U.S. patent application number 13/712826 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-18 for apparatus, system and method for tracking drugs during a repackaging and administering process.
This patent application is currently assigned to UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK. The applicant listed for this patent is UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK. Invention is credited to Ludwik Fedorko, Joseph Fisher, Bryan Kowalchuk, Bryan Drew Miller.
Application Number | 20130181046 13/712826 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39081877 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130181046 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fedorko; Ludwik ; et
al. |
July 18, 2013 |
APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING DRUGS DURING A
REPACKAGING AND ADMINISTERING PROCESS
Abstract
A system for tracking drugs during a transfer and administering
process is configured to reduce labeling errors that can occur
during that process. The system includes a storage container reader
configured to read a set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia positioned on
a container containing a drug. The set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia identifies
the drug. The system further includes, at the point of care of a
patient, an indicia-generating device configured to generate
machine readable drug-delivery-container-associated indicia
identifying the drug based on the storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia. A drug delivery container reader, also
located at the point of care, is configured to read both sets of
machine readable indicia to verify that the drug delivery container
has been correctly labelled. A method implemented by the system
results in the reduction in labeling errors.
Inventors: |
Fedorko; Ludwik;
(Mississauga, CA) ; Fisher; Joseph; (Toronto,
CA) ; Miller; Bryan Drew; (Richmond Hill, CA)
; Kowalchuk; Bryan; (Oakville, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK; |
Toronto |
|
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK
Toronto,
CA
|
Family ID: |
39081877 |
Appl. No.: |
13/712826 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12377578 |
Sep 10, 2010 |
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PCT/CA2007/001421 |
Aug 15, 2007 |
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13712826 |
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60822509 |
Aug 15, 2006 |
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60910451 |
Apr 5, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
235/385 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20130101;
G16H 20/13 20180101; A61M 2205/6072 20130101; A61M 2205/6081
20130101; G06Q 10/0875 20130101; A61J 1/14 20130101; G06Q 10/00
20130101; G16H 70/40 20180101; G16H 40/20 20180101; A61J 2205/30
20130101; A61J 1/2003 20150501; A61J 2205/70 20130101; A61J 2205/20
20130101; A61J 2205/10 20130101; G06Q 10/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
235/385 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20120101
G06Q010/08 |
Claims
1. A method for tracking drugs during a transfer and administering
process, wherein a drug is transferred from a storage container to
a drug delivery container, and wherein a container containing a
drug is withdrawn from a source of drugs, wherein the container has
thereon a set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia identifying the drug, the method
comprising: a) providing a reader/indicia-generating device
including a storage container reader and an indicia-generating
device at the point of care of a patient, wherein the storage
container reader is configured to read the set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia and wherein
the indicia-generating device is configured to generate a set of
one or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying
the drug, based on the set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia; b) causing
the storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia to be
read by the storage container reader so that the storage container
reader/indicia-generating device prepares the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia; c) transferring the
drug into the drug delivery container from the container; and d)
applying the set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
indicia to the drug delivery container.
2. A system for tracking drugs during a transfer and administering
process, comprising: a storage container reader, wherein the
storage container reader is configured to read a set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia positioned on
a container containing a drug, wherein the set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia identifies
the drug; and an indicia-generating device, wherein the
indicia-generating device is configured to generate a
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying the drug
based on the storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia,
wherein the set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
indicia includes a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia; a drug
delivery container reader, wherein the drug delivery container
reader is configured to read the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia; a
processing unit, wherein the processing unit generates an output
signal corresponding to the drug based on the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia; and an
output device that outputs a user-comprehensible output identifying
the drug based on the output signal from the processing unit.
3. A system for tracking drugs during a drug administering process,
comprising: at least one label having a plurality of different
color regions pre-printed thereon corresponding to a color-based
drug coding scheme; and any one of: i) an indicia-generating device
adapted to print in a first color, wherein the indicia-generating
device is adapted to generate drug-delivery-container-associated
indicia on a label including a color region of at least one second
color that the indicia generating device is unable to generate;
(ii) an indicia-generating device adapted to print in one or two
colors and add printed matter to the color regions, wherein the
indicia-generating device is adapted to generate
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia on a label including a
color region of at least one color that differs from the one or two
colors.
4. A system for tracking drugs during a drug administering process,
comprising: A) an indicia-generating device adapted to print in one
or two colors, wherein the indicia-generating device is configured
to generate drug-delivery-container-associated indicia on a label
including a color region that differs in color from the one or two
colors; B) at least one drug delivery container having a plurality
of regions of color pre-printed thereon corresponding to a
color-based drug coding scheme or a set of labels having a
plurality of regions of color pre-printed thereon corresponding to
a color-based drug coding scheme.
5. A system for tracking drugs according to claim 3, where the
indicia-generating device adapted to print in a first color and
wherein the indicia-generating device is adapted to generate
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia on a label including a
color region of at least one second color that the indicia
generating device is unable to generate and wherein the indicia
generating device generates a color region corresponding to the
identity of the drug by over-printing the regions of different
except for the region of color corresponding to identity of the
drug.
6. A system for tracking drugs according to claim 4, wherein the
indicia generating device generates a color region corresponding to
the identity of the drug by over-printing the regions of different
except for the region of color corresponding to identity of the
drug.
7. A label or syringe adapted for color coding the drug content of
drug delivery container comprising a plurality of different colored
regions corresponding to a set of different colors belonging to a
color-based drug coding scheme.
8. A label or syringe according to claim 7, wherein the border of
each color region is immediately adjacent the border of each
adjacent color region.
9. A system for tracking drugs during an administering process,
comprising: a) a drug delivery container reader, wherein the drug
delivery container reader is configured to read a set of one or
more drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia
that identify a first drug contained in a first drug delivery
container for a patient and a processing unit, wherein the
processing unit stores information identifying the first drug,
wherein the processing unit is configured to permit entry and
storage of information identifying a second drug for the patient
prior to receiving dosage information relating to delivery of the
first drug to the patient; or b) a drug delivery container reader,
wherein the drug delivery container reader is configured to read a
set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
machine-readable indicia that identify a first drug contained in a
first drug delivery container for a patient, an output device for
outputting a set of dosage quantities, an input device usable by a
user to select one of the dosage quantities from the set of dosage
quantities and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is
configured to store information identifying the first drug and the
dosage quantity selected by the user.
