ready to administer the medication to the patient, they may access the nurse server or patient server, and they may be required to provide authentication, such as an identification card, an identification PIN, a biometric scan (e.g., retina, finger print, hand geometry, palm vein, facial recognition, or voice analysis). In response to authentication of the authorized medical person, the medication may be dispensed from the staging area to the nurse server or patient server for retrieval by the authorized medical person. Upon retrieval, the medication may be administered to the patient.
While the above description provides a general summary of some of the elements and operations of example embodiments of the present invention, certain elements and operations will be described further below.
Products to be Dispensed
Medications dispensed from a central pharmacy may be of a variety of form factors from individual pills or capsules to intravenous bags of a liter or more capacity. Other form factors may include syringes, carpujects, vials, etc. Supplies, such as intravenous medication tubing, empty syringes, etc. may be dispensed from a separate medical supply distribution center within a healthcare facility, or in some cases, the central pharmacy and medical supply distribution operations may be combined. Both the supplies and the medications may come in a variety of sizes and shapes and may not easily and efficiently be transported in uniform containers throughout a healthcare facility. For example, a carpuject, ampoule, or a vial may be relatively fragile while a unit dose of a medication, such as a tablet, may be relatively durable. While the tablet may be stored and dispensed in a very small package without substantial protection from transport, the vials, carpujects, and ampoule may require larger, more durable packaging. Similarly, intravenous medication bags may be durable for transport, but may be easily punctured such that care must be taken in storing, handling, and distributing such products.
While certain medications are configured to be dispensed in vials where a syringe is a required supply to accompany the vial, other medications may require a patient to consume food or a beverage other than water. In such cases, the food or beverage to accompany the medication may be treated as a supply, and such supplies may also be dispensed as other supplies may be dispensed as described herein.
In order to provide a more uniform form factor for medications and supplies to be handled and dispensed throughout a healthcare facility, overpacks or packaging that encases or holds the medications or supplies may be used which provide a common size, profile, shape, or grasping feature. Provided herein are various embodiments of uniform or quasi-uniform overpacks or secondary packaging for use with a variety of medications and supplies with varying shapes, sizes, and handling requirements (e.g., fragile, temperature sensitive, etc.). The overpacks described herein may provide an aspect of uniformity to generally non-uniform form factors. The uniformity may be in the profile of the overpack, such as when the overpack includes a plurality of various sized bins with uniform profiles, or the uniformity may be in a locating/holding hole of a plurality of various sized bags configured to hold the various form factors.
In some example embodiments, the overpacks may be sealed or closed to keep the contents of the overpack protected and/or secure. For example, the various sized bins of
The closure may also depend upon the type of contents contained within the overpack. For example, if the overpack contains environmentally sensitive contents that should not be exposed to humidity or moisture may benefit from a heat-sealed film closure. Closures that are impervious to air and moisture may also be used for overpacks used with oxygen sensitive contents where an inert gas fills the overpack.
A closure for an overpack may also be selected based upon whether the contents are government regulated, as in the case of controlled substances, or if the contents are a high-value candidate for theft. In such embodiments, a lockable closure may be used to seal the overpack.
Overpacks according to the present invention may be embodied in other forms, such as envelopes or bags.
Overpacks according to embodiments of the present invention may also facilitate automation of medication order fulfillment. For example, as illustrated in
Overpacks may be configured to contain only a single medication (i.e., a unit dose), a medication and a related supply (e.g., a vial of medication and a syringe), or the overpacks may be configured to contain multiple medications destined for the same patient. For example, if a patient requires five medications in the morning, three in the middle of the day, and four medications in the evening, an overpack may be filled with the five morning medications, a second overpack may be filled with the three middle-of-the-day medications, and another overpack may be filled with the four evening medications. In such an embodiment, individual tracking and control over unit dose medications may be lost; however efficiencies may be gained by using only a single overpack for each time of day that medication is required for the patient.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, overpacks may also include identifying indicia disposed thereon for identifying the contents of the overpacks. In one embodiment, the overpacks may include an overpack identification number which is correlated with a medication or supply that is placed into the overpack. The correlation between the overpack identification number and the contents may be performed by an automated system that loads the overpacks. Such a correlation would allow an overpack to be scanned to determine the overpack identification number, and then referenced in a database to determine the contents of the overpack without requiring a person to review the contents of the overpack. The database may be maintained by a server in the healthcare facility configured to track and monitor medication dispensing within the healthcare facility.
According to another embodiment, the overpack may include a label that is written to for denoting the contents of the overpack.
Additionally or alternatively, medications, such as blister packs may include identifying information printed to the blister pack. Overpacks may be configured such that the identifying indicia of the medication packaging is readable through the overpack. For example, a blister pack with identifying information thereon may be placed into a bag through which the blister pack may remain readable.
Input Organization
Medications or supplies, whether packaged in overpacks as outlined above, or in their native containers (such as blister packs for pills or intravenous bags), may be stored and transported within the healthcare facility. Storage of the medication and supplies may be within the central pharmacy or at a unit storage device. While the central pharmacy may supply medications and supplies to an entire healthcare facility, a unit storage device may be located remotely from the central pharmacy and may be configured to store medications and supplies only for patients serviced in a particular unit of the healthcare facility as will be described in further detail below. As such, there may be multiple unit storage devices within a healthcare facility.
Transporting or moving medications and supplies within a healthcare facility is inefficient when the medications are moved individually or without regard for other medications that are bound for the same or a similar destination. As such, logistics may be implemented to optimize transport and to efficiently move groups of medications to common locations, such as unit storage devices, within a healthcare facility. Software may be used to group together a plurality of medications or supplies in overpacks to be sent to the same location. The software may be implemented on a user terminal, as described further below, or across a network of a healthcare facility. The software may determine which overpacks are to be grouped, and route them to their appropriate destination. As described herein “routing” of medication and supplies within a healthcare facility includes generating a route or a planned route for the medication and supplies. Routing is generally provided by software, while the physical transport of the medication and supplies is performed by hardware, or in some cases, people. For example, a route may be established for an individual unit dose in an overpack; however, that overpack may be transported together with other overpacks that have the same, or a portion of the same route.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide means for organizing medication and/or medication overpacks for efficient transportation from the central pharmacy. In order to efficiently move medications and supplies or products within a healthcare facility, the medications and supplies may be organized into groups of medications and supplies that are bound for the same general location, such as the same unit storage device. Further, individual accessibility to, or identification of each of the medications or supplies that are within a group may be desirable. Once the medications and supplies arrive at their common destination, they may need to be placed into a unit storage device or otherwise distributed as appropriate. Therefore, organization of the medications and supplies for transport to the unit storage devices may increase efficiency of retrieval and local storage of the medication and supplies.
Provided herein are methods and apparatuses to organize and transport medication and supplies from a central pharmacy or from a remote pharmacy and/or from a central supply storage location to local storage, such as at a unit storage device. The manner in which the medications and supplies may be organized for transport may facilitate automation and enhance the efficiency of their distribution.
Commonly used medications, such as aspirin, may be provided in cartridges or magazines where individual unit doses of medication are available to be dispensed from the magazines. The magazines or cartridges may be configured to be received by a local storage device (e.g., a unit storage device) for distribution on an as-needed basis. Magazines and cartridges allow for a high volume of storage in a relatively compact form factor. The shape of the medication package or overpack may also allow for efficient one-at-a-time distribution of the medication from the magazine or cartridge. Dispensing may be performed from the bottom of a magazine or from the top using a variety of mechanisms to singulate a unit dose or unit dose package of medication from the plurality of unit dose packages of medication within the magazine. Cartridges may also contain rolls of unit dose medication with individual packages and perforations therebetween.
An example embodiment of a magazine is illustrated in
Systems according to example embodiments of the present invention may include a device configured to remove a medication package 68 from a magazine 64 automatically in response to an indication for a need for the medication; however, magazines of example embodiments may also be implemented in manual-fill operations where a user may pull a medication from the magazine. Example embodiments of automated systems for dispensing medication packages from magazines are detailed further below.
Another example embodiment of an apparatus for packaging commonly used or as-needed medications may include a “sausage-link” type package as illustrated in
Packaging of medications that may be stored in bulk in unit storage devices may also include a two-dimensional array of unit dose packages adhered to a backing. For example, a backing with a releasable adhesive may receive thereon a plurality of unit dose medications, such as blister packs of pills. When a unit dose is needed, a nurse or other authorized medical person may remove one or more of the unit doses from the two-dimensional array as needed.
While some medications and supplies may be stored locally on healthcare facility units for use as-needed, such as aspirin, bandages, alcohol swabs, etc., other medications and supplies may be distributed to healthcare facility units only in response to a perceived or actual patient need, as described above with regard to predicting medications which may be needed by a patient. In order to distribute medications within the facility based upon an indication that the medication may be needed, medications and supplies may be grouped with other medications and supplies bound for the same healthcare facility unit to be transported to the healthcare facility unit. An example embodiment of such a grouping may include trays configured to hold a plurality of bins as described above with regard to the bins 102, 104, 106, and 108 of
The tray 152 of example embodiments may be sized and shaped to accommodate a plurality of overpacks and to hold them securely to prevent shifting of the overpack during transport. As shown in
The software described herein may be part of a suite of software or a software with a plurality of functions including: predicting the anticipated medications which may be needed by patients; loading medications and supplies into overpacks; grouping overpacks for transport to local storage; establishing a route for overpacks to their appropriate destination; directing transport of the overpacks to proximate storage; and dispensing medications and supplies. The software may perform some or all of these functions while tracking each medication throughout the healthcare facility. The software may further be combined with other software used for administering medications and tracking overall inventory counts.
