WO2016007319A1 - Systems and methods for transporting and managing commonly-used medications in a healthcare facility - Google Patents

Systems and methods for transporting and managing commonly-used medications in a healthcare facility Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2016007319A1
WO2016007319A1 PCT/US2015/038234 US2015038234W WO2016007319A1 WO 2016007319 A1 WO2016007319 A1 WO 2016007319A1 US 2015038234 W US2015038234 W US 2015038234W WO 2016007319 A1 WO2016007319 A1 WO 2016007319A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
medication
patient
medical item
containing device
specific storage
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2015/038234
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Robert SOBIE
John G. NACKLEY
Jeffrey C. Olson
Graham Ross
Original Assignee
Intermetro Industries Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Intermetro Industries Corporation filed Critical Intermetro Industries Corporation
Publication of WO2016007319A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016007319A1/en

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H20/00—ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance
    • G16H20/10—ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
    • G16H20/13—ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients delivered from dispensers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H40/00—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
    • G16H40/20—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing the storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in a healthcare facility, including commonly-used medications and medical supplies.
  • a central distribution location e.g., a central pharmacy
  • medication management systems may be classified as centralized medication management systems or decentralized medication management systems.
  • a healthcare professional e.g., a nurse
  • multiple medication dispensing sites are located remotely from a centralized distribution location, such as a facility's pharmacy.
  • the remote dispensing sites such as a nurses' station in a hospital ward, serve as base stations from which healthcare professionals can readily access medications or other medical supplies to be administered to the patients under their care.
  • a decentralized medication management system may implement a decentralized medication dispensing system (MDS).
  • An MDS can comprise a cabinet having a plurality of storage compartments, such as drawers, shelves, or bins, for example.
  • the storage compartments are stocked with individual medications and/or medication doses or other medical supplies by the pharmacy.
  • the contents of the base stations are thoroughly inventoried and the distribution of medications and medical supplies is carefully controlled.
  • Access to the MDS (and to the individual storage compartments in the MDS) is limited and can be gained only by healthcare professionals with the appropriate credentials.
  • a user interface controls access to and records the inventory and distribution of the medications and medical supplies from the MDS can be computer controlled.
  • the MDS may correspond to an automated dispensing machine (ADM) that stores medications in secure transportable compartments.
  • ADM automated dispensing machine
  • the compartments may be loaded (i.e., stocked with medications) in the pharmacy and then transported to the ADM.
  • a nurse removes medications from the compartment at the ADM and transports the medications (e.g., in a pocket) to the patient and administers the medication.
  • a system includes a medication transport apparatus configured to accept a plurality of medication-containing devices.
  • a controller in communication with the medication transport apparatus is configured to generate a first association between a first accepted medication-containing device and a single patient and a second association between a second accepted medication- containing device and a specific type of medical item.
  • a workstation inventory database is configured to store the first association and the second association.
  • a point-of-care system includes a mobile platform having a plurality of wheels.
  • a plurality of patient-specific storage units are coupled to the mobile platform.
  • a plurality of medication-specific storage units are coupled to the mobile platform.
  • a processor communicatively coupled to the mobile platform is configured to associate one or more of the plurality of medication-specific storage units with a respective one of a plurality of medications and associate a patient with one of the plurality of patient-specific storage units.
  • a method includes providing, in a medication transport apparatus, a plurality of medication-containing devices, generating a first association between a first accepted medication-containing device in the medication transport apparatus and a single patient and a second association between a second accepted medication-containing device in the medication transport apparatus and a specific type of medical item, and storing, in a workstation inventory database, the first association and the second association.
  • a point-of-care method includes coupling a plurality of patient-specific storage units to a mobile platform, coupling a plurality of medication-specific storage units to the mobile platform, storing an association between one or more of the plurality of medication-specific storage units and a respective one of a plurality of medications, and storing an association between a patient and one of the plurality of patient-specific storage units.
  • FIG. 1 is an example ADM
  • FIG. 2 is an example mobile POC workstation
  • FIG. 3 is an example medication management system including a medication transportation and tracking system according to the principles of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 4 is an example medication transportation and tracking system according to the principles of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 5 is another example medication transportation and tracking system according to the principles of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates a first example medication transportation and tracking method according to the principles of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a second example medication transportation and tracking method according to the principles of the present disclosure.
  • Inventory data for the medications maintained within a healthcare facility may be stored in a medication inventory database.
  • Inventory data can include information about the in-stock quantities and storage locations of the stock of medications on-hand in the healthcare facility.
  • the inventory data corresponds to medications stored in a central pharmacy and, in a decentralized medication management system, medications stored in medication base stations (e.g., ADMs) distributed throughout the healthcare facility.
  • the central inventory database may store inventory data including information about, inter alia, the stock on-hand of unit dose packages of medications and their locations in the facility.
  • the inventory data can be indexed and/or tallied by medication type and/or location (e.g., whether the medication is in the central pharmacy or in a particular medication base station).
  • the medication management system generally updates the inventory data for the medications when a healthcare professional (e.g., a nurse) removes a unit (e.g., a dose) of the medication from any of the medication base stations for administering the medication to a patient according to facility protocols. For example, the total stock for the medication may be reduced by the number of units of the medication that are removed from the medication base station.
  • a healthcare professional e.g., a nurse
  • a unit e.g., a dose
  • the total stock for the medication may be reduced by the number of units of the medication that are removed from the medication base station.
  • Types of medications and other medical supply items include medications prescribed only to a specific patient (i.e., "low use,” or “patient- specific,” medications) and medications and/or medical supply items prescribed to, or generally useable by, more than one patient (i.e., "commonly-used” medications). Medications may also be distinguished by whether a particular medication is required (i.e., a "non-optional” medication that a patient is required to receive) or "as-needed" (i.e., "optional” medications).
  • the as-needed, or optional, medications correspond to medications for patients to use as needed (e.g., administered when the patient requests and/or demonstrates a need for the medications (e.g., an anti-nausea medication), in contrast to medications required to be administered).
  • Optional or as-needed medications may also be referred to as PRN ("pro re nata") medications.
  • commonly-used and/or optional medications may be stored in the central pharmacy and/or the medication base stations and the healthcare professional retrieves the commonly-used or optional medications when needed.
  • the healthcare professional may transfer patient-specific and non-optional medications from the central pharmacy or a medication base station to a medication containing device (e.g., a patient-specific drawer) in a medication transport apparatus (e.g., a mobile POC workstation).
  • a medication containing device e.g., a patient-specific drawer
  • a medication transport apparatus e.g., a mobile POC workstation
  • a medication transportation and tracking system relate to transportation and/or tracking of commonly-used and optional medications in a healthcare facility.
