U.S. patent application number 10/907261 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-29 for apparatus and method for administering powdered medication.
Invention is credited to Smith, John C..
Application Number | 20050211596 10/907261 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34988497 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050211596 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smith, John C. |
September 29, 2005 |
Apparatus and Method for Administering Powdered Medication
Abstract
A powdered medication packet with pre-measured amounts of
powdered or granulated medication which is equivalent to the
medication in a standard pill. The medication is dispensed by
tearing open the packet and mixing the powder with a transfer
medium, such as a beverage or other type of food. The pre-crushed
and prepackaged medication eliminates the need to crush
conventional medicine pills at the time of use. When used in
conjunction with beverages, the pre-crushed medication may be mixed
directly with any beverage prior to drinking, poured into a prior
art medication delivery straw, or mixed with food. When the patient
drinks the beverage, eats the food, or drinks through the straw,
the medication is ingested by the patient. Alternatively, the
packets may have multiple compartments which hold each hold
discrete doses of a given medicine.
Inventors: |
Smith, John C.; (Boca Raton,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JOHN C. SMITH, ESQ.
2499 GLADES ROAD
SUITE 113
BOCA RATON
FL
33431
US
|
Family ID: |
34988497 |
Appl. No.: |
10/907261 |
Filed: |
March 25, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60521291 |
Mar 26, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/528 ;
206/484 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 75/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/528 ;
206/484 |
International
Class: |
B65D 073/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A crushed or powdered medicine storage packet, comprising: at
least two opposing outer surfaces, secured together at their
peripheral edges and defining at least one inner storage
compartment, further, the packet is fabricated from material
suitable for tearing open to release the contents of the packet;
and a predetermined amount of crushed or powdered medication, the
predetermined amount of crushed or powdered medication
approximately equaling the dosage of a pill containing the same
medication, and further, the crushed or powdered medications stored
within an inner storage compartment.
Description
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
[0001] This application is related to, and claims the benefit of,
the provisional patent application entitled "Apparatus and Method
for Administering Powdered Medication", filed Mar. 26, 2004,
bearing U.S. Ser. No. 60/521,291 and naming John C. Smith, the
named inventor herein, as sole inventor, the contents of which is
specifically incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to medication delivery
devices. In particular, it relates to devices useful for delivering
oral doses of powdered medication to patients.
[0004] 2. Background Art
[0005] Today, many medications are taken by individuals in pill
form. These medications may be prescription drugs, or commonly used
over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin. While most individuals do
not have any difficulty swallowing pills, there are a great many
individuals who have difficulty swallowing for a variety of
reasons. As a result, taking medication can be made more difficult
due to the difficulty involved in swallowing pills. When an
individual with a swallowing problem attempts to take a pill
without assistance, they are subject to personal discomfort and
inconvenience. However, in a professional setting, such as a
hospital, patients often require the assistance of medical staff
when taking oral medication. This assistance imposes a manpower
burden on the medical staff, and affects its overall efficiency.
The more difficult it is for the patient to swallow a pill, the
more time the medical professional may have to spend with the
patient for this purpose. It would be desirable to have a method of
administering oral medication which minimizes any inconvenience and
discomfort to patients when they are taking pills by themselves,
and simultaneously improving the efficiency of medical staff when
they are required to assist the patient in taking oral
medication.
[0006] In regard to a professional setting such as a hospital, a
significant portion of a nurse's time is consumed by the process of
administering medication to patients. For relatively able patients,
all that may be required is the delivery of a pill and a glass of
water. However, even for this simple task, the time required to
administer medication to an entire hospital ward is significant. In
the case where a patient requires assistance from the nurse, the
amount of time required to administer a pill to patient may be
multiplied several times over. This leads to decreased efficiency
for the nurse and higher costs to the hospital for delivering
healthcare.
[0007] While liquid medications can be difficult to administer, dry
medications present special problems. This is due to the fact that
dry medication is not administered alone. In the case where a
patient cannot swallow a pill, water or some other beverage
typically must be supplied to assist the patient to swallow. In the
case where patients have substantial difficulty swallowing,
administering the medication is substantially more difficult and
time-consuming. Typically, the nurse first crushes the pill into a
powder. This usually requires that the nurse carry a mortar and
pestle or other crushing device. Crushing the pill into the proper
granular consistency takes unnecessary time and adds to the cost of
administering the medication. Once the pill is crushed, it must
then be mixed with a liquid, such as water or fruit juice, prior to
administering it. On occasion, the nurse may mix the crushed
medication with a non-liquid, such as applesauce. In this
situation, even more time is taken to administer the medication.