As shown in
Another example embodiment of loading unit dose medications into bins may be similar to that illustrated in
Another example embodiment of organization of the overpacks in preparation for transport to a unit storage device may include bag-type overpacks that are disposed on a rod.
Transport to Unit Storage
According to example embodiments of the present invention, upon organization of the medications and supplies in overpacks into groups, the grouped articles need to be transported to a location proximate the patients, or at least closer to the patients than the central pharmacy, such as a unit storage device. The mode of transportation may vary according to the type of overpacks used, the type of input organization used, etc. Provided herein are means for transporting medications and/or overpacks from a central pharmacy to a unit storage device.
An example embodiment of an apparatus used for transportation from the central pharmacy to the unit storage device is illustrated in
The transport cart 202 may be configured with an RFID tag reader configured to read RFID tags associated with overpacks. In such an embodiment, the RFID tag reader or readers associated with the cart 202 may read the RFID tags of each of the overpacks received within the cart 202. Thus, the cart 202 may recognize the inventory stored therein for transport to a unit storage device. In some embodiments, the cart 202 may report the inventory via wireless communications to a network which monitors the location of the transport cart 202 and the contents therein. As such, an inventory control system may be configured to recognize and track the location of each overpack and unit dose medication or supply stored therein throughout the healthcare facility. Example embodiments of communication means and the networks over which such a system may operate will be described further below.
Additionally or alternatively, trays 200 may include identifying features such as RFID tags, barcodes, or other identifying indicia. Embodiments of the present invention may “build” a tray of overpacks by identifying the tray and filling the tray with identified overpacks. In such an embodiment, the tray may be tracked with an understanding of the contents of that specific tray.
Transport carts according to example embodiments of the present invention may be configured to be secure storage of the medications and supplies contained therein while transporting the articles from the central pharmacy to the unit storage devices. For example, as illustrated in
The security features of carts 202 of example embodiments, whether for an entire cart or for specific shelves 204, may be configured to require a key, identification card, PIN, or biometric identifier to access the trays 200. In example embodiments in which the cart 202 is in communication with a network, a notification of access may be provided to the network in response to a tray being accessed. The notification may provide the identification of a user who accessed the tray to provide an audit trail of the medication and/or supplies of the tray from the central pharmacy to the unit storage device.
Transportation of carts from the central pharmacy to the unit storage device may be performed manually or may employ automation, or a combination thereof. For example, the cart 202 of
In some example embodiments, the cart 202 may not include features to enable autonomous guidance and transport through the healthcare facility, but an autonomous guided vehicle may engage the cart 202 and guide the cart to the destination. In such an embodiment, the autonomous guided vehicle may be a compact, relatively flat device which slides under the cart 202 and guides the cart from underneath, thereby not increasing the footprint of the cart during transportation. In other embodiments, an autonomous guided vehicle may engage the cart 202 from a side, and push the cart through a facility to its destination.
Transportation of overpacks to a unit storage device may also include automated loading and unloading of the overpacks to the unit storage device. For example, a transport cart may engage a unit storage device wherein overpacks or a tray containing overpacks may be removed from the transport cart by a retrieval device, as outlined below. Such automated loading and unloading may allow transport carts to advance efficiently between unit storage devices without having to wait for manual unloading.
Example embodiments of cart-based transport devices may also include inventory stored thereon for replenishing as-needed medications and supplies in a unit storage device. Such inventory may be used to restock medications that have a low level of inventory at the unit storage device, or if expiring medications need to be replaced.
While the above embodiments describe cart-based transport from the central pharmacy to unit storage, other types of transport may be implemented. For example, medication overpacks may be transported to unit storage devices along track based transport systems, tube based transport systems (e.g., pneumatic tubes), elevators, or other transport systems which may be automated to varying degrees. Each of these embodiments may transport one or more overpacks at a time in dependence upon their implementation.
The efficiency of dispensing of medications and supplies within a healthcare facility may be improved by delivering the medications and supplies, including those that are known to be needed (e.g., previously prescribed) and those that are predicted to be needed, in groups to a location closer to the patients than the central pharmacy. This transportation maximizes resources, such as transport carts, while minimizing the required number of trips that must be made to deliver medications and supplies to units of a healthcare facility. Upon arrival at the healthcare facility unit, the medications and supplies may be dispensed to a local storage device that may further enhance the efficiency of distributing the medications and supplies to the patients.
Unit Storage
As outlined above, in order to more efficiently distribute medications to patients in a timely manner, it may be desirable to store medications for patients in a location closer to the patients than the central pharmacy. Further, as the majority of medications are used during only a portion of the day (e.g., 9 am-5 pm), relying on the central pharmacy to fill and distribute all medication orders directly to the patients may overburden the central pharmacy during the peak hours. Providing remote, local storage of medications for specific patients, as afforded by the predictive nature of example embodiments outlined above, allows a central pharmacy to fill medication orders and distribute medications and supplies off peak hours, ahead of the peak need for the medications. In order to support this method of distribution, unit storage devices may be employed in areas of healthcare facilities, such as in nursing units or hospital floors, for example. Embodiments of the present invention may include means for storing medications and/or overpacks at a location between the central pharmacy and the patient. The means for storing medication may also be configured with means for user interface and means for dispensing of the medications from the storage means.
An example embodiment of a unit storage device 250 is illustrated in
As outlined above, the cart 270 may include features which allow the cart to report inventory to a network of the healthcare facility. Upon access to a tray 266 or carrier 212, the a communications interface of the cart 270 may provide an indication that a tray 266 or carrier 212 has been accessed, and removed for loading into a unit storage device. Similarly, the unit storage device may be equipped with a communications interface and an apparatus to detect the medications that are loaded therein. In response to receiving a tray, carrier, or medication/supply overpacks, the unit storage device may provide an indication to the network of the contents received therein for inventory tracking.
Unit storage devices according to embodiments of the present invention may have controlled access such that only authorized medical personnel may access the contents of the unit storage device for loading, unloading, or accessing the medications and supplies stored therein. Access may be granted to an authorized medical person in response to identification of the authorized medical person by identification card, PIN, biometric scan, or key. Further, the access may be reported via a communications interface to the healthcare facility network as appropriate.
Unit storage devices of example embodiments may be configured to store medications and supplies in overpacks specifically designated for individual patients and they may be configured to store bulk medications which are not designated for individual patients. For example, a unit storage device may include the predicted medications for the patients in a unit of a healthcare facility needed over a particular period of time; however, certain as-needed medications may not be included in the predicted medications. Medications such as aspirin, antacids, etc. may be stored in unit storage devices for dispensing on an as-needed basis. Such medications may be provided to an authorized medical person at the unit storage device, or transported to a nurse server or patient server as detailed further below. The as-needed medication may be stored within a unit storage device in magazines, cartridges, spools of unit dose packages (e.g., separated by perforations), or the like.
Unit storage devices according to embodiments of the invention may have an inventory monitor or control, which may be implemented at the unit storage device, or remotely implemented configured to monitor inventory and information about the medication stored within the unit storage device. In this manner, the inventory monitor may monitor medications stored in the unit storage device for patients, and monitor inventory information regarding as-needed medication and supplies. For example, as-needed medications and supplies stored within the unit storage device may include lot numbers, manufacture dates, expiration dates, or the like. Inventory levels may be monitored for purposes of reordering medications and/or supplies to be delivered to the unit storage device. The inventory monitor may be configured to monitor a plurality of unit storage devices and monitor the use of particular medications or supplies at the various unit storage devices.
Medication that may be stored in unit storage devices for use on an as-needed basis, as opposed to patient-specific medication, may be stored in a unit storage device for a period of time. During storage, a particular as-needed medication may approach an expiration date. In response to approaching the expiration date, an inventory monitor may evaluate other unit storage devices to determine if any other unit storage devices within a healthcare facility use the particular as-needed medication at a higher rate. For example, an intensive-care unit may use more pain medication than a cardiac unit. In response to determining a higher rate of use of the particular as-needed medication at another unit storage device, the inventory monitor may be configured to direct a transfer of the medication approaching the expiration date to the unit storage device with a higher use rate of that medication. Such a transfer may reduce waste of medications that have expired and may reduce inventory costs.
An inventory monitor may also be able to predict upcoming shortages of a particular medication. For example, an urgent care unit may have a supply of flu vaccines. In response to an increase in flu cases, the inventory monitor may determine an increased need for flu vaccines and predict demand to outstrip current supply. In response, the inventory monitor may initiate a request for additional flu vaccines to be provided to the unit storage device. The request may be sent to a central pharmacy, for example. Should the central pharmacy not have sufficient inventory to meet the demand, the inventory monitor may initiate an order from a remote facility or distribution center.
Unit storage devices according to example embodiments of the present invention may also be configured to provide refrigerated storage. Some medications require refrigerated storage until they are ready to be administered. According to embodiments in which medications are temporarily stored at the unit storage device, such refrigerated storage may increase the shelf life of the medication and may allow the unit storage device to store refrigerated medications for a longer period of time than otherwise possible.
The illustrated embodiment of
The unit storage device of
The illustrated embodiment of
While the unit storage devices illustrated in
Unit Storage Loading/Unloading
Unit storage devices according to example embodiments of the present invention may be configured to retrieve requested medications automatically in response to a request. For example once a unit storage device is loaded with the medications which are needed, or predicted to be needed on a unit during a period of time, the medications may be requested, or delivered in anticipation of a request, to a nurse server or patient server. In some embodiments, the unit storage device may be configured to dispense medications and supplies directly to authorized healthcare personnel at the unit storage device.