  • a medication transport apparatus may be configured to receive a plurality of patient-specific medication containing devices (i.e., medication containing devices for storing patient-specific medications and/or required medications), as well as one or more medication containing devices for storing a specific, commonly-used medication or optional medication.
  • patient-specific medication containing devices i.e., medication containing devices for storing patient-specific medications and/or required medications
  • the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in centralized medication management systems and/or hybrid medication management systems, as well.
  • the medication transport apparatus may be configured to receive a plurality of patient-specific drawers and one or more medication- specific drawers.
  • Each medication-specific drawer may store a single commonly-used or optional medication or medical supply item, or two or more different commonly-used or optional medications or medical supply items.
  • the healthcare professional may access the medication-specific drawer to retrieve a commonly-used or optional medication prescribed to a particular patient (e.g., as needed and/or as requested by the patient) and/or a needed, non-prescribed medical supply.
  • the medication transportation and tracking system determines whether a medication being retrieved from a medication base station is patient-specific or commonly used. If the medication is patient-specific, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a patient-specific drawer. Conversely, if the medication is commonly-used, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a medication-specific drawer. [0029] In a second implementation, the medication transportation and tracking system determines whether a medication being retrieved from a medication base station is required or optional. If the medication is required, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a patient-specific drawer. Conversely, if the medication is optional, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a medication-specific drawer.
  • the system may also combine the first and second implementations.
  • medications stored in the patient-specific drawer may be referred to as “patient-specific or required” while medications stored in the medication-specific drawer may be referred to as "commonly-used or optional,” although specific implementations may differentiate only between patient-specific and commonly used, only between required and optional, or differentiate between both patient-specific and commonly used and between required and optional.
  • the healthcare professional may not be required to transfer commonly-used or optional medications to the medication transport apparatus if the medication-specific drawer already contains a sufficient amount of the commonly-used or optional medication.
  • the healthcare professional may be transferring medications from a medication base station to a patient-specific drawer in the medication transport apparatus, it may be unnecessary to transfer commonly-used or optional medications prescribed to the patient to the patient-specific drawer if the medication transport apparatus includes a medication-specific drawer that already includes a sufficient amount of the commonly-used or optional medication.
  • the medication-specific drawers in the medication transport apparatus may be routinely restocked at regular intervals (e.g., daily, at the beginning of a shift, etc.) or as usage demands (e.g., when an amount of a commonly-used or optional medication stored in the medication transport apparatus falls below a predetermined threshold, etc.).
  • the healthcare professional may transfer (e.g., in response to a prompt) an amount of the commonly-used or optional medication from the medication base station to the medication-specific drawer in the medication transportation apparatus.
  • the medication transportation and tracking system may include a workstation inventory database that stores information about amounts of the commonly-used or optional medications located in the mobile POC workstations in the healthcare facility.
  • the workstation inventory database stores the information separately from a central inventory database associated with the healthcare facility.
  • the medication transportation and tracking system may be in continuous, conditional, and/or periodic communication with the central inventory database.
  • FIGS. 1 -3 show an example medication base station 100 and an example medication transportation apparatus, such as mobile POC workstation 200, respectively.
  • FIG. 3 shows an example medication transportation and tracking system 300 according to the principles of the present disclosure operating within a medication management system 304. While the medication management system 304 is described as a decentralized medication management system, the medication system 300 may also be implemented in a centralized medication management system or hybrid medication management system. Accordingly, as described, the example medication management system 304 includes the medication base station 100 and the mobile workstation 200.
  • medications are provided from a central pharmacy 308 to one or more medication base stations 100.
  • a central inventory database 312 stores inventory data about the medications, such as stock quantities of each medication available in the healthcare facility, locations of the medications (e.g., stock quantities of each medication in the central pharmacy 308 and/or in respective medication base stations 100, etc.).
  • the healthcare professional accesses either the mobile POC workstation 200 or the medication base station 100 according to facility protocols (e.g., by utilizing a user access control module 316 on one of the workstation 200 or base station 100).
  • the healthcare professional obtains information related to one or more medications prescribed for a particular patient.
  • the information about patient-specific medication is placed in a queue that can be accessed by the control module 316, as appropriate.
  • the base station 100 and the workstation 200 may negotiate a communication link. After the communication link is secured, the base station 100 receives or reads the information in the queue containing the information about patient-specific medication and prescription information for a given patient. The base station 100 then enables access by the healthcare professional to respective storage locations (e.g., drawers 320) containing the particular medications for that patient. At the same time the mobile POC workstation 200 enables access by the healthcare professional to the patient-specific drawer 324 for that patient on the mobile workstation 200. Further, in the medication transportation and tracking system 300 according to the principles of the present disclosure, the workstation 200 may enable access by the healthcare professional to a medication-specific drawer 328.
  • respective storage locations e.g., drawers 320
  • the healthcare professional may be prompted (e.g., by the control module 316) to transfer the commonly-used or optional medication to the medication-specific drawer 328 instead of the patient- specific drawer 324.
  • the control module 316 may instead merely inform the healthcare professional that the commonly-used or optional medication is already within the medication- specific drawer 328, and therefore an additional transfer is unnecessary.
  • the healthcare professional retrieves the medications from the drawers 320 of the base station 100 and may record the retrieval activity according to facility protocols.
  • the healthcare professional then places those medications in the patient-specific drawer 324 and/or the medication-specific drawer 328 on the mobile workstation 200 and may record that activity according to facility protocols.
  • These steps are repeated for each of the medications for the patient that are retrieved from the base station 100 and placed in the patient-specific drawer 324 or the medication-specific drawer 328 on the mobile workstation 200.
  • the steps may also be repeated for any number of patients under the care of the healthcare professional.
  • the healthcare professional can thereafter administer the medications to the patient at the patient's bedside 332. For example, the healthcare professional transports the mobile workstation 200 to the patient.
  • the healthcare professional can access the mobile workstation 200 according to facility protocols utilizing the control module 316 on the workstation 200.
  • the healthcare professional selects the patient for administration of medications.
  • the control module 316 then enables access by the healthcare professional to the patient-specific drawer 324 and/or the medication-specific drawer 328 containing the medications for that patient.
  • the healthcare professional then removes the medications from the patient-specific drawer 324 and/or the medication-specific drawer and administers the medications to the patient according to facility protocols (e.g., according to the well-known "five rights" protocol). This may include using the control module 316 to record that the medications have been administered. Once the medications are administered to the first patient, the healthcare professional can then proceed to successive patients whose medications are contained in the mobile workstation 200, if any.