10. A system for tracking drugs as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
processing unit is configured to time stamp information relating to
at least one of: the time at which the first drug is read by the
drug delivery container reader, and the time at which the dosage
quantity is selected.
11. A system for tracking drugs as claimed in claim 9, wherein the
output device is a computer display and the input device is a
computer mouse.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to reducing errors in the
identification of drugs in a repackaging and administering process,
in particular where the repackaging takes place at the
point-of-care.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Prior to administering a drug to a patient, the drug may
require transfer from a storage container to a drug delivery
container. The storage container may be, for example, a single-dose
drug container. The drug delivery container may be, for example, a
syringe. Typically, after the drug is transferred to the syringe,
the person carrying out the transfer sometimes prepares a label by
hand and applies it to the syringe to indicate the drug now
contained in the syringe. In some situations, pre-prepared labels
are provided to eliminate the need for the person to manually
prepare the label. Some systems have been provided whereby the
person can type in the name of the drug into a computer to print a
label instead of having to prepare the label manually.
[0003] Several different types of error can occur during this
process all of which can lead to the syringe bearing a label
indicating a different drug than is actually contained in the
syringe. For example, the user can pull the wrong drug from a drug
cabinet and prepare a label with the name of the drug they thought
they pulled. This can occur particularly easily with certain drugs,
because their colour and packaging may be quite similar.
[0004] Alternatively, the user may pull the correct drug from the
drug cabinet, but may inadvertently prepare a label indicating the
next drug that has to be prepared because that next drug is on the
user's mind at the time. Another problem is that some drugs have
very similar names to other drugs, which increases the risk that a
user will mistake one drug for another.
[0005] Once a syringe is mis-labeled many problems can occur. If a
patient receives the wrong drug, this can lead to catastrophic
consequences. Unfortunately, doctors treating the patient might not
find out the true cause of the patient's reaction and therefore
would not be easily able to properly treat it.
[0006] A proposed solution to this problem has been to prepare and
label syringes at the pharmacy and to send the drugs to the point
of care in the syringes to eliminate the need for a repackaging
step. A problem with this approach is that the drugs expire
relatively quickly once they are in the syringe, and often the drug
manufacturer is not certain how quickly. In many cases, the drug
expires in a matter of hours.
[0007] Additionally, storage of the drug in a syringe over several
hours can in some situations lead to chemicals contained in the
syringe components (e.g. housing, plunger and seal) leaching into
the drug. If the patient reacts to these chemicals this can cause
harm to the patient.
[0008] Additionally, in some environments, such as an operating
room environment, it sometimes occurs that an unexpected drug is
required to be administered to the patient. Either the drug has to
be repackaged in the operating room with all of its inherent
problems as described above, or the pharmacy has to prepare many
extra syringes containing drugs to cover off unexpected situations.
Whichever of these extra syringes is not used during the operation
is discarded, since they cannot be repackaged with confidence in
their expiry date or their safety. This practice is, of course,
wasteful of the discarded drugs and may also be costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In a first aspect, the invention relates a method for
tracking drugs during a transfer and administering process, wherein
a drug is transferred from a storage container to a drug delivery
container, and wherein a container containing a drug is withdrawn
from a source of drugs, wherein the container has thereon a set of
one or more storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia
identifying the drug, the method comprising: [0010] a) providing a
reader/indicia-generating device including a storage container
reader and an indicia-generating device at the point of care of a
patient, wherein the storage container reader is configured to read
the set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia and wherein the indicia-generating device
is configured to generate a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying the drug,
based on the set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia; [0011] b) causing, the
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia to be read by
the storage container reader so that the storage container
reader/indicia-generating device prepares the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia; [0012] c) transferring
the drug into the drug delivery container from the container; and
[0013] d) applying the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia to the drug delivery
container.
[0014] In a second aspect, the invention relates to a system for
tracking drugs during a transfer and administering process. The
system includes a storage container reader that is configured to
read a set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia positioned on a container containing a
drug. The set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia identifies the drug. The system further
includes an indicia-generating device that is configured to
generate a drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying
the drug based on the storage-container-associated machine-readable
indicia. The set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
indicia includes a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia.
[0015] In a third aspect, the invention relates to a system for
tracking drugs during a transfer and administering process to
reduce labeling errors that can occur during that process. The
system includes a storage container reader that is configured to
read a set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia positioned on a container containing a
drug. The set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia identifies the drug. The system further
includes an indicia-generating device that is configured to
generate a drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying
the drug based on the storage-container-associated machine-readable
indicia. The set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
indicia includes a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia. The
system further includes a drug delivery container reader, wherein
the drug delivery container reader is configured to read the set of
one or more drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable
indicia. The system further includes a processing unit that
generates an output signal corresponding to the drug based on the
set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
machine-readable indicia. The system further includes an output
device that outputs a user-comprehensible output identifying the
drug based on the output signal from the processing unit.
[0016] In a fourth aspect, the invention relates a method for
tracking drugs during a transfer and administering process, wherein
a drug is transferred from a storage container to a drug delivery
container, and wherein a container containing a drug is withdrawn
from a source of drugs, wherein the container has thereon a set of
one or more storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia
identifying the drug, the method comprising: [0017] a) providing a
storage container reader and a controller at the point of care of a
patient, wherein the storage container reader is configured to read
the set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia and wherein the controller is configured
to generate an output signal to control the output of a set of one
or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying the
drug, based on the set of one or more storage-container-associated
machine-readable indicia; and [0018] b) causing the
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia to be read by
the storage container reader to cause an output signal to be
generated to control the output of the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia.
[0019] In another aspect, the invention relates to a system for
reducing certain kinds of errors during a drug transfer process
from a drug container to a drug delivery container, such as a
syringe.
[0020] In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for
reducing certain kinds of errors during a drug transfer process
from a drug container to a drug delivery container, such as a
syringe.
[0021] Other aspects and features of the present invention will
become apparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon
review of the following description of the specific embodiments of
the invention.
[0022] In another aspect, the invention is directed to a label
adapted for color coding the drug content of drug delivery
container, for example a syringe, the label comprising a plurality
of different colored regions, corresponding in a full set or subset
of different colors belonging to a color-based drug identification
or coding standard, for example a color coding standard for classes
of drugs. The label may be constituted to be best used with a
particular printing technology for example thermal or laser
printers. Such a label may be provided on sheets or rolls that are
adapted to be advanced area by area e.g. row by row, or sheet by
sheet by the printer for which they are designed so that the labels
can be printed singly or in groups, optionally using technology
that prevent smudging, for example using laser or thermal printers.
