U.S. patent number 3,826,222 [Application Number 05/331,677] was granted by the patent office on 1974-07-30 for unit-dose medication handling system.
Invention is credited to Jerome M. Romick.
United States Patent |
3,826,222 |
Romick |
July 30, 1974 |
UNIT-DOSE MEDICATION HANDLING SYSTEM
Abstract
A system for handling and dispensing pre-packaged unit doses of
medicine for a large number of patients. It includes a dispensing
container which is packed by the pharmacist with unit dose packs
and from which the individual doses are administered to the
patients, for example, by a nurse. The dispensing container has
printed on its exterior, indicia, including coded sections, to
indicate various times and other conditions of administering the
unit doses. A label printed with corresponding indicia is provided
for superimposing on the printed area of the container. By
selective punching, or otherwise, of the label, before mounting on
the container, the said coded section or sections on the container
is exposed when it is so mounted. The exposed coded section or
sections will be readily visible to the nurse to indicate the time
or conditions of administering the dose or doses to a patient.
Inventors: |
Romick; Jerome M.
(Reynoldsburg, OH) |
Family
ID: |
23294898 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/331,677 |
Filed: |
February 12, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/534; 116/200;
235/89R; 116/201; 312/234 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
75/52 (20130101); G09F 3/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
75/52 (20060101); G09F 3/00 (20060101); G09f
009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;116/114R,121 ;235/89R
;221/2 ;206/42 ;312/234,234.1,234.2,234.3,234.4,234.5
;35/17,20 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Capozi; Louis J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mahoney, Miller & Stebens
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
1. A dispensing package assembly for dispensing unitdoses of
medicine, comprising a dispensing container in which a supply of
the doses is contained to be accessible for dispensing, coded
sections on the exterior surface of the container to indicate
certain information useful in dispensing the doses, and a label
applied to the exterior of the container and having code-selecting
areas coinciding with the coded sections thereof which have an
opening or openings selectively formed therein to expose the coded
sections on the container.
2. A dispensing package assembly according to claim 1 in which the
coded sections are in the form of colored areas of various colors
and the code-selecting areas on the label are corresponding areas
which can be punched to provide the selected opening or openings to
expose selected color coding.
3. A dispensing package assembly according to claim 2 in which the
label is adhered to the container and consists of two substantially
identical laminations, the outer one of which is removable to
expose the inner one which still adheres to the container.
4. In combination with the package assembly of claim 3, a re-order
sheet having blank areas to which the removed label lamination is
adhered.
5. A dispensing package assembly according to claim 2 in which the
container is in the form of a box having an end exterior surface on
which the label is disposed, and a tray for receiving a plurality
of the boxes side-by-side with their labelbearing ends exposed and
so that the punched openings of each are readily visible.
6. A dispensing package assembly according to claim 5 in which the
color-coded areas on the respective box ends and the code-selecting
areas of the labels are arranged in one or more vertical columns so
that the vertical position of any punched opening in the label is
also apparent.
7. The method of handling and dispensing unit-doses of medication
which comprises placing the unit-doses in a dispensing container
where they are readily accessible and which has coded sections on
the exterior surface to indicate certain information useful in
dispensing the doses, and applying a label to the exterior of the
container which has coded-selecting areas coinciding with the coded
sections of the container but before applying the label forming in
the code-selecting areas an opening or openings selectively formed
therein to expose the coded sections on the container.
8. The method of claim 2 in which the coded sections are
color-coded areas and the code-selecting areas of the label are
punched to expose the selected area or areas.
9. The method of claim 8 in which the label consists of
substantially duplicate laminations and the outer layer is peeled
off when re-ordering the unit-doses.
10. The method of claim 9 including placing the peeledoff label
lamination on a receiving space of a re-order sheet.
11. The method of claim 8 in which the coded sections are
vertically disposed and the containers are supported in horizontal
rows with the punched labels visible so that the relative positions
of the respective punches can be observed.
12. The method of claim 11 in which each patient is provided with a
tray which supports a plurality of the containers with their labels
visible.
Description
It is well understood that present medication handling systems,
especially for large groups of patients such as in hospitals or
nursing homes, are not ideal. It is desirable to improve these
systems in regard to savings of nursing time, reduction of
possibility of medication error, minimizing medication waste,
greater pharmacy control in dispensing and greater nursing control
in administering. The medication handling system of this invention
provides great improvements in regard to all of these phases.