  • Either or both of the medication base station 100 and the mobile workstation 200 may be configured to communicate with peripheral devices, such as bar code readers, PDAs, biometric security devices (e.g., a fingerprint scanner), scanners, card readers, keyboards, RFID systems, and the like.
  • peripheral devices such as bar code readers, PDAs, biometric security devices (e.g., a fingerprint scanner), scanners, card readers, keyboards, RFID systems, and the like.
  • the medication base station 100 and/or the mobile workstation 200 (e.g., via respective control modules 316) may implement the operating protocols of the healthcare facility for managing the distribution of medications from a pharmacy to a patient.
  • the medication transportation and tracking system 300 separately monitors, tracks, generates and/or stores inventory data about commonly-used or optional medications removed from the medication base station 100 and transferred to and/or stored in medication-specific drawers in respective mobile workstations 200 (or another transport apparatus under the control of a healthcare professional).
  • the medication transportation and tracking system 300 may include a workstation inventory database 336 that stores information about quantities of commonly-used or optional medications being stored in each of the workstations 200 in the healthcare facility. Information in the workstation inventory database 336 may be shared with the central inventory database 312.
  • control module 316 may periodically and/or conditionally (e.g., in response to a transfer to the workstation 200, administration to a patient, etc.) communicate information stored in the workstation inventory database 336 to the central inventory database 312.
  • the medication transportation and tracking system 300 is in communication with one or more of the central inventory database 312, the medication base station 100, and/or the mobile workstation 200 to maintain and selectively update the stock quantities of the medications in the healthcare facility recorded in the central inventory database 312 to include information stored in the workstation inventory database 336.
  • the inventory data for the medications located in the mobile workstation 200 may also associate the medications with a particular healthcare provider (e.g., the healthcare provider that removed the medication from the medication base station 100), a particular patient, and/or a location of the mobile workstation 200.
  • a particular healthcare provider e.g., the healthcare provider that removed the medication from the medication base station 100
  • a particular patient e.g., a particular patient
  • a location of the mobile workstation 200 e.g., the location of the mobile workstation 200 may be determined based on a predetermined portion of the healthcare facility assigned to the mobile workstation 200, by RFID or another real time location system (RTLS), WLAN communication, etc.
  • RTLS real time location system
  • the medication transportation and tracking system 300 is shown to include the mobile POC workstation 200, other suitable medication transport apparatuses may be used.
  • the workstation inventory database 336 may be implemented in the control module 316 of the workstation 200 and/or the medication base station 100.
  • the system 300 is shown to include at least a portion of the workstation 200, but optionally may not include the removable medication containing devices (i.e., the drawers 324 and 328).
  • the medication transportation and tracking system 300 may be a separate device or module (e.g., implemented within a handheld device).
  • a schematic representation of an example medication transportation and tracking system 400 includes a controller 404 (implemented as, for example only, a processor), a workstation inventory database 408, and at least a portion of a medication transport apparatus 412.
  • the medication transport apparatus 412 is configured to receive two or more medication-containing devices (e.g., first and second medication-containing devices 416 and 420) which may correspond to, for example only, drawers or other selectively removable containers.
  • the medication-containing devices 416 and 420 themselves may not actually be components of the system 400.
  • the medication transport apparatus 412 of FIG. 5 may correspond to a mobile POC workstation in a POC medication transportation and tracking system.
  • the first medication-containing device 416 may correspond to a patient-specific device (e.g., a drawer) while the second medication-containing device 420 may correspond to a medication-specific device.
  • the controller 404 creates and stores, in the workstation inventory database 408, information associating medications with one of the first medication-containing device 416 and the second medication-containing device 420.
  • a healthcare professional may communicate with the system 400 via a user interface 424 (e.g., a user interface, such as a graphical user interface, of the control module 316).
  • the controller 404 controls and coordinates communication and processing of information between the workstation inventory database 408, a central inventory database 428, the user interface 424, and the medication transport apparatus 412.
  • the controller 404 receives information about various medications to be removed from medication base stations 100 and transferred and/or stored in mobile workstations 200 via the user interface 424, generates the information associating the medications with one of the first medication- containing device 416 and the second medication-containing device 420, and stores the information to and retrieves the information from the workstation inventory database 408.
  • the system 400 may communicate (e.g., with the medication transport apparatus, the central inventory database 428, the medication base station 100, etc.) using WiFi or other WLAN signals, Bluetooth, various wired communication protocols, or any other suitable long or short range communication protocols.
  • the user interface 424 allows a user (e.g., a healthcare professional) to interact with the system 400 and may include, for example only, a display (e.g., for a graphical user interface), user input controls, etc.
  • the healthcare professional may input information according to facility protocols, such as, for example, identity authentication and/or security credentials, medication removed from the medication base station 100, medication administered to respective patients, etc.
  • the controller 404 may receive information related to removal of a medication from the medication base station 100.
  • the control module 404 may learn that the medication is removed from the medication base station 100 via automatic communication transmitted from the medication base station 100 (via the communication interface 416) that can be selectively triggered by a drawer 320 being opened, a medication being removed from the drawer 320, a healthcare professional inputting information (via user interface 424, one of the control modules 316, etc.) indicating that the medication was removed from the medication base station 100, etc.
  • the controller 404 then generates an association between the removed medication and one of the medication-containing devices 416 or 420 based on whether the removed medication is a patient-specific (or required) medication or commonly-used (or optional) medication (which may include a commonly-used medication prescribed to one or more specific patients).
  • the controller 404 may create an association between the medications and an available patient- specific drawer (e.g., the first medication-containing device 416) if that patient does not already have an associated patient-specific drawer.
  • the controller 404 may create an association between the medication and an available medication-specific drawer (e.g., the second medication-containing device 420) if that medication does not already have an associated medication-specific drawer.
  • the controller 404 then stores information about the associations between the medications transferred from the medication base station 100 and the respective medication containing devices 416 and 420 and updates the workstation inventory database 408 to reflect the medications now stored in the devices 416 and 420 and their respective associations. It can be appreciated that the above are only several examples describing how the controller 404 may determine when a medication is removed from the medication base station 100 and transferred to the medication transportation apparatus 412 and that other implementations are anticipated.
  • the workstation inventory database 408 may be implemented using memory (e.g., located on a handheld device, the control module 316, etc. including the system 400).
  • the database 408 stores the information about the associations between various medications being transported in the medication transport apparatus 412 and which of the medication-containing devices 416 and 420 (e.g., patient-specific or medication- specific) contains the medication.
  • the database 408 also stores the overall quantity of each commonly-used medication stored in the medication transport apparatus 412.
  • a first example medication transportation and tracking method 600 that differentiates between patient-specific and commonly- used medications begins at 604.
