Patent Application
20130320820
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field
The present invention generally relates to secure, portable containers and, in particular, a dockable multi-compartment sub-drawer with latching lids.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hospitals often manage the storage and dispensing of medications for patients using an Automated Dispensing Machine (ADM). The ADM usually resides near or at the nursing station and contains items that cover the needs of the patients in a designated area within the hospital.
A common problem of ADMs is that the nurse must make several trips between the bedside of a patient and the ADM in the course of caring for a patient. The nurse first must travel from her current location, often the nursing station, to the patient to determine the patient's needs. When a medication is required, the nurse must then travel back to the nursing station and log into the ADM and identify the desired medication, whereupon the ADM dispenses the medication to the nurse. The nurse then must travel back to the patient to administer the medication, after which the nurse returns to the nursing station or other activity.
Another problem of ADMs is that a single ADM cannot contain every medication used by the hospital. Some medications are used so infrequently that a dose of the medication in a typical ADM would likely expire prior to being required for a patient. Some medications are expensive and hospitals cannot afford to stock these medications in locations where it is not currently prescribed to a patient. When one of these medications is newly prescribed, a pharmacist or pharmacy technician must carry the newly prescribed medication to the ADM nearest to the patient and load the medication into the ADM. This often requires removal of a different medication from the ADM to provide space for the new medication.
One current system for securely transporting medications includes single-compartment receptacles having a latching lid that are secure during transport and can be opened only when docked to an appropriate docking station. Such a transportable receptacle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,461 to Broadfield et al., which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,461 discloses that the pharmacy uses a docking station to open the receptacle and load one or more doses of a medication into the receptacle. The receptacle is then transported to an ADM that is equipped with a drawer having docking stations and the receptacle is placed in one of the drawer's docking stations. The medications in the receptacle are then available to be dispensed to the nurses at the ADM. One potential drawback with this system is that each receptacle contains a single medication, whereas a typical patient in a hospital may be receiving a dozen or more medications.
It is desirable to provide a system and method of providing multiple patient-specific medications in a manner that the medications can be stored and dispensed in the patient's room or, if stored in an ADM, efficiently moved from one ADM to another when the patient is moved from one care area to another. It is also desirable to provide single-dose storage of medications to reduce the time that it takes to dispense a medication.
In certain aspects, a single-item access (SIA) sub-drawer is disclosed that includes a body comprising at least one fixed internal wall that divides the body into a plurality of compartments and a plurality of lids coupled to the body so as to respectively enclose the plurality of compartments. Each lid has a closed position and a lid hook. The SIA sub-drawer also includes a plurality of lid latches coupled to the body and configured to respectively engage the lid hook of one of the plurality of lids when the lid is in the closed position, a sub drawer latch coupled to the body and configured to engage a retention hook of an external system, a communication interface configured to communicate with an external device, and a processor coupled to the plurality of lid latches, the sub-drawer latch, and the communication interface. The processor is configured to receive signals from the external device through the communication interface, cause a selectable one of the plurality of lid latches to release the respective lid hook upon receipt of a lid-release signal, and cause the sub-drawer latch to release the retention hook upon receipt of a sub-drawer release signal.
In certain aspects, a point-of-care (POC) system is disclosed that includes a dispensing cabinet (DC) and a SIA sub-drawer. The DC includes a housing with a containment pocket and a retention hook and a first processor disposed within the housing. The POC system also includes a SIA sub drawer having a body configured to be secured within the containment pocket wherein the body comprising a compartment, a lid coupled to the body wherein the lid is selectably securable in a closed position that encloses the compartment, a lid latch coupled to the body and configured to secure the lid, a sub-drawer latch coupled to the body and configured to engage and selectably release a retention hook, and a second processor coupled to the lid latch and the sub-drawer latch. The second processor is configured to cause the sub-drawer latch to release the retention hook upon receipt of a sub-drawer release signal from the first processor.
In certain aspects, a method of providing patient-specific medications is disclosed. The method includes the step of docking a SIA sub-drawer onto a loading station wherein the SIA sub-drawer includes a body comprising a compartment, a lid coupled to the body and selectably securable in a closed position that encloses the compartment, a lid latch coupled to the body and configured to secure the lid, a sub-drawer latch coupled to the body and configured to engage and selectably release a retention hook, and a processor coupled to the lid latch and the sub-drawer latch wherein the processor is configured to cause the lid latch to release lid upon receipt of a lid release signal. The method also includes the steps of providing a lid-release signal to the processor to thereby release the lid and thereby allow access to the compartment, loading at least one dose of a medication prescribed for a specified patient into the compartment, closing the lid, removing the SIA sub-drawer from the loading station, transporting the SIA sub-drawer to a DC that is located at a POC for the specified patient wherein the DC has a containment pocket and a retention hook, and loading the SIA sub-drawer into the containment pocket such that the sub-drawer latch engages the retention hook of the DC.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings:
The following description discloses embodiments of a patient-specific dispensing system that includes a DC and multi-compartment sub-drawers containing medications for a specific patient. In certain embodiments, the DC is mounted on the wall of the specific patient's room. In some embodiments, each compartment of the sub-drawer contains a single dose of a medication. However, although described in the context of a patient room, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be located in other areas besides a patient room.
