Recordation Of Patient Medical Data

Abstract

For use in recording patient medical data including mounting of rectangular prescription forms, the combination comprising A. a relatively stiff, generally rectangular sheet sized to receive sequential application of the forms, B. adhesive sections on the sheet located to adhere to edge portions of the forms, and C. removable protective stripping protectively overlying the adhesive sections to be selectively removed for enabling application and adherence of the forms to the adhesive sections.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the recordation of medical data concerning patients. More specifically, it concerns apparatus for systematically storing information carried by a series of medical prescriptions, in such manner as to provide a rapidly reviewable history of drug authorization for use by the patient, as well as by a group of patients such as a family.

At the present time, ordinary medical prescription forms, each typically listing only one drug, are stored loosely or clipped together by pharmacists. There is little or no organization of such forms in such manner as to enable quick scanning for obtaining a history of a patients' prescribed drug treatment. Also, there is high risk of loss or misplacement of prescription forms. Further, the systematic storage in one place of such forms as concern the members of a family has not been provided for in the unusually advantageous manner as now afforded by the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a major object of the invention to provide a folder system for storing and presenting prescription forms in a manner enabling their quick scanning, the system especially adapted to collection of all forms of a family of patients in one place, i.e. the folder system.

Basically, the invention is embodied in the provision of a relatively stiff, generally rectangular sheet sized to receive sequential application of prescription forms; adhesive sections on the sheet located to adhere to edge portions of the forms; and removable protective stripping or strips protectively overlying the adhesive sections to be selectively removed for enabling application and adherence of the forms to the sections. As will appear, the sheet may be in the form of a folder having inner faces at opposite sides of a central fold; one section of the adhesive may extend generally continuously in a band between top and bottom edges of the sheet to adhere to leftward portions of the forms, and other sections of the adhesive may be discontinuously spaced apart between those sheet edges to removably adhere to rightward portions of the forms; and the protective stripping overlying one section of the adhesive may be defined by successive strips, each corresponding to a prescription form. Also, insert sheets may be placed in the folder, each such insert carrying adhesive sections with protective overlay stripping, as described.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings, in which:

DRAWING DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 are perspective, frontal and sectional views, respectively, as shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the invention, a relatively stiff, generally rectangular sheet is sized to receive sequential application of a series of medical prescription forms. For example, sheet 10 may with unusual advantage have the form of a folder with inner faces 11 and 12 on sheet lateral sections 10a and 10b at opposite side of a longitudinal center fold 13, the faces each adapted to receive rectangular prescription forms which are laterally elongated. One such form 14 with which the sheet 10 is particularly useful, is described in the Journal of the Americaan Medical Association, Volume 216, No. 13, page 2141, June 28, 1971, each such form having space for systematic entry of multiple drug data. Left and right edges of the sheet appear at 15 and 16, and top and bottom edges at 17 and 18.

Further in accordance with the invention, adhesive sections are located on the sheet to adhere to edge portions of the forms for retaining them in sequentially applied relation. In this regard, the adhesive sections may with unusual advantage be so located as to enable sequential partial overlap of the forms, in vertical sequence, as for example is shown in FIG. 1. In that figure, and with reference to face 11, one section 20 of the adhesive extends generally continuously in a band between the top and bottom edges 17 and 18 of the sheet 10, but spaced inwardly at 21 from the left edge 15, to adhere to leftward portions 14a of the forms. Spacing 21 ensures that the leftward edges 22 of the forms will not be directly exposed adjacent the edge 15 of the sheet to which the user applies repeated finger pressure or rubbing in filing, or retrieving the folders. Accordingly, the leftward portions 14a of the forms have firm attachment to the sheet 10a.

Other sections 24 of the adhesive are discontinuously spaced apart between the top and bottom edges of the sheet 10a, to removably adhere to rightward portions 14b of the forms. In the example, adhesive sections 24 are spaced from the rightward corners 14c and 14d of each form, permitting those free corners to be readily lifted by finger pressure to gently remove the form from adherence to the right and left adhesive sections 20 and 24 if desired, as for example during temporary removal of the form from the sheet.

Note that the adhesive sections in the example are so located as to allow partial overlap of the forms arranged in vertically staggered sequence. Thus, each form, except for the top most, has partial overlap at 14e with the lower most portion 14f of the next above form, allowing application of more forms to a sheet while maintaining display of all essential data in the prescription filled horizontal rows indicated at 26, along with patient identifying data in the overlapping upper region 14e of each form. Upper and lower edges of the forms are indicated at 38 and 39.

FIG. 2 also shows the provision of removable protective stripping protectively overlying the adhesive sections to be selectively removed for selective application and adherence of the forms to the adhesive sections as in the relationship shown. For example, protective strips 28 may overlie adhesive sections 24, generally conforming to the size thereof, and provided with loose flaps 28a facilitating pull-off removal. Similarly, strips 29 may overlie the adhesive band 20, with full flaps 29a to facilitate selective removal of those strips. Note that the length of each strip 29 is proximate the width w on a form 14, so that as the forms are to be added to the folder, only the corresponding retaining adhesive need be exposed. Width w is defined between the lower edges of successive forms applied in partially overlapping relation, as shown.

The face 12 of folder section 10b likewise is adapted to receive application of prescription forms as described, with similar adhesive sections 20, 24 and protective stripping 28 and 29. These are located below the general scribed area 30 of the face 12 on which pertinent medical data may be written. The rightward edge extent of the forms 14 applied to face 12, and defined by line 31, is spaced at 32 from the rightward edge 16 of the sheet 10, for reasons discussed above. Also, additional data such a "comments" may be entered in that space.

An additional sheet or sheets 33 may be inserted into the folder, each such sheet having faces corresponding to faces 11 and 12 with the adhesive sections and protective stripping as described.

A usable adhesive is known commercially as Dubl-Stik Tape, a product of Kleenstik Products, Newark, New Jersey.

Claims

I claim:

1. In combination with rectangular medical prescription forms the combination comprising

a. a relatively stiff, generally rectangular sheet sized to receive in a vertical array sequential application of the forms,

b. adhesive sections on the sheet adhering to edge portions of the forms,

c. one section of the adhesive extending generally continuously in a band between top and bottom edges defined by the sheet and adjacent the leftward portion of said sheet to adhere to leftward portions of the forms, and other sections comprised of discrete adhesive segments arranged in a vertical array and parallel to said one band and spaced therefrom a distance slightly less than the length of said prescription forms, said other segmented sections each having a lesser vertical dimension than the width of said prescription forms,

d. removable protective stripping overlying the adhesive sections to be selectively removed for enabling application and adherence of said prescription forms to said adhesive sections,

e. the protective stripping overlaying said one section of the adhesive being defined by a succession of elongated strips having lengths corresponding to prescription form width dimensions, there being one of said other sections of the adhesive spaced rightwardly of only a mid-portion of each of said elongated strips, and

f. the forms extending in successively overlapping relation,

so that by selectively lifting a non-adhered portion of any of said prescription forms, pertinent data on the next adjacent underlying form can be viewed without effecting the arrayed sequence of said forms.