Such colored regions are sized and positioned to be overprinted,
for example with a printer, optionally a one or two color capable
printer, optionally a printer that prints only in dark color e.g.
black, to neutralize or make uniform (e.g. by masking, partially or
completely), all colors but the one particular color that
corresponds to the drug or class of drug that identifies the drug
content of the drug delivery container. In this way this particular
color stands out and suitably represents the correct color coding
of the label in accordance with the standard. The color region that
stands out may have a particular hatching additionally printed
thereon to more particularly identify the drug. In another related
aspect the invention is directed to label so masked with at least
one unmasked original color region corresponding per the standard
to the drug content (e.g. class) remaining unmasked, this latter
region optionally hatched. In another related aspect the invention
is directed to a method of color coding a drug delivery container
comprising the steps of providing a label that is pre-printed with
colored regions as aforesaid and printing thereon a color that
masks all the regions except for the at least one region bearing
the color that identifies the drug or class of drug as per the
standard. The aforesaid method may include the further step of
applying the printed label to the drug delivery container. When
used with a set of labels adhered to a backing (rolled or in a
sheet), this method enables drug delivery containers to be
color-coded, label by label, using an indicia generating device at
the point of care. Alternatively, the label may be provided,
pre-affixed (to the drug delivery container) and the printing
(color-masking and optionally hatch-marking) step may be carried
out directly on the container label. The term "pre-affixed", as
used herein broadly contemplates methods of applying these regions
of color onto the material of the drug-delivery container (other
than by applying a separate label) by "printing" these regions
directly onto this material and the invention is directed to a drug
delivery container with such applied color regions as well as
containers further printed with color-masking printed matter which
isolates the drug identification color as per the standard as
described above and optionally hatch marks. Color-coded labels or
drug-delivery containers as aforesaid may further comprise other
machine and/or human readable indicia of content and other useful
information as described herein. In one embodiment of the
invention, the additional indicia are a machine readable code, for
example, a bar code that operates with a method or system for
tracking drugs during an administering process or during a transfer
and administering process (as defined above) the system including a
drug delivery container reader that is configured to read the
machine-readable indicia and a speaker to announce indicia borne
information pertaining to the identity of the drug comprising the
name of the drug.
[0023] In a more general aspect, the invention is directed to
method or system for tracking drugs during an administering process
or during a combined transfer and administering process in which
labeled drug delivery containers, whether color coded or not,
bearing machine readable indicia (and optionally other indicia, for
example, meaningful human-readable letters, symbols or words in a
language of choice) pertaining to the drug content are audibly
sounded. Using the system or carrying out the method comprises the
step of passing the drug delivery container in proximity to a
reader and listening to a speaker used to announce indicia borne
information pertaining to the identity of the drug comprising the
name of the drug. By audibly sounding the information borne by the
machine readable indicia comprising at least the name of drug the
drug's identity may be confirmed immediately prior to
administration.
[0024] The color coding aspect of the invention may be integrated
as part of any method or system of tracking drugs identified herein
and reader/indicia generating device contemplated herein.
[0025] Accordingly, for example, in one embodiment, the invention
is directed to a method for tracking drugs during an administering
process, the method comprising: [0026] a) providing an
indicia-generating device at the point of care of a patient,
wherein the indicia-generating device is configured to generate a
set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia
identifying the drug including a color code; [0027] b) causing the
indicia-generating device to prepare a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia including a color code;
and wherein the indicia generating device generates a color code by
overprinting regions of different color pre-printed on a label to
mask those regions except for the region of color corresponding to
identity of the drug.
[0028] Accordingly, for example, in one embodiment, the invention
is directed to a method for tracking drugs during a transfer and
administering process, wherein a drug is transferred from a storage
container to a drug delivery container, and wherein a container
containing a drug is withdrawn from a source of drugs, wherein the
container has thereon a set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia identifying
the drug, the method comprising: [0029] a) providing a storage
container reader and an indicia-generating device at the point of
care of a patient, wherein the storage container reader is
configured to read the set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia and wherein
the indicia-generating device is configured to generate a set of
one or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia identifying
the drug including a color code, based on the set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia; [0030] b)
causing the storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia
to be read by the storage container reader so that the
indicia-generating device prepares the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia including a color code;
and wherein the indicia generating device generates a color code by
overprinting regions of different color pre-printed on a label to
mask those regions except for the region of color corresponding to
identity of the drug.
[0031] Optionally, the colored regions correspond to a standard for
identifying classes of drugs. Optionally, the standard includes
indicia comprising hatch marks. Optionally, the indicia generating
device applies hatch marks to the unmasked colored region
corresponding to the identity of the drug or class of drug.
Optionally the indicia generating device prepares a separate label
for application to the drug delivery container. Optionally the
label is directly printed onto the drug delivery container.
Alternatively the label is a separate label pre-affixed to the
container. In either and the indicia generating device may prints
the drug-delivery-container-associated indicia directly on the drug
delivery container.
[0032] Optionally, for example, the method or system may comprise
one or more the following additional steps: [0033] c) transferring
the drug into the drug delivery container from the container; and
[0034] d) providing a drug delivery container reader at the point
of care of a patient, wherein the reader is configured to read the
set of one or more delivery-container-associated machine-readable
indicia; [0035] f) causing the delivery-container-associated
machine-readable indicia to be read by the reader; and [0036] g)
providing an output device that outputs a user-comprehensible
output, for example, a speaker for generating audibly sounded drug
identity information corresponding to the
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia.
[0037] The storage container reader and the drug delivery container
reader may be one in the same component so that step e) is
superfluous, having been accomplished in step a).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] For a better understanding of the present invention, and to
show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will
now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, which
illustrate aspects of embodiments of the present invention and in
which:
[0039] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system for tracking drugs
during a transfer and administering process in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention;
[0040] FIG. 2 is a flow-chart illustrating a method for tracking
drugs during a transfer and administering process according to
another embodiment of the invention; and
[0041] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a system for tracking drugs
during a transfer and administering process in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention.
[0042] FIG. 4a is a schematic representation of a colored label for
a drug delivery container adapted for over-printing with black
print to select a color;
[0043] FIG. 4b shows the label in FIG. 4a over-printed with black
to color code the contents of a drug delivery container with a
color region of the label that is not over-printed;
[0044] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a window appearing
on a screen of a computer monitor illustrating information that may
appear on the screen when a label is scanned.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0045] Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows a system 10 for
tracking drugs during a drug transfer and administering process in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Drug
transfer may also be referred to as drug repackaging.