These various methods assisting people who cannot swallow injects
additional time delays, raises questions related to the accuracy of
dosage due to material loss during the crushing process, and
increases costs due to unnecessary expenditure of time.
[0008] This swallowing problem is associated with a wide variety of
patients who are not able to easily and quickly take their
medication. For example, small children, elderly, senile or
Alzheimer's patients, handicapped patients, and severely injured
patients may all require more time to administer medication because
of their inability to follow instructions or to physically take
medication. As a result, delivery of medication to these categories
of patients is difficult and time consuming.
[0009] Past attempts to orally administer medication to this
category of patients has centered on mixing the medication with
other types of edible items. For example, pills or powdered
medications are often crushed and mixed with beverages or food,
such as apple sauce. As discussed above, several problems are
associated with this type of medication delivery. First of course
is that this approach is very time consuming. The hospital may be
faced with the situation where several nurses are needed to
administer daily medication where only one would be needed if the
medication could be delivered quickly. As a result, this can have a
substantial effect on healthcare costs. Further, when the medicine
is mixed with liquids or food items, the patient must drink all of
the liquids, or eat all of the food to ensure that they have
ingested all of the medication. In the case of handicapped
patients, even when the nurse hand feeds the patient, food may be
spilled from a patient's mouth resulting in loss of medication.
Likewise, the patient may decide not to eat any more food, in which
case the nurse must then attempt to convince a confused or senile
patient that the meal is not over. Due to the excessive amounts of
time and the uncertainty of dosage amounts, this historic approach
to medication delivery has been found wanting.
[0010] Another approach has been to design special purpose utensils
designed to allow the nurse to administer medication orally. While
this approach can reduce the amount of time required to administer
medication, it has the drawback of requiring expensive special
purpose utensils which are usually disposable. In addition, dry
medication is usually mixed with a liquid in the utensil which
requires extra time to prepare and extra care on the part of the
nurse. Another disadvantage of using special purpose utensils is
that the nurse is still required to crush the pills in order to
deliver the medication. As a result, these devices do not save the
nurse any time whatsoever in regard to the crushing process.
[0011] An example of such a prior art utensil are medication
delivery straws. These special-purpose straws allow powdered
medication to be placed in the straw. The patient places the straw
in a fluid or beverage and the patient ingests the beverage through
the straw along with the medication. When the beverage flows
through the straw, it dissolves powdered medication while the
medication is still inside the straw. As a result, the patient is
able to take the medication without noticing, or being
inconvenienced by, its presence. However, there is a disadvantage
in this type of straw medication delivery system in that the nurses
are typically required to take pre-existing pills, manually crush
them, and then manually insert the powder into the straw via a
funnel or other means. The physical process required to convert a
conventional pill into a powder, and then load the powder into the
straw, and then assist the patient to drink through the straw can
take substantial amounts of time. Further, the special-purpose
straws are more expensive than a simple hollow straw, such as those
used in a restaurant. It would be desirable to have a method of
delivering powdered medication equivalent to the dosage found in a
particular pill without having either the individual, or a
health-care professional, have to invest excessive amounts of time
and expense for the simple purpose of ingesting a specific
medication. Of course it would be possible to provide straws which
are preloaded with medication. However, this would require that
each straw be non-reusable. As a result, time is saved but material
costs are increased. It would be desirable to have a way to deliver
powdered (i.e., crushed pill) medication, in the proper dosage
amounts, with a minimum amount of nurse time, and with minimal
material costs.
[0012] The prior art has failed to provide a dry medication
delivery device which ensures proper dosage, is easy to use, and
allows an individual to quickly and conveniently take oral
medication without the discomfort and convenience of swallowing
pills, in which further allows a healthcare professional to assist
in the administration of medication to a patient in a more rapid
fashion and without requiring expensive non-reusable devices to
administer a pill substitute.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention solves the foregoing problems by
providing a crushed or powdered medication storage packet which
contains dry medication. The packet contains a predetermined amount
of pre-crushed medication which is equivalent to the medication in
the standard size pill for that medication. The medication is
dispensed by tearing the top edge off of the packet and mixing the
powder with a transfer medium, such as a beverage or other type of
food. The pre-crushed and prepackaged medication eliminates the
need to crush conventional medicine pills at the time of use. When
used in conjunction with beverages, the pre-crushed medication may
be mixed directly with the beverage prior to drinking of the
patient, or poured into a special-purpose straw. When the patient
drinks the beverage, or drinks through the straw, the medication is
dissolved and ingested by the patient. An alternative embodiment
uses multiple compartment packets which hold multiple doses of a
given medicine. When the pre-crushed medication is used in
conjunction with foods, the medication packet is torn open and its
contents emptied into, and mixed with, the food.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the powdered
medicine packet.
