Distributed remote asset and medication management drug delivery system

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a system for managing the medical care of a patient in a medical facility, and more specifically, a system and a method for collecting and managing information on treatment, drug administration, asset ID, and drug administration verification. It is about. [0002] Drug errors, that is, errors in drug instruction, dispensing, and administration, have become important issues of clinical administration in tissue settings, whether or not they cause injury. In addition, ADE-adverse drug events, a subset of drug errors that are defined as drug-related injuries that require medical mediation and represent some of the most serious drug errors, occur in a large number of patients. Responsible for injury and death. Since some of these errors can be prevented, clinics are constantly looking for ways to reduce the likelihood of drug errors. PADE-preventable adverse drug Various systems and methods are currently being developed to reduce the frequency and severity of events) and other drug errors. In drug administration, the focus is usually on the following five "correctness" or factors: the right patient, the right drug, the right route, the right amount, and the right time. Systems and methods that seek to reduce ADE and PADE should take these five correctnesses into account. [0003] Some companies are currently marketing or will market handheld personal digital assistants designed for drug administration planning, drug administration verification, and electronic documentation of drug administration. It is supposed to be. These devices are primarily used to validate oral, intramuscular, subcutaneous, and topical drug administration and have limited function in verifying IV drug administration. One drawback of these devices is that it is currently not possible to monitor or receive data on the initial and ongoing infusion parameters of IV-intravenous infusion devices. [0004] It is possible to combine all of the various drug instructions and administration services of the clinic to provide a medical management system that is an integrated and automated system that checks and documents the administration of therapeutic and other drugs to patients. convenient. Such a system prevents inappropriate drug administration to a patient by matching the drug with a known allergic reaction or matching the side effects of the drug with the patient's medical history. The integrated system provides doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals with updated patient information by the bed, when additional medications are needed or when planned treatment is lagging behind schedule. Notify the institution's pharmacy and automatically update the institution's accounting database each time a drug or other medical treatment is given. [0005] In many hospitals and clinical trials, a bracelet device with the patient's ID, eg, the patient's name, printed on it is permanently attached to the patient when the patient enters the facility to identify the patient throughout the patient's stay. Despite this safety device, there is an opportunity for patient misidentification. For example, when a blood sample is taken from a patient, the ID of the blood sample must be displayed by hand-writing the patient's name and other information from the patient's identification bracelet. When writing a patient's name, the nurse or technician may mistype the name or rely on memory or other data instead of actually reading it from the patient's bracelet. [0006] In addition, the manual writing of other information, such as the parameters for configuring a drug-delivering infusion pump, may result in errors that reduce the accuracy and effectiveness of drug administration and patient care. As a result, treatment may be prolonged and costs may increase. [0007] Hospitals and other organizations are constantly striving to provide quality patient care. Medical mistakes, such as the wrong patient receiving the wrong amount of the wrong drug at the wrong time, and even the wrong surgery being performed, are serious problems for all medical facilities. Many prescription medications and injections are simply represented by a piece of paper with the patient's name and identification number handwritten by the nurse or technician to be treated. There is a possibility that the patient will be given incorrect treatment due to various reasons such as moving the patient to another bed or making a mistake in filling out a piece of paper. As a result, patient and hospital costs increase. This increase in patient and hospital costs can be prevented by using automated systems to verify that patients are receiving the right medical care. Various solutions to these problems have been proposed, such as systems that use barcodes to represent patients and drugs, or systems that allow additional input of patient data. These systems have advanced the technology considerably, but they are of greater value if there is an even more comprehensive system. [0008] Drug administration, validation, and control in tissue settings has traditionally been an area where errors can occur completely and frequently. In a typical facility, a doctor fills out drug instructions for a particular patient. This instruction may be treated as a simple prescription, or it may be entered into an automated system such as a POE-physician order entry system. Prescriptions or electronic prescriptions from the POE system are sent to the pharmacy, where the instructions are met, preferably in a timely manner, so that the drug can be given to the patient. Pharmacies usually check the doctor's instructions for allergies to the patient and for possible drug interactions if more than one drug is prescribed, and for any contraindications. At some facilities, drugs are labeled within the pharmacy, collected, placed in a transfer carrier, and transferred to a nurse station. When the nurse station is reached, the prescription is rematched with the medication listed for administration to avoid error. [0009] Drugs are usually sent to the nurse station in drug carts or other hauling equipment that allows some degree of defense to prevent theft or loss of the drug. In one example, a drug cart or carrier is divided into a series of drawers or containers, each container containing a drug prescribed for a single patient. To access the drug, the nurse must enter the appropriate ID to unlock the drawer or door or container. In other situations, commonly used drug inventories may be placed in safe cabinets located in areas in the immediate vicinity of the nurse station. This inventory may include oral, IM, IV administered drugs as well as topical drugs. A nurse's ID and drug instruction number are usually required to access the cabinet. [0010] From time to time throughout the day, the nurse station receives a list of medications to give to the patient. The nurse or other healthcare professional or qualified person reads the list of medications to be given and collects those medications from the inventory at the nurse station. Once all the medications for the patients in the unit for which the nurse station is responsible are collected, one or more nurses will bring the medications to the individual patients and have them take the dose. [0011] What these systems have in common is that it is the nurse or other healthcare professional who gives the drug. Nurses or other healthcare professionals are central to the process of verifying that the right drug is given to the right patient at the right dose at the right time in terms of health care. No one else in the facility is stationed to ensure or verify that the right drug is being given to the right patient, other than the nurse or other health care provider who is giving the drug. [0012] Such a system works well to verify that the patient is receiving the appropriate drug when the drug is given orally, but when the IV drug is being given, a proper drug regimen It may not be possible to completely verify that it is being given to the patient. For example, a nurse or other healthcare professional carries the IV bag to a specific patient area, hangs the bag, programs the infusion pump with the appropriate treatment parameters, and initiates infusion of the drug. Applicable hospital control systems, such as pharmacy information systems, are unaware that the patient has received the drug, and if information is lost somewhere, the patient may be dosed twice. Therefore, in the event of an event that deviates from the desired therapeutic parameters, a break may occur in the link that verifies that the patient is properly dosed. [0013] Therefore, what is perceived as a requirement and previously unobtainable is ensured, efficiently, and efficiently for the patient by tracking and controlling the patient's care and integrating the patient's medical information with other databases in the organization. It is an integrated modular system that provides medical care cost-effectively. The present invention meets this and other requirements. [0014] (Outline of the invention) In simple and general terms, the present invention is directed to new and improved information management systems and methods that allow the monitoring, control, and confirmation of medical administration in healthcare facilities. [0015] In general, the system of the invention is a medical transaction carrier (MTC-medical transaction) that includes information about past and present medical transactions. carrier) is included. A medical transaction carrier is a control system that interfaces with information systems of various other medical organizations, such as pharmacy information systems, or hospital information systems, or doctor instruction input systems, or patient-specific assets near the patient's bed. Used to communicate information about past and present medical transactions with. Use the information transmitted by the medical transaction carrier to ensure that the correct drug and the parameters of the drug administration record are properly administered to the correct patient. As is well known to those skilled in the art, nurses use the MAR-medication administration. Use record) to schedule drug administration. The drug administration record is used to document the actual administration of the drug. Drug instructions from the doctor are recorded in the MAR by