Embodiments of the present invention may include a means for retrieving requested medications in response to a request and means for loading medications onto or into a transport device. Embodiments of the present invention may provide a retrieving device for retrieving the requested medication or supply overpack from the unit storage device and a loading device to load the retrieved medication onto a transport device configured to transport the requested medication or supply to the nurse server or patient server. The retrieval device may be embodied in a number of different forms.
Additionally, while the illustrated embodiment of
The overpacks 302 of the illustrated embodiment of
The retrieval device of the illustrated embodiment includes an X-Y robot 310 configured to traverse the substantially vertical plane on which the overpacks 302 are arranged. The X-Y robot 310 of the retrieval device may include a retrieval unit 306 disposed on an X-axis arm 312. The retrieval unit 306 may be configured to move laterally along the X-axis arm 312 to access the width of the unit storage device 300. The retrieval unit may be configured with a drive mechanism to advance laterally along the X-axis arm. For example, the retrieval unit may include a pinion gear that is rotated by an electric motor, where the pinion gear of the retrieval unit 306 engages a rack gear disposed along the length of the X-axis arm. A rack-and-pinion gear arrangement would afford the retrieval unit 306 precise indexing capabilities desirable for repeatably retrieving overpacks accurately. Alternatively, the X-axis arm may include a belt or chain-drive mechanism which advances the retrieval unit 306 along the X-axis arm as a carriage. Such an embodiment may move the drive mechanism from the retrieval unit to a mechanism located on the X-axis arm, providing a smaller, potentially more nimble retrieval unit.
The X-axis arm may be movable along the Y-axis along a pair of vertical columns 308. While the illustrated embodiment includes a pair of vertical columns 308, embodiments may implement a single vertical column. Further, the vertical columns 308 illustrated are disposed at the distal edges of the unit storage device 300; however, the vertical columns 308 could be disposed anywhere along the width of the unit storage device. The X-axis arm may be configured to move vertically along the columns 308 by one or more pinion gears disposed on the X-axis arm, engaging one or more rack gears disposed on one or more of the columns 308. Optionally, the X-axis arm may be advanced along the columns 308 by a chain or belt drive disposed in or on the columns 308 moving the X-axis arm as a carriage.
While the above described and illustrated embodiment of an X-Y robot retrieval device includes stationary columns 308 and a movable X-axis arm, example embodiments may include a movable Y-axis arm and one or more stationary X-axis arms arranged at the top and/or bottom of the unit storage device.
The retrieval unit 306 may be configured with a scanning device configured to scan identifying indicia of the overpacks 302. The scanning device may include a barcode scanner, an image detection device, or an RFID tag reader, for example. The retrieval unit 306 may be configured to identify the overpacks and their locations within the unit storage device upon loading of the overpacks into the unit storage device. For example, when a tray of overpacks is loaded into a shelf of the unit storage device, in response to the unit storage device being closed (i.e., a loading door being shut), or in response to a user command, the retrieval device may advance along the shelves of the just-loaded overpacks and scan each of the overpacks for identifying indicia. Upon identifying an overpack, the retrieval device may store the location and contents of the overpack.
The X-Y robot 310 and retrieval device 306 may also be configured to organize or arrange overpacks within the unit storage device. For example, upon loading of the unit storage device, software may determine a more appropriate layout for the overpacks contained within the unit storage device. Some medications may require refrigeration, in which case those overpacks may be moved to a refrigerated section. Further, overpacks may be grouped according to a time frame in which the medications contained therein may be needed. As such, the X-Y robot 310 may optimize the layout of the overpacks to increase the efficiency of retrieval and distribution of the medications.
In response to receiving an indication of the need of a particular medication, or all of the medications for a particular patient or group of patients, the retrieval device may commence the retrieval process in which the required medications are retrieved. The retrieval device may advance along the X and Y-axes of the unit storage device to the location of the first overpack to be retrieved. Upon arrival at the location of the first overpack to be retrieved, the retrieval unit 306 may scan the identifying indicia of the overpack to confirm it is the correct overpack intended to be retrieved. In response to a positive confirmation, the retrieval unit may retrieve the overpack from the location. The retrieval may be in the form of pulling the overpack from the shelf and sliding the overpack onto a holding surface of the retrieval unit 306. Optionally, the retrieval unit may be configured with a grasping device configured to grab and hold the overpack to advance the overpack to the transport device, described further below.
In response to retrieving the first overpack to be retrieved, the retrieval unit 306 may be advanced by the X-Y robot to a location within or adjacent to the unit storage device for loading onto a transport device 320. Optionally, the retrieval unit 306 may position the retrieved overpack in a staged position ready to be placed onto a transport device as illustrated at 322. In the example embodiment of
In some example embodiments, the retrieval device may retrieve the overpack and place the overpack in a staged position awaiting the transport device. In such an embodiment, a loading device may be configured to load the overpacks onto the transport device. The loading device may be as simple as a mechanism by which overpacks are pushed or pulled onto the transport device. Additionally or alternatively, the transport device may include the loading device, whereby the transport device is configured to load the overpacks onto the transport device. The retrieval device may also operate as the loading device, configured to retrieve the overpacks and load them directly onto the transport device.
While the illustrated unit storage device is configured to temporarily store overpacks of medications and supplies awaiting delivery to a location proximate a patient, embodiments of the unit storage may also include devices arranged to load transport devices with overpacks upon their arrival at the unit storage. For example, as illustrated in
In practice, a request for medication and/or supplies may be received at the unit storage device 960. The request may be received automatically from a network entity configured to request medications in anticipation of their need. Requests may also be received from the user interface 966 of the unit storage device 960, a nurse server, patient server, nurse cart, workstation, or mobile device. Upon receipt of the request, the unit storage device may be configured to fill the medication order by retrieving each of the medications and supplies that are requested. The EOAT may be moved into alignment with a compartment 964, 974 containing one or more of the requested medications or supplies. The EOAT may retrieve the overpacks 972 of the compartment, which may include overpacks that do not contain medication or supplies that are part of the order. The EOAT 970 may move the retrieved overpacks 972 to a dispensing area 976 of the unit storage device 960. The dispensing area 976 may include a mechanism for removing the overpacks 972 containing medications or supplies that are part of the order from the EOAT 970. Overpacks 972 containing medications or supplies that are not part of the order may remain on the EOAT 970. The EOAT 970 may then return the overpacks 972 not needed, and retrieve any additional overpacks from any additional compartments which may contain medication or supplies that are part of the medication order. The additional overpacks may be grouped with the previously retrieved overpacks until all of the overpacks containing medication or supplies in the request are retrieved.
The overpacks containing the medication or supplies in the request are grouped and may be transported to a nurse server or patient server by a transport device as described further below, or dispensed from the unit storage device to an authorized medical person. While the above described embodiment includes grouping the overpacks, in another example embodiment, the overpacks containing the medication and/or supplies may be emptied at the dispensing area 976 to a patient-specific container 978. The emptied overpacks may then be returned to their compartment with any unused overpacks, or alternatively, returned to an empty-overpack return area for subsequent return to the central pharmacy. The patient specific container 976 may be transported to a nurse server or patient server, or optionally, dispensed from the unit storage device to an authorized medical person.
Overpacks may be loaded into the unit storage device 600 grouped according to their destination such that they may be loaded onto transport devices in groups. Optionally, in embodiments in which the overpacks are not grouped according to destination, a scanner within the unit storage device 600 may scan identifying indicia of the overpack to determine destination, and subsequently load each overpack onto a transport device destined for that destination. The unit storage device may assign a destination to a transport device once enough overpacks to fill the transport device have been scanned. Alternatively, if there are not enough overpacks to fill a transport device and the time waiting for enough overpacks has exceeded a predefined threshold, the overpacks may be loaded to a transport device and sent to their destination without the transport device being full.
While the illustrated embodiment depicts a mobile unit storage device 610 including a carousel, embodiments may include only a cart with the overpacks stored thereon, where the cart may be received at a unit storage receiver and a retrieval device may retrieve the overpacks from the unit storage device as needed. Further, while the embodiment of
Further example embodiments of unit storage devices may include dynamic shelves (i.e., movable shelves) that may be loaded as outlined above with respect to static shelves. While an X-Y robot may be employed to load/unload static shelves in a unit storage device as outlined below, dynamic shelves, such as a carousel with a vertical axis of rotation, may allow a robot configured only to move in a Y-axis to access all of the shelf locations of the unit storage device as the carousel rotates.
Unit storage devices according to example embodiments of the present invention may also be configured to present overpacks directly to an authorized medical person in response to receiving a request. For example, a nurse may be aware of an immediate need for a medication for a patient and may be near the unit storage device. The nurse may request the medication via user interface or via a remote device (e.g., a mobile device or nurse cart). The unit storage device may be configured to present the requested medication to the nurse in response to receiving the request.
Transport to Proximate Storage
As outlined above with regard to the carrier including a plurality of bag-type overpacks, a shuttle may be configured to advance the carrier to a second location, which may include a nurse server or a patient server as will be detailed further below. The shuttle 338 of
Embodiments of the present invention provide various means for transporting medications and overpacks from unit storage to a location proximate a patient, such as a nurse server or patient server. Embodiments may further include means for transporting medications and overpacks from the central pharmacy to a location proximate the patient. Such transport means as described herein may provide a substantially automated mechanism for moving medications and overpacks throughout a healthcare facility.
