1. Field of the Invention
This application relates generally to a standard-compliant label and, more specifically, to a method of providing a label on-demand that is compliant with a medical labeling standard.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional labeling systems suffer from many drawbacks, and have limited reliability due primarily to human error. Sloppy handwriting can make the label difficult to read, or altogether illegible. Each technician who prepares such a label may also do so in a different manner, or attribute different meanings to the content of a label than another technician. In such situations, the label content is left open to interpretation, and often lacks information essential for proper documentation and record keeping purposes.
Also, in sterile environments the technicians involved in preparing a syringe and corresponding label may also be wearing sterile medical garments. It is desirable to minimize contact with objects that may not be sterile, but the conventional labeling methods require the technician to physically interact with the labels, pen and their respective packages.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a label that is compliant with a medical labeling standard, and a method of providing such a label on demand.
According to one aspect, the subject application involves a method of providing a label for a medicinal or other substance in the medical field. The method includes receiving an identification of the medicinal substance entered via a computer-input peripheral. Based on the identification of the medicinal substance received, selecting at least one requirement mandated by a labeling standard such as a color code associated with the medicinal substance, a font to be used for label content, any other requirement of the labeling standard, or any combination thereof. And, with a computer printer, printing label content on demand, the label content optionally comprising at least one of a name of the medicinal substance on a label stock and a color code to produce a color-coded label for the medicinal substance, said label being compliant with a labeling standard governing at least one aspect of a label employed in a medical application.
According to another aspect, the subject application involves a computer terminal for generating a label for identifying a medicinal substance to be administered to a patient. The computer terminal includes a processor; a computer-input peripheral for entry of an identification of the medicinal substance; a printer for printing label content on the label; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, control the terminal in performing a method. The method includes receiving the identification of the medicinal substance entered via the computer-input peripheral. Based on the identification of the medicinal substance received, a color code for the medicinal substance is selected in compliance with a medicinal substance labeling standard. With the printer, label content that is required by the medicinal substance labeling standard is printed. The label content includes at least a name of the medicinal substance on label stock to produce a color-coded label for the medicinal substance, said color-coded label being compliant with the medicinal substance labeling standard.
According to another aspect, the subject application involves a healthcare facility that includes a substantially sterile environment in which a medical procedure is to be performed on a patient. A computer terminal is provided for generating a label for a medicinal substance to be administered to the patient, or for labeling any other object or substance involved in a medical application. The terminal includes a processor, a computer-input peripheral for entry of an identification of the medicinal substance, a printer for printing label content on the label, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, control the terminal in performing a method. The method includes receiving the identification of the medicinal substance entered via the computer-input peripheral. Based on the identification of the medicinal substance received, a color code for the medicinal substance is selected in compliance with a medicinal substance labeling standard. With the printer, label content that is required by the medicinal substance labeling standard is printed. The label content includes at least a name of the medicinal substance on label stock to produce a color-coded label for the medicinal substance. The color-coded label is compliant with the medicinal substance labeling standard.
According to another aspect, the subject application involves a label generated on-demand for identifying a medicinal substance to be administered to a patient. The label includes a content surface on which label content is printed on-demand by a computer printer. The label content includes information required by a medical labeling standard. An adhesive surface is provided to be applied against a container for storing the medicinal substance and adhering the label to the container. A color code is visible when viewing the content surface. The color code is specified by the medical labeling standard for conveying information about the medicinal substance to be stored in the container, and the label content and color code render the label compliant with the medical labeling standard.
The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. Relative language used herein is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which like numerals are used to identify like or similar items. Further, in the drawings, certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form.
It is also to be noted that the phrase “at least one of”, if used herein, followed by a plurality of members herein means one of the members, or a combination of more than one of the members. For example, the phrase “at least one of a first widget and a second widget” means in the present application: the first widget, the second widget, or the first widget and the second widget. Likewise, “at least one of a first widget, a second widget and a third widget” means in the present application: the first widget, the second widget, the third widget, the first widget and the second widget, the first widget and the third widget, the second widget and the third widget, or the first widget and the second widget and the third widget.