the pharmacy or nurse staff members. As the dose is administered, the nurse begins the corresponding time and records any additional required information (eg, pulse rate, blood glucose). MAR ranges from a specific time, typically 24 to 72 hours. It is a legal record of MAR's medications and is retained as a permanent part of the patient's medical record. The system of the present invention includes a method of preventing information from being lost by confirming the information transmitted by the medical transaction system. [0016] The medical transaction carrier according to one aspect of the present invention is a personal digital assistant (PDA-personal data). Information can be stored and transferred from one location at an assistant), laptop computer, smart card, Bluetooth transceiver, or medical facility where the drug is prepared for feeding by the patient's bed. It may be another device. On the other side, the medical transaction carrier is primarily stationary and may be near the patient's bed. By the patient's bed, the medical transaction carrier is interfaced with a patient-specific asset (PSA-patent specific asset) such as an infusion pump or life sign monitor, and the information stored within the medical transaction carrier becomes a patient-specific asset. By being communicated, the asset is given specific therapeutic parameters that should be used in drug administration to the patient or other interactions with the patient. [0017] In another aspect of the invention, patient-specific assets include the ability to monitor the progress of drug administration and store information related to drug administration in memory. The stored information is then transmitted to the medical transaction carrier and returned to the control system, where the information is transmitted from the medical transaction carrier for confirmation and documentation by the control system. For example, documentation is done in a pharmacy system. [0018] Yet another aspect of the invention is configured patient-specific assets to ensure that information related to past medical transactions has been passed on to the control system. By checking the information transmitted from the patient-specific asset to the control system, the control system has the function of confirming that all transaction information stored in the patient-specific asset has been transmitted to the control system for storage in the database. It may be included. On a more detailed side, PSA retains such past medical transaction information until the control system is notified that it has confirmed the information. [0019] In yet another aspect of the invention, healthcare professionals, patients, and drugs may be represented using barcoded labels, RF IDs, Bluetooth tags, or other devices. Such other such devices may include active devices such as embedded computers or passive devices such as magnetic strips. [0020] In yet another aspect of the invention, information is transmitted between various components of the system using wireless technology. For example, the various components of the system are BLUETOOTH.^TM) (Registered Trademarks) (IEEE802.15) using communication protocols or wireless networks that utilize other protocols such as those described in IEEE802.11, IEEE802.11a, and IEEE802.11b. Communication may be performed. Communication with the wireless network may utilize radio frequency, electromagnetic radiation, infrared rays, or other means for achieving wireless communication between network elements. [0021] [0021] In yet another aspect of the invention, the MTC is an electronic data stream or message formatted to contain a unique identity that represents each individual message and medical transaction information as described for the physical MTC. It may take the form. In this aspect, the PSA may be connected by physical or wireless connection to a communication network communicating with various information systems in a medical facility, such as a pharmacy information system. A processor operably connected to the PSA, which may be included in the same case as the PSA, for example in the case of an IV, but this processor may be included before clearing the MTC from the memory operably connected to the processor. , The electronic MTC is configured to confirm that it has been received and confirmed by the information system of the medical facility. [0022] These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings of the examples. [0023] (Detailed description of preferred embodiments) The present invention provides systems and methods for monitoring, controlling and tracking treatment in a medical facility. The present invention also closes the drug administration loop and verifies that the correct patient was given the correct treatment. [0024] In drawings, the same reference numbers are used to represent the same or corresponding elements in the drawing. Figure 1 shows the integrated hospital-wide information and medical management system as a whole according to aspects of the invention. The various subsystems of the facility's information management system are connected together via communication system 5. Communication system 5 is, for example, a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), internet or intranet, or something designed to carry signals that allow communication between various information systems in the facility. It can be another telecommunications network. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 5 connects a hospital information system 20, a pharmacy information system 30, a doctor instruction input system 35, and a control system 40 via various interfaces 10. [0025] The control system of the present invention is for a computer, eg, an IBM or IBM compatible personal computer or server, equipped with a sufficiently large capacity storage device 45 such as a local hard drive, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, or other medium. It may include various hardware components such as, and suitable communication interface functions interconnected in communication system 5. Although many configurations are possible, in one embodiment the control system 40 may include a data communication router, a modem, or other means for communicating with a hospital network. The control system 40 is a software program for performing various aspects of the present invention, and basic operational software, such as Windows (Windows), which is distributed by Microsoft, as will be further described later. Registered Trademarks, Windows NT (Registered Trademarks), or Windows 2000 (Registered Trademarks), Red Hat (Red) It also includes operating systems such as Linux (Linux) distributed by Hat), or any other suitable operating system. Operational software also includes various auxiliary programs that enable communication with other hardware or networks, data entry and output, and report generation and printing, among other features. Although the control system 40 is shown as a separate device, it will be appreciated that the control system 40 and the mass storage 45 may be integrated into another element such as the pump 120 or other system. [0026] Communication system 5 may include, for example, Ethernet (R) (IEEE802.3), Token Ring network, or other suitable network topology utilizing wired or optical telecommunications cables. In an alternative embodiment, communication system 5 includes a wireless system that utilizes transmitters and receivers that are installed throughout the medical facility or attached to various computers, clinical devices, and other devices used within the facility. be able to. In such wireless systems, the signals sent and received by the system are radio frequency (RF-radio frequency), infrared (IR), which allows information to be transmitted wirelessly between devices with suitable transmitters or receivers. -infrared), or other means. It will be immediately appreciated by those skilled in the art that such a system can be identical to the system shown in Figure 1, except that no wires are needed to connect the various aspects of the system. [0027] In a typical hospital or other medical facility, the patient's room, ward, or area is typically located within a group located near the nurse station 50. At the nurse station 50, the nurses assigned to the medical care of patients in a specific area perform their duties of medical treatment. Typically, these tasks include monitoring the patient's cult, preparing drug instructions, and monitoring and recording any other information that may need to be followed by the institution. Some rooms are usually located adjacent to a nurse station dedicated to the storage and preparation of medications to be given to patients. This room can hold commonly used oral, intramuscular, or venous drug inventories. In addition, this room may be used to make the contents of the IV bag according to the prescription according to the prescribed therapeutic regimen. [0028] Typically, the nurse station 50 includes a terminal or computer system 60 connected to communication system 5 either directly or through an interface (not shown). This allows the user of the nurse station to enter patient data or information and patient from other systems such as hospital information system 20, pharmacy information system 30, doctor instruction input system 35, or other systems used in the facility. You can search for data or information. It should be understood that access to each system is not given to all users. For example, a doctor can access a doctor's instruction input system 35 from a nurse station 50 to enter, edit, or track drug instructions, but a nurse may only see such instructions. Further, although the invention is described assuming that the computer system 60 is located at the nurse station 50, the computer system 60 is a satellite system conveniently or efficiently located somewhere in the medical facility. You may. Such satellite computer systems may be operational and connected to communication system 5 using a wired or wireless network connection. A printer 65 may be connected to the computer system 60 of the nurse station to print the report, and a bar over a drug label, report, or other item with a bar coded label provided for identification. A barcode reader 80 may be provided to read the code. [0029] In the present invention, the computer system 60 of the nurse station includes a function for exchanging data between the