  • a healthcare professional retrieves a medication from a central pharmacy or a medication base station 100 for transfer to a medication transport apparatus, e.g., according to a facility-approved protocol.
  • the method 600 determines whether the medication is commonly-used. If false, the method 600 continues to 616. If true, the method 600 continues to 620.
  • the method 600 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a patient-specific drawer) assigned to the corresponding patient. If true, the method 600 continues to 624. If false, the method 600 continues to 628.
  • a medication-containing device e.g., a patient-specific drawer
  • the method 600 assigns the medication to the corresponding patient-specific drawer and continues to 632.
  • the method 600 assigns the medication to a new patient-specific drawer and continues to 632.
  • the method 600 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the patient-specific drawer and continues to 636.
  • the method 600 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a medication-specific drawer) assigned to the medication. If true, the method 600 continues to 640. If false, the method 600 continues to 644. At 640, the method 600 assigns the medication to the corresponding medication-specific drawer and continues to 632. At 644, the method 600 assigns the medication to a new medication-specific drawer and continues to 632. At 632, the method 600 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the medication-specific drawer and continues to 636.
  • a medication-containing device e.g., a medication-specific drawer
  • a second example medication transportation and tracking method 700 that differentiates between non-optional (required) and optional (as-needed) medications begins at 704.
  • a healthcare professional retrieves a medication from a central pharmacy or a medication base station 100 for transfer to a medication transport apparatus, e.g., according to a facility-approved protocol.
  • the method 700 determines whether the medication is optional. If false, the method 700 continues to 716. If true, the method 700 continues to 720.
  • the method 700 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a patient-specific drawer) assigned to the corresponding patient. If true, the method 700 continues to 724. If false, the method 700 continues to 728. At 724, the method 700 assigns the medication to the corresponding patient- specific drawer and continues to 732. At 728, the method 700 assigns the medication to a new patient-specific drawer and continues to 732. At 732, the method 700 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the patient-specific drawer and continues to 736.
  • a medication-containing device e.g., a patient-specific drawer
  • the method 700 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a medication-specific drawer) assigned to the medication. If true, the method 700 continues to 740. If false, the method 700 continues to 744. At 740, the method 700 assigns the medication to the corresponding medication-specific drawer and continues to 732. At 744, the method 700 assigns the medication to a new medication-specific drawer and continues to 732. At 732, the method 700 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the medication-specific drawer and continues to 736.
  • a medication-containing device e.g., a medication-specific drawer
  • the method 700 determines whether the healthcare professional is retrieving another medication from the medication base station. If true, the method 700 continues to 712. If false, the method 700 ends at 748.
  • Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

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Abstract

A system includes a medication transport apparatus configured to accept a plurality of medication-containing devices. A controller in communication with the medication transport apparatus is configured to generate a first association between a first accepted medication-containing device and a single patient and a second association between a second accepted medication-containing device and a specific type of medical item. A workstation inventory database is configured to store the first association and the second association.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSPORTING AND MANAGING COMMONLY-USED MEDICATIONS IN A HEALTHCARE FACILITY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/021 ,477, filed on July 7, 2014. The entire disclosure of the application referenced above is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing the storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies in a healthcare facility, including commonly-used medications and medical supplies.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
[0004] In a healthcare facility, pharmaceuticals (e.g., medications) and other medical supplies are distributed from a central distribution location (e.g., a central pharmacy) using a medication management system. Medication management systems may be classified as centralized medication management systems or decentralized medication management systems. For example, in a centralized medication management system, medications may be provided from the central pharmacy directly to a healthcare professional (e.g., a nurse) that will be administering the medications to respective patients.
[0005] Conversely, in a decentralized medication management system, multiple medication dispensing sites are located remotely from a centralized distribution location, such as a facility's pharmacy. The remote dispensing sites, such as a nurses' station in a hospital ward, serve as base stations from which healthcare professionals can readily access medications or other medical supplies to be administered to the patients under their care.
[0006] A decentralized medication management system may implement a decentralized medication dispensing system (MDS). An MDS can comprise a cabinet having a plurality of storage compartments, such as drawers, shelves, or bins, for example. The storage compartments are stocked with individual medications and/or medication doses or other medical supplies by the pharmacy. The contents of the base stations are thoroughly inventoried and the distribution of medications and medical supplies is carefully controlled. Access to the MDS (and to the individual storage compartments in the MDS) is limited and can be gained only by healthcare professionals with the appropriate credentials. A user interface controls access to and records the inventory and distribution of the medications and medical supplies from the MDS can be computer controlled.
[0007] In some implementations, the MDS may correspond to an automated dispensing machine (ADM) that stores medications in secure transportable compartments. The compartments may be loaded (i.e., stocked with medications) in the pharmacy and then transported to the ADM. A nurse removes medications from the compartment at the ADM and transports the medications (e.g., in a pocket) to the patient and administers the medication.
SUMMARY
[0008] A system includes a medication transport apparatus configured to accept a plurality of medication-containing devices. A controller in communication with the medication transport apparatus is configured to generate a first association between a first accepted medication-containing device and a single patient and a second association between a second accepted medication- containing device and a specific type of medical item. A workstation inventory database is configured to store the first association and the second association. [0009] A point-of-care system includes a mobile platform having a plurality of wheels. A plurality of patient-specific storage units are coupled to the mobile platform. A plurality of medication-specific storage units are coupled to the mobile platform. A processor communicatively coupled to the mobile platform is configured to associate one or more of the plurality of medication-specific storage units with a respective one of a plurality of medications and associate a patient with one of the plurality of patient-specific storage units.
[0010] A method includes providing, in a medication transport apparatus, a plurality of medication-containing devices, generating a first association between a first accepted medication-containing device in the medication transport apparatus and a single patient and a second association between a second accepted medication-containing device in the medication transport apparatus and a specific type of medical item, and storing, in a workstation inventory database, the first association and the second association. [0011] A point-of-care method includes coupling a plurality of patient-specific storage units to a mobile platform, coupling a plurality of medication-specific storage units to the mobile platform, storing an association between one or more of the plurality of medication-specific storage units and a respective one of a plurality of medications, and storing an association between a patient and one of the plurality of patient-specific storage units.
[0012] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is an example ADM;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an example mobile POC workstation; [0016] FIG. 3 is an example medication management system including a medication transportation and tracking system according to the principles of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an example medication transportation and tracking system according to the principles of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 5 is another example medication transportation and tracking system according to the principles of the present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 6 illustrates a first example medication transportation and tracking method according to the principles of the present disclosure; and [0020] FIG. 7 illustrates a second example medication transportation and tracking method according to the principles of the present disclosure.