According to the system of this invention, the medication is
prepared as unit doses in small packs which are packed by the
pharmacist in a dispensing container, preferably in the form of a
box, for an individual patient in accordance with instructions from
a doctor. The box, preferably at one end and by printing, carries
certain indicia including coded sections, preferably in the form of
color-coded areas, which indicate various conditions of
administering the unit doses especially as to time. A label is
provided for adherence to the coded end of the box and has
code-selecting areas thereon, preferably printed, which correspond
to the color-coded areas on the end of the box and upon which the
label is superimposed. The label also preferably has space for
other information such as the name of the patient, room number,
directions, etc. By properly punching the label in the
code-selecting areas, corresponding to the color-coded areas of the
box end, when the label is adhered to the box end, certain selected
color codes will be exposed. These exposed color codes will quickly
indicate visually to the nurse the time for administering to the
patient the successive doses from the individual patient's box or
other factors which should be called to the attention of the
nurse.
The best mode contemplated in carrying out this invention is
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing several trays for
individual patients having several dispensing containers or boxes
disposed in each with coded time-indicating sections exposed for
visual checking by a nurse.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of the dispensing
box packed with the individual dose packs.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a strip of printed labels, each of which
when detached is to be applied to a box of the type shown in FIG.
2.
FIG. 4 is an enlargement of the coded end of the box of FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of one of the labels removed from the
strip of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6--6 through
the label of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the punched label
applied to the code end of the dispensing box.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a reordering signal strip used in the
packed box of FIG. 2.
FIG. 9 is a similar view showing the outer lamination of the label
being removed to expose the inner layer which still adheres to the
box.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of an order sheet to which the removed outer
laminations of the labels may be attached.
With reference to the drawings and especially to FIG. 1, each
patient is provided with an individual medicationpassing tray 15.
In this Figure, there is shown only three trays but usually there
will be many more. The trays may be removably mounted on shelves in
a mobile rack (not shown) which may be wheeled to the rooms of
various patients. Each tray is preferably separated by dividers 16
into outwardly-opening separate pockets or compartments for
receiving the respective unit-dose packing and dispensing boxes 20
of this invention. The boxes can be slipped readily in and out of
the tray pockets. The trays 15 may take any desired specific form
and may be made of any suitable material.
The boxes 20 may be of cardboard and are preferably of elongated
rectangular form, being of considerable depth. They are adapted to
receive the unit-dose packs 25 which may take various forms but, in
the example shown, consist of a series of unit-dose packing
sections 25a joined at readily separable tabs 27 to provide a strip
extending the full length of the box. The strip packs 25 are
superimposed in the box in several layers, the unit-dose sections
of which can be removed successively. The unit-doses may be in
other forms such as separate vials, capsules, envelopes, etc. Each
box 20 preferably has one or more closure flaps 20a at its top side
which can be removed by tearing along the indicated dotted lines.
When the box is packed by the pharmacist, the flaps are closed and
later are opened and removed by the nurse so that the upper side of
the box is completely open to expose the unit doses.
One or both ends of the box 20 is provided with printed indicia
including the coding sections previously mentioned. For example,
the end may have printed thereon, along one side edge, a main
vertical column of coding 22 which may consist of areas of
different colors indicating A.M., Noon, P.M., and H S (bed time).
Another vertical column may be printed at the other edge and
consist of two areas of still different colors indicating other
times or specific requirements of administering doses. An upper
blank space 24 may be provided for the name of the patient and a
lower blank space 26 may be provided for the name of the
medicine.
A strip of labels 30, or separate labels may be provided, the
labels preferably being of the pressure-sensitive adhesive type so
that they can be adhered to the coded ends of the respective boxes.
If in strip form as shown in FIG. 3, they preferably will be
separable along the preforated lines. Each label 30 is shown
enlarged in FIG. 5 adjacent the coded end of the box with which it
may cooperate, which is shown on a similar scale for ready
comparison. Each label is printed with a vertical column 22a of
code-selecting blank areas 22a corresponding to the color-coded
areas 22 of the box end, a vertical column 23a of code-selecting
blank areas corresponding to the color-coded areas 23 of the box
end, a patient's name blank space 24a corresponding to space 24 on
the box end, and a medicine name blank space 26a corresponding to
space 26 on the box end. The label 30 may have an extension 31 with
blank spaces for typing in additional data, such as prescription
number, room number, directions, etc.