[0046] In many environments, such as an operating room, a recovery
room and a critical care room, a drug 26 is transferred from a
storage container 24 to a drug delivery container 14, such as a
syringe 15. The system 10 permits the applying of a set of one or
more drug identification indicia 40 on the drug delivery container
14 with a reduced degree of error over some prior art systems and
methods.
[0047] The system 10 includes a reader/indicia-generating device 12
and optionally further includes a drug delivery container reader
16, a processing unit 18, and an output device 20. The
reader/indicia-generating device 12 is used to read a set of one or
more storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia 22 that
are present on the drug storage container 24. The
reader/indicia-generating device 12 outputs a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated drug identification indicia 40
that is applied to the drug delivery container 14, wherein the set
of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40 is
based on the storage-container-associated machine-readable drug
identification indicia 22.
[0048] The reader/indicia-generating device 12 includes a storage
container reader 30, a controller 31 and an indicia-generating
device 32. The storage container reader 30 is configured to read a
set of one or more storage-container-associated machine-readable
indicia 22 positioned on the drug storage container 24. The
storage-container-associated machine-readable drug identification
indicia 22 identify the drug 26 contained in the container 24. The
set of one or more storage-container-associated machine-readable
drug identification indicia 22 may be any suitable type of indicia,
such as, for example, a bar-code, a numeric code or text. It is
possible that the set may include as few as a single indicium
22.
[0049] The storage-container-associated machine-readable drug
identification indicia 22 may be provided on the storage container
24 in any suitable way. For example, the
storage-container-associated machine-readable drug identification
indicia 22 may be present as indicia directly on the storage
container 24 itself, or may be provided on a label 34 that is
associated with the storage container 24 (i.e. connected to the
container 24 in any suitable way). Alternatively, the
storage-container-associated machine-readable drug identification
indicia 22 may be provided on an electronic ID device that is
associated with the storage container 24 (i.e. connected to the
container 24 in any suitable way). For example, the identification
indicia 22 could be provided on an RF-ID tag, or could be provided
on an ID chip that stores the indicia 22 and transmits them in the
form of signals that are received by the storage container reader
30.
[0050] The storage-container-associated machine-readable drug
identification indicia 22 may be part of a set of one or more
storage-container-associated indicia 36 on the storage container 24
that may also include a set of one or more
storage-container-associated user-readable indicia 38, which
identifies the drug 26 in a way that is readable by a person. For
example, the storage-container-associated user-readable indicia 38
may simply be text. It is possible that the set may include as few
as a single indicium 38.
[0051] It will be appreciated that in some instances, the same
indicia may be readable by both a user and by a machine. For
example, if the set of one or more storage-container-associated
user-readable indicia 38 is made up of text, the text may also be
readable by an appropriate type of container reader 30.
Accordingly, the text may also serve as the
storage-container-associated machine-readable drug identification
indicia 22.
[0052] The storage container reader 30 may be any suitable reading
device that is capable of reading the storage-container-associated
machine-readable drug identification indicia 22. For example, the
storage container reader 30 may be a bar-code reader in an
embodiment wherein the set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable drug identification
indicia 22 is a bar code. Preferably, in embodiments wherein the
set of one or more storage-container-associated machine-readable
drug identification indicia 22 is a bar code, the storage container
reader 30 is a linear laser scanner type of bar code reader. This
type of bar code reader is capable of reading bar codes which are
high-density and/or small, which may, for example, be present on
smaller drug ampules.
[0053] Alternatively, in embodiments wherein the identification
indicia 22 are provided electronically by means of an RF-ID tag or
in some other electronic form on a chip, the storage container
reader 30 may be a suitable receiver for receiving signals from the
RF-ID tag or ID chip or other electronic ID device.
[0054] More specifically, in embodiments wherein the storage
container reader 30 is a bar-code reader, it may be a linear imager
scanner type of barcode reader.
[0055] The controller 31 receives from the reader 30 a signal
relating to the storage-container-associated machine-readable
indicia 22. The controller 31 generates and transmits an output
signal by any suitable means to the indicia-generating device 32 to
control the output of the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40. The output signal
may be sent via a suitable conduit 41, such as an electrical wire.
Alternatively, the output signal may be sent wirelessly by any
suitable wireless means.
[0056] The indicia-generating device 32 is configured to generate
the set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia
40 which identify the drug 26, based on the
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia 22. The set
of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40 may
include a set of one or more drug-delivery-container-associated
machine-readable drug identification indicia 42, such as, for
example, a bar code. It is possible that the set may include as few
as a single indicium 42. Additionally or alternatively the
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40 may include a set of
one or more drug-delivery-container-associated user-readable drug
identification indicia 44, such as text. It is possible that the
set may include as few as a single indicium 44.
[0057] It will be appreciated that in some instances, the same
indicia may be readable by both a user and by a machine. For
example, if the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated user-readable indicia 44 is made
up of text, the text may be text may be readable by an appropriate
type of drug delivery container reader 16. Accordingly, the text
may also serve as the drug-delivery-container-associated
machine-readable drug identification indicia 42.
[0058] The indicia-generating device 32 may provide the drug
identification indicia 40 on a drug delivery container label 28,
which is applied to the drug delivery container 14. The
indicia-generating device 32 may be, for example, a printer 46 with
a feed mechanism 48 for printing and advancing a drug delivery
container label 28. The printer 46 could be, for example, an inkjet
printer or some other suitable type of printer. The drug delivery
container label 28 may be a self-adhesive label that can be removed
from a backing paper and applied to the drug delivery container
14.
[0059] The printer 46 could also print the label 28 in such a way
as to colour code the label 28 to indicate the class of drug 26
contained in the drug delivery container 14. Some hospitals require
such colour coding to provide a general indication to the user that
the drug contained in the delivery container 14 is a stimulant, or
a depressant, or some other class of drug 26. Such color coding may
be mandated or recommended by certain professional regulatory
bodies, for example the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Color coding can serve to quickly flag the user that the drug is of
a certain class even if the user does not take the time to read any
text that might be present on the label 28.