[0021] In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and/or identical elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0022] In a centralized, decentralized, and/or hybrid medication management system, inventory data for the medications maintained within a healthcare facility may be stored in a medication inventory database. Inventory data can include information about the in-stock quantities and storage locations of the stock of medications on-hand in the healthcare facility. Typically, the inventory data corresponds to medications stored in a central pharmacy and, in a decentralized medication management system, medications stored in medication base stations (e.g., ADMs) distributed throughout the healthcare facility. For example, the central inventory database may store inventory data including information about, inter alia, the stock on-hand of unit dose packages of medications and their locations in the facility. The inventory data can be indexed and/or tallied by medication type and/or location (e.g., whether the medication is in the central pharmacy or in a particular medication base station).
[0023] The medication management system generally updates the inventory data for the medications when a healthcare professional (e.g., a nurse) removes a unit (e.g., a dose) of the medication from any of the medication base stations for administering the medication to a patient according to facility protocols. For example, the total stock for the medication may be reduced by the number of units of the medication that are removed from the medication base station.
[0024] Types of medications and other medical supply items include medications prescribed only to a specific patient (i.e., "low use," or "patient- specific," medications) and medications and/or medical supply items prescribed to, or generally useable by, more than one patient (i.e., "commonly-used" medications). Medications may also be distinguished by whether a particular medication is required (i.e., a "non-optional" medication that a patient is required to receive) or "as-needed" (i.e., "optional" medications). The as-needed, or optional, medications correspond to medications for patients to use as needed (e.g., administered when the patient requests and/or demonstrates a need for the medications (e.g., an anti-nausea medication), in contrast to medications required to be administered). Optional or as-needed medications may also be referred to as PRN ("pro re nata") medications.
[0025] In conventional medication management systems, commonly-used and/or optional medications may be stored in the central pharmacy and/or the medication base stations and the healthcare professional retrieves the commonly-used or optional medications when needed. For example, the healthcare professional may transfer patient-specific and non-optional medications from the central pharmacy or a medication base station to a medication containing device (e.g., a patient-specific drawer) in a medication transport apparatus (e.g., a mobile POC workstation). If the patient is also prescribed a commonly-used medication or the healthcare professional anticipates that the patient needs or is aware that the patient has requested an optional medication, the healthcare professional may also transfer the commonly-used or optional medication to the patient-specific drawer at this time. Conversely, if the patient needs or requests the optional medication prior to or subsequent to routine restocking of the medication transport apparatus, the healthcare professional in a conventional medication management system may be required to return to the central pharmacy and/or medication base station to retrieve the optional medication. [0026] Systems and methods according to the principles of the present disclosure (e.g., a medication transportation and tracking system) relate to transportation and/or tracking of commonly-used and optional medications in a healthcare facility. In particular, a medication transport apparatus may be configured to receive a plurality of patient-specific medication containing devices (i.e., medication containing devices for storing patient-specific medications and/or required medications), as well as one or more medication containing devices for storing a specific, commonly-used medication or optional medication. Although examples of the systems and methods are described herein with respect to decentralized medication management systems, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in centralized medication management systems and/or hybrid medication management systems, as well.
[0027] For example only, for a medication transport apparatus that transports medications in drawers, the medication transport apparatus may be configured to receive a plurality of patient-specific drawers and one or more medication- specific drawers. Each medication-specific drawer may store a single commonly-used or optional medication or medical supply item, or two or more different commonly-used or optional medications or medical supply items. The healthcare professional may access the medication-specific drawer to retrieve a commonly-used or optional medication prescribed to a particular patient (e.g., as needed and/or as requested by the patient) and/or a needed, non-prescribed medical supply.
[0028] For example, in a first implementation, the medication transportation and tracking system determines whether a medication being retrieved from a medication base station is patient-specific or commonly used. If the medication is patient-specific, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a patient-specific drawer. Conversely, if the medication is commonly-used, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a medication-specific drawer. [0029] In a second implementation, the medication transportation and tracking system determines whether a medication being retrieved from a medication base station is required or optional. If the medication is required, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a patient-specific drawer. Conversely, if the medication is optional, the system directs the healthcare professional to transfer the medication to a medication-specific drawer. [0030] The system may also combine the first and second implementations. In the following description, medications stored in the patient-specific drawer may be referred to as "patient-specific or required" while medications stored in the medication-specific drawer may be referred to as "commonly-used or optional," although specific implementations may differentiate only between patient-specific and commonly used, only between required and optional, or differentiate between both patient-specific and commonly used and between required and optional.
[0031] Further, when the healthcare professional retrieves medications from the central pharmacy or a medication base station, the healthcare professional may not be required to transfer commonly-used or optional medications to the medication transport apparatus if the medication-specific drawer already contains a sufficient amount of the commonly-used or optional medication. For example, if the healthcare professional is transferring medications from a medication base station to a patient-specific drawer in the medication transport apparatus, it may be unnecessary to transfer commonly-used or optional medications prescribed to the patient to the patient-specific drawer if the medication transport apparatus includes a medication-specific drawer that already includes a sufficient amount of the commonly-used or optional medication. Instead, the medication-specific drawers in the medication transport apparatus may be routinely restocked at regular intervals (e.g., daily, at the beginning of a shift, etc.) or as usage demands (e.g., when an amount of a commonly-used or optional medication stored in the medication transport apparatus falls below a predetermined threshold, etc.). Conversely, if the healthcare professional is retrieving a commonly-used or optional medication from the medication base station and there is not a sufficient amount of the commonly-used or optional medication already in the medication transportation apparatus, the healthcare professional may transfer (e.g., in response to a prompt) an amount of the commonly-used or optional medication from the medication base station to the medication-specific drawer in the medication transportation apparatus.
[0032] The medication transportation and tracking system may include a workstation inventory database that stores information about amounts of the commonly-used or optional medications located in the mobile POC workstations in the healthcare facility. The workstation inventory database stores the information separately from a central inventory database associated with the healthcare facility. The medication transportation and tracking system may be in continuous, conditional, and/or periodic communication with the central inventory database.
[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 1 -3, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example medication base station 100 and an example medication transportation apparatus, such as mobile POC workstation 200, respectively. FIG. 3 shows an example medication transportation and tracking system 300 according to the principles of the present disclosure operating within a medication management system 304. While the medication management system 304 is described as a decentralized medication management system, the medication system 300 may also be implemented in a centralized medication management system or hybrid medication management system. Accordingly, as described, the example medication management system 304 includes the medication base station 100 and the mobile workstation 200.