[0015] FIG. 2 shows the powdered medicine packet with the end
removed to release the contents.
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates the packet being poured into a cup
containing a beverage for the purpose of dissolving the medicine
from the packet.
[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the packet
which shows two separate storage compartments, each holding a
uniform dose of a particular drug.
[0018] FIG. 5A illustrates a prior art pill grinder during the
process of grinding a pill and pouring the ground powder into a
spoon.
[0019] FIG. 5B illustrates the prior art technique of pouring the
ground powder in the spoon into a funnel to load a medication
straw.
[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates an open packet containing powdered
medication being used to fill a medication delivery straw.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] Prior to a detailed discussion of the drawings, a general
discussion of the features and advantages of the invention
follows.
[0022] The invention provides a method and apparatus for delivering
powdered medications with highly accurate pre-measured doses, and
which also provides medication in powdered, pre-crushed or
granulated form to eliminate the necessity for crushing pills for
individuals who cannot swallow pills. The medication delivery
system provided by this invention provides convenience for an
individual, and increases the productivity for medical
professionals by eliminating the time required to crush pills, the
time required to clean pill crushers, and by ensuring that dosages
are more accurate. As a result, medications can be delivered to
patients faster, more conveniently, and in more accurate doses then
has previously been possible using the prior art.
[0023] The first medications storage packet (hereinafter, the
"packet") provided herein eliminates the inconvenience associated
with crushing pills for the purpose of administering medication to
individuals who may have difficulty swallowing pills. The packets
are designed to contain pre-measured doses of medication. The
medication in the packet is pre-crushed to an appropriate
granularity such that it will easily dissolve when the packet is
opened and the contents are poured into a beverage. Likewise, the
powder is ground so that it can be suitably mixed with semi-solid
foods such as applesauce, yogurt, etc.
[0024] The packets are intended to be used for all suitable types
of medications, including over-the-counter drugs, and prescription
drugs. In individual can use the packets without assistance by
medical professional by mixing the powdered medication with a
beverage, or with food. For individuals who have difficulty
swallowing pills, this avoids the inconvenience and discomfort of
having to swallow the pill. This is even more important for
individuals who simply cannot swallow bills. In the situation where
the pills are being administered by a health-care professional such
as a nurse, the invention improves the nurses efficiency by
allowing the nurse to quickly and inexpensively administer powdered
medications to patients without having to go through the process of
crushing a pill and then either mixing the crushed pill with a
beverage or with food, or alternatively, loading the crushed
medication into a medication delivery straw.
[0025] While the crushed medication still has to be mixed with the
beverage or food, or loaded into a medication delivery straw, the
invention eliminates the entire process of crushing the pill. This
substantially reduces the amount of time required to prepare
medication for a patient. In addition, it also reduces the chance
for accidental spillage during the crushing process which may
result in improper dosages being administered. Of course, it also
eliminates the need for the nurse or other healthcare professional
to clean whatever devices are used to crush the pill.
[0026] In the preferred embodiment, the packet is disposable.
Depending on the type of medication used, the packet can be a
simple paper package such as that used to deliver sugar or
sweeteners in a restaurant environment. Likewise, in the case where
the medication in the packet may be harmed by light or moisture,
the packet can be fabricated from any suitable material which will
protect the medication. For example, commercially available packets
are used for up the restaurant industry for food condiments such as
ketchup and mustard. Of course, depending on the type of medication
in question, any other suitable material can be used to manufacture
the packet. As a result, the packet can be used to hold, and
powdered form, any type of medication which is normally delivered
via a pill. The individual or medical professional needs only to
tear open the packet and pour the pre-measured part of medication
into the beverage or mix the powdered medication with a food
product for ingestion by the patient.
[0027] An advantage provided by the packet is that it ensures that
the medication is ground to the proper consistency prior to use,
because it is ground in a factory setting under controlled
conditions. It avoids the situation where medication may be ground
to finely or not finely enough. Another significant advantage of
the packet is that it reduces labor costs for healthcare
professionals by eliminating the time required for them to crush
pills, thereby reducing the amount of time required to administer
the medication. Of course, since the medication has been
pre-ground, there is no grinding device which needs to be cleaned
after each use. An advantage is also provided to the patient or
individual when taking medications without assistance, in that it
eliminates the need for them to crush a pill prior to taking
medication. This ensures that medication is not inadvertently lost
or discarded, and ensures that the medication is delivered in the
proper granularity.