computer system 60 and the medical transaction carrier device (MTC-medical transaction carrier device). In one embodiment of the invention, the MTC 110 may be interfaced to the computer system 60 of the nurse station through a cradle 100 or other docking device that connects the MTC 110 to the computer system 60. In this embodiment, the cradle 100 can be used to exchange information between the MTC 110 and the computer system 60. This information may then be processed and stored in the computer system 60, or the computer system 60 may transmit the information to various other information systems in the facility via communication system 5. In this way, for example, information from the pharmacy information system 30 may be transmitted to the MTC 110 through the communication system 5, the nurse station computer system 60, and the MTC cradle 100. Similarly, the information contained within the MTC 110 may be communicated to any of the systems 20, 30, 35, or 40 through the MTC cradle 100, the nurse station computer system 60, and the communication system 5. [0030] A healthcare transaction carrier 110 generally refers to a device that contains drugs and patient-specific information, is portable, and can be carried by and from the patient's bed by a nurse or other healthcare professional. Information may be communicated between the MTC 110 and other devices such as computers, clinical devices, etc. by combining the memory function with the technology for the MTC 110 to interface with the computer system or network. The MTC110 may, but does not necessarily, include a processor. [0031] However, the general concept practiced in MTC is how to convey medical instructions from a medical facility information system, such as a pharmacy information system or a doctor's instruction input system, to a patient-specific asset, and medical care. It should be understood that the instructions for are to provide a way to return the message received by the patient-specific asset from the patient-specific asset to the information system. In another embodiment, the patient-specific asset may report that the medical instructions were actually executed. The message from the patient-specific asset is communicated by the MTC to the relevant information system, which "confirms" the message from the patient-specific asset with a copy of its instructions. As used herein, "confirm" means "verify" or "confirm." For example, a message from a patient-specific asset may contain a specific directive identifier. The information system compares the specific instruction number with the instruction number in its memory and then indicates in its memory that the patient-specific asset has received the instruction and executed the instruction. At this time, the instruction is considered to have been "confirmed" by the information system. [0032] Patient-specific assets are that the message from the patient-specific asset was received by the information system, that the information system confirmed the instructions that were the subject of the message from the patient-specific asset, and that the patient-specific asset. Thus includes a memory for storing the transmitted instructions until the patient-specific asset receives a signal or message indicating that the instructions are allowed to be cleared from its memory. Therefore, various descriptions of physically embodied MTCs will be given as examples, but appropriate information so that the confirmation of the present invention can be performed by an information system connected to operate and a processor of patient-specific assets. It will be appreciated that electronic messages formatted to include are within the scope of the present invention. Details of such a system will be given in more detail later. [0033] The MTC110 typically contains, along with other information, data or information about various transactions that represent the identity of the drug to be given to the patient and the therapeutic regimen, such as healthcare professional identity, device location, patient life signs. Stores information, or any other information that is required to be recorded. The MTC110 may store data or information regarding the primary or secondary confirmation of pre- or double-transactional medical information. [0034] Although specific examples of the MTC110 are shown here, any device that implements the basic concepts of the invention, namely patient-specific or other medical or therapeutic information, is communicated to the patient from a nurse station or other source. It will be appreciated that devices that receive information from patient-specific assets (which can be downloaded or otherwise communicated to patient-specific assets) achieve the object of the invention. A particularly convenient embodiment includes storing information in the MTC 110 until the MTC 110 reconfigures the communication connection with the control system 40, whereby the information stored in the MTC 110 may be transmitted to the control system 40. In this way, the invention closes the loop of ensuring that the right patient was given the right drug in the right way. [0035] For example, consistently with the present invention, the MTC110 is a PalmPilot.^TM Pilot (registered trademark) or Windows (Windows)^TM) (Registered Trademarks) It may be implemented on a handheld "PDA-personal digital assistant" such as a PDA running an operating system, a laptop computer, or other portable computer system. The MTC may include smart cards that maintain accounting information and are issued by banking facilities, such as the American Express Blue Card. Other examples of MTC may include magnetic strip cards, PCMCIA cards, RFID-IDs, or other non-volatile memory storage media. The use of such devices provided a memory large enough to contain the type of information required by the present invention for tracking drugs, confirming treatment, and retrieving other patient information. The availability of the device and its relatively low cost are convenient in that the MTC can be assigned to each individual patient or to a separate clinical device instead. Moreover, such equipment is small, compact and easily transportable. [0036] In another embodiment, the MTC may include a pager device or mobile phone. Such devices are particularly useful in wireless environments and can be programmed to respond to signals from suitable transmitters / receivers located throughout the hospital. [0037] Alternatively, the MTC110 may be embodied in any device with an active computer embedded. Such embedded active computers may be even smaller than PDAs or laptops. For the purposes of the present invention, such embedded active computers include any device containing a microprocessor, and whether via electrical, radio frequency, or optical means, wireless or direct contact, It considers inputting and outputting information, regardless of which contains its own power supply. One example of an embedded active computer according to the invention may be attached to or embedded in a packaging or container of drug to be given to a patient. Such equipment is typically manufactured to be no larger than, for example, postage stamps or business cards, yet uses microcircuits to provide sufficient processing power, information storage, data or information input and output, and medical care. It may include capabilities suitable for use as a transaction carrier. [0038] In yet another embodiment of the invention, the medical transaction carrier may be a barcode label containing information about the patient and drug encoded in the barcode. Alternatively, the MTC may simply be an information storage device that can be read and written using an address, similar to a memory stick used as a storage device for digital cameras. [0039] The medical transaction carrier according to the invention may be stand-alone, for example when the MTC consists of a PDA, laptop, or smart card, or may be attached to another device or device instead. Good. For example, a medical transaction carrier using wireless technology can be incorporated into a drug carrier or cart. Moreover, if the MTC is an electronic message, there is no need to use physical equipment. Instead, a patient-specific asset configured to receive the electronic MTC, act on the information conveyed by the electronic MTC, create a response message within the electronic MTC, and send the electronic MTC to the facility's information system. May include a processor. Such systems are not strictly portable, but stationary, in the sense that no physical equipment is used to transfer the medical transaction information contained in the MTC from one location to another. Will be understood. Alternatively, the electronic MTC may be transported, for example, in a physical communication network using wire or optical waveguides, or over a wireless network. [0040] Another embodiment, for example, the MEDLEY patient medical management system (MEDLEY) of ALARIS Medical System, Inc.^TM When patient-specific assets are modular and include an advanced programming module (APM-advanced programming module), such as PATIENT CARE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, the APM contains sufficient programming to perform the functions of the MTC. But it may be. In such cases, the APM contacts the relevant information system, such as the pharmacy information system, to inform the information system that the patient-specific asset has received the instruction. The information system then confirms the instructions and informs the APM that the instructions have been confirmed. The APM then deletes the instruction from its memory. [0041] It is not uncommon now to find a computer 70 near a patient's bed in a medical facility. Such a computer 70 may serve a single patient or may serve more than one patient, depending on the design and placement of the patient area. There may be various devices or clinical devices attached to the bedside computer 70. Examples of such devices are barcode readers 80, printers (not shown), patient monitoring devices for monitoring patient vital signs (not shown), or other patient-specific assets assigned to patients (not shown). PSA-patient specific assets). An example of such a PSA is the MEDLEY patient medical management system (MEDLEY) from ALARIS Medical System, Inc.