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations of the subject technology and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the subject technology may be practiced. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology. Like components are labeled with identical element numbers for ease of understanding.
As used within this disclosure, the term “hook” is defined as a retention feature having a capture surface configured to be engaged by a latching element. The retention feature may be configured with an open capture surface such as a ledge or knob or a closed feature such as a pocket or loop. Any feature that can be captured and retained and then selectably released by a second feature falls within the scope of this term.
As used within this disclosure, the term “spring” is defined as any element that creates a resisting force when deformed in a first direction, wherein the resisting force is applied in a second direction opposite to the first direction. Examples of springs include blocks of a compressible elastic material, bands of a stretchable elastic material, plastic cantilevers, and metal coils.
As used within this disclosure, the term “latch” is defined as any device wherein a first part is caused to move with respect to a second part by the application of electricity. As an example, the first part may be a shaft or rotor and the second part may be a housing or stator. Another example is a solenoid where the first part is the moving core and the second part is the stationary coil. The latch may include other mechanisms or elements that are coupled to one or both of the first and second parts. These other elements may selectively engage and disengage hooks or other retention features by movement of the one of the first and second parts. The force between the first and second parts may be created by interaction of one or more of permanent magnets, metallic elements, and electrical circuits. A latch may include electrical components that control the flow of electricity through one or more portions of the motor, including one or more of a switch such as a transistor, a sensing element such as a Hall effect sensor, a control element such as a processor, and a signal handling device such as a transceiver. A latch may include digital electronics to accept commands and provide signals to other electronics.
As used within this disclosure, the term “point-of-care” or “POC” is defined as any location where care is being administered. While the embodiments of the present disclosure describe a patient's room in a hospital as the POC, other locations such as a treatment area of an oncology department or a patient's home are included within the scope of a POC.
As used within this disclosure, the term “dispensing cabinet” or “DC” is defined as any device that provides a containment pocket adapted to securely receive a SIA sub-drawer. While the embodiments of the present disclosure describe a wall-mounted DC, other types of devices such as a cabinet anchored to a countertop or a cabinet anchored to a mobile cart are included within the scope of a DC.
As used within this disclosure, the term “motor” is defined as a device that causes motion in response to the provision of electrical energy. Non-limiting examples of motors include a linear solenoid, a shape-memory alloy or “muscle” wire, and a rotational drive that may include one or more of conductive coils and permanent magnets. A motor may also include active or passive elements that control or modulate the provided electrical energy, for example switches, filters, and processors.
In an ideal healthcare setting, all of the medications that a particular patient might require are available at the patient's bedside so that a nurse can assess the condition of the patient, obtain a medication appropriate to treat the patient's condition, and administer the medication to the patient without leaving the bedside. Being able to complete the care-giving task in a minimum amount of time and without interruptions improves the care provided to the patient and reduces both the stress and workload of the nurse. At the same time, security is important to prevent patient self-administration and potential theft, thus access to the medications must be secure. Previous attempts to provide patient-specific medications at the bedside have suffered from complexity and an excessive amount of work required to deliver multiple medications and then remove them when no longer needed for a specific patient. The SIA sub-drawer disclosed herein provides the ability to deliver and remove multiple medications in a single container and further can provide single-dose access to further reduce the workload of the nurse and pharmacists.
An example SIA sub-drawer 50 is shown loaded and latched into one of the containment pockets of the DC 30. It can be seen that the SIA sub-drawer 50 remains accessible and the individual lids 62 can open to provide access to the respective compartment 60 while the SIA sub-drawer 50 is disposed in the containment pocket 38. In certain embodiments, the DC 30 includes one or more visual indicators 35, e.g. an LED light, a notification on the display 36, or the lid 62 “popping up,” to indicate to the user that the lid 62 is unlatched. In certain embodiments, the DC 30 includes one or more visual indicators 35, e.g. an LED light, a notification on the display 36, or the SIA sub-drawer 50 “popping up,” to indicate to the user that the SIA sub-drawer 50 is unlatched.
