GB2447881A

GB2447881A - Enabling a carer or nurse to very and record administration of medical items, and apparatus for storage of medical items

Info

Publication number: GB2447881A
Application number: GB0703337A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tariq Nazir Muhammad
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-21
Filing date: 2007-02-21
Publication date: 2008-10-01
Also published as: GB0703337D0

Abstract

The carer identifies the patient and scans a barcode attached to the medical item such as a drug container. A computer system verifies the credential of the patient and the drug, such as in the case of the drug the dosage and the expiry date. The carer uses a battery operated terminal which may communicate wirelessly with an integrated records system. Also claimed is apparatus for storage of medical items comprising a frame with castors, an electronically operative assembly, a handle for steering, locking doors and a plurality of storage compartments. The apparatus may also be a self-propelled medication trolley comprising a transaxle driving unit which is mounted to the rear of the medication trolley base. The base unit can contain two rechargeable batteries which provide power to an electric motor, integrated computer system and light. The trolley incorporates secure and flexible compartments for storing and transporting medication in dosage card racks and/or manufacturers' original packaging as desired.

Description

Bac kg round This invention relates generally to medication trolleys used in Care Homes, Hospitals and other such institutions for delivery of medication to patients In particular, it relates the driving units for providing self-propelled motion and the inclusion of an Integrated computer/electronic recording system which can manage stock and medicines administration in such facilities The administration of medication is a key part of a resident's care plan A Care Home is required to have a Medicines Policy which covers the way in which medicines are handled, stored, administered and disposed of The inspecting body to Care Homes, Commission of Social Care lnspectorate (CSCI), plays a vital role in ensuring that the Medicines Policy is satisfactory and that high standards are maintained Despite the emphasis on safe handling and administration of medicines, it has been well documented that nearly half of all Care Homes in the UK continue to fall short of meeting the National Minimum Standards (CSCI Report -Feb 2007) People are given the wrong medication, someone else's medication, medication in the wrong doses, or no medication at all, the report found Staff are poorly trained and records are not kept properly Over 5,000 out of 11,500 homes for older people and over 3,000 out of nearly 8,000 homes for younger adults fail to meet national minimum standards Around 210,000 people live in these 8,000 nursing and care homes Some are extremely old, others very young Some have severe physical or learning disabilities or other serious Long-term illnesses The medication they receive can make a huge difference to their quality of life Much effort has been made n rnprovng the safety of the wnoie mecication process witrin Care Homes, including staff training, better management and Increased inspection but the situation has not improved The authors of this invention believe the success in achieving a safer medication service in Care Homes lies in the introduction of technology and automation within the facility Aside from medication errors, carers/ nurses find the drug round laborious, often taking several hours The standard drug trolley is a bulky item which is difficult to maneouvre for most nursing and care staff Trolleys currently available have low capacity making it difficult to store sufficient stocks of medication for each individual patient As a result, medication is sometimes shared amongst patients leading to further errors Typically, patients and residents are given their medication in an order according to their location on a round Each round may take several hours and, because precise time of dose is not usually recorded, a morning and afternoon dose may be given within a short time period which could make the doses less effective and potentially harmful Drug selection is reliant on the skill of the staff and the pre-printed or hand written prescription records, which are potentially out of date Human error and out of date records can result in incorrect medication being given to the patient Timely medication relies on stock availability on-s!te and often stock-outs can go undeteuted until they are required by the round The above issues represent a major challenge within the healthcare industry and drug errors alone cost the NHS around 500 million per annum The Introduction of new systems and technology which can have a positive effect on this situation is of major interest to the UK

Statement of invention

The invention proposes an electrically motorised medication trolley with an integrated electronic recording system powered by rechargeable batteries The recording system is either a wirelessly connected or b connected by cable between rounds to a central computer server to communicate and record medication actions, prescription changes and drugs stocks Dose timing and the drugs given are recorded electronically by using a scanning device Advantages The Motorrsed Medication Trolley (MMT) has been designed to improve the safety of medication administration at the Care Home level through three key objectives 1) The MMT improves efficiency The amount of space for storage of patients' drugs is considerably more than a standard medication trolley This coupled with the fact that all the utility items are neatly stored within the trolley and available for use within the drugs round ensures that the entire drug round can be given without the need to make any visits to the store room 2) The MMT makes the drug round easier The motorised system allows the trolley to be maneuvered with greater ease 3) The computer system allows administration recording and validation The computer system which shares the power supply feeding the motor unit, allows the ability to run software which can record drug administration and manage stock control The barcode scanner can also provide drug and patient validation prior to administration The computer system can check the patient records, the dose history and the proposed medication to ensure the right drugs are being given at appropriate time intervals and to the correct patient Real-lime prescription information ensures that patients receive the right type and level of medication in accordance with directions from their doctor Patient drug stocks are updated when each dose is given and the central computer system produces exception reports to highlight when minimum stock reorder quantities are reached

