Medication dispenser station - Patent Review 5014875

What is claimed is:

1. A medication station, comprising:

a station housing;

a plurality of drawers carried by said station housing, each of said drawers being movable between an open position and a closed position, each of said drawers defining at least one compartment for containing a pharmaceutical item, said compartment being accessible to the exterior of the station housing when the drawer associated therewith is in the open position; and

a control unit for selectively locking said drawers in the closed positions to prevent access to the drawer compartments, said control unit including keyboard entry means for entry of predetermined access data, lock means for selectively locking and unlocking said drawers, and controller means responsive to entry of said access data to selectively unlock at least one of said drawers while maintaining the remaining ones of said drawers in a locked condition to permit opening of said at least one of said drawers and access to the compartment defined thereby while preventing access to pharmaceutical items within said remaining ones of said drawers;

at least one of said drawers having a carousel tray mounted therein and defining an access opening to permit access to one of said tray compartments, said control unit further including means for rotating said carousel tray within said drawer to a selected position aligning a selected one of the tray compartments with said access opening, and means for locking said tray in said selected position when said at least one drawer is moved to the open position.

2. The medication dispenser unit of claim 1 wherein said at least one drawer includes spring means reacting between said drawer and said station housing to bias said drawer toward an at least partially open position when said drawer is unlocked by said control unit.

3. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein said controller means includes means for detecting the rotational position of said carousel tray.

4. The medication dispenser station of claim 3 wherein said tray is rotatably supported upon a turntable having peripheral notches formed therein, said detecting means comprising an optical detector associated with said notches to track the rotational position of said turntable, said turntable and said tray including drive means connected therebetween for supporting said tray in a predetermined rotational position on said turntable and for rotating said tray with said turntable.

5. The medication dispenser station of claim 4 further including a lock pin within said at least one drawer, and means for seating said lock pin into one of said turntable notches when the drawer is moved to the open position to lock said turntable and tray against rotation.

6. The medication dispenser station of claim 5 wherein said seating means includes a spring for urging said lock pin to seat within said one turntable notch, said spring further reacting between said drawer and said station housing to urge said drawer toward an at least partially open position when said drawer is unlocked.

7. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein said carousel tray includes a plurality of removable dividers defining said tray compartments.

8. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein said at least one drawer and said cover plate include interlocking flange means for mounting said cover plate onto said drawer, said control unit lock means further including means for locking said drawer in a partially open position in response to entry of first access data and for permitting said drawer to be fully opened in response to entry of second access data, said cover plate being blocked against removal from said drawer when said drawer is in the partially open position, said cover plate being removable from said drawer when said drawer is fully opened.

9. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein at least one of said drawers includes a partition grid separating the interior of said drawer into a plurality of compartments.

10. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein at least one of said drawers has a plurality of open bins supported therein.

11. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein said control unit further includes means for generating an access record in response to entry of said access data.

12. The medication dispenser station of claim 11 wherein said access record generating means includes a printer.

13. The medication dispenser station of claim 11 wherein said access record generating means includes a disk drive unit.

14. The medication dispenser station of claim 1 wherein said control unit is mounted on said station housing.

15. A medication dispenser station, comprising:

a station housing;

at least one drawer carried by said station housing for movement between on open position and a closed position, said drawer defining a plurality of compartments for containing pharmaceutical items in presorted array, said compartments being accessible to the exterior of said station housing when the drawer is in the open position;

a control unit for selectively locking said drawer in the closed position to prevent access to the drawer compartments, said control unit including keyboard entry means for entry of predetermined access data, lock means for selectively locking and unlocking said drawer, and controller means responsive to entry of said access data to selectively unlock said drawer to permit opening thereof;

said drawer having a carousel tray mounted therein and defining said plurality of said compartments for containing the plurality of pharmaceutical items in a presorted array, and a cover plate mounted on said drawer in a position overlying said tray and defining an access opening to permit access to one of said tray compartments, said control unit further including means for rotating said carousel tray within said drawer to a selected position aligning a selected one of the tray compartments with said access opening, means for locking said tray in said selected position when said at least one drawer is moved to the open position, and means for detecting the rotational position of said carousel tray;

said tray being rotatably supported upon a turntable having peripheral notches formed therein, said detecting means comprising an optical detector associated with said notches to track the rotational position of said turntable, said turntable and said tray including drive means connected therebetween for supporting said tray in a predetermined rotational position on said turntable and for rotating said tray with said turntable; and

a lock pin within said drawer, and means for seating said lock pin into one of said turntable notches when the drawer is moved to the open position to lock said turntable and tray against rotation, said seating means including a spring for urging said lock pin to seat within said one turntable notch, said spring further reacting between said drawer and said station housing to urge said drawer toward an at least partially open position when said drawer is unlocked.

