JP2005081072A - Sterilization control system in hospital - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-hospital sterilization control system whereby the entire medical apparatus including surgical instruments can be controlled as a whole. <P>SOLUTION: A medical apparatus 1 including forceps and the like is contained in a transparent plastic bag 2 which is labeled with a bar code 3 for the identification of the bag. After reading the bar code information by a handy terminal 53, the information is sent to a sterilization control computer 52 which controls a sterilizing device 51 and then the sterilization control computer sends the information on the sterilization date in relation to the bar code data on the sterilized medical apparatus in the bag to a host computer via a local area network (LAN) within the hospital. The bag with the sterilized medical apparatus is stored in a storing cabinet 61 immediately after taken out of the sterilizing device. When the bag with the medical apparatus is taken out of the storing cabinet to be sent to an operating room 20, the bar code is read by the handy terminal 63 and the inventory information on the storing cabinet is updated by the host computer 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for managing sterilization of medical instruments such as surgical instruments in a hospital.

  In hospitals, surgical instruments such as scalpels and forceps are used, cleaned and sterilized, and stored in that state for the next use.

  However, when time passes after sterilization, bacteria floating in the air may adhere to the surgical instrument, and the surgical instrument may be contaminated again. Also, inventory management of sterilized surgical instruments is very troublesome and burdensome.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an in-hospital sterilization management system capable of centrally managing medical instruments such as surgical instruments.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing a medical instrument stored in a storage container in a hospital sterilization management system for performing sterilization management of a medical instrument used in a hospital, and the sterilization apparatus A first reading means for reading the information from a member on which information for specifying the storage container attached to the storage container is written in order to specify the storage container for storing the medical device to be processed by Information identifying the storage container read by the first reading means and sterilized by the sterilization apparatus is associated with information identifying the time when the sterilization process is performed on the storage container by the sterilization apparatus. Storage means for storing;
An in-hospital sterilization management system is provided.

  The hospital sterilization management system may further comprise monitoring means for monitoring the operation of the sterilizer. In this case, the monitoring means is read by the first reading means and the sterilizer. Receiving information identifying the storage container to be sterilized by obtaining information identifying the time when the sterilization process was performed on the storage container by the sterilizer by monitoring the operation of the sterilizer, And it is comprised so that the information which specifies the said storage container may be sent to a memory | storage means in the state linked | related with the information which specifies the said time.

  In a preferred embodiment, the hospital sterilization management system further includes a first computer, a second computer, and a plurality of third computers connected to a local area network provided in the hospital. The In this case, the storage means comprises an information storage device provided in the first computer, or an information storage medium capable of reading and writing information by reading and writing means provided in the first computer, The monitoring means comprises the second computer, can receive information relating to the operation of the sterilizing apparatus from the sterilizing apparatus, and has a storage container that is read by the reading means and sterilized by the sterilizing apparatus. The third computer is installed at a plurality of locations in the hospital and can access at least information stored in the storage means of the first computer. It is configured to be.

  The hospital sterilization management system also identifies the storage container attached to the storage container in order to identify the medical instrument stored in the sterilized storage container dispensed from the predetermined storage area. It is possible to further comprise a second reading means for reading the information from the member in which the information is written. In this case, the information stored in the storage means is read by the second reading means. It is configured to be updated based on the information.

  In a preferred embodiment, the computer further comprises a first computer, a second computer, a plurality of third computers, and a fourth computer connected to a local area network provided in the hospital. . In this case, the storage means comprises an information storage device provided in the first computer, or an information storage medium capable of reading and writing information by reading and writing means provided in the first computer, The monitoring means comprises the second computer, can receive information relating to the operation of the sterilization apparatus from the sterilization apparatus, and is read by the first reading means and sterilized by the sterilization apparatus. It is comprised so that the information which specifies a storage container can be received, The said 3rd computer is installed in the multiple places in a hospital, The information memorize | stored in the memory | storage means of the said 1st computer at least And the fourth computer is provided in the storage area, and the second computer And it is configured so as to be able to receive information sterilizing the treated medical instruments paid out from the storage area with read by the reading means specifies the storage has been container.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sterilization management of the medical instrument in a hospital can be performed efficiently.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a management area 10, a use area 20, a cleaning area 30, an assembly area 40, a sterilization area 50, and a storage area 60 are provided in the hospital. These areas may be provided in rooms separated from each other, or a plurality of areas such as the washing area 30 and the assembly area 40 may be provided in the same room. In the most typical embodiment, as shown in the figure, an assembly area 40 and a storage area 60 are provided in adjacent rooms, and a sterilization area 50 is provided across these adjacent rooms.

