Medication administration system

Abstract

The present invention comprises a system and method for administering medications to a plurality of patients in a medication institution. A preferred system comprises a workflow program for generating a scheduler, wherein the scheduler coordinates the administration of medications to the patients, a medicine cabinet, responsive to said scheduler, for storing medications and dispensing the medications to an authorized user for administration to the patients, the workflow program providing the cabinet with patient specific information relating to said dispensation of the medications including a physician order for each patient, and a medicine cart, coupled to the medicine cabinet, for instructing said authorized user in the administration of said medication to each of said patients. The cart comprises a plurality of patient specific cart drawers for storing the medication to be administered to each patient, wherein each cart drawer remains unidentified as patient specific until the medication cart receives said patient specific information, and a cart processor, wherein the cart drawers are filled with medicine from the medicine cabinet for each patient associated with each patient specific cart drawer in accordance with the respective physician order for each patient.

1 - 25 . (canceled)  
   
   
       26 . A method for administering one or more medications to each of a plurality of patients comprising the steps of: 
 generating a scheduler, using a workflow program, which coordinates the administration of medications to each patient;    providing patient specific information to a medicine cabinet, controlled by a cabinet program, which cabinet stores the medications therein;    dispensing the medications to a medicine cart by an authorized user in response to said scheduler and said patient specific information;    assigning each patient one or more cart drawers upon the cart receiving said patient information, wherein each assigned cart drawer becomes patient specific;    controlling access to the medications in the patient specific cart drawer by a cart program; and    administering the medications to each patient from the patient specific cart drawer.    
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising designating in said medicine cabinet one or more of a plurality of cabinet drawers, as medication specific.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising generating a physician order for each patient, wherein said physician order is included in said patient specific information.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising simultaneously granting access to a medication specific cabinet drawer and medications included therein and said patient specific cart drawer to the authorized user, by said cabinet program and said cart program, respectively, while each of the remaining plurality of cabinet and cart drawers are inaccessible to the authorized user.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising granting access to another one of the plurality of cabinet drawers and medications included therein, wherein said access is granted to the authorized user, one cabinet drawer at a time, when the cabinet program detects closure of a previously accessible cabinet drawer.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising closing said patient specific cart drawer upon detection by said cabinet program that all patient medications for that patient have been dispensed.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising designating said one or more cabinet drawers as patient specific, each one or more patient specific cabinet drawers being assigned by the cabinet program to a patient.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising reading a patient identification to verify that the correct patient is being administered medication using a bar code reader.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 designating one or more drawers in the cart as a common drawer;    bar coding said medications in said common drawer with a patient identification for whom the medication is ordered; and    reading said bar coded medication in said common drawer to confirm the correct medication is administered to the patient.    
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising logging administration information for each patient receiving medication.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 taking vital sign information of a patient in accordance with the patient specific information using monitoring equipment; and    transmitting said vital sign information to said workflow program.    
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising: 
 calculating a running inventory of the medications in each of the cabinet drawers; and    updating said inventory as the medications are dispensed or replenished by an authorized user.    
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising reading a bar coded medication to verify that the medication is dispensed correctly.  
   
   
       39 . A system for dispensing medications and medical supplies to patients, said system comprising: 
 a central cabinet in which said medications and supplies may be stored, and from which said medications and supplies may be dispensed;    one or more mobile dispensing carts which may transport said medications and supplies to each patient, each cart comprising one or more drawers, wherein each drawer is associated with an individual patient and contains said medications or supplies which are to be dispensed to said individual patient; and    a control system by which said cabinet and each said cart may exchange one or more of patient identification data, medications or supplies to be distributed to each said patient, times said medications or supplies are to be administered to each said patient, times at which said medications or supplies are dispensed to each said patient, and said drawer in which each said patient's medications or supplies are located.    
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 39 , further comprising a drawer identification system, said identification system comprising an indicator associated with each said drawer, wherein said indicator indicates said identity of said patient to which said medications or supplies in each said drawer are intended to be dispensed.  
   
   
       41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein when said identity of each said patient is associated with each said drawer by said control system.  
   
   
       42 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein one or more of said drawers further comprise at least one of said indicators.  
   
   
       43 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein one or more of said drawers further comprises a locking system.  
   
   
       44 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein said one or more of said drawers may be selectively locked and unlocked.  
   
   
       45 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein said locking system is actuated by said control system.  
   
   
       46 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein said control system maintains an inventory of said mediations or supplies contained in said central cabinet.  
   
   
       47 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein said control system maintains an accounting of said drawers from which said medications and supplies have been dispensed.  
   
   
       48 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein said control system maintains an accounting of times at which said drawers have been opened or closed.  
   
   
       49 . A delivery device for a medication dispensing system, said delivery device comprising: 
 a plurality of sections for receiving medication dosages prescribed for named patients;    and a central display central display screen for displaying the patient names and their respective medication dosages.    
   
   
       50 . The delivery device according to  claim 49 , wherein the delivery device is a mobile cart, and said plurality of sections comprise a plurality of drawers for receiving a plurality of medication dosages prescribed for named patients; each of said drawers including a display screen.  
   
   
       51 . The delivery device according to  claim 50 , wherein said delivery device further includes a reader device for reading an identification of a named patient to enable matching the read identification with an identification of a named patient to receive a prescribed medication dosage communicated to the delivery device.  
   
   
       52 . The delivery device according to  claim 51 , wherein said delivery device includes an input device for inputting data regarding vital signs of a respective patient.  
   
   
       53 . A medicine cabinet for a medication dispensing system, said medicine cabinet comprising: 
 a housing including a plurality of compartments for containing supplies of different kinds of medications to be accessed by a health care attendant for preparing individual medication dosages for named patients;    a processor having a memory for storing the names of patients and their prescribed medication dosages;    and a display screen for displaying said patient names and their respective prescribed medication dosages.    
   
   
       54 . The medicine cabinet according to  claim 53 , wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a plurality of light indicators, one for each of said compartments controlled by said processor, to indicate the compartment containing the medication supply to be included in a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.  
   
   
       55 . The medicine cabinet according to  claim 53 , wherein said compartments are in the form of drawers which are normally locked but which are selectively unlocked by said processor when containing a medication supply to be included in a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.  
   
   
       56 . The medicine cabinet according to  claim 53 , wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a label printer for printing the names of new medications to be applied to empty compartments to receive supplies of the new medications.  
   
   
       57 . The medicine cabinet according to  claim 53 , wherein said processor further stores in its memory a running inventory of each medication supply in each compartment including all quantities supplied less all dosages removed.