16. The medication dispenser station of claim 15 wherein said carousel tray includes a plurality of removable dividers defining said tray compartments.

17. The medication dispenser station of claim 15 wherein said control unit further includes means for generating an access record in response to entry of said access data.

18. A medication dispenser station, comprising:

a station housing;

a plurality of drawers carried by said housing for movement between open and closed positions, said drawers defining a plurality of compartments for receiving and storing pharmaceutical items in a presorted array, said compartments being inaccessible when said drawers are closed;

lock means associated with each of said drawers for individually locking said drawers in the closed position; and

a control unit on said housing for operating said lock means to selectively lock and unlock said drawers thereby to control access to items contained therein, said control unit including data entry means for entry of predetermined access data, and controller means responsive to said access data for selectively unlocking said drawers to permit opening thereof;

at least one of said drawers having a carousel tray mounted therein and defining a plurality of said compartments for containing a plurality of pharmaceutical items in a presorted array, and a cover plate mounted on said at least one drawer in a position overlying said tray and defining an access opening to permit access to one of said tray compartments, said control unit further including means for rotating said carousel tray within said drawer to a selected position aligning a selected one of the tray compartments with said access opening, and means for locking said tray in said selected position when said at least one drawer is moved to the open position;

said at least one drawer and said cover plate including interlocking flange means for mounting said cover plate onto said drawer, said control unit further including means for locking said drawer in a partially open position in response to entry of first access data and for permitting said drawer to be fully opened in response to entry of second access data, said cover plate being blocked against removal from said drawer when said drawer is in the partially open position, said cover plate being removable from said drawer when said drawer is fully opened.

19. The medication dispenser station of claim 18 wherein said carousel tray includes a plurality of removable dividers defining said tray compartments.

20. The medication dispenser station of claim 18 wherein at least one of said drawers includes a partition grid separating the interior of said drawer into a plurality of compartments.

21. The medication dispenser station of claim 18 wherein at least one of said drawers has a plurality of open bins supported therein.

22. The medication dispenser station of claim 21 wherein one of said bins includes a one-way cap to permit return of unused pharmaceutical items into said one bin.

23. The medication dispenser of claim 18 wherein said control unit further includes means for generating an access record in response to entry of said access data.

24. The medication dispenser station of claim 23 wherein said access data includes selected information representing said access record.

25. A method of storing and dispensing pharmaceutical items, comprising the steps of:

stocking a plurality of pharmaceutical items in a presorted array into a plurality of drawers adapted for opening and closing movement with respect to a dispenser station housing:

entering predetermined access data into a control unit associated with the dispenser station housing to specify a desired pharmaceutical item stocked within one of the drawers;

normally maintaining the drawers in closed and locked positions to prevent access tot he contents thereof;

unlocking said one drawer in response to said entering step by automatic operation of the control unit, while maintaining the remaining drawers in a locked condition, to permit opening of said one drawer and access to the desired pharmaceutical item therein, while preventing access to the pharmaceutical items in said remaining drawers, at least one of said drawers including a carousel tray with a plurality of tray compartments, the tray being mounted for rotation within said one drawer for rotation beneath an overlying cover plate having an access opening therein, and further including the steps of rotating the tray to align a selected one of the compartments with the cover plate access opening, and locking the tray against further rotation when the drawer is opened; and generating an access record.

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to devices and systems for controlled dispensing of medications and other pharmaceutical items in a hospital environment or nursing home or the like. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved medication dispenser station and related method of operation for providing relatively simple yet controlled access to a wide range of pharmaceutical items, concurrently with generation and maintenance of an accurate, detailed access record.