  The management area 10 is provided with a host computer 12 that performs centralized sterilization management according to the present invention.

  The use area 20 is an area where a sterilized medical instrument 1 (for example, a scalpel, forceps, etc.) is used, and corresponds to, for example, an outpatient examination room, an inpatient ward, or an operating room.

  The washing area 30 is provided with a washing machine 31 for removing dirt from the medical instrument 1 used in the use area 20. The cleaning area 30 is provided with a cleaning management computer 32 that can monitor the operation of the cleaning machine 31 and manage the use results.

  In the assembly area 40, assembly of the cleaned medical instrument 1 (for example, scissors such as forceps and cooper) that has been disassembled for cleaning, assortment of the cleaned medical instrument 1, and the storage container 2 for the cleaned medical instrument 1 are performed. Is stored.

  A sterilization device 51 is provided in the sterilization area 50, and the medical instrument stored in the storage container 2 is sterilized. As the sterilizer 51, for example, the medical instrument 1 accommodated in the storage container 2 is placed in a sterilization chamber (not shown), and sterilization is performed by filling the sterilization chamber with a sterilizing agent such as saturated water vapor. Formats can be used. In the most typical embodiment, the sterilizer 51 has a door for loading the pre-sterilized medical device 1 on the assembly area 40 side and a door for taking out the sterilized medical device 1 on the storage area 60 side. The sterilization area 50 is provided with a sterilization management computer 52 capable of monitoring the operation of the sterilizer 51 and managing the use results.

  A storage shelf 61 is provided in the storage area 60, and the sterilized medical device 1 is stored in a state where it is stored in the storage container 2.

  In the management area 10, the use area 20, the cleaning area 30, the assembly area 40, and the storage area 60, a host computer 12 provided in the management area 10 via a LAN (local area network) (not shown) installed in the hospital. Terminal computers 14, 24, 34, and 44 capable of bidirectional data communication are provided respectively, and these terminal computers can take out sterilization management information managed by the host computer 12 as needed. The cleaning management computer 32 and the sterilization management computer 52 are also connected to the host computer 1 via the LAN so that bidirectional data communication is possible.

  In the following, the equipment installed in each area will be described in further detail and the operation of the sterilization management system will be described.

  The used medical device 1 cleaned in the cleaning area 30 is transported to the assembly area 40. In the assembly area 40, the operator stores the medical instrument 1 in the storage container 2. The storage container 2 is a flexible bag or a solid box made of a transparent resin material. In a typical embodiment, when one medical instrument 1 is stored in the storage container 2, a bag is used, and a set of a plurality of medical instruments 1 required for a predetermined surgical procedure (for example, a plurality of types of forceps, A box is used when a set of a knife or the like is accommodated. Note that the type and quantity of the medical instrument 1 to be sterilized and the type and quantity of the medical instrument 1 included in the set are requested by using the terminal computer 24 in the use area 20 and the terminal computer 34 in the cleaning area 30. It can be displayed on the display.

  In the assembly area 40, a barcode printer 41 for creating the barcode seal 3 is provided. The created barcode of the barcode seal 3 includes at least information on an ID number for specifying the storage container to which the barcode seal 3 is attached. Then, the operator attaches the barcode seal 3 to the storage container 2 in which the medical instrument 1 is stored. In addition, it replaces with the barcode seal | sticker 3 and the well-known member which can be easily read with a suitable well-known reader can also be used.