[0034] In an example implementation, medications are provided from a central pharmacy 308 to one or more medication base stations 100. A central inventory database 312 stores inventory data about the medications, such as stock quantities of each medication available in the healthcare facility, locations of the medications (e.g., stock quantities of each medication in the central pharmacy 308 and/or in respective medication base stations 100, etc.). At the medication base station 100, the healthcare professional accesses either the mobile POC workstation 200 or the medication base station 100 according to facility protocols (e.g., by utilizing a user access control module 316 on one of the workstation 200 or base station 100). The healthcare professional then obtains information related to one or more medications prescribed for a particular patient. The information about patient-specific medication is placed in a queue that can be accessed by the control module 316, as appropriate.
[0035] In one example implementation, as the healthcare professional approaches the base station 100 with the mobile workstation 200, the base station 100 and the workstation 200 may negotiate a communication link. After the communication link is secured, the base station 100 receives or reads the information in the queue containing the information about patient-specific medication and prescription information for a given patient. The base station 100 then enables access by the healthcare professional to respective storage locations (e.g., drawers 320) containing the particular medications for that patient. At the same time the mobile POC workstation 200 enables access by the healthcare professional to the patient-specific drawer 324 for that patient on the mobile workstation 200. Further, in the medication transportation and tracking system 300 according to the principles of the present disclosure, the workstation 200 may enable access by the healthcare professional to a medication-specific drawer 328.
[0036] For example, if the prescription for the given patient includes a commonly-used or optional medication, the healthcare professional may be prompted (e.g., by the control module 316) to transfer the commonly-used or optional medication to the medication-specific drawer 328 instead of the patient- specific drawer 324. Alternatively, if there is a sufficient amount of the commonly-used or optional medication in the medication-specific drawer 328, the control module 316 may instead merely inform the healthcare professional that the commonly-used or optional medication is already within the medication- specific drawer 328, and therefore an additional transfer is unnecessary.
[0037] The healthcare professional retrieves the medications from the drawers 320 of the base station 100 and may record the retrieval activity according to facility protocols. The healthcare professional then places those medications in the patient-specific drawer 324 and/or the medication-specific drawer 328 on the mobile workstation 200 and may record that activity according to facility protocols. These steps are repeated for each of the medications for the patient that are retrieved from the base station 100 and placed in the patient-specific drawer 324 or the medication-specific drawer 328 on the mobile workstation 200. The steps may also be repeated for any number of patients under the care of the healthcare professional. [0038] The healthcare professional can thereafter administer the medications to the patient at the patient's bedside 332. For example, the healthcare professional transports the mobile workstation 200 to the patient. At that time, the healthcare professional can access the mobile workstation 200 according to facility protocols utilizing the control module 316 on the workstation 200. The healthcare professional then selects the patient for administration of medications. The control module 316 then enables access by the healthcare professional to the patient-specific drawer 324 and/or the medication-specific drawer 328 containing the medications for that patient. The healthcare professional then removes the medications from the patient-specific drawer 324 and/or the medication-specific drawer and administers the medications to the patient according to facility protocols (e.g., according to the well-known "five rights" protocol). This may include using the control module 316 to record that the medications have been administered. Once the medications are administered to the first patient, the healthcare professional can then proceed to successive patients whose medications are contained in the mobile workstation 200, if any.
[0039] Either or both of the medication base station 100 and the mobile workstation 200 may be configured to communicate with peripheral devices, such as bar code readers, PDAs, biometric security devices (e.g., a fingerprint scanner), scanners, card readers, keyboards, RFID systems, and the like. The medication base station 100 and/or the mobile workstation 200 (e.g., via respective control modules 316) may implement the operating protocols of the healthcare facility for managing the distribution of medications from a pharmacy to a patient. [0040] While the central inventory database 312 stores, for example, the inventory data including stock quantities for medications in the central pharmacy 308 and/or in the respective medication base stations 100, the medication transportation and tracking system 300 separately monitors, tracks, generates and/or stores inventory data about commonly-used or optional medications removed from the medication base station 100 and transferred to and/or stored in medication-specific drawers in respective mobile workstations 200 (or another transport apparatus under the control of a healthcare professional). For example, the medication transportation and tracking system 300 may include a workstation inventory database 336 that stores information about quantities of commonly-used or optional medications being stored in each of the workstations 200 in the healthcare facility. Information in the workstation inventory database 336 may be shared with the central inventory database 312. For example, the control module 316 may periodically and/or conditionally (e.g., in response to a transfer to the workstation 200, administration to a patient, etc.) communicate information stored in the workstation inventory database 336 to the central inventory database 312. [0041] Accordingly, the medication transportation and tracking system 300 is in communication with one or more of the central inventory database 312, the medication base station 100, and/or the mobile workstation 200 to maintain and selectively update the stock quantities of the medications in the healthcare facility recorded in the central inventory database 312 to include information stored in the workstation inventory database 336. The inventory data for the medications located in the mobile workstation 200 may also associate the medications with a particular healthcare provider (e.g., the healthcare provider that removed the medication from the medication base station 100), a particular patient, and/or a location of the mobile workstation 200. For example only, the location of the mobile workstation 200 may be determined based on a predetermined portion of the healthcare facility assigned to the mobile workstation 200, by RFID or another real time location system (RTLS), WLAN communication, etc.
[0042] Although the medication transportation and tracking system 300 is shown to include the mobile POC workstation 200, other suitable medication transport apparatuses may be used. The workstation inventory database 336 may be implemented in the control module 316 of the workstation 200 and/or the medication base station 100. For example only, the system 300 is shown to include at least a portion of the workstation 200, but optionally may not include the removable medication containing devices (i.e., the drawers 324 and 328). Although schematically shown separate from the medication base station 100 and the mobile workstation 200, the medication transportation and tracking system 300 may be a separate device or module (e.g., implemented within a handheld device).