In a hospital environment or the like, a large number of pharmaceutical items such as medications, syringes, dressings, etc. are used in the course of individualized medical treatment provided to multiple patients. Such pharmaceutical items are normally stocked at a centralized location in a hospital pharmacy for periodic distribution to nursing stations or the like located throughout the hospital facility. Such distribution of pharmaceutical items is tailored to the specific needs of each nursing station, particularly with respect to the individual medical treatment requirements for patients assigned to each nursing station. For example, many medications are typically prescribed by physicians for administration to specific patients according to a particular time schedule. Other medications and pharmaceutical items are normally stocked at the nursing station for use on an as needed basis.

At each nursing station, the pharmaceutical items are stored for access by nursing personnel in accordance with individual patient requirements. In this regard, many items are normally maintained in unlocked storage for easy and substantially unrestricted access, while other items such as narcotic medications are normally retained in locked storage to prevent unauthorized access and theft. For all pharmaceutical items, however, withdrawal of pharmaceutical items from inventory is accompanied by updating of the medication administration record (MAR) for the appropriate patient. In this regard, such record maintenance is an important function of nursing personnel to confirm the treatment regimen for each patient, to insure proper charging of patient accounts, and to permit accurate tracking of the pharmaceutical inventory. Unfortunately, due to the exigencies of a typical nursing environment, the medication records are often incomplete and/or inaccurate. As a result, the inventory of some or all of the pharmaceutical items is regularly checked, such as at the conclusion of each nursing shift, in an effort to reduce recording and/or treatment errors and further to minimize pilferage losses.

In recent years, a variety of devices and systems have been proposed in attempts to provide improved inventory control for pharmaceutical items in a hospital environment or the like. Many such devices have contemplated individual medication dispensers located at bedside in association with individual patients. However, the use of multiple bedside dispensers can be relatively costly and further requires regular manual attention to ensure proper loading and individualized programming for each patient. Other systems have envisioned centralized units at a nursing station or the like for maintaining different medications and related pharmaceutical items under locked storage. While such centralized units have provided improved safety and enhanced record keeping for narcotic substances, such units have unduly restricted access to many routine pharmaceutical items. Accordingly, prior centralized medication units have not met with commercial acceptance on any significant scale.

There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved medication dispenser station designed for storage of a wide range of pharmaceutical items at a centralized location in a medical facility, wherein those pharmaceutical items are relatively easily accessed by authorized personnel in a manner which generates and maintains accurate access records. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, an improved medication dispensing station comprises a housing having a plurality of drawers for normally locked storage of pharmaceutical items. A control unit on the housing is programmed upon keyboard entry of a predetermined access code to unlock the drawers one at a time, thereby permitting controlled access to the contents of the drawer. The control unit functions to generate and store an access record.

In the preferred form of the invention, each drawer includes multiple compartments for containing a variety of pharmaceutical items arranged in presorted array. The drawers are normally locked to prevent access to the contents thereof. The control unit incorporates keyboard entry means to permit entry of an authorized access code in combination with patient and pharmaceutical item designation. Upon entry of such information, the drawer containing the designated pharmaceutical item is unlocked to permit the pharmaceutical item to be removed and used. The unlocked drawer is then reclosed and relocked, whereupon the control unit generates a detailed access record specifying, for example, the date and time, the patient, the designated pharmaceutical item, and the identification of the nurse or other person accessing the pharmaceutical item. The generated access record can be stored in memory, transmitted to a central computer, and/or printed as paper copy.

One or more of the station drawers desirably includes a rotatable carousel tray having multiple compartments for receiving different pharmaceutical items. Upon entry of appropriate information designating a pharmaceutical item within a particular tray compartment, the control unit rotates the tray to align and lock the designated compartment with an access opening in an overlying cover plate. The drawer is then unlocked and opened to permit limited access to the designated compartment of the carousel tray.

The carousel tray is conveniently constructed with removable partitions dividing adjacent tray compartments of generally pie-shaped geometry. With this construction, the relative sizes of the tray compartments can be customized according to the sizes and shapes of the particular pharmaceutical items to be contained therein. An appropriate cover plate with an access opening of corresponding size and shape is used.