The illustrated embodiment of the shuttle 338 includes a trapezoidal shaped projection 346 configured to be received within the trapezoidal recess 344 of the carrier 334, similar to a dove-tail joint. In this regard, the carrier 334 may be received on the shuttle 338 by a laterally sliding movement. The carrier 334 may be locked or latched onto the shuttle 338; however, a lock or latch may be unnecessary if the rate of movement of the shuttle and the lateral movement of the shuttle is below a degree in which the carrier would slide on the shuttle. When the shuttle 338 moves along the track in the direction of arrow 348, or opposite arrow 348, the carrier is precluded from movement relative to the shuttle in the direction of arrow 348 or opposite arrow 348 by the shape of the joint formed by the projection 346 and recess 344.
The shuttle 338 may be configured to be advanced along a track 350 by a variety of mechanisms. For example, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the shuttle 338 may include rollers 352 attached to a portion of the shuttle 338, and the rollers 352 may be configured to ride along a track 350. The shuttle 338 may be suspended from the track 350 and advanced by the rollers 352 along the track. The rollers 352 may be driven by, for example, an electric motor, which may receive power from a battery pack, or alternatively from one or more bus bars extending along the track 350. Alternatively, the shuttle 338 may be advanced along the track 350 by a cable or belt arranged proximate or inside of the track configured to pull the shuttle 338 along the track 350. In some embodiments, the shuttle may be configured to advance along the track 350 using magnetic levitation or mag-lev. As will be appreciated, a variety of mechanisms may be employed to advance the shuttle 338 along the track 350.
As shown in
In a pneumatic tube system of example embodiments, a pneumatic tube carrier may be loaded, either automatically or manually, at a unit storage device, and transported through a pneumatic tube network to the destination proximate a patient. In some embodiments, the overpack for the medication and/or supplies may be a pneumatic tube carrier, or configured to be received within a pneumatic tube carrier.
Another example embodiment of a transport device which may be used with example embodiments of the present invention may include a train system that is configured to carry overpacks to a location proximate a patient. As described above with regard to the shuttle and carrier, a track-based system may be implemented in which a vehicle is advanced along the track. The train may include a single car or multiple train car embodiment which carries overpacks to their destination.
Referring back to
The retrieval device 306 of
The car of example embodiments may be configured to propel itself along the track by an electric motor, for example. The car may include one or more driven wheels which contact the rail, and either by frictional engagement or by toothed engagement (such as a pinion gear of the train engaged with a rack gear of the track), the driven wheel(s) may advance the train along the track.
While the illustrated embodiment includes the loading devices 408 on the car 400, further example embodiments may include one or more loading devices disposed at the location where a car is to be loaded or unloaded, thereby removing the loading devices and their related structure from the mobile car 400.
The depicted embodiment of a car 400 further includes a scanner 404 configured to scan the identifying indicia on the overpacks 402. As outlined above, the identifying indicia may include a barcode, RFID tag, text, or the like. As such, the scanner may include a barcode scanner, an RFID reader, an image capture device, etc. to scan the indicia to read the identifying information contained therein. The scanner 404 may provide an indication of the contents of the overpacks to software controlling the car 400 and the loading devices 408 such that the loading devices 408 load only the overpacks 402 that are to be transported on the car 400.
While the staged overpacks 402 are described above as being disposed proximate the unit storage device, in some example embodiments, as further outlined below with regard to the nurse server and patient server, there may be staging areas proximate the patient.
In any of the above referenced track or tube based transport devices, sensors may be disposed along the length of the track to determine where a car may be located. Sensors may be disposed at specific locations proximate to the unit storage device and proximate to the car destination to facilitate accurate positioning of the car at the unit storage device and nurse server or patient server. Sensors may include optical sensors, proximity sensors, RFID sensors (which may also determine the identity of the car), or contact sensors. Additionally or alternatively, sensors may be disposed on the car and they may be configured to detect specific markings or way points disposed along the track to determine their position.
Another example embodiment of a track-based transport system is illustrated in
The track 442 may be of a variety of profiles to accommodate various car and bogie designs.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, bus bars 460 may be disposed along the length of the track in order to conduct electricity for providing power to a drive system for a car riding along the track, to provide power for any processing capabilities which may be implemented on the car (e.g., positioning/locating, loading/unloading, reading overpack indicia, etc.). Bus bars 460 of example embodiments may also be configured to provide a communications channel to and from the car or cars riding along the track. As the bus bars 460 necessarily are electrically conductive, and as the track may be made of an electrically conductive material (e.g., extruded aluminum), the bus bars 460 may require electrical insulation from the track 442.
The track profile of the illustrated embodiment further includes a channel 456 in which one or more bus bar insulators 458 may be received. While the illustrated embodiment includes two bus bar insulators 458, embodiments may include one bus bar insulator, or more than two bus bar insulators dependent upon the number of bus bars and the number of bus bars accommodated by each bus bar insulator 458. The bus bar insulators 458 are configured to receive therein one or more bus bars 460 and are made of a material that is a poor conductor of electricity, such as a plastic. In some embodiments, the bus bars 460 may be mechanically held in place by the bus bar insulators (e.g., by frictional engagement or by snapping the bus bars into place) or the bus bars 460 may be adhered to the bus bar insulators by an adhesive or the bus bars 460 may be heated and pressed into the insulators such that the insulator material softens, conforms around the edges, and holds the bus bars in place. The bus bar insulators 458 may be held in the channel 456 by a deformable snap 461 received into a channel 462. The deformable snap may be that of a Christmas-tree fastener or other push-in clips. The deformable snap 460 may extend along the length of the bus bar insulator 458, or the deformable snap 460 may be disposed at intervals along the length of the bus bar insulators, sufficient to secure the bus bars and bus bar insulators to the track.
The profile of the track 442 of
Example embodiments of a track profile may further include one or more alignment slots, such as dovetail slots 464 and 466. Such alignment slots may be configured to receive alignment tabs, as detailed further below, and/or to receive locking or securing members configured to facilitate locking or securing of track sections together. Track profile embodiments may further include one or more grooved channel, such as grooved channel 468. The grooved channel 468 may include grooves that are arranged to engage a particular size and thread-pitch of fastener, such as an M6, M8, M10, M12, 1/4-20, 1/4-28, 3/8-16, 3/8-20, or any such threaded fastener. The dovetail slots 464, 466, and/or the grooved channel 468 may also be configured for use as mounting location for mounting a bracket thereto. The bracket may be used to mount the track to a wall or other surface to suspend the track as necessary for routing through a facility.
Track profiles according to example embodiments of the present invention may be configured to accommodate lateral bends (e.g., left and right turns) such that a track may follow contours of a facility. Further, track profiles may also be configured to accommodate vertical bends (e.g., up-hill, down-hill) to accommodate changes in elevation which may be necessary. The bends of the track may be accomplished in a number of manners. For example, in the case of an extruded aluminum track, the track may be mandrel bent to the degree necessary. Further, while straight track sections may be made of a first material (e.g. extruded aluminum), bends may be made of a second material which may be more flexible. For example, a bend may be made of a polymer such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which may not be suitable for long, straight runs between supports, but the HDPE sections may be well suited for lateral or vertical bends, where supports may be more closely spaced. Track sections made of more flexible materials, such as plastics, may include a structural member inserted there through to provide rigidity. For example, if a bend were to be made of HDPE, a rib, such as a steel rod or tube of the same radius and degree of bend may be inserted into a cavity in the track section, such as cavity 470 of
As outlined above, a track-based transport system may use a track that is formed in sections. However, the sections of the track may require secure joints there between that align the track sections and maintain electrical continuity of bus bars extending along the track.
Each of the first end cap 472 and the second end cap 474 of the illustrated embodiment include a first tab 480 and a second tab 482 configured to be received within the section of track to which they are engaged. The first tab 480 is configured as a dovetail to engage the top dovetail groove as illustrated in
The protrusion of the second, male end cap 474 may be configured to be received within the recess of the first, female end cap 472. The second end cap may also include an alignment ridge 484 while the first end cap may include an alignment channel 486. As shown in
When initially inserted, the dovetail insert is received fully within the first track section 476 and the first end cap 472, not extending beyond the first end cap. Alternatively, the dovetail insert 904 could be inserted into the second track section 478 and the second end cap 474. After assembling the first track section 476 with the first end cap 472 to the second track section 478 with the second end cap 474, the lower dovetail grooves of the first track section, the first end cap, the second track section, and the second end cap, are aligned. The dovetail insert 904 may then be slid within the aligned dovetail grooves to extend from the first track section to the second track section. The plate 902 may then be aligned with the dovetail insert 904 and threaded fasteners 906 may be inserted through the plate 902 and into threaded holes of dovetail insert 904. The threaded fasteners may then engage the threaded holes of the dovetail insert and be tightened. The first track section and the second track section may then be secured by the tightened threaded fasteners 906. The dovetail insert resists lateral movement between secured track sections, thereby precluding the first end cap 472 and the second end cap 474 from disengaging from one another laterally along the alignment ridge 484 and the alignment channel 486.
Referring back to
While the example embodiment of
According to some embodiments, one or more of the rollers may be configured to be a driven roller. In the illustrated embodiment, one roller 930 of the bogie 446 is configured to be driven. The driven roller 930 of the illustrated embodiment is driven by an electric motor 934 with a belt drive 936 arranged between the motor 934 and the driven roller 930. In the illustrated embodiment, the motor has an axis of rotation that is parallel to that of the driven roller 930 and the other, idler rollers 924, 926, and 932. While some example embodiments of a car 440 may include a power source such as a battery to drive the motor, the illustrated embodiment taps electrical current from the bus bars of the track.
