Education and demonstration – Anatomy – physiology – therapeutic treatment – or surgery...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-02
2001-08-14
Rovnak, John Edmund (Department: 3713)
Education and demonstration
Anatomy, physiology, therapeutic treatment, or surgery...
C434S298000, C434S300000, C434S322000, C434S323000, C434S335000, C434S362000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273727
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for calculating drug dosages and for instructing a user on how to calculate appropriate drug dosages for patients.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well recognized that proper drug dosage calculation and administration to a patient is very important. To assist individuals there currently exist drug dosage calculators that provide the correct dosage based on inputted information to the device. The reliability of the calculated dosage using this type of device, however, relies heavily on the user entering in the correct information the first time. Typically, once the information is entered, the dosage is determined and displayed. Since only the resultant dosage is displayed, there is no easy or convenient way of checking either the result or the set-up used to calculate the dosage, without re-entering and re-calculating the drug dosage. The typical advise given for those who use a standard calculator is to: “Double Check” the calculation and/or “Check to see if it is ‘reasonable’”. This type of “checking” is extremely time consuming—and can lead to a variety of types of errors, including systematic errors (involving the input of the same incorrect or misread dosage strength each time) that would not be detected on double checking.
The determination of the proper dosage for a particular patient generally requires a series of calculations which involve various conversions of units. (For example, a pediatric prescription might call for the administration of “5 micrograms of a drug per every kilogram of the child's weight”—when abbreviated: 5 mcg/kg.) If the child's weight was recorded in pounds, then that weight must be converted to kilograms by dividing by 2.205 (since 1 kg=2.205 lb).
Though this type of conversion might seem rather straight forward, the consequence of an arithmetic error in calculating the dosage (for example, by multiplying instead of dividing by 2.205) could have a serious, if not fatal, consequence. In the training of nurses (or less typically, pharmacists and physicians), to do these calculations, a variety of methods are employed to arrive at the correct dosage. Since each method may involve a different strategy, the learning of how to do these drug dosage calculations is often quite difficult, especially for the beginning student. The lack of confidence generated by these difficulties can be carried over into the clinical setting which could lead to medication errors.
Thus, there exist a need for providing both a method and a device for calculating drug dosages wherein the drug dosage calculation results can be easily and quickly checked both for the correct entry information, and in the calculation set-up.
The present invention solves many of the problems discussed above by providing a device which displays not only the correctly calculated drug dosage, but also illustrates the set-up used to determine the drug dosage. In addition, the device can check the administered dosage against the safe dosage ranges. The device also provides a tutorial mode wherein various different techniques can be used for calculating drug dosage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for teaching how to determine a calculated drug dosage for a given problem, comprising:
means for entering a proposed solution for the problem;
means for storing a correct solution and at least one anticipated and/or unanticipated incorrect answer associated with the problem, the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer having associated therewith a message for assisting in solving the problem;
means for comparing the proposed solution with the correct solution;
means for comparing the proposed solution with the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer if the proposed solution does not correspond to the correct solution and selecting the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer which is substantially the same or closest to the proposed solution; and
means for displaying the message associated with the selected anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for teaching how to convert one unit of measure to another unit of measure to a user, comprising;
means for providing a unit conversion problem for the user of the device;
means for entering a proposed solution for the problem;
means for storing a correct solution and at least one anticipated and/or unanticipated incorrect answer associated with the problem, the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer having associated therewith a message for assisting in solving the problem;
means for comparing the proposed solution with the correct solution;
means for comparing the proposed solution with the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer if the proposed solution does not correspond to the correct solution and selecting the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer which is substantially the same or closest to the proposed solution; and
means for displaying the message associated with the selected anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for teaching how to convert one unit of measure to another unit of measure using a device having means for storing a correct solution and at least one anticipated and/or unanticipated incorrect answer associated with the problem, the at least one anticipated and/or unanticipated incorrect answer having associated therewith a message for assisting in solving the problem, data entry means and display means, comprising the steps of:
the device providing a unit conversion problem for the user,
entering a proposed solution to the device for the problem;
the device comparing the proposed solution with the correct solution;
comparing the proposed solution with the at least one anticipated and unanticipated incorrect answer if the proposed solution does not correspond to the correct solution and selecting the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer which is substantially the same or closest to the proposed solution; and
means for displaying the message associated with the selected anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for teaching how to determine a calculated drug dosage using a device having means for storing a correct solution and at least one anticipated and/or unanticipated incorrect answer associated with the problem, data entry means and display means, the at least one incorrect answer having associated therewith a message for assisting in solving the problem comprising the steps of:
the device providing a unit conversion problem for the user,
entering a proposed solution to the device for the problem;
the device comparing the proposed solution with the correct solution;
comparing the proposed solution with the at least one anticipated and unanticipated incorrect answer if the proposed solution does not correspond to the correct solution and selecting the at least one anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer which is substantially the same or closest to the proposed solution; and
means for displaying the message associated with the selected anticipated or unanticipated incorrect answer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for teaching user how to determine a calculated drug dosage and/or unit conversion, comprising:
means for a providing drug dosage or unit conversion problem to be solved by the user;
data entry means for entering proposed solutions by the user; and
means for monitoring the learning progress of the user.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4860214 (1989-08-01), Matsuda et al.
patent: 5680590 (1997-10-01), Parti
patent: 5791907 (1998-08-01), Ramshaw et al.
patent: 5810605 (1998-09-01), Siefert
Heezen Alan
Ramsay Ogden Bertrand
Chemical Concepts Corporation
Rovnak John Edmund
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