Introduction to drawings

The drawings show the trolley design in detail Fig 1 shows Cabinet A configured to hold drawers Fig 2 shows Cabinet B configured to hold racks Fig 3 shows Cabinet A with doors closed Fig 4 shows rear side profile Fig 5 shows side cross section motor & PC housing between wheels and back to back drawer and rack configuration with worktop over FIG 6 showing interior of utility compartment

Detailed description

TROLLEY FRAME

The Trolley will be driven using a transaxle located to the rear of Trolley giving it a high degree of stability and performance User friendly Hand Controls for FWD/REv with analogue meter for reading batteries capacity and Horn It will have four, puncture proof rubber tyres and the front wheels are 360 degrees rotational making the Trolley very user friendly especially when making sharp turns The trolley incorporates an Automatic Braking system and power is supplied by dual batteries with an external battery charging system

CABINETS

Key features include 2 standard sized cabinets Each Cabinet can be adapted to hang Racks vertically (FIG 2) AND/OR have a system for Drawers (FIG 1), depending on customers needs Other than the interior, the cabinets are completely identical and contain two doors on each side (FIG 3) The 2 cabinets are placed back to back on the Base unit and fitted with a worktop (FIG 4)

UTILITY UNIT

The Utility unit houses all the accessories such as gloves, cleaning materials etc (FIG 5 & 6)

BASE UNIT

The base unit will house the power supply, and the PC and the motor system (FIG 5) It is envisaged that the wiring will go up one side of the trolley to feed the control handle, a TFT Screen and a light

COMPUTER SYSTEM

The computer system compnses of a TFT touch screen fixed onto a monitor arm (FIG 4) This is directly connected to a computer (supplied either as a PC or laptop', which is located within the Base Unit

H-

DESCRIPTION: MOTORISED MEDICATION TROLLEY (MMT)

DESIGN NOTES

The principle design of this Trolley is to allow a more modular and flexible approach.

CABINETS

Key features involve, the introduction of 2 standard size cabinets. Each Cabinet can be adapted to hang Racks (vertically) OR have a system for Drawers, depending on customers needs. Other than the interior the cabinets are completely identical. The 2 cabinets are placed Back to Back on the Base unit and fitted with the worktop.

DOORS

There are 2 Doors on each cabinet side made of steel with the locks positioned at the top and bottom. A self closing mechanism on each door ensures automatic closing if left open.

UTILITY UNIT

The Utility unit houses all the accessories.

BASE UNIT

* The base unit will house the power supply, and the PC and the motorisation system. It is envisaged the wiring will go up one side of the trolley to feed the *:::: control handle, the TFT Screen and the light.

*:** TROLLEY SIZE The depth of the entire trolley shall not exceed 55cm. The Height shall not exceed 1.2m to the worktop.

The width (inclusive of the Utility cabinet and the control panel) shall not exceed u. m.

Claims

S

CLAIM I

A method of enabling a carer or a nurse to verify and record the administration of medical items to a patient, the method including the steps of: The carer identifying the patient concerned, The carer scanning a barcode attached to the medical item concerned; The computer system verifying the credentials of the patient, the drug, the dose, the expiry date for appropriateness thus authorising or declining the transaction and The carer proceeding to administer the medication to the patient and confirming the transaction CLAIM 2 Apparatus for enabling a carer or nurse to verify and record the administration of medical items to a patient, the apparatus comprising of.

a battery operated computer terminal a barcode scanner a data communication link between the computer terminal and the supplier of the medical items the apparatus being arranged such that the data about the proposed medical item and the patient can be transmifted from the supplier of the medical item to the computer terminal via the data link and thus be available as a means of validation when the nurse or carer chooses to carry out the * *. method described in Claim I * ** S * * S... CLAIM3 Apparatus for the storage of medical items where the apparatus comprises of * a frame with a plurality of casters coupled to the frame an electronically operated drive assembly coupled to the wheel to propel the storage : * apparatus along a floor a handle coupled to the frame to allow directional steering of the frame a control unit consisting of a lever couple to the handle providing signal to the drive assembly * a plurality of compartments within the frame where medical items can be stored * ** . . a plurality of doors associated with a locking mechanism restricting access to the compartments a structure coupled to one face of the frame housing a shelf unit and a plurality of compartments for storage of consumable items associated with the administration and disposal of medical items