While the aforementioned transport devices include track-based transport systems, further transport devices may also be used to transport overpacks to locations proximate a patient. For example, another embodiment of a transport device may include a continuous conveyor mechanism to which carriers or train cars are coupled when they are ready for transport, and the carriers or train cars may be de-coupled from the conveyor mechanism when they reach their destination along the path of the continuous conveyor. A conveyor may be configured to continuously move along a transport path of a unit of a healthcare facility (e.g., in an overhead transport enclosure) and overpacks may be arranged to be loaded and unloaded from the conveyor by a loading device. For example, an overpack that is to be transported from a unit storage facility to a location proximate a patient may be pushed onto a moving conveyor. The conveyor may advance along its path toward the location proximate the patient. A scanner at the location proximate the patient may scan the identifying indicia of the overpack and recognize the overpack as being destined for the location proximate the patient. A loading device at the location proximate the patient may unload the overpack from the conveyor, either to a staging area proximate the patient or to a patient or nurse server. Similarly, the loading device at the location proximate the patient may load an empty overpack to the conveyor for return to the unit storage device or to a location specifically configured for the return of empty or unneeded overpacks.
While above example embodiments of transport devices may can be implemented in existing facilities by mounting a track and enclosure 340 proximate a ceiling, other transport devices may not require a track or enclosure to transport medication to a location proximate a patient. For example, an automated guided vehicle may transport medications and supplies from a unit storage device to a location proximate a patient while traveling along hallways shared with patients, nurses, and physicians. An automated guided vehicle, or AGV, may arrive at a unit storage device and may be loaded either manually or automatically with medications and supplies. The AGV may then transport the medications and supplies to the location proximate the patient, by guiding themselves along the hallways of the healthcare facility. The AGVs may be configured to advance along conductive tracks embedded into the floors, or the AGVs may be programmed with facility layouts to guide themselves through hallways. In either embodiment, the AGVs may be capable of detecting obstacles and people to slow down or stop to avoid contacting an obstacle or person. The detection capabilities may be in the form of proximity sensors, optical sensors, contact sensors, etc. The AGVs of example embodiments may be powered by batteries which may be rechargeable.
The aforementioned transport devices may be configured to transport medication and supplies from a unit storage device to a location closer to a patient, which may be in the form of a staging area proximate a patient, a nurse server, or a patient server, embodiments of which are described herein below. While the aforementioned transport devices may be described with respect to transporting medication from the unit storage device to a location closer to a patient, embodiments may include transport devices configured to transport medications directly from the central pharmacy to a location proximate a patient. Such an embodiment may be implemented where the central pharmacy includes various features described above with respect to the unit storage device. For example, a central pharmacy may include a pneumatic tube system or track-based transport system which may be loaded and sent directly to a location proximate the patient.
Proximate Storage
Embodiments of the present invention as described above may be configured to transport medication and supplies from a unit storage device, via a transport device, to a location proximate a patient. Embodiments of the present invention may provide means for staging and or storing medication at a location proximate a patient. The location proximate to a patient may include a location that is disposed between the unit storage device and the patient bed. Example embodiments of the location proximate the patient may be referred to herein as proximate storage, including a staging area proximate the patient, a nurse server, and a patient server.
Proximate storage embodiments including a staging area may be used in conjunction with a nurse server or patient server. The staging area may be configured to receive medication and supplies, such as in the overpacks described above, and temporarily store the overpacks while awaiting dispensing to authorized medical personnel. As illustrated in
As outlined above, the track-based transport device may be configured to travel along a track that is enclosed (e.g., enclosure 340 of
An example embodiment described above with respect to
Nurse Servers and Patient Servers
While staging of overpacks may be performed track-side or along the track with a track-based transport device, staging may also be performed at or in nurse servers or patient servers. A nurse server is a device configured to be accessed by a nurse (or other authorized medical personnel) for the retrieval of medication and supplies for a plurality of patients served by that nurse. A patient server is a device configured to be accessed by a nurse (or other authorized medical personnel) for the retrieval of medication and supplies for a single patient.
While the term nurse server implies access by a nurse, any authorized medical person may access the nurse server. For example, a doctor, a laboratory technician, anesthesiologist, a phlebologist, or a phlebotomist may be considered an authorized medical person which may be authorized to access one or more nurse servers as will be described further below.
The number of patients served by a nurse server may vary, and may be all of the patients for whom a nurse has responsibility or for a subset of the patients for whom a nurse has responsibility. As the nurse server is configured to provide medication and supplies for a plurality of patients, the nurse server may be located in an area close to the patients served by the nurse server. This location may be closer to the patients served than the unit storage device outlined above.
On the other hand, a patient server may be configured to serve only a single patient. The patient server may be accessed by authorized medical personnel as outlined above and described further below. As the patient server serves only a single patient, the patient server may be located close to that patient. A patient server may be located in the patient's room or nearby for convenient access by the authorized medical personnel. Generally, a patient server is not intended to be accessed by a patient, but rather by the medical personnel caring for the patient.
While example embodiments of patient servers and nurse servers differ in the number of patients they are configured to serve, their function may be substantially similar. However, some features may be better suited to one or the other as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art.
As outlined above medication and supplies may be received at a nurse server or patient server and staged to await dispensing to authorized medical personnel. Medication and supplies may also be received in response to a request such that they are dispensed upon arrival rather than staged. In still other embodiments, medication and supplies may be delivered to the nurse server or patient server for just-in-time (JIT) dispensing to authorized medical personnel.
Medications and supplies may be dispensed from the nurse server or patient server in a variety of manners. In one example embodiment, when the medication needed by a patient arrives at the nurse server, a message may be sent to the appropriate authorized medical person that is responsible for retrieving and administering the medication to the patient. In such an embodiment, an overpack may arrive at the nurse server or at a staging area proximate the nurse server, and upon scanning of the identifying indicia, an alert or message may be sent, for example via a wireless network or near-field communication protocol, to a device carried by the authorized medical person. The device may include a pager, a phone, a tablet computer, or any other portable device able to receive and present the alert or message.
In another example embodiment, described with respect to the nurse server 500 illustrated in
In some example embodiments, the dispensing area 504 may include a bin 506 which may then be taken by the authorized medical person to the patient for administering the medication. The bin 506 may then be returned to the nurse server 500. The medication and supplies may be dispensed to the dispensing area 504 from a staging area above the nurse server 500 or they may be dispensed directly from a transport device above the nurse server. The medications and supplies may be gravity fed from the staging area or the transport device to the dispensing area.
In response to the authorization of an authorized medical person, and a request for medication for a particular patient, the doors arranged in front of the overpack(s) containing the medication requested may be unlocked allowing the person to open the doors, or the doors may be configured to open automatically. The authorized medical person may then access the contents of the overpack.
Referring back to
While the drawers 564 of the illustrated embodiment of
Each of the example embodiments of nurse servers described above may include an area configured to receive medications and supplies delivered to the nurse server but not needed or empty, returnable overpacks. The return area of the nurse server may be a drawer, bin, or other receiving area which is arranged to receive articles for return to the unit storage device or to the central pharmacy. The return area of some embodiments may stage overpacks for retrieval by a transport device for automated return of the overpacks, or alternatively, returns may be manually collected for return to the unit storage or the central pharmacy.
Nurse servers or patient servers according to the aforementioned embodiments may include a scanner configured to scan the medication or supplies, and/or the overpacks containing the medication or supplies. The scanner may scan identifying indicia to confirm retrieval of the scanned objects from the nurse server or patient server. The scanning may further provide an additional verification step that confirms that the appropriate medication or supply is being dispensed from the nurse server or patient server.
Nurse servers or patient servers according to the aforementioned embodiments may further include a printer. While medications transported to the nurse server or patient server may be designated for a particular patient, the patient information may not be presented on the medication, particularly since the medication or supply may be returned to the central pharmacy if it is not needed by the patient, such as if the patient is discharged before the medication is administered. As such, a printer at the nurse server or patient server may be configured to print patient information to a label to be affixed to the medication or supply, thereby designating the patient for which it is intended. The printer may print patient information in response to a scan of the medication as described above, or it may print the labels in response to the authorized medical person accessing the nurse server and retrieving the medication or supply.
In some embodiments, nurse servers may include temperature controlled areas. For example, in the embodiment of
As outlined above, some medication may require refrigeration to maintain its efficacy. Such medications may be given a maximum shelf-life outside of refrigeration. The shelf-life of such a medication may be a time since the medication was initially removed from refrigeration, or a cumulative time of the medication outside of refrigeration. According to embodiments of the present invention, as transportation and storage of medications may be automated and controlled, the logistics software for routing (i.e., mapping out a route for) and dispensing of medications may be configured to monitor the time of a medication outside of refrigerated storage. For example, a medication may be outside of refrigerated storage between the central pharmacy and the unit storage device. At the unit storage device, the medication may be maintained in a refrigerated storage area. The medication may again be outside of refrigerated storage during transport to proximate storage near a patient. Upon arrival at the proximate storage, the medication may or may not be stored in a temperature controlled location. As such, the software may monitor the cumulative length of time the medication is outside of refrigerated storage. If the medication is outside of refrigerated storage longer than the shelf-life outside of refrigerated storage, the medication may be automatically routed back to the unit storage device and/or to the central pharmacy. If the medication has shelf-life remaining at the time of dispensing, the time remaining may be displayed to a nurse on a user interface of a nurse server or patient server, or optionally printed to a label for the medication.
According to example embodiments of the invention, temperature sensitive medications or supplies may be packaged in overpacks that include temperature monitoring capabilities. The temperature monitoring may be performed by a temperature monitoring strip which displays the time that the strip or the products attached thereto, have been exposed to temperatures exceeding a threshold. Temperature monitoring may also be performed by an RFID tag configured to generate a temperature profile which may be analyzed when the information is read from the tag. Use of temperature monitoring may allow inventory monitors or controls to determine if a medication has exceeded a maximum temperature or exceeded a maximum time above a threshold temperature, in which case the medication would be returned to a central pharmacy for disposition.
