EP3241541A1

EP3241541A1 - Controlled medicine dispenser

Info

Publication number: EP3241541A1
Application number: EP17169404.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Rapacioli
Original assignee: H&s Qualita' Nel Software SpA
Current assignee: H&s Qualita' Nel Software SpA
Priority date: 2016-05-05
Filing date: 2017-05-04
Publication date: 2017-11-08
Also published as: ITUA201697616U1

Abstract

The device the controlled dispensing of medicines comprises a base body (2) provided with a plurality of individual seats (3), a plurality of containers (4) suitable to contain a medicine dose to be taken each, and insertable in a removable way in the plurality of individual seats (3), communication means for receiving and sending signals to an information system for controlling the taking of said medicines and accessible on the Internet, electronic command means for commanding the operation of the dispenser, and connected to the communication means, for receiving and sending signals to the information system for controlling the medicine taking and the electrical power supply means.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for the controlled dispensing of medicines according to the main claim.
More particularly, the invention relates to a device for the controlled dispensing of medicines which allows to control the correct taking of the medicine by the patient.
Devices for the controlled dispensing of medicines are already known, and usually provide a base with seats wherein containers for medicines are placed. Such containers are removable to allow easier access to medicines.
However, such devices do not help patients remember to take their medicines, or to actually take the right doses at the right time.
In fact, it is known that the poor adherence to medical prescriptions is the main cause of drug therapy inefficiency and is associated with an increase in health care interventions, morbidity and mortality, representing a damage to both patients and the healthcare system and society.
This is due to the fact that, in most cases, the patient has to take the medicines autonomously, i.e. alone without being checked by a doctor, a nurse, or sometimes without being controlled by a family member.
The elderly population is particularly at risk under the therapy adherence profile, particularly if multiple pathologies coexist, thus involving the necessity of taking different types of medicines with taking rates which are not always the same.
This fact represents a serious problem in Italy, which is the second country in Europe for old-age index. Thus, the therapy adherence is essential for the sustainability of the Italian national health service.
In this sense, the known devices are not helpful because they offer a passive control of therapy adherence, since they do not allow to interact with your doctor or family members.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device for the controlled dispensing of medicines which allows to improve the adherence to the prescribed therapies for patients who take their medicines autonomously.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for the controlled dispensing of medicines which allows an active control of the therapy adherence by the patients.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for the controlled dispensing of medicines which allows a more flexible medicine taking. These and other objects are achieved by providing a device for the controlled dispensing of medicines realized according to the technical teachings of the appended claims.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the device for the controlled dispensing of medicines, illustrated by way of example and, therefore, non-limiting, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device for the controlled dispensing of medicines, without medicine containers;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 1, partially filled with medicine containers, and with some adjacent containers;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a medicine container.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, they show a device for the controlled dispensing of medicinesdevice 1.
Such device 1 comprises a base body 2 provided with a plurality of individual seats 3.
In addition, the device 1 comprises a plurality of containers 4 each of which is suitable to contain a dose of medicine to be taken, said containers 4 being removably insertable in the plurality of individual seats 3.
Communication means are also provided for receiving and sending signals to a control information system for medicine taking, said control information system being accessible on the Internet.
The device 1 also includes electronic command means for commanding the operation of the dispenser itself, the command means being connected to the communication means, for receiving and sending signals to the control information system for medicine taking.
In order to allow the operation of the device 1, electrical power supply means are also provided.
As it can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the base body 2 has an upper surface 2A, a lower one (not visible in the Figures), a front surface 2B, a rear surface (not visible in the Figures), and two side surfaces 2C.
In the example shown, the front surface 2B has a height which is lower than the rear surface, so that the upper surface 2A is tilted forward. However, the individual seats 3 remain preferably created according to a vertical or substantially vertical axis.
According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the upper surface 2A is removable. To this end, it comprises a pair of gripping members 2D preferably arranged on its side edges (Figures 1 and 2). In the illustrated example, the gripping members 2D include fins integrally formed with the upper surface 2A of the base body 2.
The fact that the upper surface 2A is removable allows to easily provide doses of useful medicines for a future time, such as doses for the following week.
Advantageously, the fins 2D are inserted into special recesses formed in the 2C side surfaces. In this sense, it is suitable to assume that the gripping members 2D and the recesses are arranged in an asymmetrical position with respect to the front surface 2B and the rear surface. In this way, it is avoided that the upper surface 2A is arranged in a wrong direction (for example, upturned or with the front edge placed at the bottom) on the base body 2.
Within the scope of the present invention, the term individual seats 3 means seats 3 suitable to receive a single container 4 each. Each container 4 is suitable to contain a dose of one or more medicines to be taken at a predetermined time of the day, for example before or after breakfast, in the afternoon or even in the evening.
Similarly, each of the individual seats 3 corresponds to a time of the day when a predetermined medicine dose is scheduled.
The information system is thus programmed to send a signal representative of the signalling means activation corresponding to the individual seat containing the medicine dose provided for a given time to the signalling means. Advantageously, the device 1 comprises thirty-five individual seats 3, preferably arranged in order to represent seven days provided with five predetermined time schedules each.
In the example shown, the individual seats 3 are arranged in seven columns comprising five rows each.
