Medication managment system

Abstract

A medication management system (MMS) includes a medication management unit (MMU) associated with a medical device. The MMU downloads medication delivery code based on a medication delivery order to the medical device only if information from a first input matches information from a second input. The medical device receives delivery information electronically only from the MMU. The medication order is performed only after delivery data validation. The MMU also determines drug-drug incompatibility. The MMU can modulate (start, stop, sequence and dynamically adjust) medication order performance.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 930,358 filed on Aug. 31, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 783,641 filed Feb. 20, 2004, which claims priority based upon U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 509,404 filed Oct. 7, 2003 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 527,583 filed Dec. 5, 2003, all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to the field of delivering medication to patients, more particularly to an integrated system for maximizing patient safety and caregiver productivity for medication delivery.[0003]Modern medical care often involves the use of medical pump devices to deliver fluids and / or fluid medicine to patients. Medical pumps permit the controlled delivery of fluids to a patient, and such pumps have largely replaced gravity flow systems, primarily due to the pump's much greater ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The medication management system described in this patent is a system that helps healthcare professionals manage the delivery of medications to patients. The system uses a medication management unit (MMU) that compares medication order information from a first input means to machine-readable delivery information from a second input means and downloads a medication order to the medical device only after a user has validated delivery data at the medical device. The MMU determines the physical location of the medical device based on the last access node used by the wireless connectivity capability in the medical device and can pinpoint the physical location of the medical device to within a few meters. The system also uses expert clinical support decision rules to determine drug-drug interactions and alert caregivers when there are potential issues. The system can modulate the medication order based on laboratory data or other newly received patient information and can also import, export, and edit whole drug libraries and individual drug library values to control and customize a drug library according to hospital preferences. The system saves time for caregivers by automatically populating or programming data entry fields in the pump and helps catch medication errors before they happen. The system is flexible enough to permit human interventions and overrides, but tracks such events for documentation and trouble-shooting purposes.

Problems solved by technology

However, modern medical devices, including medical pumps, can be complicated and time-consuming for caregivers to program.

Medical facilities struggle to provide appropriate caregiver staffing levels and training while holding down the cost of medical care.

Human errors in pump programming and other medication errors can have adverse or even deadly consequences for the patient.

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