As shown in
The computer terminal 10 also includes a cabinet 20 housing components that are operable to produce the label 12 in compliance with a medical labeling standard. But again, if what is being labeled is anything other than the medicinal substance, then the label 12 produced is to be compliant with a standard developed by a trade or professional organization, governing body, government agency, a healthcare provider or facility such as a hospital, or any other standards body setting forth policies for labeling such material. The cabinet 20 can also support the display 14 and the scanner 18 to form a self-contained, stand-alone unit. The internal components housed within the cabinet 20 are schematically illustrated by the block diagram of
The printer 26 includes a print head 30 for applying label content onto label stock delivered from a supply 32 of labels, which can be blank, or at least in partial compliance with a medical labeling standard. The print head 30 can fall within any category of printing technology suitable to apply label content onto label stock. For example, the print head 30 can be an inkjet print head that deposits droplets of ink in a pattern to create the label content, a laser print head that directs a laser across a photoreceptor to create the pattern for the label content to be printed, a solid-ink print head, a dot matrix print head, and the like.
The label supply 32 can include a roll of label stock that has blank labels supported on a release tape, a tray of individual blank labels, or any other source of labels on which label content is to be printed. The label supply 32 can be internally disposed within the printer 26 or fed into the printer from an external location.
The computer terminal 10 can optionally be deployed at a healthcare facility such as a hospital or surgical center, for example, where medicinal substances are prepared and administered to patients. An operating room, treatment room, or other facility including a sterile field that is a substantially-sterile environment can optionally be provided within the healthcare facility, and the computer terminal 10 disposed within, or immediately adjacent to such a sterile environment. According to such embodiments, the label can be generated as described in detail below within, or at least within a close proximity to the sterile environment, and applied to the syringe, vial or other container in which the medicinal substance is to be contained with minimal exposure to other environments that are not sterile.
The label content required to render the label 12 compliant with a labeling standard created to govern the labeling of any material in the medical field can be specific to the particular standard against which compliance is to be measured. For instance, depending on the medicinal substance labeling standard, the label content can include one, a plurality, or all of the following:
a concentration of a medicinal substance to be identified by the label 12,
a dilution of a medicinal substance and a diluent used to dilute the medicinal substance;
a date and/or time on which the medicinal or other substance in the medical field to be labeled was prepared
an expiration date and/or time of the medicinal or other substance to be labeled;
an identification of an individual who prepared the medical substance to be labeled;
a warning about a risk associated with the medicinal substance; and
a color to be applied to the label 12 as required by the medicinal substance labeling standard for the particular medicinal substance to be labeled.
For the illustrative embodiment of the label 12 shown in
The illustrative embodiment of the label 12 in
The label 12 also includes a color code that is visible when viewing the content surface 34 of the label 12. For the illustrative embodiment in
The color code can optionally be printed onto the content surface 34 as label content 36 by the printer 26. According to alternate embodiments, the color code is pre-applied to the label 12 to be visible when viewing the content surface 34 by a manufacturer of the label stock before the label 12 is introduced to the printer 26. For such alternate embodiments, the appropriate pre-color-coded label stock is selected from among available label stock that is pre-color coded with a plurality of different colors. Each of the different colors corresponds to a different medicinal substance in accordance with the medicinal substance labeling standard. Thus, several rolls of different colored label stock may be available, and the appropriate roll having the color code corresponding to the medicinal substance to be labeled can be selected.
A machine-readable code 50 can also optionally be printed by the printer 26 as label content 36 on the label 12. The machine-readable code can be a barcode, RFID code, or other suitable code that is indicative of the medicinal substance being labeled. For instance, the machine-readable code 50 can represent the other label content 36, and optionally the color code, for integrating the labeling of the syringe or other container with an Anesthesiology Information Management System (“AIMS”) or other hospital information system.
A method of providing a label for a medicinal substance is illustrated schematically in
Based on at least one of the identification of the medicinal substance received, a medical field in which the material is to be used, and an application of the material in the medical field, a color code for the medicinal substance is selected in compliance with a medicinal substance labeling standard and the label content, optionally including the color code, is printed in compliance with the medicinal substance labeling standard at step 110. For instance, Propofol is an induction agent, so the yellow color code can be selected according to one labeling standard. A lookup table storing relationships between the color code, text font, label size, and the various medicinal substances can be stored in the non-transitory computer-readable memory provided to the computer terminal 10.
In response to selection of the color code and/or receiving the identification of the material to be labeled, the printing on demand at step 110 can optionally occur automatically without operator intervention, with a computer printer. The label content can optionally comprise at least the name 38 (
Illustrative embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above devices and methods may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.