[0028] In the preferred embodiment, the packet is a paper envelope
similar to those used to store sugar, sweeteners, salt, pepper,
etc., in restaurants. Of course, the outside of the packet should
be clearly marked as to the type of medicine and to the dosage
amount. For example, in addition to typing the name and dosage
amount of the medication inside the packet, the packets can also be
color-coded to help avoid the situation where in individual
accidentally selects the wrong medicine packet. This is consistent
with the manner in which solid pills are uniquely colored and
shaped. In light of the fact that some medications use chemical
compounds which are sensitive to moisture and/or light, the packet
can be fabricated from material which is impervious to water and/or
light, such as the type of condiment packages for ketchup or
mustard which were discussed above. Those skilled in the art will
recognize that while the simplest form of fabrication uses a single
layer of material, the packet can also be fabricated such that it
is a multilayer material which includes at least one layer that is
designed to seal the contents of the packet such that its contents
are protected from environmental factors such as moisture and/or
light.
[0029] Having discussed the features and advantages of the
invention in general, we turn now to a more detailed discussion of
the figures.
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the powdered
medicine packet 1. It is constructed with opposing external
surfaces 2 which are sealed together around the periphery and form
an inner storage compartment 5 which is defined by dashed line 3.
Also shown in this figure is powdered medicine 4 which occupies a
portion of inner storage compartment 5. In the preferred
embodiment, the powdered medicine 4 in each inner storage
compartment 5 will have a predetermined amount of medicine which is
equivalent in dosage to a corresponding pill. As a result, when the
medical professional is administering medicine to patients, a
doctor's orders indicating that a pill having a particular dosage
should be administered, the nurse can take either an actual pill,
or a powdered medicine packet 1 having an equivalent dosage. The
medical professional only needs to determine whether the patient
has the ability to swallow. These powdered medicine packets 1 can
be fabricated using pre-existing machines which are today used to
fabricate packages of commercially available sweeteners and/or
condiments for restaurants. The manufacturing process only requires
that individual doses of medication are carefully ground into a
powder having a predetermined granularity, and then inserting the
doses of medication into the powdered medicine packets 1 prior to
sealing.
[0031] Once this process is complete, the powdered medicine packets
1 can then be used by both medical professionals, as well as lay
individuals, with confidence. The individual using the powdered
medicine packets 1 will have the confidence of knowing that the
correct dosage is in the powdered medicine packet 1, and that the
medication in powdered medicine packet 1 has been ground to the
correct consistency. The medical professional, and the institution
that professional works for, will have all of the preceding
benefits plus the benefits of increased efficiency and profit.
[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates packet 1 with the end portion 6 removed.
In the preferred embodiment, the powdered medicine packet 1 is
fabricated from any suitable materials which the user is able to
tear open to allow the contents to be poured out. As noted above, a
variety of commercially available materials, such as paper, metal
foil, polyethylene, polypropylene, plastic, etc., can be used to
fabricate the powdered medicine packet 1. For any particular
medicine, material selected should be suitable for that medicine in
terms of environmental factors such as humidity, sunlight, etc.
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates the powdered medication 4 in the powdered
medicine packet 1 being poured into a cup 14 containing a beverage
15 for the purpose of dissolving the powdered medication 4 from the
powdered medicine packet 1. Any suitable beverage can be used. Once
the powdered medication 4 is dissolved, the beverage 15 can be
ingested. As discussed above, the powder medication 4 can be
combined with a beverage 15, or alternatively, mixed with food. As
can be seen, the packet structure used herein eliminates the need
to use a grinder, or other crushing device, for the purpose of
preparing medication for ingestion without taking a pill. This will
save both the individual, and the medical care professional, a
significant amount of time when preparing administration of
medicine for someone who can swallow.
[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the powdered
medicine packet 1 which shows two separate inner storage
compartments 5, each holding a uniform dose of a particular drug.
The inner storage compartments 5 are separated by a seal line 7.