[0043] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a schematic representation of an example medication transportation and tracking system 400 includes a controller 404 (implemented as, for example only, a processor), a workstation inventory database 408, and at least a portion of a medication transport apparatus 412. For example only, the medication transport apparatus 412 is configured to receive two or more medication-containing devices (e.g., first and second medication-containing devices 416 and 420) which may correspond to, for example only, drawers or other selectively removable containers. However, the medication-containing devices 416 and 420 themselves may not actually be components of the system 400. For example only, the medication transport apparatus 412 of FIG. 5 may correspond to a mobile POC workstation in a POC medication transportation and tracking system. [0044] The first medication-containing device 416 may correspond to a patient- specific device (e.g., a drawer) while the second medication-containing device 420 may correspond to a medication-specific device. The controller 404 creates and stores, in the workstation inventory database 408, information associating medications with one of the first medication-containing device 416 and the second medication-containing device 420. For example, a healthcare professional may communicate with the system 400 via a user interface 424 (e.g., a user interface, such as a graphical user interface, of the control module 316). The controller 404 controls and coordinates communication and processing of information between the workstation inventory database 408, a central inventory database 428, the user interface 424, and the medication transport apparatus 412. [0045] For example, the controller 404 receives information about various medications to be removed from medication base stations 100 and transferred and/or stored in mobile workstations 200 via the user interface 424, generates the information associating the medications with one of the first medication- containing device 416 and the second medication-containing device 420, and stores the information to and retrieves the information from the workstation inventory database 408. For example only, the system 400 may communicate (e.g., with the medication transport apparatus, the central inventory database 428, the medication base station 100, etc.) using WiFi or other WLAN signals, Bluetooth, various wired communication protocols, or any other suitable long or short range communication protocols.
[0046] The user interface 424 allows a user (e.g., a healthcare professional) to interact with the system 400 and may include, for example only, a display (e.g., for a graphical user interface), user input controls, etc. The healthcare professional may input information according to facility protocols, such as, for example, identity authentication and/or security credentials, medication removed from the medication base station 100, medication administered to respective patients, etc.
[0047] The controller 404 may receive information related to removal of a medication from the medication base station 100. For example, the control module 404 may learn that the medication is removed from the medication base station 100 via automatic communication transmitted from the medication base station 100 (via the communication interface 416) that can be selectively triggered by a drawer 320 being opened, a medication being removed from the drawer 320, a healthcare professional inputting information (via user interface 424, one of the control modules 316, etc.) indicating that the medication was removed from the medication base station 100, etc. The controller 404 then generates an association between the removed medication and one of the medication-containing devices 416 or 420 based on whether the removed medication is a patient-specific (or required) medication or commonly-used (or optional) medication (which may include a commonly-used medication prescribed to one or more specific patients). [0048] For example, if one or more medications removed from the medication base station 100 are patient-specific or required medications, the controller 404 may create an association between the medications and an available patient- specific drawer (e.g., the first medication-containing device 416) if that patient does not already have an associated patient-specific drawer. Conversely, if a medication removed from the medication base station 100 is a commonly-used or optional medication, the controller 404 may create an association between the medication and an available medication-specific drawer (e.g., the second medication-containing device 420) if that medication does not already have an associated medication-specific drawer. The controller 404 then stores information about the associations between the medications transferred from the medication base station 100 and the respective medication containing devices 416 and 420 and updates the workstation inventory database 408 to reflect the medications now stored in the devices 416 and 420 and their respective associations. It can be appreciated that the above are only several examples describing how the controller 404 may determine when a medication is removed from the medication base station 100 and transferred to the medication transportation apparatus 412 and that other implementations are anticipated.
[0049] For example only, the workstation inventory database 408 may be implemented using memory (e.g., located on a handheld device, the control module 316, etc. including the system 400). The database 408 stores the information about the associations between various medications being transported in the medication transport apparatus 412 and which of the medication-containing devices 416 and 420 (e.g., patient-specific or medication- specific) contains the medication. The database 408 also stores the overall quantity of each commonly-used medication stored in the medication transport apparatus 412.
[0050] Referring now to FIG. 6, a first example medication transportation and tracking method 600 that differentiates between patient-specific and commonly- used medications begins at 604. At 608, a healthcare professional retrieves a medication from a central pharmacy or a medication base station 100 for transfer to a medication transport apparatus, e.g., according to a facility-approved protocol. At 612, the method 600 determines whether the medication is commonly-used. If false, the method 600 continues to 616. If true, the method 600 continues to 620. At 616, the method 600 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a patient-specific drawer) assigned to the corresponding patient. If true, the method 600 continues to 624. If false, the method 600 continues to 628. At 624, the method 600 assigns the medication to the corresponding patient- specific drawer and continues to 632. At 628, the method 600 assigns the medication to a new patient-specific drawer and continues to 632. At 632, the method 600 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the patient-specific drawer and continues to 636.
[0051] At 620, the method 600 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a medication-specific drawer) assigned to the medication. If true, the method 600 continues to 640. If false, the method 600 continues to 644. At 640, the method 600 assigns the medication to the corresponding medication-specific drawer and continues to 632. At 644, the method 600 assigns the medication to a new medication-specific drawer and continues to 632. At 632, the method 600 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the medication-specific drawer and continues to 636.
[0052] At 636, the method 600 determines whether the healthcare professional is retrieving another medication from the medication base station. If true, the method 600 continues to 612. If false, the method 600 ends at 648. [0053] Referring now to FIG. 7, a second example medication transportation and tracking method 700 that differentiates between non-optional (required) and optional (as-needed) medications begins at 704. At 708, a healthcare professional retrieves a medication from a central pharmacy or a medication base station 100 for transfer to a medication transport apparatus, e.g., according to a facility-approved protocol. At 712, the method 700 determines whether the medication is optional. If false, the method 700 continues to 716. If true, the method 700 continues to 720. At 716, the method 700 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a patient-specific drawer) assigned to the corresponding patient. If true, the method 700 continues to 724. If false, the method 700 continues to 728. At 724, the method 700 assigns the medication to the corresponding patient- specific drawer and continues to 732. At 728, the method 700 assigns the medication to a new patient-specific drawer and continues to 732. At 732, the method 700 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the patient-specific drawer and continues to 736.
[0054] At 720, the method 700 determines whether the medication transportation apparatus already has a medication-containing device (e.g., a medication-specific drawer) assigned to the medication. If true, the method 700 continues to 740. If false, the method 700 continues to 744. At 740, the method 700 assigns the medication to the corresponding medication-specific drawer and continues to 732. At 744, the method 700 assigns the medication to a new medication-specific drawer and continues to 732. At 732, the method 700 updates a workstation inventory database according to the assignment of the medication to the medication-specific drawer and continues to 736.
[0055] At 736, the method 700 determines whether the healthcare professional is retrieving another medication from the medication base station. If true, the method 700 continues to 712. If false, the method 700 ends at 748.
[0056] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.