^TM Includes drip equipment that can form part of the PATIENT CARE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM). Attention is directed to US Pat. No. 5,713,856, Eggers et al.'S Modular Patient Care System, in which APM is described as Advanced Interface Unit 100, quoted here. As a part of this specification. In such a system, the IV device may be attached to the Advanced Programming Module (APM). Other devices, such as life sign monitors, are also considered to be attached to the APM. Other infusion or drug administration devices and patient monitoring devices such as cardiac monitors or respiratory monitors may also include or form part of the PSA. [0042] Bedside equipment and clinical equipment are typically equipped with data communication technologies such as RS232 serial ports or claimable communication ports that allow information and data to be exchanged with the equipment or clinical equipment. Be done. Using this communication technology, bedside equipment and clinical equipment may follow the bedside computer system 70, or instead, radio such as RF, IR, or other wireless communication protocols. Technology may be used to connect to communication system 5 with a wired or wireless system. [0043] One disadvantage of connecting the device or clinical device directly into the communication system 5 or the computer 70 by the bed is that the PSA is thus awkward and forced into a single position. This disadvantage is addressed by the present invention. By using MTC, a device or device can be identified as a node on the network by interacting with the clinical device or device near the bed to allow the device or device to move from one position to another. No changes to the communication network are required to identify the device or device as required if done. [0044] In one embodiment of the invention, the PSA 120 may include an MTC cradle 100. The MTC Cradle 100 may be wired to the PSA 120 using the PSA's RS232 or other communication port. Instead, the PSA120 may include an integrated MTC cradle. Using such an integrated MTC cradle is convenient in that it eliminates the need for another device that must be connected to the PSA. Of course, if a PSA that integrates the required MTC cradle technology into it is not available, then an external MTC cradle 100 must be used. If an external MTC cradle 100 is required, the MTC cradle 100 may communicate with the PSA 120 using wired or wireless technology as described above. [0045] As previously described, a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention includes a PSA 120 and a medical transaction carrier 110 capable of communicating information with a network or control system using wireless technology. For example, it will be appreciated that the MTC110 includes, but is not limited to, optical or infrared transmission, magnetic transmission, or communication utilizing wireless technology. Here the wireless technology is Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH)^TM) (R) Technology (IEEE802.15) -like methods, wireless internet, WAP, or any other ownership that uses electromagnetic waves instead of wires to connect and communicate between devices. It is understood to include standard methods such as assertable communication methods. Such wireless communication may be performed using other wireless networking methods as described in the IEEE 802.11x standard. Wireless technologies are designed to form wireless networks that allow devices such as PDAs, mobile phones, and personal computers to exchange information at relatively high transmission rates. [0046] For example, BLUETOOTH^TM) Using (registered trademark) technology, data from other devices such as PDAs, laptops, or smart card readers is embedded in the MTC110 for transmission to receivers connected to the server system. Internal bluetooth (BLUETOOTH)^TM) (Registered Trademark) may be sent to a mobile phone transmitter / receiver by wireless chip. For example, using the IEEE802.11x standard, data may be sent directly to a receiver, which may be wired within the network using Ethernet or other network topologies. MTC is Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH)^TM) (Trademarks) or other technologies (such as those described in IEEE 802.11x) can be used for wireless communication and without the disadvantage of requiring cumbersome wired equipment. It may be used throughout the medical facility. [0047] Next, one specific mode of operation of the present invention will be described. Patients entering a hospital or other healthcare facility may have wristbands, necklaces, ankle bands, or other identifiers that are attached to the patient in a way that can identify the patient even if the patient is unconscious or unresponsive. Given. This wristband or other device may include a barcode representing the patient's name and other information that the tissue has determined to be important. In addition, any other information, such as age, allergies, or other vital information, may be encoded in the barcode. Alternatively, the patient information device may be an active embedded computer, or a passive device attached to a wristband, or another carrier attached to the patient. When inquired, such devices respond to devices located throughout the medical facility, such as readers or wireless transmitters / receivers, to give the patient's identity along with other information. [0048] After the patient is admitted to the hospital and placed in a bed in the facility, the patient is usually reviewed by a doctor to define the course of treatment. The physician defines the course of treatment by providing a series of laboratory tests or instructions that may require the patient to administer a particular drug. In some cases, the doctor prepares the instructions by filling out a form or writing instructions on a piece of paper that should be entered into the hospital system for treatment. In other cases, the physician may enter the medication instructions directly into the physician instruction input system 35 (Figure 1) or may instruct the nurse or other healthcare professional to do so. [0049] If the instructions are for a particular drug regimen treatment, the instructions are sent to the institution's pharmacy information system 30. The pharmacy checks the instructions and prepares the drug at the doctor's request. Typically, pharmacies place the drug in a container and a copy of the instructions, or at a minimum, the patient's name, the name of the drug, and the appropriate treatment parameters are displayed on the label attached to the drug container. This information may be represented by a barcode or stored in a smart label, such as a label with an embedded computer or passive device. [0050] When the instructions are prepared, the instructions are sent to the nurse station and combined with a suitable patient. Instead, if the drug is a commonly or routinely prescribed drug, the drug is stored in a safe cabinet adjacent to the nurse station. In such cases, the nurse station may receive a list of instructions from the pharmacy information system 30 and obtain them from inventory adjacent to the nurse station. The nurse now enters the cabinet's identifier for access, according to standard practice. A nurse or other specialist assigned the task of collecting drugs then matches the instructions received from the pharmacy information system 30 with the drugs stored in inventory and those drugs to be given to a particular patient. Pull out. These procedures are performed regardless of whether the drug to be given is an oral drug, intramuscularly, or by infusion. [0051] When the prescribed time for drug administration arrives, the drug is taken to the patient's area and administered to the patient by a nurse or other healthcare professional. In the case of drugs to be given by infusion, the medical practitioner hangs the infusion bag, attaches the bag to the infusion pump, and pumps at values for various parameters used by the pump to control the administration of the drug to the patient. Set up an IV pump to give the drug by programming. The drip regimen is then initiated and the drip regimen is generally given for a long time, so the medical practitioner leaves the patient and continues to care for the other patient. [0052] With the advent of modern infusion pumps, including microprocessors and memory capabilities, it has become possible to maintain a record of programmed infusion parameters as well as a log of treatment when given to the patient. However, until the present invention, a method of transmitting information collected by an infusion pump to a system to ensure that the system incorporates the infusion record into a patient's record stored in one of the facility's information systems. There was no. [0053] Utilizing the present invention, a nurse or healthcare professional who collects or prepares a drug to be given to a patient programs the MTC 110 with information suitable for a particular medical regimen to be given to the patient. Medical transaction carriers are relatively inexpensive, so there may be a separate MTC assigned to each patient or PSA120. As will be explained later, the MTC110 not only ensures that information is communicated between the healthcare facility information system and the PSA120, but also ensures that all information regarding drug administration is retrieved and communicated to the healthcare facility information system. It also provides tools for confirming medical transactions. The systems and methods of the present invention accomplish this in a manner that considers the use of different MTCs with different parts of the medical instructions without loss of MTC, delay in returning MTC, or loss of information. [0054] The communication session for transmitting medical transaction information for a specific patient within the MTC 110 is to a suitable slot or MTC cradle 100 that is operably communicated with the control system 40 via the nurse station computer system 60 and communication system 5. It is started by inserting the MTC110. Alternatively, the MTC 110 may use a wireless system to communicate with the control system 40. As mentioned above, this wireless system has a suitable communication protocol, such as Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH).^TM) (Registered Trademarks) or may include infrared or RF frequency signals using other protocols (such as the protocols described in IEEE 802.11x). [0055] Once the connection is established between the MTC 110 and control system 40, the nurse or other healthcare professional preparing the drug logs to control system 40 and the transaction is tagged with the healthcare professional's unique ID. May be good. Instead, it is designed to automatically query the healthcare professional for an ID by establishing communication between the MTC 110 and the control system 40, and to read the keyboard, barcode reader, or healthcare professional's ID device. The ID may be given using the equipment of. [0056] The information to be transmitted to the MTC typically consists of instructions for drugs or other procedures entered into the information system of the facility, such as the pharmacy information system 60. When each instruction for a drug or other procedure is entered into the facility's information system, it may be given its own transaction identity. In this way, by associating these identifiers with instructions line by line, each drug or procedure that should be performed or given to the patient is uniquely represented by a unique transaction identifier. Will be done. The medical transaction information including the specific transaction identifier in the facility information system may be accessed by the control system 40 via the communication system 5. [0057] If medical transactions are collected and available for access by Control System 40, they will convey to the MTC 110 other patient-specific information, including specific infusion protocols, drug limits, time-based drug constraints, and medical transaction information. May be good. The amount of information transmitted to the MTC110 is determined only by the software running on the control system 40, along with the memory constraints of the MTC110. Once specific information is downloaded from control system 40 to the MTC 110, the MTC is ready to accompany the drug to the patient area for treatment of the patient. [0058] [0058] In one embodiment, a single MTC may be assigned to one nurse to include all patients in that nurse. In this way, the control system 40 may load all medical instructions for the day and for the nurse's patrol into one MTC assigned to the nurse. [0059] In another embodiment, two or more MTCs may be used to send instructions (s) to a particular patient (s). When a large number of MTCs are used, various elements of the system of the invention are programmed to determine if all of the medical transaction information contained in the large number of MTCs has been received and confirmed. Multi-MTC-The system of the invention is configured to alert healthcare professionals in a healthcare facility that corrective action is required if one or more MTCs in a transaction are not received or confirmed. [0060] At the patient's location, information from the MTC110 is transmitted to the PSA120 using wired or wireless technology. In one embodiment, the PSA 120 may be explicitly configured to receive the MTC 110 and make a connection for data transmission from the MTC 110 to the PSA. For example, if the MTC is a smart card, the PSA may include a slot or other device configured to engage the MTC by accepting the MTC 110 in such a way that it can communicate between the MTC 110 and the PSA. Various methods for configuring such communication connections are well known in the art and are not described herein, but are connector pads capable of interfacing with the smart card so that information can be communicated between the smart card and the PSA120. Alternatively, an induction coil may be included. [0061] In an alternative embodiment, if the MTC110 is a smart card with a magnetic strip, the PSA120 may include a magnetic strip reader capable of reading the encoded information stored on the magnetic strip of the MTC110. In yet another embodiment, the MTC has a transmitter / receiver configured to automatically establish a communication link between the MTC 110 and the PSA 120 when the MTC 110 is within a predetermined distance from the PSA 120. It may be included. Using a unique identifier associated with a particular PSA120 that should be used to give the drug, the MTC110 can contact the PSA120 to have the unique identifier stored in the MTC110 with that of the PSA120. It may be determined whether they match. If the specific identity stored in the MTC110 does not match the identity sent to it by the PSA120, then the MTC110 is communicating with the wrong PSA120, and the patient may receive the wrong drug. An erroneous signal may be generated to warn the medical practitioner that it may not be possible. [0062] When the MTC110 queries the PSA120 and receives a matching identity, the MTC110 initiates communication of information to the PSA120's memory. The PSA120 may then use this information to set specific therapeutic parameters that should be used to administer the drug to the patient. [0063] The MTC110 may contact the PSA120 for historical records stored in the PSA's memory. This process conveys information such as current key logs, error logs, life signs logs, IV dosing logs, drug dosing logs, transaction IDs, maintenance logs, and other logs and other patient data from PSA120 to MTC110. May be good. [0064] In addition, the MTC110 may remain in communication with the PSA120 during treatment, but the communication link between the MTC110 and PSA120 may be broken by removing the MTC110 from the PSA120 or cradle 100. At some point, the communication link between the MTC 110 and PSA 120 may be reestablished when a nurse or other healthcare professional patrols the patient and determines that treatment is complete. Before removing the MTC110 from the side of the PSA120 at the end of treatment, the nurse or other healthcare professional orders the PSA120 to convey the desired information as described above to the MTC110. The MTC is then removed from the PSA120 or from the cradle 100 attached to the PSA120 and can be read by a nurse or other healthcare professional from the information stored in the MTC110 at the Nurse Station Computer System 60 or other satellite. Returned to the computer system. [0065] When returned to the nurse station computer system 60, the MTC 110 is inserted into the computer system 60 or MTC cradle 100, depending on the configuration of the device, to transfer the patient information collected from the PSA 120 to the storage device of the control system 40. Is started. Instead, a computer system located at a location other than the nurse station computer system 60, or the nurse station 50, where the MTC 110 is configured to establish communication with the nurse station computer system 60, especially if a wireless system is used. Activates the MTC110 when approaching within a predetermined distance from another device (not shown) or a remotely located transmitter / receiver to establish a communication connection with the control system 40 via communication system 5. You may. [0066] Figure 2 shows the nurse in the position where the drug should be given, communicating with the patient-specific assets that should be used to give the drug and retrieve medical transaction information about current and past drug administration from the PSA. Alternatively, it is a block diagram of one method utilizing the system of the present invention showing the use of a medical transaction carrier 110 (Fig. 1) carried by another medical practitioner. This method describes programming the MTC110, but such programming also involves simply storing information in the MTC110, which can be processed or run by the MTC as those terms are often used in computer technology. It will be understood that you don't need what you can do. [0067] As explained earlier, MTC110 is controlled by Box 300<u style="single">system</u>Establish a connection with 40. Controlled by box 305<u style="single">system</u>40 confirms that this is an informed transaction from PSA and creates a new transaction ID for the particular transaction being attempted. Control if confirmation cannot occur<u style="single">system</u>40 ensures that appropriate action is taken to eliminate the error by signaling a nurse or other healthcare professional that there is an error. [0068]<u style="single">The past transaction ID is initially received from PSA120 and stored in database 45 of control system 40. Whether the PSA120 is designed to receive logs of past transaction IDs stored in the database from MTC and whether any of the logs of past transaction IDs are flagged as incompletely cleared. Is designed to be determined. Incomplete clearing means that the control system has received a message about a past transaction that has already been executed on the PSA, and the PSA is authorized to clear the instructions and transactions from its memory. Means. If PSA determines that any of the past transaction ID logs are incompletely cleared, the transaction is marked as cleared and cleared from the incomplete transaction log. Is sent to the MTC110 and stored in the MTC memory.</u> Once the connection is established in Box 300,<u style="single">MTC110</u>Information stored in<u style="single">Erased found inside</u>Control system 40 may query MTC110 to send a transaction ID. control<u style="single">system</u>40 is<u style="single">Sent erased</u>Transaction ID<u style="single">make use of</u>, Box 320 in these transactions<u style="single">Erase</u>Is incomplete<u style="single">Ka (</u>Can it be cleared from memory?