Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records
Patent
1997-02-06
2000-11-28
Lee, Michael G
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
235385, 221 7, G06F 1700
Patent
active
06152364&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a pharmacy system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient.
Distribution of medicaments prescribed by a doctor generally takes place via a pharmacy. It concerns a labor-intensive process which is carried out at least substantially manually. In this process, a doctor writes out a prescription on a sheet of paper with which a patient can then go to a pharmacy in order to collect the relevant medicament. However, written prescriptions are not always clear, which involves the risk that errors are made in the pharmacy. Also, the selection of medicaments (order picking) may give rise to errors being made.
The writing of a prescription belongs to the medical responsibility, while the pharmacist is by law charged with the duty of checking the prescription for unclarities and inaccuracies and to contact the doctor hereabout. For this reason, the total process of describing by the doctor and delivering by the pharmacist is generally carried out separately.
Accordingly, the law in for instance the Netherlands requires a separation between the prescribing and delivering of medicaments. Prescribing is reserved for the doctor and delivering is reserved for the pharmacist. From the prescription, the pharmacist carries out a number of checks, after which the medicaments are selected, labelled and delivered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention inter alia relates to the automation of the delivery process, such that it will, moreover, still fall under the responsibility of a pharmacist. Accordingly, a pharmacy system according to the invention is characterized in that a possible embodiment of the pharmacy system for prescribing and delivering medicaments to a patient comprises at least one input unit with which a doctor is capable of entering inter alia a prescription of a medicament for a patient, together with the identity of the patient, into the system, the input unit generating a prescription signal corresponding to the prescription entered; a pharmacy computer coupled to the input unit, which pharmacy computer further processes the prescription signal received from the input unit and generates a control signal corresponding to the prescription; and at least one automatic dispenser which is suitable for being loaded with medicaments and which, under the supply of the control signal generated by the pharmacy computer, dispenses the medicaments prescribed.
The input unit may for instance be disposed in the consulting room of a doctor. The pharmacy computer, however, can then be disposed at and under the responsibility of a pharmacist. The automatic dispenser can for instance be disposed in or near the surgery of the prescribing doctor. This last means that the automatic dispenser and the pharmacy computer are spatially separated from each other. This involves a particularly great advantage of convenience to the patient. After all, after having consulted the doctor, the patient may directly take along the prescribed medicament, if any. Because the automatic dispenser is controlled by the pharmacy computer, the separation between pharmacist and doctor, as for instance required by the Dutch law, is maintained without change. In this respect, the automatic dispenser also falls under the responsibility of the pharmacist. The filling of the automatic dispenser may also be carried out under the responsibility of the pharmacist.
The pharmacy system according to the invention also involves a substantial efficiency improvement. Owing to the automation of the delivery process, manual errors as described hereinabove can no longer occur. This considerably improves the quality of the delivery process. In addition, a considerable reduction of personnel costs is possible within the pharmacy, which involves an important economic advantage from which not only the pharmacist, but also the patient may profit.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pharmacy system further comprises means for determining the identity of a patient, the system
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Schaap Cornelis Wilhelmus
Schoonen Adelbert Jozef
Consumer Health Entrepreneurs B.V.
Lee Michael G
Medimaat B.V.
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