Overpacks may also be configured to maintain a temperature of a medication. For example, an overpack may be insulated and may contain a cold-pack configured to keep the temperature inside the overpack below a threshold value. Overpacks may also include material, such as a phase change material, configured to maintain overpack contents at or around a desired temperature. Such overpacks may be used to extend the shelf-life of a medication or to allow transportation of medications outside of refrigerated storage for a longer period of time.
As noted above, embodiments of the present invention may require identification of the authorized medical person before providing access to the medication or supplies dispensed by the nurse server or patient server. Identification of appropriate medical personnel may be accomplished by the scanning of an identification card which may include a barcode or RFID tag. Alternatively, identification of authorized medical personnel may be accomplished by biometric scanning, such as a scan of a person's retina, finger print, hand geometry, palm vein, face, or voice to determine the identification of the person. Identification may also be provided by a personal identification number (PIN), or any combination of the aforementioned mechanisms.
Appropriate identification of medical personnel may be important to preclude unauthorized access to medications and to satisfy regulatory requirements. Requiring medical personnel to properly identify themselves may also preclude a nurse from accessing the wrong nurse server by limiting the medical personnel authorized to access a particular nurse server or patient server. Further, requiring identification of medical personnel may provide an audit trail to identify who retrieved medication for a particular patient.
Nurse servers or patient servers as described above may be configured to provide an estimated time of arrival for medications or supplies at a nurse server or patient server. For example, a nurse may enter a request for a medication or supply to be dispensed from a nurse or patient server, and the user interface may provide an estimated time of arrival for the medication or supply at the nurse or patient server. According to some embodiments, the medication or supply may be staged for immediate dispensing; however, some medications or supplies may not be present at the patient server or nurse server. Providing an estimated time of arrival for the medication or supply may allow an authorized medical person to perform other tasks while awaiting delivery of the medication or supply. As embodiments described above may include substantial automation of the retrieval and delivery of medications and supplies to locations proximate to a patient, logistic software configured to route the medication and supplies may be able to provide a very accurate estimated time of arrival of the requested medication or supply at the nurse server or patient server.
As described above, the nurse server or patient server may be used to interface with a network of a healthcare facility to ensure accurate dispensing of medications to authorized personnel. The automation and the transfer of data and information may be implemented in various embodiments of the present invention. As used herein, where a computing device is described herein to receive data from another computing device, such as receiving an indication of medication required, it will be appreciated that the data may be received directly from the another computing device and/or may be received indirectly via one or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, and/or the like. Similarly, where a computing device is described herein to send data to another computing device, it will be appreciated that the data may be sent directly to the another computing device or may be sent to the another computing device via one or more interlinking computing devices, such as, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, and/or the like.
In some example embodiments, processes and steps of the invention may be carried out by computing devices that may be in communication with a network, such as an information network of a healthcare facility. The computing devices may include nurse servers, patient servers, portable communications stations, or the like. Such a network may be embodied in a local area network, the Internet, any other form of a network, or in any combination thereof, including proprietary private and semi-private networks and public networks. The network may comprise a wire-line network, wireless network (e.g., a cellular network, wireless local area network, wireless wide area network, some combination thereof, or the like), or a combination thereof, and in some example embodiments comprises at least a portion of the Internet.
In some example embodiments, computing devices configured to perform various operations of the invention may include computing devices, such as, by way of non-limiting example, a server, configured to access a network and/or server(s). In some example embodiments, computing devices may be implemented as a distributed system or a cloud based entity that may be implemented within a network. In this regard, a computing device according to the present invention may comprise one or more servers, a server cluster, one or more network nodes, a cloud computing infrastructure, some combination thereof, or the like. Additionally or alternatively, embodiments may be implemented as a web service.
Further example embodiments of the present invention may include a system comprising any number of user terminals. A user terminal may be embodied as a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, desktop computer, workstation, nurse server, patient server, or other like computing device.
The computing device of example embodiments may include processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to perform actions in accordance with one or more example embodiments disclosed herein. In this regard, the processing circuitry may be configured to perform and/or control performance of one or more functionalities of the handling, transporting, storing, or distributing of medications and/or supplies in accordance with various example embodiments. The processing circuitry may be configured to perform data processing, application execution, and/or other processing and management services according to one or more example embodiments. In some embodiments, computing device or a portion(s) or component(s) thereof, such as the processing circuitry, may be embodied as or comprise a circuit chip. The circuit chip may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein.
A schematic illustration of an apparatus which may be implemented as a nurse server, patient server, or user terminal in a central pharmacy or unit storage device is illustrated in
The processor 700 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor may be embodied as various processing means such as one or more of a microprocessor or other processing element, a coprocessor, a controller, or various other computing or processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or the like. Although illustrated as a single processor, it will be appreciated that the processor may comprise a plurality of processors. The plurality of processors may be in operative communication with each other and may be collectively configured to perform one or more functionalities of a system for handling, storing, transporting, or distributing medication as described herein. The plurality of processors may be embodied on a single computing device or distributed across a plurality of computing devices. In some example embodiments, the processor may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory or otherwise accessible to the processor. As such, whether configured by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, the processor may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry—in the form of processing circuitry) capable of performing operations according to embodiments of the present invention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA, or the like, the processor may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processor is embodied as an executor of software instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor to perform one or more operations described herein.
In some example embodiments, the memory 710 may include one or more non-transitory memory devices such as, for example, volatile and/or non-volatile memory that may be either fixed or removable. In this regard, the memory 710 may comprise a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. It will be appreciated that while the memory 710 is illustrated as a single memory, the memory may comprise a plurality of memories. The plurality of memories may be embodied on a single computing device or may be distributed across a plurality of computing. The memory may be configured to store information, data, applications, instructions and/or the like for enabling embodiments of the present invention to carry out various functions in accordance with one or more example embodiments. For example, the memory may be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor. Additionally or alternatively, the memory may be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor. As yet another alternative, the memory may include one or more databases that may store a variety of files, contents, or data sets. Among the contents of the memory, applications may be stored for execution by the processor to carry out the functionality associated with each respective application.
A user interface 720 of example embodiments, such as the user interface of a nurse server or patient sever, may be in communication with the processing circuitry to receive an indication of a user input at the user interface and/or to provide an audible, visual, mechanical, or other output to the user. As such, the user interface may include, for example, a user input interface 720 such as a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen display, a microphone, a speaker, and/or other input/output mechanisms. As such, the user interface may 720, in some example embodiments, provide means for user control of embodiments of the present invention. In some example embodiments in which the invention is embodied as a server, cloud computing system, or the like, aspects of user interface may be limited or the user interface may not be present. In some example embodiments, one or more aspects of the user interface may be implemented on a user terminal. Accordingly, regardless of implementation, the user interface may provide input and output means to facilitate handling, storing, transporting, or delivery of medication in accordance with one or more example embodiments.
The communication interface 730 may include one or more interface mechanisms for enabling communication with other devices and/or networks. In some cases, the communication interface may be any means such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware, or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/to a network and/or any other device or module in communication with the processing circuitry. By way of example, the communication interface 730 may be configured to enable embodiments of the present invention to communicate with application server(s) and/or networks and/or information databases. Accordingly, the communication interface may, for example, include supporting hardware and/or software for enabling communications via cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB), Ethernet, or other methods.
A First Example Embodiment of a System
While various components of a system for automating the dispensing of medications and supplies to patients within a healthcare facility have been described above, an example embodiment using components of the system is described herein to further illustrate the functionality of such a system.
The example embodiment system described herein is described with respect to a healthcare facility including multiple units, such as an intensive care unit, a long-term care unit, a psychiatric unit, a maternity unit, etc. Embodiments may include a central pharmacy configured to dispense medication to patients in each of the units of the healthcare facility. As such healthcare facilities may provide medication and supplies to hundreds of patients, each requiring a unique medication regimen, automation of medication distribution can be difficult. Further, medication regimens can change based on a patient's changing conditions or a patient's response to previously administered medications. Automated systems to dispense medications in such an environment may require flexibility to change medication regimens for individual patients as needed, and also provide medication as it is needed, where it is needed in the healthcare facility.
Embodiments of systems according to the present invention may provide a system for predicting the medications which may be needed by a patient over a specific period of time. The prediction may be performed by software which may be configured to use a variety of methods to determine what medications and supplies may be required over a specific period of time. The predicted medication and any known medication (e.g., medication previously prescribed) may constitute a medication order. The medication order may be sent (e.g., by a healthcare facility network), to a central pharmacy for fulfillment.
The central pharmacy of a healthcare facility may be configured to receive a medication order and to fulfill the medication order by picking the medications of the medication order from a supply of medications. The picking may be performed manually by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, or the picking may be performed automatically by an automated dispensing system, such as a Robot-Rx™ from McKesson®. The medication, whether picked manually or automatically, may be packaged into overpacks, if not already in a suitable package for automation. For example, the types of packages handled by the Robot-Rx™ may be compatible with some embodiments of automation such that repackaging is not necessary. In other embodiments, the medication, if contained in a package, such as a blister pack, may require packaging in an overpack that is compatible with specific automation systems. In the instant embodiment, picked medications are loaded into bins, such as the bins 102-108 of
Supplies may also be part of the medication order as determined by the software (e.g., a syringe of a given size may be known by the software to accompany a medication vial of a given size). Optionally, supplies may be added to a medication order manually, for example when authorized medical personnel recognize a need (e.g., a patient's IV tubing is punctured requiring new IV tubing to be ordered). In example embodiments in which the central pharmacy and the central supply store are collocated, or in close proximity to one another, after medications are loaded into overpacks, the requisite supplies may also be loaded into the overpacks before the overpacks are grouped and transported to the unit storage device. Additionally or alternatively, particularly in embodiments in which the central supply store and the central pharmacy are not in close proximity, supplies may be loaded to separate overpacks. The overpacks of supplies may be grouped according to location and transported accordingly. The unit storage device may be configured to associate a supply with a medication for distribution to an authorized medical person.