<u style="single">)</u>Judge whether or not. Erase<u style="single">Was done</u>Control if the transaction associated with the transaction ID is not incomplete<u style="single">system</u>40 is box 330, no action is required, and it is determined that these transactions were cleared during the previous communication session. As a result of the judgment of box 320,<u style="single">Erase</u>If the transaction ID is shown to be incomplete for clearing, the control system 40 marks the transaction as cleared in box 334. [0069] In box 334<u style="single">Erase</u>If the transaction ID is marked as cleared, the control system 40 sends a signal to the MTC 110 indicating that the control system 40 is now ready to receive the current information. This step includes, for example, a processor in which the MTC 110 can execute a series of program steps independently of the control system 40, and the MTC 110 queries the control system 40 and the control system 40 is ready to receive information. If it is determined whether or not it is, it may be automated. If a positive response is received as a result of the inquiry, the MTC110 may initiate the transmission of current medical transaction information. If MTC110 does not receive a positive response from control system 40 and it is indicated that control system 40 is not yet ready to receive information, MTC110 waits until it receives a positive response. , Continue to contact the control system. [0070] When the transmission of information or data from the MTC 110 to the control system 40 is initiated in box 345, for example, the current key log, error log, life sign log, infusion log, drug administration log, transaction ID, but not limited to them. The information stored in the MTC 110, which represents information such as maintenance logs, and any other patient data, is transmitted to the control system 40, where it is stored in the database 45 associated with the control system 40 in box 340. You may. In this way, the medical transaction information transmitted by the MTC 110 to the control system 40 may be permanently associated with a particular PSA. [0071] When the information contained in the MTC 110 is transmitted to the control system 40 in step 345, the currently cleared and transmitted medical transaction information stored in the MTC 110 may be erased, as shown in box 350. Alternatively, it may be stored on a storage medium such as magnetic tape, hard drive, floppy (R) disk, etc., as shown in Box 355. [0072] The control system 40 runs the software program in box 350, which analyzes the information recently received from the MTC 110 and conveys new information to the MTC 110 about the current drug administration transaction. Such a software program may include reconfirming past interactions recorded on the MTC 110 against data already stored in the PSA database. If the confirmation fails, the control system 40 may print a display or paper report to notify the nurse or other health care professional that the error is present by generating an error signal. [0073] In addition, software running on control system 40 stores newly entered medical transaction information, such as drug name or type, dosage, and dosing parameters, in hospital information system 20 or pharmacy information system 30. Analyze against standard dosing protocols and determine if there is drug interaction or other safety information. Drug interactions or other safety information may be stored in a database that should attract the attention of the healthcare professional or be stored in the MTC110. If there is an error or safety issue during this step, the software will generate an error signal. [0074] When the current transaction data is analyzed, the control system 40 transmits the transaction information to the MTC 110. As shown in Box 360, this information may include current medical transaction information and a unique transaction ID. Box 365 stores this information in MTC110 memory. [0075] As shown in Box 370, software running on Control System 40, such as results reports, medical administration records, or any other reports required by a healthcare professional or administrator, if desired. Various reports may be produced. Any errors identified during the production of these reports will result in an error signal, which may be displayed on the screen or printed out as a print report. [0076] Further, as shown in box 375, the control system 40 may export all of the information transmitted from the MTC 110 to the pharmacy information system 30 or the hospital information system 20 for further processing or storage. Alternatively, the control system 40 may be programmed to export selected parts of its data to those systems. Again, by running the software running on the control system 40, the information stored in the various information systems 20, 30 and 35 is compared with the information collected by the control system 40 to ensure that the information is correct. Failure to confirm may be indicated by an erroneous signal created by the control system 40 and alerted to the medical practitioner that there are conditions requiring attention and correction. [0077] The process ends in box 380 when the previous steps have been taken to convey information from the MTC to the control system for past transactions and the transmission of information about the current medical transaction to the MTC is complete. After completing the process for a particular MTC110, the process is repeated for each MTC110 that should be used to administer the drug in the medical facility. [0078] Next, FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an example of a process showing various interactions between the MTC 110 and the PSA 120 to convey information between the MTC 110 and the PSA 120 near the patient's bed. ing. Establish a connection with PSA120 in Box 400. If the connection cannot be established, an erroneous signal will be created and the medical practitioner will be warned that information cannot be transmitted between the MTC 110 and PSA 120 unless corrective action is taken. [0079] Once the connection is successfully established in Box 400, in Box 405 PSA120 controls the process, creates a unique transaction ID, logs the medical staff ID, and confirms the patient-PSA assignment. If any of the information is incorrect, the PSA120 may create an erroneous signal that allows the message or code to be displayed by the PSA120 or on the display associated with the MTC cradle 100. [0080] [0080]<u style="single">When the control system 40 receives a medical transaction, it stores the medical transaction in the database 45 using a unique identifier associated with the transaction by a patient-specific asset. The control system 40 also generates a transaction indicating that the information is being received by the control system, sends the transaction to the PSA through the MTC 110, and a patient-specific asset that the transaction is being received by the control system 40. Tell to. Therefore, MTC remembers a log of past transaction IDs received from PSA, which is now also stored in the control system database.</u> When the process shown in box 405 is complete, the PSA120 may inform the MTC110 that it is ready to receive additional data from the MTC, and in box 410 the MTC is now stored in the control system database. Of past transaction IDs received from PSA<u style="single">log</u>To<u style="single">To PSA</u>Send. Alternatively, the PSA120 may simply address the MTC110's memory and retrieve information from that memory, without requiring any active participation by the MTC110. Then in box 415 the PSA120 is of the past transaction ID<u style="single">log</u>Determine if the flag indicates that the clearing is incomplete for any of. In addition, it should be noted.<u style="single">Incomplete clearing means that the instructions and transactions have been received by the control system and that the PSA is authorized to clear the instructions and transactions from its memory.</u> 【0081】<u style="single">In box 415</u>Of the past transaction ID<u style="single">Transactions in the log</u>Clearing is incomplete for any of<u style="single">Absent</u>In case the PSA120 in box 420 is for a transaction that has already been cleared<u style="single">log</u>And the process branches to box 460.<u style="single">In box 415</u>Of the past transaction ID<u style="single">Transactions from the log</u>If the clear is determined to be incomplete, then box 430 marks those transactions as cleared, they are cleared from the incomplete transaction log, and box 425 sends them to MTC110, where they are stored in MTC110's memory. Is remembered in.<u style="single">The erased transaction ID stored in MTC110 memory in box 425 is</u>As indicated by box 440<u style="single">Also in the PSA database, ie database 45</u>You may remember.<u style="single">As described above, upon receiving the erased transaction ID stored in the memory of the MTC 110, the control system 40 can mark the transaction as having been cleared at some point.</u>[0082] When the erased transaction ID is stored in MTC memory,<u style="single">Continued</u>Information, including physician instructions for currently planned or planned treatments, drug regimens, and patient-specific protocols, is transmitted from the MTC 110 to the PSA 120 in Box 435 and stored in the PSA 120 database in Box 440. .. After the current physician's instructions, drug regimen, and patient-specific protocol are stored in the PSA120 database, run the software program on the PSA in Box 445 to ensure the safe administration of the drug to the patient. For the database, dosing protocols, drug interactions, and safety information as previously described are confirmed. If any error or safety issue is detected, an error signal will be created, which may be displayed by the PSA120 or on the display associated with the MTC Cradle 100. [0083] If drug identification technologies such as barcodes, embedded chips, or other identification methods are available, a second check of the drug to be administered may be performed, as shown in Box 450. If an error is detected in Box 450, the healthcare professional is given an error signal indicating that corrective action is needed. [0084] Upon completion of the confirmation performed in one or both of the boxes 445 and 450, the PSA120 processor in the box 455 loads and executes the patient-specific infusion protocol transmitted to it by the MTC110. Once again, if any error is detected during this step, the healthcare professional will be given an error signal indicating that corrective action is needed. [0085] As shown in Box 460, the information stored in the PSA120 related to the patient's treatment may be communicated to the MTC110. For example, in Box 460, the current key log, error log, life symptom log, IV administration log, drug administration log, transaction ID, unknown erased transaction ID, maintenance log, and other patient data are communicated to MTC110. They may be stored there in box 470 in the memory of the MTC 110. Once the information is stored in the MTC 110, the MTC 110 may be removed from the PSA 120 or the MTC cradle 100 associated with the PSA 120 and transferred to the control system 40 as indicated by box 475. Such a transfer may include physically transporting the MTC 110 to a designated location, where the MTC 110 is interfaced, establishing communication with the control system 40, and downloading as described in FIG. The cycle may be started. Instead, if the MTC110 is equipped with the appropriate radio