[0060] The printer 46 may be any suitable type of printer. For
example, the printer 46 may advantageously be a thermal printer or
a laser printer, as these technologies are less likely to result in
smudging of the printed indicia 40 during handling of the drug
delivery container 14 in embodiments wherein the indicia 40 are
printed on labels 28. To maintain a compact size, the printer 46
prints in only a single colour, such as black, or white.
[0061] In order to provide the aforementioned colour coding on the
label 28 when the printer 46 is capable of printing only a single
colour, such as black, the printer 46 may use labels 28 such as
that shown in FIG. 4a. The label 28 shown in FIG. 4a has
pre-printed thereon a plurality of coloured regions 300, with each
coloured region 300 being a unique colour. Thus, by way of example
only, the region shown at 300a may be yellow, the region 300b may
be blue, the region 300c may be pink, the region 300d may be green,
the region 300e may be red and the region 300f may be brown,
whereby each colour indicates a particular class of drug. Referring
to FIG. 4b, when printing the label 28 with the indicia 40, the
printer 46 could print over all of the regions 300 that do not
represent the class of the drug identified on the label 28, thereby
leaving exposed only the coloured region (which is 300d in the
example shown in FIG. 4b) that does represent the class of the
drug. In this way the printer 46 provides colour coding
representation for the class of the drug 26 without having to be
capable of colour printing. The one or more printed-over regions
are shown at 302, and may be considered to be a type of
user-readable indicia 44 which identify the drug 26 at least
somewhat (i.e. the drug's class).
[0062] It is preferable, though not necessary for the colour in
which the printer 46 prints to be different than the colours that
are present in the colour-coding regions 300. This may be
less-confusing to the person who reviews the label afterwards to
see what class of drug 26 is contained in the drug delivery
container 14.
[0063] In an alternative embodiment, the indicia-generating device
32 may be a printing device that prints directly on the drug
delivery container 14. In such an embodiment, the drug delivery
container 14 may be held in a suitable cradle (not shown) adjacent
the indicia-generating device 32. Printing directly on the drug
delivery container 14 would save a step in the procedure, thereby
saving time. This can be particularly useful in some environments,
such as in an operating room environment in order to save time.
[0064] The reader/indicia-generating device 12 may include several
other optional items, such as a keypad 50, a display 52 and a
speaker 304. The keypad 50 permits the user to input information
relating to the anesthesiologist and/or the doctor and/or the
patient, shown at 55 in FIG. 1. The display 52 permits the user to
see what has been inputted via the keypad 50 and/or other
information.
[0065] The speaker 304 may provide audio output identifying the
drug 26. Thus, when the storage container 24 is scanned, the name
of the drug 26 may be said through the speaker 304. A user who may
have inadvertently brought the wrong storage container 24 to be
scanned would therefore receive a verbal indication of what the
drug 26 container therein is. The display 52 may also serve the
purpose of indicating to the user the drug 26 that has been
scanned, however, it is possible for the user to proceed to print
the label 28 without paying attention to the display 52, whereas
verbal indication of the drug 26 using the speaker 304 is heard by
the user regardless of where the user's attention is.
[0066] In embodiments wherein the patient 55 is identified to the
reader/indicia-generating device 12 (e.g. by entering the patient's
MRN (medical record number) into the device 12), the
reader/indicia-generating device 12 may be provided with
patient-specific warning capability. For example, the device 12 may
verbally indicate the name of the patient 55 and request that the
user confirm that that is the correct patient. This is useful in
embodiments when the user enters only an MRN for the patient,
instead of the patient's name. As another example, the
reader/indicia-generating device 12 may connect with the patient
management system 400 of the patient care facility. Each storage
container 24 that is scanned by the device 12 may be checked by the
device 12, or by the patient management system 400, to verify one
or more of the following conditions: whether there are any
potentially harmful interactions with any of the other drugs that
the patient 55 may currently be taking; whether there are any
potentially harmful interactions with any of the other drugs that
have been scanned into the device 12 for the patient 55, that the
patient 55 is expected to receive shortly and whether the patient
55 is allergic to the drug 26. If the device 12 or patient
management system 400 detects a problem (e.g. the patient's record
indicates that he/she is allergic to the scanned drug 26), then the
device 12 may issue an audible and/or visual warning.
[0067] Another condition that the device 12, or the patient
management system 400, may check is whether the scanned drug 26 is
unexpected for the patient 55, given the patient care facility's
schedule for the patient. For example, if the patient is not
expected in surgery, the device 12 may issue a warning in the event
that the user scans a container 24 that contains an anaesthetic
drug or some other drug generally associated with surgery.
[0068] In general, if the device 12 issues a warning regarding a
particular drug 26, the device 12 may be provided with the
capability to receive information identifying the user to
authenticate the user and permit the user to override the warning
and permit the use of the drug. For example, the user may present
the device's reader 30 with a bar-code that identifies him/her. The
bar-code may be provided on an identification tag that is carried
by the user.
[0069] Under selected conditions, the device 12 could be made not
to print a label 28. For example, the device 12 may be programmed
to not print a label 28 under any of the aforementioned conditions,
if a user fails to authenticate themselves and override the
warning.
[0070] In embodiments wherein patient information (e.g. patient
name) is inputted to the reader/indicia-generating device 12, e.g.
by means of the keypad 50, some or all of this information may be
outputted from the indicia-generating device 32 as indicia for
appearing on the drug delivery container 14.
[0071] Additionally or alternatively, other information may also be
outputted from the indicia-generating device 32 for appearance on
the drug delivery container 14. For example, the date and time of
transfer of the drug 26 from the storage container 24 to the drug
delivery container 14 may be outputted as indicia on the drug
delivery container 14. This assists the user in deciding whether or
not the drug 26 has been stored for an unsuitable length of time in
the drug delivery container 14 and should be discarded.
[0072] The reader/indicia-generating device 12 may be positioned
proximate where the drug delivery container 14 will be prepared.
For example, in an operating room environment, the
reader/indicia-generating device 12 may be positioned on the work
surface of a drug storage cart, shown at 55 in FIG. 1.
[0073] The drug delivery container reader 16 is configured to read
the drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable drug
identification indicia 42 and to transfer that information to the
processing unit 18. In some embodiments, the drug delivery
container reader 16 may be optimized to read the
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia 42
relatively quickly, permitting the user to administer the drug 26
relatively quickly. For example, in an operating room environment,
the drug delivery container 14 may be one or another form of
syringe 15, and the indicia 42 may be a barcode or the like.