  The storage container 2 in which the medical instrument 1 is stored is transported to the sterilization area 50. In the sterilization area 50, a handy terminal 53 (portable terminal) is provided. The handy terminal itself is a well-known one, a function for reading the barcode 3 using light such as a laser beam (a function as a so-called barcode reader), an input function for additional information, and the input function for reading the barcode information. It has the function etc. which transmit with the appropriate additional information input by (1).

  Immediately before putting the storage container 2 in which the medical instrument 1 is stored in the sterilizer 51, the operator reads the barcode 3 attached to the storage container 2 with the handy terminal 53. The handy terminal 53 transmits the read bar code information to the sterilization management computer 52.

  Next, a predetermined sterilization process is executed by the sterilizer 51, and the medical instrument 2 stored in the storage container 2 is sterilized. The sterilization management computer 52 monitors sterilization conditions (temperature, pressure, time, etc.) executed by the sterilization device 51 and stores them in an information recording device such as an HDD (hard disk drive) 54 built in the sterilization management computer 52. To do. This storage may be performed on a removable information recording medium such as a CD or DVD that can be read by the sterilization management computer 52.

  After completion of the sterilization process, the sterilization management computer 52 sends ID numbers of all the processing containers 2 processed by the sterilization process together with information for specifying the time (date and time) when the sterilization process is performed to the host computer 12 in the management room. Send to. The storage container 2 in which the sterilized medical device 1 is stored is immediately transported to the storage area 60 and appropriately stored in a storage shelf 61 provided in the storage area 60.

The host computer 12 incorporates an information storage device such as an HDD 16 as storage means. The HDD 16 is provided with a sterilization management database area. In this area, for example, “ID: Pkanshi-1023455 / DATE: 2003/04/23/13/25
(Container ID: P forceps-1023455 / Sterilization date and time, April 23, 2003, 13:25) "is entered into all sterilized storage containers 2 stored in the storage shelf 61 of the storage area 60. Data on the medical device 1 is stored. Needless to say, the sterilization management database may store more detailed data on each medical instrument 1 in each sterilized storage container 2. The host computer 12 rewrites its own sterilization management database based on the information transmitted from the sterilization management computer 52. Information on the sterilization processing conditions stored in the HDD 54 of the sterilization management computer 52 can be called at any time in response to a request from the host computer 12. In addition to or instead of storing information on sterilization processing conditions in the HDD 54 of the sterilization management computer 52, information on sterilization processing conditions is stored in the HDD 16 of the host computer 12 in a format associated with the ID number of the processing container 2. It is also preferable to leave it.

  The sterilized medical device 1 stored in the storage area 60 is dispensed from the storage area 60 in accordance with the demands of hospital employees such as doctors, nurses, and technicians, and is used in the use area 20 such as an operating room. used. The storage area 60 is provided with a handy terminal 63, which may be a payer (any person who is involved in the payout, a worker dedicated to the storage area 60, a nurse, etc. The bar code 3 attached to the storage container 2 to be dispensed is read by the handy terminal 63. The barcode information read by the handy terminal 63 is transmitted to the host computer 12 via the terminal computer 64 in the storage area 60, and the host computer 12 updates the sterilization management database. When the sterilization time limit of the medical instrument to be paid out has passed, the host computer 12 issues a warning to the payer via the terminal computer in the storage area 60.

  The medical instrument 1 paid out to the use area 20 is taken out from the storage container 2 and used. The medical device 1 used in the use area 20 is again cleaned, assembled and sterilized and stored in the storage area 60.

  The host computer 12 grasps all the stocks of sterilized medical instruments stored in the storage area 60 in association with the sterilization date and time. Since this data can be called from the terminal computer at any time, it is possible to quickly grasp the stock of the usable medical instrument 1 as needed.

  When the sterilization period of the medical instrument 1 stored in the storage area 60 expires, the host computer displays a message to that effect on the terminal computer. This eliminates the inconvenience that the medical device cannot be actually used when it is desired to use it immediately. In addition, since the worker who sees the display can promptly sterilize the medical device 1 whose sterilization has expired, the sterilization expired stock in the storage area 60 can be minimized.