Quite often, when a particular medication is taken, multiple pills
are used. However, there are medication times when only a single
pill is needed. For example, when taking a common medication such
as an aspirin, individuals may take one pill or two. In this
preferred embodiment, each inner storage compartment 5 is intended
to hold equal doses of medication. For example, each inner storage
compartment 5 may hold the equivalent of a single pill of aspirin
and a specific dosage level. Preferably, the dosage in each inner
storage compartment 5 will equal the dosage in a single pill. As a
result, the equivalent of two pills will be available in a single
powdered medicine packet 1, but since they are separated into
separate inner storage compartments 5, the user can select the
appropriate dosage for that time and place. The powdered medicine
packet 1 can be saved with the powdered medication 4 still stored
in the unopened storage compartment 5 for later use.
[0035] FIG. 5A illustrates a prior art pill grinder 11 during the
process of grinding a pill into powdered medication 4 and pouring
the powdered medication 4 into a spoon 13. Pill grinders 11 can be
powered machines, or as illustrated here, a manual pill grinder 11
which is operated by a hand crank 12. A disadvantage that is
associated with conventional prior art pill grinders 11 is that
they must be cleaned between uses. If not, multiple medications may
be delivered to the wrong patient as well as incorrect dosages. Of
course, there is a substantial inefficiency involved with having
the medical professional spend time cleaning the pill grinder 11
between uses. The advantage provided by the invention is that the
need for the pill grinder 11 is totally eliminated. This saves all
of the time associated with the grinding process, as well as the
time associated with cleaning the pill grinder 11 between uses.
[0036] FIG. 5B illustrates another prior art technique used to
deliver the medication once it has been ground into a powder by
pill grinder 11. Using this method, the user pours the powdered
medication 4 in the spoon 11 into a funnel 10 to load it into
medication delivery straw 9. These prior art medication delivery
straws 9 typically have purge valves (not shown) or other retaining
devices in the distal end of the medication delivery straw 9 to
prevent the powdered medication 4 from falling out of the bottom of
the medication delivery straw 9. Once the medication delivery straw
9 is loaded with the powdered medication 4, the patient or medical
care professional places the straw into a beverage and the patient
drinks the beverage through the medication delivery straw 9. On the
beverage enters the medication delivery straw 9, the powdered
medication 4 is immediately dissolved. As a result, the patient
ingested medication but is not required to swallow a pill. Another
benefit provided by the medication delivery straw 9 is that the
entire beverage typically does not have to be drunk for the patient
to ingest the entire dosage of medicine.
[0037] FIG. 6 illustrates a powdered medicine packet 1 containing
powdered medication 4 being used to fill a medication delivery
straw 9. As can be seen, the invention eliminates a substantial
amount of work that was illustrated above in regard to the
discussion of the prior art in FIGS. 5A-B.
[0038] Those skilled in the art will recognize that while this
figure illustrates the powdered medication 4 being loaded into a
medicine delivery straw 9, the powdered medication 4 can just as
easily be poured directly into food, such as applesauce, and then
mixed and fed to patient. As was the case in regard to the medicine
delivery straw 9, the powdered medicine packet 1 eliminates the
time required to grind the medication, and the time required to
clean the pill grinder 11.
[0039] For ease of illustration, the foregoing discussion has
focused on the use of the powdered medicine packet 1 in conjunction
with beverages and/or food such as applesauce. Those skilled in the
art will recognize that the powdered medicine packet 1 can be used
in combination with any ingestible material, such as soup, cold or
warm cereal, oatmeal, grits, yogurt, ice cream, or any other food
stuff which lends itself to mixing with powdered medication.
Likewise, the discussion has focused on the use of the powdered
medicine packet 1 with medical professionals such as nurses and
doctors. However, the powdered medicine packet 1 can be used by
anyone, even laymen. Those skilled in the arts will also recognize
that the powdered medicine packet 1 can be used not only in
hospitals, but also in doctor's offices, nursing homes, daycare
centers, schools and private residences. In addition, it is
particularly convenient for individuals were traveling and they
wish to take medication of some sort in hotels. Further, the
powdered medicine packet 1 is not limited to applications involving
humans. They can just as easily be used for a variety of veterinary
purposes with the same advantages. For example many domestic
animals, such as dogs and cats, spit out pills. By having the pills
in powdered form, the medicine can be mixed with an animal's food
so that they ingest needed medication without protest.
[0040] While the invention has been described with respect to a
preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes in detail may be made
therein without departing from the spirit, scope, and teaching of
the invention. For example, any suitable material can be used to
fabricate the powdered medicine packet 1. Any type of medication
which was suitable for use in pill form, can be used by this
invention as powdered medication 4. Accordingly, the invention
disclosed herein is to be limited only as specified in the
following claims. I claim:
* * * * *