[0074] To some extent, the indicia 42 on the syringe 15 could be
made to not vary significantly in size and orientation from syringe
to syringe. Thus, the drug delivery container reader 16 could be
optimized to read those indicia 42 relatively quickly and
predictably for a given orientation of the syringe 15. Time
efficiency in certain environments, such as an operating room
environment, can be important, since speed of administering a drug
may be important for the well-being, or indeed the survival, of a
patient 55.
[0075] It has been found that an orbital laser scanner type of
bar-code reader operates relatively well as the drug delivery
container reader 42 and is capable of reading the bar-code on a
syringe over a variety of orientations of the syringe. Thus, the
user may be able to easily and quickly scan the syringe 15 so as
not to unduly delay the administering of the drug 26 to the patient
55.
[0076] The processing unit 18 processes the information and outputs
relevant output signals to one or more output devices 20. The
output devices 20 may include an audio output device 56, such as a
speaker, and/or a visual output device 58, such as a screen. With
the visual output device 58, the user passes the
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia 42
within range of the drug delivery container reader 16 and the
processing unit 18 outputs user-comprehensible drug information on
the display 58. By reviewing the drug information that is
displayed, the user can easily discern whether the drug to be
administered is correct. Optionally, other information can also be
displayed, such as patient information.
[0077] In some embodiments of the system 10, the user may enter
some identification of the patient 55 to the processing unit 18
prior to scanning the drugs 26 to be delivered to the patient 55.
The identification of the patient 55 may be made any suitable way,
such as by typing in the patient's MRN or name using a keyboard
510.
[0078] In embodiments with the audio output device 56, the user can
pass the drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable
indicia 42 within range of the drug delivery container reader 16,
and the audio output device 56 outputs user-comprehensible drug
information (e.g. drug name) audially. The advantage to using an
audio output device 56 is that the user is not required to actively
take a moment to look at a screen to receive the information;
instead the user can be passive or can be involved in some other
action, such as positioning the drug delivery container 14 for drug
release, and can still receive the drug information.
[0079] In embodiments wherein the system 10 can access the
patient's electronic medical record (EMR) from a medical
information system 400, the audio and/or visual output devices 56
and 58 may be used to warn the user of a problem with the drug 26
that is scanned at the reader 16. For example, the processing unit
18 can issue a warning by means of one or both of the audio and
visual output devices 56 and 58 of one or more of the following
conditions: the scanned drug 26 may have a harmful interaction with
one or more drugs that the patient 55 is taking; the scanned drug
26 may have a harmful interaction with one or more of the drugs 26
just administered or about to be administered to the patient (if
such information is stored by the medical information 400 or the
processing unit 18); the scanned drug 26 may cause an allergic
reaction in the patient 55; the scanned drug 26 is not among the
list of drugs that the patient 55 is expected to receive during the
present procedure (if such information is stored by the medical
information 400 or the processing unit 18); the scanned drug 26 is
not the expected next drug 26 in the list of drugs 26 that the
patient 55 is expected to receive during the present procedure (if
such information is stored by the medical information 400 or the
processing unit 18); and the scanned drug 26 is for a different
patient than the patient undergoing the present procedure (if such
information is present on the label 28). It will be noted that for
some of these conditions to be checked, the processing unit 18 need
not access the patient's EMR.
[0080] The drug delivery container reader 16 is preferably
positioned proximate the drug delivery area. For example, it may be
positioned proximate the head of the patient 55 in an operating
room environment, as shown in FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that,
in an operating room environment, the drug delivery container
reader 16 may be positioned in a `dirty` area of the room and the
storage container reader 30 may be positioned in a `clean` area of
the room. Thus, the storage container reader 30 and the drug
delivery container reader 16 may be two distinct devices.
[0081] Reference is made to FIG. 2, which shows a method 100 for
tracking drugs during a repackaging and administering process. The
method 100 includes step 102, which is withdrawing a storage
container 24 (FIG. 1) containing a drug 26 from a source of drugs,
such as the drug storage cart 54, wherein the storage container. 24
has thereon the storage-container-associated machine-readable
indicia 22 identifying the drug 26.
[0082] The method 100 (FIG. 2) further includes step 104, which is
providing a storage container reader/indicia-generating device
including a storage container reader, such as, for example, the
storage container reader 30 (FIG. 1), and an indicia-generating
device, such as, for example the indicia-generating device 32. The
storage container reader is configured to read the
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia 22
identifying a drug 26 and wherein, the indicia-generating device 32
is configured to generate a set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40 which identify the
drug 26 and which are based on the received container-associated
machine-readable indicia 22.
[0083] The method 100 (FIG. 2) further includes step 106 which is
passing the storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia
22 (FIG. 1) within range of the storage container reader 30 so that
the container reader/indicia-generating device reads the indicia 22
and the controller generates an output signal relating to the
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40. At step 107, (FIG.
2) the drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40 are generated.
At step 108 (FIG. 2) the drug 26 (FIG. 1) is transferred into the
drug delivery container 14 from the storage container 24. At step
110 (FIG. 2), the indicia 40 (FIG. 1) are applied to the drug
delivery container 14. In some embodiments, such as those where a
label 28 is generated by the indicia-generating device, the indicia
40 are applied to the drug delivery container 14 after they are
generated by the indicia-generating device 32. In other
embodiments, the indicia 40 may be applied directly to the drug
delivery container 14 by the indicia-generating device, so that
step 108 (FIG. 2) occurs at the same time as the indicia 40 (FIG.
1) are generated.
[0084] It will be understood that step 110 (applying indicia 42 to
the drug delivery container 14) need not take place after step 108
(transferring drug 26 into the drug delivery container 14). For
example, in an embodiment wherein the indicia-generating device 32
is configured to print the indicia 40 directly on the drug delivery
container 14, the indicia 40 may be applied as soon as the storage
container 24 is passed in range of the storage container reader 30
which may occur while the storage container 24 still contains the
drug 26.
[0085] However, in an embodiment wherein a label 28 is generated by
the indicia-generating device 32, the drug delivery container 14,
such as a syringe 15, the user may scan the storage container 24,
fill the drug delivery container 14, and then apply the label 28 to
the drug delivery container 14, in that order. It is conceivable,
however, that the user could scan the storage container 24, apply
the label 28 to the drug delivery container 14, and then fill the
drug delivery container 14. It is alternatively conceivable, that
the user could fill the drug delivery container 14 from the storage
container 24, then scan the storage container 24 and then apply the
label 28 (or directly apply the indicia 40) to the drug delivery
container 14.
