초록 ▼

An improved medication dispensing system is provided for controlled preprogrammed dispensing of medication to a patient and for creating a retrievable patient medication record. The system includes a dispensing unit located, for example, at patient bedside within a hospital room or the like and adap

An improved medication dispensing system is provided for controlled preprogrammed dispensing of medication to a patient and for creating a retrievable patient medication record. The system includes a dispensing unit located, for example, at patient bedside within a hospital room or the like and adapted to receive a pair of medication canisters having magazines with individual cassettes which have been preloaded in a preprogrammed manner in the hospital pharmacy or the like respectively to contain scheduled and unscheduled medications for administration to the patient. The dispensing unit is programmed according to individual patient needs to signal a nurse or other personnel at selected times when scheduled medication is prescribed, whereupon the scheduled medication can be accessed for dispensing only after entry of valid nurse or other personnel identification code into a dispensing unit memory. The unscheduled medications may be accessed by the nurse or other personnel in a similar manner but on an untimed basis as required by the patient. The dispensing unit further includes sensors for detecting removal of any medication cassette and for signalling the dispensing unit memory to create a corresponding patient medication record. A data transmission device is provided for selectively programming the dispensing unit memory and/or for reading the patient medication record from the memory.

대표청구항 ▼

A medication dispensing system, comprising: a first medication canister for receiving at least one scheduled medication for administration to a patient in accordance with a prescribed time schedule; a second medication canister for receiving at least one unscheduled medication for administration to

A medication dispensing system, comprising: a first medication canister for receiving at least one scheduled medication for administration to a patient in accordance with a prescribed time schedule; a second medication canister for receiving at least one unscheduled medication for administration to the patient on an as needed basis; a dispensing unit for individual association with the patient and including housing means for locked reception of said first and second canisters to prevent unauthorized removal of said canisters from said unit; first accesss means for restricting access to the at least one scheduled medication within said first canister to authorized personnel and further to predetermined medication doses during time windows of selected duration at intervals in accordance with said prescribed time schedule; second access means for restricting access to at least one unscheduled medication within said second canister to said authorized personnel on an as needed basis by the patient; and means for detecting removal of medications from said first and second canisters and for creating a record thereof; said first canister including a plurality of cassettes containing said at least one scheduled medication, said first access means restricting access to said cassettes for removal from said first canister one at a time by said authorized personnel, and said detecting means sensing such cassette removal.