The label 30 will have pressure-sensitive adhesive on its back face
so it can be adhered to the end of the box when it is superimposed
thereon so that the label areas 22a, 23a, 24a and 26a, exactly
coincide with the box end areas 22, 23, 24 and 26 directly
therebeneath. The end extension 31 will be wrapped around the side
of the box and be adhered thereto. However, before the label is
applied to the end of the box a selected one or more of the areas
22a is punched as indicated by the punched opening 35 in FIGS. 7
and 9. The reason for this punching will be described in detail
later.
The label 30, as indicated by the sectional view of FIG. 6,
consists of two laminations adhered together by pressuresensitive
adhesive and carrying such adhesive on the rear face, the outer
lamination 30a and the inner lamination 30b, the outer lamination
being separable from the inner by readily peeling it therefrom. The
outer face of the inner lamination 30b is printed exactly the same
as the outer face of the outer lamination, the corresponding areas
being indicated with the same numbers but having the suffix "b."
The double label is such that anything typed on the outer
lamination is duplicated on the inner lamination.
A reorder reminder strip 25a may be provided as indicated in FIG. 8
and will usually be positioned in the packed box 20 over the
lowermost unit dose pack 25 as shown in FIG. 2. An order sheet 40
may also be provided, as shown in FIG. 10, and will have spaces 30c
upon which the peeled label laminations 30a may be mounted, one of
them being shown adhered to the sheet in one of the receiving
spaces.
In the use of this system, a physician's order for a certain
medication for a particular patient is received and is packed as
unit doses in the dispensing box 20. The label 30 is then prepared
with all the required information typed thereon. As previously
explained, the format of the label corresponds precisely with the
format of the coding on the end of the box. The pharmacist punches
the label before it is applied to the end of the box to expose one
or more coded areas depending on what should be signalled to the
nurse when dispensing the doses. The combined use of the coded box
end and the label results in a unit-dose prescription color-keyed
according to the dosage frequency, or other requirements, for
administering the medication. This is effected by (1) the
pharmacist punching out on the label 30 the appropriate positions
designating the times of administering that particular medication
to the individual patient, (2) the pharmacist then placing the
pressure-sensitive label directly over the corresponding format on
the box end, thereby allowing the colors to appear only at the
punched out holes, providing the color-keyed directions for
administering the medication. The packing and dispensing box or
boxes is now ready for delivery to the nursing facility.
When the boxes 20 for the medication are received at the nursing
station, the closure flaps 20a are torn therefrom to completely
open the upper end of the box. Then all of the boxes for a
particular patient are inserted in one of the trays 15 which will
then be disposed on a selected shelf of the mobile cart with the
coded punched ends of the boxes exposed to view by the nurse. When
placed in the trays, the program of administering the unit doses to
a particular patient is automatically established, because the
color coding for each dosage automatically positions itself. The
information provided by the coding is visually signalled to the
nurse in a glance since the color coding for indicating time and
conditions of dosage is exposed at the punched openings 35. Not
only is the color readily visible to the nurse at a glance but is
further made apparent by the standard vertical positioning of each
color. For example, all the A.M. doses color codings of all the
boxes 20 of a particular patient's tray would be along the same
upper horizontal line, etc. Thus, not only color but position is a
signalling factor.
When the doses are removed from a particular box until the reorder
slip 25a is exposed, the outer label lamination 30a is peeled from
the inner lamination 30b as shown in FIG. 9. All the data on the
outer label will also appear on the inner label 30b. The label 30a
is then mounted on the reorder sheet 40 of FIG. 10. This will give
the pharmacist all the information he needs to pack a new box 20
with the proper supply of unit-dose packs 25.
It will be apparent from the above that the unit-dose medication
handling system of this invention assures time-savings, accuracy,
ease and less waste in dispensing medicine. The system actually
programs itself and perpetuates itself without relying on a
constant communication flow between nursing staff and pharmacy
staff to keep the system updated and accurate. All of the
dispensing controls remain with the pharmacist and the
administering controls remain with the nurse.
The system of this invention comprises a package assembly which
includes the dispensing container or box in which the unitdoses are
provided for dispensing, the box having coded sections on its
exterior surface in the form of color or other coding; and a
cooperating label applied to the surface of the box and having
code-selecting areas coinciding with the coded sections which can
be punched or otherwise treated to provide openings which will
expose the selected underlying coding sections.
* * * * *