  Even if a medical accident occurs due to poor sterilization of the medical device 1, the history of the sterilization process of the medical device 1 can be immediately grasped, and therefore the cause can be easily determined.

  In the above-described embodiment, the storage area 60 is described as a place for storing the sterilized medical devices 1 in a lump, and such a storage place is called a “central material chamber” or the like. However, the storage method of the sterilized medical device 1 differs depending on the hospital. For example, the sterilized medical device 1 may be distributed and stored in a use area 20 such as an outpatient examination room, an inpatient ward, or a storage room attached thereto, or in a central material room. Storage at 20 may occur in parallel. In the present invention, the term storage area is used to mean all storage locations for such sterilized medical devices 1. When the storage area 60 exists in a plurality of places, it is preferable that the host computer 12 also has a function of grasping in which location the sterilized medical device 1 is present. This can be realized by using a handy terminal arranged at each storage location.

The figure which shows one Embodiment of the in-hospital sterilization management system by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medical instrument 2 Storage container 3 The member (bar code seal) in which the information for specifying a storage container was written
12 First computer (host computer)
14, 24, 34, 44, 64 Third computer (terminal computer)
16 Storage means (HDD of host computer)
51 Sterilizer 52 Monitoring Means, Second Computer (Sterilization Management Computer)
53 First reading means (handy terminal)
60 Storage area 63 Second reading means (handy terminal)
64 Fourth computer (terminal computer)

Claims (5)

In a hospital sterilization management system that manages sterilization of medical instruments used in hospitals,
A sterilizer for sterilizing the medical instrument stored in the storage container;
In order to specify a storage container for storing a medical instrument to be processed by the sterilizer, a first reading for reading the information from a member on which information for specifying the storage container attached to the storage container is written Means,
Information identifying the storage container read by the first reading means and sterilized by the sterilization apparatus is associated with information identifying the time when the sterilization process is performed on the storage container by the sterilization apparatus. Storage means for storing;
A hospital sterilization management system characterized by comprising: Further comprising monitoring means for monitoring the operation of the sterilizer;
The monitoring means receives information specifying a storage container that is read by the first reading means and is sterilized by the sterilization apparatus, and when the sterilization process is performed on the storage container by the sterilization apparatus. Information is obtained by monitoring the operation of the sterilizer, and the information identifying the storage container is sent to the storage means in a state associated with the information identifying the time.
The in-hospital sterilization management system according to claim 1. A first computer, a second computer, and a plurality of third computers connected to a local area network provided in the hospital;
The storage means comprises an information storage device provided in the first computer, or an information storage medium capable of reading and writing information by a reading and writing means provided in the first computer,
The monitoring means comprises the second computer, can receive information relating to the operation of the sterilizing apparatus from the sterilizing apparatus, and has a storage container that is read by the reading means and sterilized by the sterilizing apparatus. It ’s configured to receive specific information,
The third computer is installed at a plurality of locations in a hospital and can access at least information stored in the storage means of the first computer.
The in-hospital sterilization management system according to claim 2. In order to identify a medical instrument stored in a sterilized storage container dispensed from a predetermined storage area, from a member in which information for specifying the storage container attached to the storage container is written, A second reading means for reading the information;
Information stored in the storage means is updated based on the information read by the second reading means;
The in-hospital sterilization management system according to claim 1 or 2. A first computer connected to a local area network provided in the hospital, a second computer, a plurality of third computers, and a fourth computer;
The storage means comprises an information storage device provided in the first computer, or an information recording medium capable of reading and writing information by a reading and writing means provided in the first computer,
The monitoring means comprises the second computer, can receive information relating to the operation of the sterilization apparatus from the sterilization apparatus, and is read by the first reading means and sterilized by the sterilization apparatus. It is configured to receive information that identifies the storage container,
The third computer is installed at a plurality of locations in the hospital, and is accessible to at least information stored in the storage means of the first computer,
The fourth computer is provided in the storage area and receives information specifying a storage container in which a sterilized medical device to be read out from the storage area and read by the second reading unit is stored. Configured to be able to,
The in-hospital sterilization management system according to claim 4.

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