In certain embodiments, multiple lids 62 are opened simultaneously to provide all of the medications required for administration at a standard time, for example the 8 a.m. rounds. In certain embodiments, a first compartment contains a first medication and a second compartment contains a second medication that is to be administered with the first medication, and so a request to dispense the first medication results in the lids 62 of both compartments 60 opening and a message being provided on the display 36 to remind the nurse to remove and administer both medications.
In certain embodiments, the processor 72 is configured to accept signals comprising information comprising at least one of an identification of a patient, an identification of a medication, a dosage of a medication, and an expiration date of a medication from an external device through the communication interface 74. The processor will store the accepted information in the memory 76. In certain embodiments, this information is retrieved from the memory 76 by the processor 72 and provided to the external device through the communication interface 74.
In certain embodiments, the memory 42 contains information that includes the authorization required to access the contents of each compartment of an SIA sub-drawer 50 that is loaded into the DC 30 and the authorization level of each of a group of users. The processor 40 is configured to accept an identification of a user that is requesting a medication contained in one of the compartments 60, retrieve from the memory 42 the information about the authorization required to access the medication and the authorization level of the requesting user, compare the authorization required to access the medication and the authorization level of the user that is requesting the medication and determining if the medication should be dispensed to this user. If the determination is that the medication should be dispensed, the processor 40 is configured to provide the appropriate lid-release signal to the SIA sub-drawer 50 to cause the proper lid 62 to open and allow the user access to the requested medication. If the determination is that the medication should not be dispensed to this user, the processor 40 is configured to convey an error message to the user through the user interface 43. In certain embodiments, this is accomplished by displaying an error message on the display 44.
In certain embodiments, the memory 42 contains information that includes the authorization required to release the SIA sub-drawer 50 that is loaded into the DC 30 and the authorization level of each of a group of users. The processor 40 is configured to accept an identification of a user that is requesting release the SIA sub-drawer 50, retrieve from the memory 42 the information about the authorization required to release the SIA sub-drawer 50 and the authorization level of the requesting user, compare the authorization required to access the medication and the authorization level of the user that is requesting the medication and determine whether the medication should be dispensed to this user. If the determination is that the SIA sub-drawer 50 should be released, the processor 40 is configured to provide the appropriate sub-drawer release signal to the SIA sub-drawer 50 to cause the sub-drawer actuator 58 to release the retention hook 39 and allow the user to remove the SIA sub-drawer 50. If the determination is that the SIA sub-drawer 50 should not be removed by this user, the processor 40 is configured to convey an error message to the user through the user interface 43. In certain embodiments, this is accomplished by displaying an error message on the display 44.
In step 204, the process branches depending on whether the SIA sub-drawer 50 was loaded in step 202 for a specific patient or a general-coverage device. If the SIA sub-drawer 50 is configured for a single patient, the process branches along the ‘yes’ path to step 220 wherein the patient-specific SIA sub-drawer 50 is moved to a DC 30 located in or near the room assigned to the patient. Once loaded into the DC 30, the medications contained in the SIA sub-drawer 50 are available to be removed, i.e. dispensed, as shown in step 222 and administered to the patient. Once all the medications have been removed from the SIA sub-drawer 50, the process moves to step 224 wherein the empty SIA sub-drawer 50 is released from the DC 30 and moved back to the pharmacy for re-use.
If the SIA sub-drawer 50 has been filled with medications to cover a plurality of patients, the process branches from step 204 along the ‘no’ path to step 210, wherein the SIA sub-drawer 50 is moved to an ADM and loaded into a drawer 112 that is configured to accept this embodiment of an SIA sub-drawer 50. In step 212, users request medications that are contained in one of the compartments 60 of the SIA sub-drawer 50 and the ADM sends the appropriate lid-release signal to the SIA sub-drawer that causes the proper lid 62 to open and allow the user access to the compartment that contains the requested medication. Once all the medications have been removed from the SIA sub-drawer 50, the process moves to step 214 wherein either a pharmacist or pharmacy technician reloads the empty SIA sub-drawer 50 in place in the ADM 100 or the SIA sub-drawer 50 is released from the DC 30 and moved back to the pharmacy for re-use.
The disclosed examples of a SIA sub-drawer illustrate the construction of a multi-compartment controlled-access device configured to securely transport medications between the pharmacy and a DC located in or near a room assigned to a patient. There is a significant time savings in eliminating the repeated back-and-forth trips between the patient's location and the nearest ADM to remove medications. The provision of multiple separately accessible compartments enables the system to be configured to securely allow access to only a single dose of medication at a time, thereby eliminating the need to count the items in a compartment when removing an item as well as reducing the risk of a user removing more doses than prescribed for a patient.
It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps or blocks in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps or blocks in the processes may be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims.
Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Use of the articles “a” and “an” is to be interpreted as equivalent to the phrase “at least one.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more.
Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “operation for.”
Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
