Registers – Systems controlled by data bearing records
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-13
2002-03-05
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Systems controlled by data bearing records
C235S385000, C221S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352200
ABSTRACT:
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.
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 comparing the identity determined with the identity of a patient associated with a prescription inputted. The effect thus achieved is that a medicament is always delivered to the right patient.
For this purpose, the system in particular comprises a number of patient cards, a patient card comprising the identity of a patient, and the automatic dispenser comprising a card reader for reading and accordingly determining the identity of a patient from the patient card. As a person should identify himself via the patient card, the identity of the holder of the card is known and, if so desired, a bill for the medicaments delivered can automatically be sent to the holder of the card by order of the pharmacist.
Preferably, the above-mentioned comparison is carried out by the pharmacy computer. This means that the matter is carried out directly under the responsibility of the pharmacist. However, the comparison can also be carried out by the automatic dispenser.
In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, the automatic dispenser comprises a control unit, a magazine capable of being filled with medicaments provided with an identification code, a selection unit with which medicaments can be selected from the magazine, and a code-reading unit capable of reading the identification code of a medicament, the control unit controlling, on the basis of the control signal received, the selection unit such that the medicament corresponding to the control signal is selected from the magazine, the code-reading unit reads the code of the selected medicament and transmits it to the control unit, whereupon the control unit determines on the basis of the code whether a medicament corresponding to the control signal has been selected. The check ensures that it is entirely impossible that a wrong medicament is delivered to a patient.
In particular, the selection unit conveys the selected medicament from the magazine. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the selection unit releases the selected medicament to a patient when the control unit determines, on the basis of the identification code read, that a medicament corresponding to the control signal has been selected.
The automatic dispenser may further comprise a printer printing for instance the patient's name, the medicament and the dosage of the medicament on a label for the medicament to be released.
In accordance with a highly advanced embodiment of the invention, the input unit comprises a data bank wherein various data about indications with associated prescriptions of medicaments are stored, as well as for instance data of a patient, the input unit checking according to a predetermined algorithm whether a medicament prescribed for a patient corresponds to the data stored in the data bank. Hence, for drawing up the prescription, the doctor is assisted by the system. Also, unnecessary mistakes can be prevented. More in particular, the input unit issues a signal intended for the doctor when a deviation in the prescription is found during the check carried out by the input unit. In this connection, one may for instance think of the following deviations. The doctor selects a medicament which does not correspond to an indication entered by the doctor. The input unit may also generate a list of possible medicaments when an indication is entered, with the signal being produced when the doctor does not adopt the first choice of the input unit. Furthermore, a signal may be issued when not the usual strength or dosage of a medicament is inputted. In this manner, it is also possible to draw the doctor's attention to possible interactions with other medicaments prescribed.
In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, the prescription signal comprising a prescription having a deviation, also comprises information about the found deviation in the relevant prescription. This has as a great advantage that the pharmacist's attention can also been drawn to particular deviations in the prescription and that, if necessary, he may contact the doctor for consul
Schaap Cornelis Wilhelmus
Schoonen Adelbert Jozef
Consumer Health Entrepreneurs B.V.
Franklin Jamara A.
Frech Karl D.
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
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