The medications for a medication order for a patient may each be loaded into separate bins, such that the bins each contain a unit dose of medication. Supplies may also be loaded into individual bins. In some cases, supplies which correspond to a particular medication may be loaded into the same overpack bin as the medication to which they are associated. The overpacks may be loaded manually by a pharmacy technician or pharmacist, or the overpacks may be loaded automatically, as illustrated in
A label may be applied to each overpack to identify the contents received therein and/or to identify the patient for whom the overpack is intended. The overpack label may include identifying indicia such as a barcode, text, picture, etc. Optionally, an RFID tag on the overpack may be written to by an RFID encoder. The RFID tag may be written with the patient information, patient location, medication information, etc. Labels for overpacks which are intended for multiple uses may be temporarily affixed such as with a releasable adhesive, a hook-and-loop fastener system, or received within a label receiving area of the overpack, such as a transparent pouch.
Including only a single dose of medication in each overpack may allow each labeled overpack to be individually manipulated throughout the dispensing process. For example, when the overpack is at the central pharmacy, transported to the unit storage, at the unit storage, in proximate storage, or at the nurse server or patient server, the unit dose overpack may be identified by the label and manipulated as needed. In an embodiment in which a particular medication was removed from a person's medication regimen, the unit dose of that medication may be removed and routed for return to the central pharmacy at various points during the dispensing process.
In some embodiments wherein each overpack contains a unit dose medication, each overpack may be individually routed to the patient for whom it is intended. For example, upon determining that a medication is anticipated to be needed by a patient, logistics software may plan a route for the individual unit dose between the central pharmacy and the proximate storage. The route may be the same as other medications destined for the same patient; however, as each medication unit dose is individually traceable and manipulated, each overpack may have an individual route that is assigned to it. Grouping of overpacks with similar destinations may be another function of the logistics software; however, each overpack maintains its unique identity and route. As such, if a group of medications is separated during loading/unloading or transport, each of the overpacks will still arrive at the appropriate destination. Further, if an individual medication is flagged for removal from the patient's medication order, the route of that medication may be changed to re-route the medication back to the central pharmacy.
Individual routing of medications may allow individual control of the medications, such as when a medication must be removed from a patient's regimen due to a lot recall, expiration of medication, a change associated with the patient status (e.g., improving/worsening condition, discharge of patient, movement of patient to another location, etc.), a more urgent need for a medication for another patient, etc.
Embodiments may use unit-dose overpacks; however, additionally or alternatively, all of the medications and supplies for a patient that may be needed over a specific time period may be grouped together into a single overpack. Such an embodiment may reduce the overall number of overpacks needed for a facility and may increase the efficiency of dispensing the medications and supplies; however the ability to individually manipulate unit doses automatically may be lost. Some medications may be grouped together by their purpose, for instance a medication that includes nausea as a side effect may be grouped with an anti-nausea medication. As such, removing the medication with a side effect removes the need for the nausea medication, such that the medications may be grouped together in a single overpack without the need to track them individually.
While the above embodiment has been described with respect to a central pharmacy of a healthcare facility, the central pharmacy role may be removed from the healthcare facility and may be implemented in a remote location. A remote central pharmacy may be a pharmacy which serves multiple healthcare facilities and may benefit from economies of scale, particularly when servicing smaller healthcare facilities. As such, embodiments of the above may be implemented at a remote central pharmacy where the overpacks are prepared off-site, and subsequently delivered to a healthcare facility for distribution to healthcare facility units and/or patients.
The overpack bins of the above described embodiment may be staged in a location at the central pharmacy (or at a receiving location within a healthcare facility) and may be grouped according to their destination. For example, overpacks that are designated to go to a patient on the long-term care unit may be grouped together, while overpacks designated to go to an intensive care unit (ICU) may be grouped together. The grouping of overpacks together may be performed automatically, for example by the logistics software that routes medications to the appropriate patients. Optionally, the grouping of overpacks may be performed manually.
The grouping of overpacks may include placing the bins on a tray, as illustrated in
The transport cart may be moved automatically, for example, using an automated guided vehicle, or the cart may itself be an automated guided vehicle. In other embodiments, the cart may be moved manually to the unit storage device in the appropriate unit of the healthcare facility.
Upon arrival at the unit storage device, as shown in
The transport cart may include only medications and supplies for a specific unit of a healthcare facility, or optionally, the transport cart may include trays of overpacks for different units of a healthcare facility. In such a case, the trays designated for a first unit storage device may be loaded into the first unit storage device, while trays designated for a second unit storage device may be loaded into a second unit storage device as the transport cart makes rounds delivering the appropriate trays to the appropriate unit storage device.
The unit storage device may be configured with a retrieval device as illustrated in
A transport device according to example embodiments of the present invention may include a train car with one or more bogies adapted to ride along a rail.
The train car 800 may be advanced along the track by a drive wheel, which may be one or more of the top rollers 816 and/or side rollers 818. Embodiments may include a local energy source disposed on the train car, such as a battery, which may drive an electric motor to turn the drive wheels. Optionally, the track may include bus bars to conduct electricity along the track from which the train car 800 may tap into. As such, the track may provide power to the motor which drives the drive wheels. Other mechanisms for advancing the train car along the track may include a cable disposed within or proximate to the track which may pull the train car along the track. A cable disposed within the track may be configured in a continuous loop through the track disposed in an overhead location of a healthcare facility unit. The cable may move substantially constantly, and the train may be adapted to engage the cable to advance the train, and disengage the cable to stop the train. Other embodiments may include a magnetic levitation system adapted to advance the train car along the track.
The transport device may receive the overpacks as outlined above, and then transport the overpacks to proximate storage. The overpacks may be staged at the proximate storage, or at a nurse or patient server as outlined above. In some embodiments, the transport device is staged along with the overpacks.
As illustrated and described above with reference to
Embodiments of a transport device according to the present invention may include a system for tracking the location of the transport device. Such a system may include radio frequency beacons disposed along the track and an RFID tag on the train car. Such a system could identify the location of the train car anywhere along the track with high accuracy. Other embodiments may include sensors disposed along the track configured to detect the presence of a train car and to scan an identity of the train car to determine and track the train car's location. In other embodiments, location codes may be disposed about the track. The location codes may be in the form of RFID tags, barcodes, or other indicia which may be read by a scanner of a train car. The train car may scan the indicia along the track and provide that information to a system tracking the location of the train car. As such, the specific location of a train car and the contents thereon may be known throughout the transport process.
When an authorized medical person is prepared to administer medication to a patient, they may access a nurse server or patient server according to any of the embodiments described above. The authorized medical person may access the user interface of nurse server or patient server by identifying themselves and the nurse server confirming that they are an authorized medical person. In an example embodiment in which no user interface may be present, such as the nurse server of the embodiment of
To dispense the medication from the overpacks of the aforementioned example embodiment, the bins may be tilted or “dumped” to have the contents dispensed from the nurse server. The nurse server may include structure sufficient to slow the descent of the medications and supplies to accommodate a relatively soft landing at the dispensing area of the nurse server. Alternatively, the overpack bins may be lowered through the nurse server and presented to the authorized medical person for retrieval of the medications and supplies. The empty overpacks may be returned to the nurse server, which may return the overpacks to the transport device, or to the staging area configured to be retrieved by the transport device. The transport device may return empty overpacks or overpacks containing unused or unneeded medications back to the unit storage device. The empty overpacks and unneeded medications may be retrieved and returned to the central pharmacy for reuse.
A Second Example Embodiment of a System
Another example embodiment of a system incorporating various components outlined above is described herein. According to an example embodiment, a system may be configured to deliver medications that are anticipated to be needed by a patient ahead of the anticipated need. In one embodiment, a system may be configured to predict the needs of patients in a healthcare facility. The system may predict the anticipated medication needed by the patient using a variety of manners, such as one or more of a conventional medication regimen for a particular ailment, a physician specific medication regimen for a particular ailment, a historical record of unit dose medications, or an algorithm. The algorithm may predict the anticipated medications needed by a patient by factoring in patient conditions, symptoms, patient information (e.g., gender, age), etc. The algorithm may determine a medication or plurality of medications which may be used to treat a patient with the combination of symptoms and conditions.
Upon predicting the medications anticipated to be needed by a patient, the medication order, including each of the anticipated medications, may be sent to a central pharmacy. The central pharmacy may manually or automatically fulfill the medication order. For example, a Robot-Rx™ automated dispensing system may receive the medication order and dispense each of the medications anticipated to be needed by the patient. The medications may be loaded into overpacks; however, in the case of an automated dispensing system, the medications may already be contained in packages which are suitable for automated dispensing. As such, the medications dispensed by an automated dispensing system may be ready to be loaded into a carrier according to example embodiments of the present invention. Medications which may not already be packaged in packaging suitable for automated manipulation may be packaged into such overpacks. In the example embodiment, the overpack may include a bag, such as the bag illustrated in
The medication, which is now packaged into overpack packaging suitable for automated handling, may be loaded into an apparatus which may be compatible with further automated handling and transporting of the medications.