technology, the transfer to the control system 40 may be initiated when the transmission is initiated by giving the MTC110 the appropriate command, or the radio system. May be automatically induced using. For example, it automatically connects to communication system 5 and Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH)^TMThe MTC 110 may be provided with a transmitter / receiver capable of accessing the control system 40 using a wireless communication protocol such as (registered trademark) etc. (eg, IEEE 802.11x). [0086] As is clear from the above description, the confirmation steps performed in the above process are independent of any single transaction. Transactions are not completely cleared from the PSA or control system until both of the following occur: (1) The system that caused the transaction receives confirmation of the transaction requested according to the execution. (2) The system that received the transaction request receives the notification that the system that caused the transaction received the transaction execution and confirmed it. [0087] Due to this redundancy and confirmation, the transaction is not cleared until it is certain that the transaction has been confirmed. Therefore, if a particular MTC 110 is lost or the information stored therein is delayed in being transmitted to control system 40, it is near the patient's bed until the control system database is properly updated. The lost information is retransmitted for each procedure. Using this system, all drugs received by the patient are logged in the control system database along with the actual time of drug reception. In addition, the system ensures that all IV drug event logs and life sign histories received are logged into the control system database, along with the ID of the nurse who gave the patient the drug. In this way, a completely closed loop check of the data is done. With this system, it will be clear that the entire system will operate in real time in a critical direction, that is, in the direction of drug administration from the nurse to the patient. The system is close to real time in the less critical direction for closed-loop confirmation of drug administration, that is, in the direction of returning from the patient's bed to the control system, pharmacy information system, or hospital information system. [0088] One or both of the patient's medications and treatments have been directed using the institutional information system to describe the system of the invention for a given situation, but the treatment is by a doctor or other medical care by the patient's bed. The present invention also applies if the medical treatment or drug is orally directed by a person and the instructions are entered into the institution's information system after being given to the patient. In general, the treatment given to the patient is then appropriately updated with the MAR-medication administration record by entering oral instructions into the institution's information system within a given time (typically 24 hours). Must be accurately reflected. [0089] In situations where a medical or drug is performed before it is entered into the facility's information system, patient-specific assets such as infusion pumps store in their memory the details of the required medical or given drug and the medical or drug. Correspond the details of to the unique identity fire created by the patient-specific assets. The next time a patient-specific asset communicates with the MTC110, the patient-specific asset will be communicated to the MTC110 in the form of a medical transaction represented by an associated unique identifier with medical or drug details, which in turn. Is transferred to control system 40. When a medical transaction is transmitted to control system 40, control system 40 stores the medical transaction in database 45 using a unique identifier associated with the transaction by patient-specific assets. The control system 40 also generates a transaction indicating that the information has been received by the control system 40, and transmits the transaction to the MTC 110. This transaction is communicated to the patient-specific asset and that the transaction was received by the control system 40 is communicated to the patient-specific asset. [0090] When the transaction is stored in database 45, it is matched against the verbal instructions entered by the software running on the other information system 40 of the facility's information system. If the transaction does not match the instructions, an alert may be given indicating that corrective action or some other action must be taken in the form of entering the instructions into the facility's information system. In this way, the loop is closed, the verbal instructions are reliably recorded and the instructions are executed. [0091] Instead, for example, if the patient-specific asset is an IV pump, the control system verifies that the IV pump has been infused for a given period of time, eg, an hour, and the instructions have been entered into the facility's information system. The infusion pump may be programmed to sound an alarm after not receiving from. Such an alarm may include stopping the infusion until an instruction is received, or simply a visible or audible signal that the instruction must be entered into the facility's information system, or appropriate medical care. An MTC 110 with an information transaction may be given to the pump to allow the pump to verify that verbal instructions have been entered. [0092] In this embodiment, oral instructions are input to an information system such as pharmacy information system 30 and transmitted to the MTC110, which is then transmitted to the infusion pump. The software running on the infusion pump then compares the information in the transaction transmitted to it by the MTC110 with the information about the current infusion stored in the pump's memory. When the information matches, the pump sends a transaction to the MTC 110 indicating that it has received an instruction. The transactional communication is then transmitted to the control system 40 to inform the control system 40 that the infusion pump has received the instruction. [0093] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which MTC information is transmitted directly from the information system of the medical facility to the patient-specific asset near the patient's bed will be described. In the medical management system 500 of this embodiment, the communication system 505 interconnects various medical facility information systems such as the hospital information system 520, the pharmacy information system 530, and the doctor instruction input system 535 via the appropriate interface 510. .. Communication system 505 and interface 510 are similar to communication system 5 and interface 10 described with reference to FIG. 1, and it is not further described herein that all the embodiments described with reference to them also apply here. But it will be understood by those skilled in the art. [0094] Communication system 505 includes a connection to the radio transmitter / receiver 540 via the appropriate interface 545. Includes, for example, infrared energy or radio frequency radiant energy between the communication system 505 and remote devices and devices such as the nurse station 550 and patient-specific asset 580 that can send and receive messages using electromagnetic energy. It is configured to send a message using radiant energy, which may be. For example, the nurse station 550 may operate on the transmitter / receiver 575, and patient-specific assets may include the built-in transmitter / receiver. [0095] The nurse station 550 typically includes a computer system 560, a printer 565, and may further include an input / output device 570 such as a bar code reader in addition to the type of keyboard normally used with a computer. .. As mentioned above, the nurse station computer system 560 may be operational and connected to the wireless transmitter / receiver 575, or such transmitter / receiver 575 may be incorporated into the computer system 560. Alternatively, the nurse station computer system 560 may be connected to communication system 505 via physical interconnection. [0096] This embodiment of the invention includes a patient-specific asset 580 including a radio transmitter / receiver that uses electromagnetic energy 585 to communicate with various medical facility information systems through communication system 505. Alternatively, the patient-specific asset 580 may be connected to a separate radio transmitter / receiver, or it may be connected to communication system 505 using physical interconnection. [0097] The patient-specific asset 580 analyzes the memory for storing the medical transaction information and the medical transaction information sent by the transmitter / receiver 540 to the patient-specific asset 580, and the medical transaction information is included in the medical transaction information. Instruct the device (s) containing the patient-specific asset 580 to perform, send a message to the medical facility's information system that the doctor's instructions contained within the medical transaction information have been received, and perform the medical transaction. The information is stored in the memory of the patient-specific asset, and when the patient-specific asset receives a message that the information system has received the message sent by the patient-specific asset, the medical transaction information is cleared from the memory of the patient-specific asset. Also includes a processor for. Such processors may operate and connect to one or more clinical devices, such as infusion pumps or patient life sign monitoring devices, communicate with one or more clinical devices, and control one or more clinical devices. It may be configured. An example of such patient-specific assets is the medley APM (MEDLEY) manufactured by ALARIS MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.