[0057] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:
1 . A system, comprising:
a medication transport apparatus configured to accept a plurality of medication-containing devices;
a controller in communication with the medication transport apparatus, the controller configured to generate a first association between a first accepted medication-containing device and a single patient and a second association between a second accepted medication-containing device and a specific type of medical item; and
a workstation inventory database configured to store the first association and the second association.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first association associates one or more medical items that are contained in the first medication-containing device with the single patient corresponding to the first medication-containing device.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the workstation inventory database is configured to store information related to a quantity of the specific type of medical item that is contained in the second medication-containing device.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the workstation inventory database is configured to provide information related to the first association and the second association to a central inventory database.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more medical items contained in the first medication-containing device are associated with a non-optional treatment of the single patient and the specific type of medical item contained in the second medication-containing device is associated with an optional treatment of the single patient.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the specific type of medical item stored in the second medication-containing device is optional for use in treating a plurality of patients.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
accept an identification of the single patient to associate one of the accepted medication-containing devices with the single patient;
accept identification of one or more medical items that are associated with the single patient;
for each identified medical item, determine whether the identified medical item is an optional medical item associated with an optional treatment or a non- optional medical item associated with a non-optional treatment of the single patient;
for each identified medical item that is determined to be associated with a non-optional treatment, provide a signal that indicates that the non-optional medical item should be placed in the first medication-containing device that is associated with the single patient; and
for each identified medical item that is determined to be associated with an optional treatment, provide a signal that indicates that the optional medical item should be placed in the second medication-containing device that is associated with the optional medical item.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a processor, the processor configured to:
accept an identification of the single patient and associate one of the accepted medication-containing devices with the single patient;
accept identification of one or more medical items that are associated with the single patient;
for each identified medical item, determine whether the identified medical item has been associated with the second accepted medication-containing device; for each identified medical item that is determined to be associated with the second accepted medication-containing device, provide a signal that indicates that the identified medical item is already available on the medication transport apparatus; and
for each identified medical item that is determined to not be associated with the second accepted medication-containing device, provide a signal to indicate that the identified medical item should be placed in the first medication- containing device that is associated with the single patient.
9. A point-of-care (POC) system comprising:
a mobile platform having a plurality of wheels;
a plurality of patient-specific storage units coupled to the mobile platform; a plurality of medication-specific storage units coupled to the mobile platform; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the mobile platform and configured to:
associate one or more of the plurality of medication-specific storage units with a respective one of a plurality of medications; and
associate a patient with one of the plurality of patient-specific storage units.
10. The POC system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
accept identification of a medication that is associated with the patient; determine whether the medication is associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units;
upon a determination that the medication is associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units, provide a signal that the medication is associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units; and upon a determination that the medication is not associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units, provide a signal that the medication should be loaded into the patient-specific storage unit associated with the patient.
1 1 . The POC system of claim 10, wherein the signal that the medication should be loaded into the patient-specific storage unit associated with the patient causes the respective patient-specific storage unit to automatically open.
12. The POC system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine whether a quantity of doses of each medication that is currently contained in one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units is less than a respective minimum level of doses of the medication; and
provide a signal comprising a request to add at least one dose of at least one medication to the respective one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units for each medication that has been determined to have less than the minimum level of doses of the medication contained in the respective medication-specific storage units.
13. The POC system of claim 12, further comprising a database communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to store information related to the quantity of doses of each medication stored in the respective medication-specific storage units on the mobile platform and the minimum level of doses of each the medication.
14. A method, comprising:
providing, in a medication transport apparatus, a plurality of medication- containing devices;
generating (i) a first association between a first accepted medication- containing device in the medication transport apparatus and a single patient and (ii) a second association between a second accepted medication-containing device in the medication transport apparatus and a specific type of medical item; and
storing, in a workstation inventory database, the first association and the second association.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the first association includes associating one or more medical items that are contained in the first medication- containing device with the single patient corresponding to the first medication- containing device.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing, in the workstation inventory database, information related to a quantity of the specific type of medical item that is contained in the second medication-containing device.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing, from the workstation inventory database, information related to the first association and the second association to a central inventory database.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more medical items contained in the first medication-containing device are associated with a non- optional treatment of the single patient and the specific type of medical item contained in the second medication-containing device is associated with an optional treatment of the single patient.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the specific type of medical item stored in the second medication-containing device is optional for use in treating a plurality of patients.
20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
accepting an identification of the single patient to associate one of the accepted medication-containing devices with the single patient;
accepting identification of one or more medical items that are associated with the single patient;
for each identified medical item, determining whether the identified medical item is an optional medical item associated with an optional treatment or a non-optional medical item associated with a non-optional treatment of the single patient; for each identified medical item that is determined to be associated with a non-optional treatment, providing a signal that indicates that the non-optional medical item should be placed in the first medication-containing device that is associated with the single patient; and
for each identified medical item that is determined to be associated with an optional treatment, providing a signal that indicates that the optional medical item should be placed in the second medication-containing device that is associated with the optional medical item.
21 . The method of claim 14, further comprising:
accepting an identification of the single patient and associating one of the accepted medication-containing devices with the single patient;
accepting identification of one or more medical items that are associated with the single patient;
for each identified medical item, determining whether the identified medical item has been associated with the second accepted medication- containing device;
for each identified medical item that is determined to be associated with the second accepted medication-containing device, providing a signal that indicates that the identified medical item is already available on the medication transport apparatus; and
for each identified medical item that is determined to not be associated with the second accepted medication-containing device, providing a signal to indicate that the identified medical item should be placed in the first medication- containing device that is associated with the single patient.
22. A point-of-care (POC) method comprising:
coupling a plurality of patient-specific storage units to a mobile platform; coupling a plurality of medication-specific storage units to the mobile platform;
storing an association between one or more of the plurality of medication- specific storage units and a respective one of a plurality of medications; and storing an association between a patient and one of the plurality of patient-specific storage units.
23. The POC method of claim 22, further comprising:
accepting identification of a medication that is associated with the patient; determining whether the medication is associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units;
upon a determination that the medication is associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units, providing a signal that the medication is associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units; and
upon a determination that the medication is not associated with one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units, providing a signal that the medication should be loaded into the patient-specific storage unit associated with the patient.
24. The POC method of claim 23, wherein the signal that the medication should be loaded into the patient-specific storage unit associated with the patient causes the respective patient-specific storage unit to automatically open.
25. The POC method of claim 23, further comprising:
determining whether a quantity of doses of each medication that is currently contained in one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units is less than a respective minimum level of doses of the medication; and
providing a signal comprising a request to add at least one dose of at least one medication to the respective one of the plurality of medication-specific storage units for each medication that has been determined to have less than the minimum level of doses of the medication contained in the respective medication-specific storage units.
26. The POC method of claim 25, further comprising storing, in a database, information related to the quantity of doses of each medication stored in the respective medication-specific storage units on the mobile platform and the minimum level of doses of each the medication.
PCT/US2015/038234 2014-07-07 2015-06-29 Systems and methods for transporting and managing commonly-used medications in a healthcare facility WO2016007319A1 (en)

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