The control unit is programmed to permit and record operation in a normal use mode or in a station restocking mode. For example, in a normal use mode, the control unit responds to a standard authorized access code to permit partial opening of drawers having carousel trays for access to designated compartments, without permitting cover plate removal. Alternately, upon entry of a predetermined restock access code, such drawers may be fully opened in a manner permitting removal of the cover plate to expose all compartments of the carousel tray for restocking purposes.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, one or more of the compartments in a selected drawer may include a return receptacle designed to receive unused pharmaceutical items. Such receptacle conveniently includes an apertured cap adapted for one way reception of unused pharmaceutical items, while substantially preventing manual retrieval of items dropped through the cap. Additionally, the control unit may be coupled to operate auxiliary lock apparatus associated with one or more an auxiliary cabinets within which additional pharmaceutical items may be stored.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is front perspective view illustrating a medication dispenser station embodying the novel features of the invention;

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram depicting elements of a station control unit;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmented perspective view of a portion of the medication dispenser station, and depicting one drawer in an open position for access to the contents thereof;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged and exploded perspective view depicting construction details of the open drawer shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a carousel tray used in the drawer of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken generally on the line 5--5 of FIG. 1, and illustrating a drawer of the dispenser station in a closed and locked position;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, but depicting the drawer in an open position;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view taken generally on the line 8--8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmented perspective view corresponding with the encircled region 9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmented perspective view corresponding with the encircled region 10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmented front perspective view similar to FIG. 2, but depicting an alternative drawer in an open position;

FIG. 12 is another fragmented perspective view similar to FIGS. 2 and 11, but showing still another drawer of the dispenser station in an open position:

FIG. 13 is an enlarged side elevational view taken generally on the line 13--13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a fragmented perspective view similar to FIGS. 2, 11 and 12, but depicting a large lower drawer of the dispenser station in an open position;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lower drawer, taken generally on the line 15--15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a fragmented vertical sectional view taken generally on the line 16--16 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating programmed operation of the medication dispenser station of FIGS. 1-16; and

FIG. 18 is a somewhat schematic and fragmented perspective view illustrating alternative operation of the dispenser station in coordination with auxiliary storage devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in the exemplary drawings, a medication dispenser station referred to generally by the reference numeral 10 is provided for controlled access to a plurality of pharmaceutical items and the like contained therein. The dispenser station 10 includes a control unit 12 which is programmed for relatively quick and easy access to one or more designated pharmaceutical items stocked within a plurality of normally closed and locked drawers. The control unit 12 is designed for relatively simple keyboard entry of appropriate authorization access codes and other information sufficient to create an accurate and detailed access record.

The medication dispenser 10 of the present invention is designed for inventory control of a selected large number of pharmaceutical items such as prescription and nonprescription medications, syringes and other fluid infusion apparatus, bandages and other dressings, etc. The station 10 includes a plurality of the normally locked drawers, each of which is constructed with multiple compartments for receiving and storing a plurality of pharmaceutical items in a presorted array for easy access. These drawers may be designed in different configurations to provide variable ease of access tailored to the particular type or types of items stocked therein. That is, one or more of the drawers can be adapted for greater restriction to access for certain items such as narcotic medications and the like, whereas other drawers can be constructed for greater ease of access to routine items, such as aspirin, cotton swabs, etc. In all cases, however, the control unit 12 requires entry of sufficient authorization code and other data appropriate to the pharmaceutical item being accessed to create and store a thorough, accurate access record.

The medication station is particularly designed for use in a hospital environment or the like, in association with a number of patients requiring pharmaceutical items stored in station inventory. In this regard, a typical environment of use is in conjunction with a centralized nursing station on a hospital floor or ward. In a preferred form, the station 10 is designed to stock an inventory of pharmaceutical items selected to meet the anticipated requirements of up to about twenty-five patients. However, it will be understood that the patient capacity can be varied by appropriate modification to include additional stock drawers, as required.

The illustrative dispenser station 10 as viewed in FIG. 1 comprises a compact housing 14 which may be supported on wheels 16 for convenient portability. The control unit 12 is mounted generally within the upper extent of the housing and includes appropriate computerized memory component of a type generally well known to those skilled in the art, in association with a compact keyboard 18 in a position exposed for easy access. The keyboard 18 permits manual entry and/or readout of a wide range of information in the course of station operation, as will be described, in accordance with a particular program utilized with the control unit. More specifically, the keyboard includes an array of keys 20 or similar entry devices for entering information, in conjunction with a display 22 which utilizes liquid crystal elements or the like in programmed interaction with entered information. FIG. IA depicts the controller unit in schematic form with the keyboard 18 for information entry to a controller 13. As will be described, the controller 13 is programmed to regulate access to the station drawers, and to generate an access record which is stored in internal memory 15, or recorded via a disk drive un