^TM APM) Intravenous control module and related equipment. [0098] As described with reference to FIG. 1, it should be clear from the above description that this embodiment of the present invention does not require a physical medical transaction carrier. In this embodiment, the medical transaction carrier takes the form of a formatted electronic message containing all of the information previously described for the physical medical transaction carrier. Since each electronic medical transaction carrier is represented by a unique identity, the processor associated with the medical facility information system and patient-specific asset 580 transfers medical transaction information from the medical facility information system to the patient-specific asset. It can be communicated and it can be confirmed that medical instructions have been given to the patient. This example enables a closed system that describes the body MTC, where each medical instruction is given to the correct patient at the correct time, the record of its administration is properly communicated to the medical facility information system, and the medical facility information system. Guaranteed to be received by. Until the record of the medical administration is confirmed in accordance with the present invention, the medical transaction information will not be cleared from the memory of the patient-specific asset 580 or marked as cleared by the institution's information system. [0099] In addition, the medley patient medical management system (MEDLEY) of ALARIS MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.^TM When a system such as the Patient Care Management System) is used, the physician may enter instructions using manual input means, such as a keypad, associated with the APM. Since APM communicates with various facility information systems, entering a doctor's ID is considered to be equivalent to an electronic signature and is a substitute for instructions. [0100] The systems and methods of the invention may be enhanced by including technology that allows real-time confirmation of the current patient by utilizing methods such as bracelets to read or detect the patient's identity. For example, each patient may be identified by a bracelet containing certain specified information, such as barcode-encoded name, age, allergy history, etc. In one embodiment of the invention, the MTC can transmit that information to the PSA and at the same time read the patient's barcode using a barcode reader to ensure that the correct patient is receiving the correct drug. it can. Instead, instead of the patient's bracelet, a device containing a transmitter / receiver, or a device containing a passive device that can be activated using the appropriate sensor to receive the above information from the patient's ID device. You may use it. [0101] In addition, the systems and methods of the invention may be enhanced by including technology that takes into account real-time confirmation of each drug given to the patient. Such a system can include technology for reading the barcode used on the drug, or an optical recognition, transmitter / receiver embedded in the label of the drug or placed on the container of the drug. Some form of active detection using a vessel or smart chip or computer, or other methods of reliably identifying the drug can be used. In this way, the system further confirms that each drug given to the patient is the same as the drug indicated by the information contained within the MTC. [0102] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the MTC may store and transfer a variety of useful information to the healthcare professional and medical facility to provide medical care to the patient. For example, MTC is a patient-specific ID, a nurse-specific ID, a specific drug prescribed, and a specific PSA ID assigned to a specific patient, the time of drug administration, and information between the MTC and PSA. It may include a current unique transaction ID representing the current transaction of the patient, or a source of information such as a hospital information system or a pharmacy information system. In addition, MTC may include past valid transactions for a particular PSA that have not yet been confirmed by PSA, or may include past confirmed transactions for PSA that have already been confirmed by PSA. In addition, the MTC may be programmed to accept extra pharmacy preparation information as well as extra hospital maintenance or updates if it contains sufficient memory. In addition, other information such as life symptom history and trend information may be sent to and from the MTC, as required by hospital management. [0103] The concept of the system is a seamless combination of all previous elements that does not require the labor of the medical staff other than carrying the MTC back and forth by the bed as part of the regular patrol of the medical staff. It will be understood that it is an automatic method. The concept of the system is possible through the use of specific PC-based software along with open database connectivity, MTC reader hardware at drug preparation points, and MTC reader hardware associated with patient-specific assets. It is said that. The concept of the system is implemented by using a remote transaction method similar to that used for orbiting communications satellite technology. Using this method, data reception, confirmation of data reception, and confirmed and updated system status are obtained. The concept of this system is further implemented by extending the data confirmation concept and combining it with the data confirmation concept used in packet-based data transmission, which may result in the loss or duplication of certain data packets. However, the confirmation is still correct for inspection. For example, information will not disappear from the system unless a particular MTC is returned to the nurse station in a timely manner. By double-way checking and checking for all transactions, the information is eventually returned to the control system database when the MTC is eventually returned. If the MTC is permanently lost, a time-based alert can alert the healthcare professional to take appropriate action. Due to system redundancy, the information contained in the PSA is eventually returned to the control system for verification, even if a particular MTC is lost or misplaced. The system of the present invention provides the added benefit that patient-specific assets may be programmed to prevent PSA from performing a drug regimen if all protection and confirmation are performed without error. In this way, the chance of mistakenly giving the wrong drug to the patient may be minimized by the bed. Of course, in certain situations where PSA is used in an operating room or emergency room environment, assistance [0104] Although PSA has been described for infusion pumps, PSA may be a life sign monitor, or other clinical device that interacts with the patient, as described above. For example, the patient-specific asset may be a patient supply device. [0105] Although the automatic programming of clinical devices using physical or electronic MTC has been described, manual systems are also included within the scope of the systems and methods of the present invention. For example, some patient-specific assets can communicate with control system 40 (Figure 1) or MTC, but within a facility that cannot be programmed with signals received directly from MTC or or control system 40. It may exist. For those clinical devices that do not accept automatic programming, the nurse will read the medical transaction information from the MTC or from the device itself, program the device, and then "START" or "ACCEPT" or other similar key on the device. You may press to indicate that programming is complete. The clinical device may then inform the MTC of the medical transaction it is performing for confirmation. Later, the MTC may pass this information on to control system 40 for confirmation. Instead, the clinical device may convey information directly to control system 40 about the medical transaction it is performing for confirmation. This approach may be applied by nurses when making measurements of vital signs such as the patient's body temperature. The display frequency of the temperature is immediately or eventually entered into the MTC directly from the thermometer in the form of a digital data stream or manually by the nurse, and the medical transaction information is eventually transmitted to the control system 40. Similarly, this approach may be used when oral drugs such as aspirin are administered. [0106] Confirmation data from patient-specific assets may reach control system 40 via multiple MTCs. For example, line items with different patient instructions may be communicated to patient-specific assets near the patient's bed via different MTCs. Control system 40 may see line items indicated as being transmitted to PSA through different MTCs, but does not clear medical transaction information until it has received information about all line items. Therefore, until control system 40 is satisfied with receiving information that all line items in a medical transaction have been executed, control system 40 sends a message to clear a large number of line items from memory patient-specific assets. Do not send to. [0107] In the above description, well-known devices, methods, procedures, and individual components have not been described so as not to obscure aspects of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand their equipment, methods, procedures, and individual components without giving details here. In addition, although the embodiments disclosed above describe use in a hospital environment, the systems and methods are used in other environments, such as outpatient clinics and other environments where patients are medically provided. May be used in. [0108] Although some particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited except as claimed. [Simple explanation of drawings] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a medical management system that includes the principles of the present invention and shows the interconnection of hardware elements and communication network details and the illustrated elements. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the flow of information between the medical transaction carrier of the present invention and the control system. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the flow of information between the medical transaction carrier of the present invention and patient-specific assets. FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of the medical management system of FIG. 1 in which a control system is incorporated into patient-specific assets that wirelessly communicate with various medical facility information systems.