We are developing a concept that automatically dispenses individual doses of medication to individual care facility patients. This device eliminates the need for nursing staff to open individual blister packs and check the medication (the device does that).
Medication doses are ejected according to patient and time selection. To receive the morning medication for Patient X, for example, this data must be entered into the device, which, assisted by a robot arm, unblisters and dispenses the correct amount of medication. Nursing staff can remove the unblistered medication to ensure they have the correct amount of the right medication.
The modular storage system allows as much medication as necessary to be stored in the machine. It consists of storage compartments placed one above the other, each with room for medication blister packs. The individual blister packs are booked to each compartment and the information saved.
This data is stored in a database and can be called up as necessary. Data collected includes: best-before date, tablet shape and colour, the patient for whom the tablets are intended and administration intervals.
The system also sends a notification if a blister pack is empty or a best-before date is passed. If a doctor changes medication or dose, this information can be transferred to the system immediately and the necessary adjustments made.
Various control systems have been installed to ensure that the medication is provided without error. Among them is a camera with image recognition. The image recognition system detects hard capsule tablet shape and colour and can compare them with the data in the database.
There is also a frame light barrier that checks whether a tablet has been released from the blister. A capacitive sensor is also installed to check the frame light barrier.
Problem:
Our idea is to give the nursing staff the ability to spend more time on personal care in direct contact with the patient. To achieve this, the time required for assembling individual medication doses is to be shortened.
Solution:
We are developing a concept that automatically dispenses individual doses of medication to individual care facility patients. This device eliminates the need for nursing staff to open individual blister packs and check the medication (the device does that).
The automated processes provide certainty and reliability that human processing cannot.