[0086] At step 111, the drug 26 is administered to the patient 55.
The administering of the drug 26 may take place in any number of
suitable ways.
[0087] Several of the steps of the method 100 may be provided by
different people. For example, it is possible that the person who
withdraws the storage container 24 from the source of drugs 54 may
be different than the person who administers the drug 26 to the
patient 55 and may be different than the person who causes the
storage-container-associated machine-readable indicia 22 to be
read, who causes the indicia-generating device 32 to generate the
drug-delivery-container-associated indicia 40 and who transfers the
drug 26 to the drug delivery container 14. Accordingly, the method
100 in one embodiment is contemplated to encompass the
aforementioned steps of causing the reading of the indicia 22,
causing the indicia 40 to be generated and transferring the drug to
the drug delivery container 14.
[0088] The method 100 (FIG. 2) may take place advantageously at the
point of care of the patient 55 (FIG. 1). By practicing the method
100 (FIG. 2) at the point of care, the drug 26 (FIG. 1) is expected
to be administered to the patient 55 relatively soon after being
transferred into the drug delivery container 14, for example,
within an hour, or even within a few minutes of being transferred
into the drug delivery container 14. As a result, the drug 26 is
less likely to expire during storage in the drug delivery container
14. It is also less likely to become contaminated with
micro-bacteria from the environment, or to become contaminated with
chemicals from the drug delivery container 14 itself. For example,
in some prior art situations where a drug is held in a syringe for
a long period of time, chemicals that are present as part of a
syringe can leach into the drug contained in the syringe. For
example, chemicals present in the material of the body of the
syringe, the plunger and/or the plunger seal can leach into the
drug in some situations if the drug is stored too long in the
syringe. These chemicals can have an adverse effect on the patient
55 in the event that the patient is allergic or otherwise reactive
to them. By keeping the storage time of the drug 26 in the syringe
15 relatively short, the risk of introducing unwanted chemicals
into the drug 26 is relatively low.
[0089] The method 100 (FIG. 2) may include further steps prior to
step 111 (the administration of the drug 26 to the patient 55):
Step 112 is providing a drug delivery container reader, such as the
drug delivery container 16 (FIG. 1), at the point of care of the
patient 55. At step 114 (FIG. 2) a processing unit, such as the
processing unit 18 (FIG. 1) is provided. At step 116 (FIG. 2) an
output device, such as either (or both) of the output devices 56 or
58 shown in FIG. 1 is provided, at the point of care of the patient
55. At step 118 (FIG. 2) the set of one or more
drug-delivery-container-associated machine-readable indicia 42
(FIG. 1) is passed within range of the drug delivery container
reader 16 to generate the user-comprehensible output signal on the
output device 20.
[0090] Using the system 10 does not by itself prevent the user from
introducing the wrong drug 26 to the drug delivery container 14.
However, by using the system 10, and in particular the
reader/indicia-generating device 12, the indicia 40 on the drug
delivery container 14 corresponds to the drug 26 in the drug
delivery container 14 and corresponds to the drug identification
indicia 22 on the storage container 24.
[0091] Using the system 10, it is nonetheless possible for the user
(a doctor) to withdraw the wrong drug storage container 24 from the
source of .box-solid. drugs 54, to fill a drug delivery container
14 with it and to administer that drug 26 to the patient. In the
event that the patient 55 reacts unexpectedly to the drug 26 given,
however, the user can check on the screen 58 what the drug 26 given
was, so that appropriate corrective measures can be taken.
[0092] This contrasts with some situations of the prior art where
the drug delivery container 14 is mislabeled by the user such that
it contains a different drug than that which its label indicates.
For example, in such a prior art situation, the label may indicate
that the correct drug is contained in a syringe, but the syringe in
fact contains the wrong drug. When the patient 55 reacts
unexpectedly to the drug 26, there is a strong possibility that the
doctor would not think that the drug is the cause and then may not
take appropriate action to stabilize the patient 55, which could
lead to harm or to loss of life of the patient 55.
[0093] The system 10, and optionally the reader/indicia-generating
device 12 by itself, can be used in other environments than in the
operating room. For example, in a critical care environment (e.g. a
recovery area for patients who have undergone surgery or some other
treatment, intensive care unit or an emergency care unit), a drug
26 is administered to a patient 55 by withdrawing a drug storage
container 24 from a source of drugs, such as a cabinet or cart 54
that is near the patient 55 (i.e. at the point of care), and
preparing an appropriate drug delivery container 14, such as a
syringe 15, with the drug 26.
[0094] Sometimes during such a procedure, the person (e.g. a nurse)
administering the drug 26 has to put down the syringe 15 during the
manual preparation of the syringe label to attend to the patient 55
unexpectedly. When returning to the drug delivery container
preparation area, the nurse may come to realize that there is more
than one syringe 15 in the preparation area, and is now no longer
certain as to which syringe 15 contains which drug ,26. By having
the reader/indicia-generating device 12 print the drug delivery
container indicia 40 automatically, the procedure is hastened so
that the nurse is more likely to be able to apply the indicia 40 to
the syringe 15 or other drug delivery container 14 without
interruption by an unexpected need to attend to the patient 15.
[0095] In such an environment, there is no need to have a storage
container reader 30 and a drug delivery container reader 16 that
are separate from each other. Accordingly, a system 10' shown in
FIG. 3, includes a single reader 122 which serves as both the
storage container reader and the drug delivery container reader.
Additionally, in such an integrated system 10', the optional
display 52 may not be needed if there is present the optional
visual output device 58. The system 10' may otherwise be similar to
the system 10 (FIG. 1).
[0096] It has been stated that some of the above described
components are advantageously present at the point of care of the
patient 55. Being at the point of care of the patient 55 is not
limited to meaning immediately adjacent the patient 55. It refers
more to being proximate the patient 55. This may in some situations
mean being at a nurses station on the same floor of the facility in
which the patient is present. It may in some situations mean being
in the same room as the patient 55. It may in some situations mean
being in the same building as the patient 55. It is, in any case,
beneficial for the drug delivery container 14 to be scanned (in
embodiments containing a drug delivery container reader 16)
proximate the patient 55, just prior to administration of the drug
26 to the patient 55 so as to reduce the likelihood that the drug
delivery container 14 will be put down by the nurse, doctor or
other user between the drug delivery container scanning step and
the drug administering step.