The clip 840 of the illustrated embodiment may include identifying indicia 850 disposed on an area of the clip which will remain visible during transport such that the identifying indicia can be scanned. Optionally, the identifying indicia may be stored in an RFID tag which may be readable without being visible. The clip 840 of
Each carrier may be designated as bound for a specific location within a healthcare facility. For example, a carrier may be routed to the intensive care unit. Carriers may be configured to hold medications for a plurality of patients proximate their destination, or alternatively, particularly when a patient has a large number of medications, a carrier may be configured to hold only medications for a single patient. The carriers may be loaded onto a transport cart, as illustrated in
As described above with respect to
According to some embodiments, the unit storage device may only be configured to load the carriers onto a transport device, and not provide staging at the unit storage device. In such an embodiment, carriers may be moved to a location proximate the patient when a transport device is available rather than awaiting a request for a medication or a prediction of a need for the medication. Once the carrier is loaded onto a transport device, for example, as shown in
Authorized medical personnel may be alerted that medication is staged at the proximate storage and ready for dispensing. The alert may be in the form of a light at the proximate storage or nurse station indicating that staged medication is present and ready to be dispensed. Optionally, an alert may be sent via wireless network to a portable device, such as to a pager, a nurse cart, a tablet computer, handheld computer, etc. The authorized medical person responsible for administering the medication to the patient may respond to the alert in due course.
Upon arrival at the nurse server or patient server, the authorized medical person may identify themselves to confirm to the patient server or nurse server that they are, indeed authorized. The identification may be performed as outlined above with regard to the various embodiments of a nurse station. In response to confirming the identity of the authorized medical person, the nurse server or patient server may provide an indication of the medications available for dispensing, or an indication of the patients for whom medications are available for. The authorized medical person may select the medications and/or patients to initiate the dispensing of the medications.
A Third Example Embodiment of a System
As described above, various components may be implemented together to create a system which automates, or enables at least partial automation of the dispensing of medications and supplies to a patient. Another example embodiment of such a system is described herein.
Embodiments described herein may provide for unit-dose overpacks to be prepared for distribution to patients. Such overpacks have also been described to be configured to receive supplies which may accompany certain medications, such as a syringe to accompany a medication vial in a single overpack. While overpacks may be unit-dose specific and/or unit-dose and supply specific, overpacks may also be patient-specific. For example, a single overpack may include unit dose medications for a particular patient for a particular period of time (e.g., for a nurse shift, or for a 24-hour period, etc.). Such an overpack may be a bin which is configured to hold multiple unit-dose medications and may also be configured to hold supplies to accompany the unit-dose medications. The bin may be selected based upon the number and size of medications and/or supplies that it is to be filled with for the particular patient. In some embodiments, the unit-dose medications and/or supplies may be in individual unit-dose overpacks that are loaded into a patient-specific overpack. For example, a unit-dose overpack may include a bag as illustrated in
Unit-dose medications and supplies may be loaded to a patient-specific overpack by a variety of means including manually, automatically, or a combination of manual and automatic loading. For example, a robot, as shown in
Upon filling a patient-specific overpack, the overpack may be transported to a unit storage device, or a staging location closer to the patient for whom the medications are intended. Transport to the unit storage device may be performed by a track-based transport system, pneumatic tube system, or other such automated system. In other embodiments, the patient-specific overpacks may be loaded onto a cart. A cart, such as the cart 202 of
Once the patient-specific overpacks have been transported to a unit storage device, the overpacks may be unloaded. The unloading may include an automated removal of overpacks from a cart, or a manual removal. In an example embodiment in which a track-based transport system or pneumatic tube system is used to transport the patient-specific overpacks, a loading device may be configured to unload the overpacks from the transport device and load the overpacks to a staging area, which may be a unit storage device. The unit storage device of example embodiments may include any of those illustrated in
The patient-specific overpacks described above may be filled in response to a medication order received at a central pharmacy, or in response to a system configured to predict the medications anticipated to be needed by a patient over a particular period of time. The overpacks may also be filled by a combination of a medication order and predicted medications, where the medication order includes medications known to be needed by the patient and the predicted medication is medication that the system anticipates may be needed by the patient. The request that a patient-specific overpack be filled may be automated to be generated once or more each day, or the request may come from an authorized medical person. For example, a nurse may request a patient-specific overpack for a patient under their care. Orders generated by a nurse may be sent from a mobile communications device (e.g., a tablet computer, a hand-held computing device, etc.), from a nurse cart (e.g., a computer-on-wheels (COW) or workstation-on-wheels (WOW)), or from a nurse-server, patient-server, or other device in communication with a healthcare facility network.
Once the patient-specific overpacks are received at a proximate storage location or staging area, such as a unit storage device or overhead storage location, for example, the patient-specific overpacks may be ready for transport to an appropriate patient or nurse server. Authorized medical personnel may be alerted to the arrival of a patient-specific overpack at the unit storage device or staging area by an alert sent to a mobile device, a nurse cart, a nurse server, a patient server, etc. Such an alert may advise the authorized medical person that the patient-specific overpack is ready for transport to a location for retrieval by the authorized medical person.
When medications and/or supplies are needed for a patient, the patient-specific overpack may be requested by an authorized medical person. The request may be generated by the authorized medical person using a mobile communications device, a nurse cart, a patient server, a nurse server, or a workstation, for example. The request may be patient-specific, such that an authorized medical person may request the medications for a specific patient. Optionally, a request may include a request for patient-specific overpacks for a plurality of patients, such as all of the patients under a particular authorized medical person's care, or all of the patients in a particular location within the healthcare facility. The request may also specify the desired destination for the patient-specific overpacks. For example, a nurse may request the medications for two patients located in different rooms. The request may indicate that the patient-specific overpacks for both patients should be sent to a location closest to where the nurse is, or is planning to be. Once the request is sent for the patient-specific bin or bins, an estimated time-of-arrival (ETA) of the patient-specific overpacks at the specified location may be generated. The ETA may be provided to the requesting authorized medical person on a mobile device, on their nurse cart, on a patient server or nurse server, or otherwise communicated to the authorized medical person.
The patient-specific overpack(s) may then be transported from the unit storage device or staging area by any one of number of transport devices. For example, a patient-specific overpack may be retrieved by a retrieval device of an X-Y robot, as illustrated in
Upon arrival of the patient-specific overpacks at the location specified by the requesting authorized medical person, an alert may be generated. The alert may be sent to a mobile device, nurse cart, patient or nurse server, etc. The alert may be an audible alert, a visible alert, or a combination thereof. For example, an audible alert may be provided via the mobile device, and a visible alert, such as a light, may be illuminated at the location where the patient-specific overpacks are to be retrieved. In order to access the patient-specific overpacks requested, the authorized medical person may be required to authenticate their identity at the location where the patient-specific overpacks are to be retrieved. For example, a nurse server including a user interface may allow an authorized medical person to identify themselves through a biometric scan, passcode entry, or key/identification card scan. Once the authorized medical person is identified and authenticated, the patient-specific overpacks may be presented to the authorized medical person.
A variety of mechanisms may be employed to present the patient-specific overpacks to the authorized medical person. For example, the patient-specific overpacks may be awaiting retrieval in an overhead location proximate a nurse server, as shown in
An authorized medical person may retrieve one or more patient-specific overpacks in dependence upon the system employed. For example, a nurse may retrieve a plurality of overpacks for a plurality of patients, and load them into a nurse-cart. The nurse may then distribute medications from the patient-specific overpacks as each patient is visited and attended to. Optionally, the patient-specific overpack may be dispensed to an authorized medical person for immediate use, such as using a patient-server in or near a patient room. Upon dispensing of a patient-specific overpack at a patient server, the authorized medical person may administer the medication, and return the overpack.
In example embodiments in which an overpack is re-used and not disposed of, the overpack may be returned via a nurse-server or patient-server, and transported by transport device back to a unit storage device. Optionally, used overpacks may be returned directly to a unit storage device. The used overpacks may be retrieved from the unit storage device, for example, when new patient-specific overpacks are distributed to the unit storage device. Whether the new overpacks are transported by track-based transport, pneumatic tube systems, or transport carts, while the transport device is at the unit storage device, empty overpacks may be loaded to the transport device for return to the central pharmacy.
Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
In this regard, a method according to one embodiment of the invention, as shown in
In some embodiments, certain ones of the operations may be modified or further amplified as described below. Moreover, in some embodiments additional operations may also be included. It should be appreciated that each of the modifications, optional additions, or amplifications below may be included with the operations above either alone or in combination with any others among the features described herein. With reference to the method of
In an example embodiment, an apparatus for performing the method of
An example of an apparatus according to an example embodiment may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform the operations 1010-1060 (with or without the modifications and amplifications described above in any combination).
An example of a computer program product according to an example embodiment may include at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein. The computer-executable program code portions may include program code instructions for performing operations 1010-1060 (with or without the modifications and amplifications described above in any combination).
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/677,157, filed on Nov. 7, 2019, which is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/391,921, filed on Apr. 23, 2019, which is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/018,580, filed on Jun. 26, 2018, which is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/057,783, filed on Mar. 1, 2016, which is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/836,107, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, which is a Non-Provisional application claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos. 61/713,228, 61,713,258, 61/713,268, 61/713,278, 61/713,298, 61/713,307, 61/713,321, 61/713,395, 61/713,360, 61/713,370, and 61/713,409, each filed on Oct. 12, 2012, and each of the aforementioned applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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| Parent | 16018580 | Jun 2018 | US |
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| Parent | 15057783 | Mar 2016 | US |
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| Parent | 13836107 | Mar 2013 | US |
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