[0097] In order to update a patient's EMR, a user of some prior art
systems must have the record open for that patient, and must enter
the drug name, the drug dosage and the time that the drug was
administered if available. In many situations, many drugs must be
provided to the patient 55 within a relatively short period of
time, however. Due to time constraints, the user may opt to give
the patient 55 doses of several drugs 26 and may reconstruct the
drug delivery history afterwards when time is more available. In
general, however, this can lead to a loss of accuracy of some
information with some prior art systems. For example, when
reconstructing the drug delivery history after a procedure such as
surgery, the user may forget which drugs and what dosages were
administered to the patient 55. Additionally, the user may not
remember accurately the time at which each of the drugs 26 were
delivered.
[0098] In general, when trying to reconstruct a drug delivery
history, it may be easier for a user to recall dosages given when
they are prompted with the names of the drugs given, than it is for
the user to remember all the drugs and the associated dosages.
[0099] Thus the patient's medical record might be more accurate if
at least the drug names could be entered into the EMR and then the
user would only have to remember the dosages given later on when
reconstructing the drug delivery history. Some prior art systems,
however, require the user to entering the drug name manually via
keyboard, which can be a time consuming and error prone task,
thereby inhibiting the user from doing so at the time of drug
delivery. Furthermore, some prior art EMR systems prevent the user
from simply entering the names of drugs delivered to the patient
without also entering other information such as dosage and time of
delivery along with it, which slows down the drug entry process
even further when coupled with the already slow process of manually
entering the drug name with some prior art systems. Therefore, with
some prior art systems, the user is inhibited from entering drug
names during the drug delivery process which could have facilitated
the reconstruction drug delivery history later.
[0100] With the systems 10 and 10', however, the drug names may be
entered into a list automatically when the drugs are scanned at the
drug delivery container reader 16 or 122. The user may then later
review the list and fill in missing information such as the dosages
given, which may be easier to remember when prompted with the drug
names, as noted above. Furthermore, the list may include time
stamps of when the drugs 26 were scanned. This may provide a more
accurate representation of when the drugs 26 were administered than
relying on the user's memory when reconstructing the drug delivery
history afterwards or than simply time stamping the drug delivery
as occurring when the drug entry is made, as is done by some prior
art systems.
[0101] It may also be possible for the user to enter the drug
delivery information into the system during the drug delivery
activity, because the system 10 or 10' simplifies the data entry at
least in some embodiments. For example, each time a drug 26 is
scanned by the reader 16 or 122, the system 10 or 10' may open a
window 500 (see FIG. 5) on the display 58. The window 500 displays
the drug name at 502 and may present a short list of likely
possible values at 504 for the dosage, to choose from for that drug
26 (FIGS. 1 and 3). Thus, the user may simply choose the correct
dosage value 504 (FIG. 5) using a mouse 506 (FIG. 1 or 3), or some
other suitable pointer device. The system 10 or 10' may
automatically time stamp the drug entry, as shown at 508 in FIG. 5,
when the drug 26 (FIG. 1 or 3) was scanned at the reader 16 or 122,
or alternatively when the user enters the dosage information in the
window 500 (presumably immediately after having given the drug 26).
As soon as the dosage information is provided, the system 10 or 10'
could update the patient's EMR with the information. Thus, the
system 10 or 10' would therefore permit the user to enter a drug
into a patient's EMR by simply selecting the dosage of the drug
displayed in the window, potentially with a single mouse click. As
a result of the ease of use and small amount of data that the user
has to enter (i.e. only the dosage), the system 10 or 10' permits
the user, in some situations, to enter the drugs 26 into the
patient's EMR at the time the drugs 26 are given to the patient 55
instead of afterwards. This may reduce the risk that the user
forgets the dosages actually given to the patient 55 when
attempting to reconstruct the drug delivery history afterwards.
Additionally, by time stamping the drug entry when the user enters
the dosage information, the time stamp may be even more accurate
than time stamping the drug entry at the time that the drug 26 is
scanned by the reader 16 or 122, which, as noted above, may itself
be more accurate than relying on the user's memory when trying to
reconstruct a drug delivery history after surgery using some prior
art systems.
[0102] In embodiments wherein the system 10 or 10' opens a window
on the display 58, the system 10 or 10' may close the window after
a selected period of time if the user does not enter the dosage
information, so as not to block information that may be displayed
behind the window, such as a time graph of the patient's heartbeat,
for example.
[0103] The drug delivery container 14 has been described as being a
syringe 15 by way of example only. The drug delivery container 14
may alternatively be another type of device. For example, the drug
delivery container 14 may be a cup for holding a selected quantity
of a drug 26 for consumption by the patient 55. Alternatively, the
drug delivery container 14 may be, for example, a module which is
insertable into a syringe or similar device, wherein the syringe
plunger urges the drug 26 out of the module for delivery to the
patient 55. As another alternative, the drug delivery container 14
may be a syringe that is configured to feed the drug 26 to an
intravenous liquid supply system instead of being configured to
inject the drug into the patient 55.
[0104] It is possible that a system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention could be provided wherein the
indicia-generating device 32 is omitted, such that the system would
include the storage container reader 30 and the controller 31, and
whereby the system would be connectable to an indicia-generating
device provided by the user. In such an embodiment, the system 10
would be used to read a set of one or more
storage-container-associated machine-readable drug identification
indicia 22 and would generate an output signal to control the
output of the indicia-generating device which may be provided by
the user. The connection between the system (and more particularly
the controller 31) and the indicia-generating device may be a wired
connection or a wireless connection.
[0105] In general, with any system for tracking drugs 26, it is
advantageous for the system to identify a potential problem (e.g.
drug allergy) at the earliest possible stage. For example, in
embodiments of the present invention, it is advantageous for the
system 10 or 10' to identify a potential problem (e.g. drug
allergy) in the first stage where the drugs 26 are scanned by the
reader/indicia-generating device 12, rather than identifying a
potential problem in the second stage where the drugs are about to
be administered and are being scanned by the drug delivery
container reader 16. This is because a doctor or other user may be
too caught up in the need to take action with a patient and could
potentially ignore warnings from the system 10 or 10' and
administer a potentially dangerous drug to the patient 55
inadvertently.
[0106] While the above description provides example embodiments, it
will be appreciated that the present invention is susceptible to
modification and change without departing from the fair meaning and
scope of the accompanying claims. Accordingly, what has been
described is merely illustrative of the application of aspects of
embodiments of the invention. Numerous modifications and variations
of the present invention are possible in light of the above
teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope
of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise
than as specifically described herein.
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