The individual seats 3 shown in the Figures have a circular section, and also the containers 4 have the same circular section.
According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the containers 4 are provided with a respective closure member 5 which is openable and closable several times, such as a lid or a cap. This allows the patient to remove, from the base body 2, one medicine dose (or more medicine doses) to be taken before the time of taking of the dose itself, and carry the taken dose with him if he knows that at the corresponding time of taking he will not be near the device 1.
Even more preferably, the closure member 5 is connected to the container 4, even when this latter is open (figure 3).
Such containers 4 are preferably made of plastic material, and more preferably, are made of transparent and opaque plastic material. The advantages associated with this material will be explained below.
In the event that the containers 4 are made of plastic, it is advantageous to provide that also the closure members 5 are made of the same material. In this case, it is possible to provide that the closure members 5 are integral with the respective container 4 by means of a connection member 6 of the flexible ribbon type, possibly integrally formed with both the container 4 and the closure member. Alternatively, it is also possible to provide that the closure member 5 is directly hinged to the container 4.
It is advantageous to assume that each container 4 is provided with a distinctive element 7, such as a writing or a logo, which may indicate a moment, or even a scheduled medicine taking time.
The distinctive element can be printed on a side wall 4A of the container 4, or even on the closure member 5 (Figure 3). This latter possibility is preferred because it allows a better view of the distinctive sign by the patient when the containers 4 are arranged in the seats 3 of the base body 2.
As said, the device 1 comprises communication means suitable to communicate with a control information system, preferably available on the Internet.
In this way, it is possible to connect the device 1 to this information system, where scheduled medicine takings are recorded. Such information system preferably includes a database, and it is also accessible to the doctor or the family members of the patient.
Therefore, the communication means are configured for receiving a signal representative of the medicine taking program from the information system.
Therefore, the device 1 is provided with a processing unit configured for receiving the signal from the communication means (possibly integrated into the processing unit) and associating each container 4 with a scheduled event.
"Scheduled event" means the set of time data (date and time) of a predetermined medicine taking.
Thus, the doctor can change the patient's treatment at any time, and can also check, at any time, that the prescribed treatment is followed properly. Advantageously, the communication means are suitable to communicate also with other similar communication means, for example to allow to advise the doctor or the family members of the patient without having to go through the information system or even to send a signal to the patient himself if he is not near the device 1.
For example, the communication means include a SIM card and a related reader. Preferably, the reader is integrated into the base body 2. By using a SIM card, there is the advantage of being able to advise the patient, his family or even the doctor on their mobile phone, for example by sending them an sms.
Preferably, the communication means are of the wireless type. In this case, the SIM card reader is suitably provided with an antenna. Advantageously, the device 1 also includes signalling means associated with said control information system and/or said processing unit for receiving a signal representative of a scheduled taking of said medicines and configured for signalling a scheduled taking of the medicines (communicated by the control information system). The signalling means are connected to the command means. In this way, these latter can command the operation of the signalling means.
The signalling means suitably comprise a sound member suitable to emit an auditory signal to signal the scheduled taking of a medicine dose. The sound member can be operated at a predetermined time recorded in the information system so that the patient is advised that a scheduled taking time has come. Preferably, in addition or in alternative to the sound member, the signalling means comprise at least a visual element suitable to emit a visual signal to signal the scheduled taking of a medicine dose. For example, a visual member may be a LED light bulb that lights up at a predetermined moment.
In the presence of these visual members, it is particularly advantageous to provide that the signalling means include a plurality of visual members, the number of visual members being equal to the number of individual seats 3, and each visual member being placed near a
respective individual seat 3. In this way, it is possible to clearly and unambiguously indicate to the patient what container 4 is to be picked up when a scheduled taking time is signalled.
In the event that the visual members are light bulbs emitting a luminous visual signal, the fact that the containers 4 are made of transparent and opaque plastic material is an advantageous because the emitted light is much better diffused by this type of material and it is, thus, more visible for the patient.
Obviously, it is preferred that the signalling means include both the sound member and the visual members.
Advantageously, each of the individual seats 3 is provided with respective detection means for the medicine extraction. Thanks to this detection means, it is possible to control that each container 4 has been picked up, suggesting that the medicine dose contained in it has been taken by the patient.
In other words, the detection means are configured to detect the presence or absence of a given container 4.
The detection means for the medicine extraction are suitably connected to the communication means so as to communicate to the information system that a given container 4 has been picked up. The information system is then able to associate the taking of a medicine dose with it and record this taking, associating a taking time with this event.
According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the communication means can be set in order to automatically send a signal to a patient's electronic dispenser provided with equivalent communication means if he has picked up a container 4 before the medicine taking time.
In other words, the communication means are configured to automatically send a signal to a patient's electronic dispenser provided with equivalent communication means (for example, smartphones or another device) when the taking time has come and the detection means detect the absence of the related container from the dispenser.
Specifically, the processing unit is configured to send (via the communication means) a signal to a patient's electronic remote dispenser, provided with equivalent communication means, when the detection means signal the absence of the container at the predetermined time for the taking of the corresponding medicine dose.
In other words, the device 1 is configured to:

monitor the achievement of a predetermined time for the taking of a medicine dose (as transmitted by the operating system) contained in the corresponding container 4;
verify the presence or absence of said container 4 via detection means at said predetermined time;
signal the corresponding scheduled taking of the medicine dose via the signalling means when the detection means detect the presence of the container 4, or
send a communication to a patient's electronic remote dispenser, provided with equivalent communication means, when the detection means detects the absence of said container 4; such sending is made through the information system or, preferably, directly from the device 1 via the communication means.

Advantageously, thus, the patient is automatically advised even when he is not near the base body 2 of the dispenser, if he has carried the medicine dose to be taken with him.
The operation of the invention is as follows:

Once the doctor has chosen the treatment, he enters the treatment in the information system. In order to do so, the doctor must have access credentials, such as a user name and a password, to the information system.

The doctor, then, inserts the medicines to be taken, specifying doses and times of takings. Then, the information system interacts autonomously with the device 1.
In parallel with the entering of the treatment data in the information system, the patient or, in alternative, a family member or a predetermined person such as a nurse, fills the containers 4 with the medicine doses prescribed by the doctor.
At the end of these preparation steps, and at a taking time of a medicine dose, the information system sends a signal to the device 1 via the communication means. These transmit the signal to the command means, which activate the signalling means. These latter emit a sound signal, if they include a sound member. Thus, the patient, advised by the sound signal, goes to the device 1 to pick up the medicine dose to be taken.
In the event that the signalling means provide a respective light bulb arranged at each individual seat 3, the light bulb at the seat 3 corresponding to the reached taking time, emits a light, for example flashing.
Thus, the patient immediately knows which is the container 4 to be picked up and, therefore, what medicine dose must be taken.
When the patient picks up the corresponding container 4, the detection means activate, and communicate a corresponding signal to the information system via the communication means.
The information system records the event, and the corresponding time, and compares these data with the data entered by the doctor, i.e. with the prescribed treatment. The results of this comparison are recorded in a specific table.
More specifically, the information system is configured to mark each of said events (i.e., each pick up of the container) with a predetermined identifying motif.
Such identifying motif (logo, colour or the like) is representative of whether or not the pick up is compliant with the pre-set medicine taking program (by the doctor or the user) and allows the doctor or family members of the patient a rapid visualization of the therapy followed during the just elapsed period.
In fact, after a certain time during which the patient follows the treatment, for example several days, the doctor or even the patient can access the aforementioned table and easily visualize the adherence to the prescribed therapy. For example, the table allows to visualize the adherence using a colour code, for example green, yellow, red, depending on the time interval of the medicine taking, or even simply on the compliance of the medicine taking, for each scheduled taking.
In the event that the patient has picked up a container 4 from its seat 3 before the taking time, to carry the dose to be taken with him even at a distance from the device 1 (generally, outside the home), the system detect the absence of the container 4 because the detection means for the medicine extraction have been activated.
Consequently, at the taking time of the already picked up dose, the information system sends a signal not to the device 1, but directly to the patient, more precisely to his electronic dispenser provided with an equivalent communication means (typically his mobile phone) for example via the sending of an sms to the respective mobile phone.
In the preferred embodiment, in this case, the communication means or the information system are configured to send said signal also to a further remote device (e.g. the smartphone of a family member), in order to allow a greater control on the dose taking.
In this case, in fact, there is the certainty that the patient can be advised even when he is not near the device 1.
The invention achieves the intended objects and provides important advantages.
In fact, the invention can be connected (e.g. to a Cloud service) and, therefore, the doctor and family members can remotely monitor if the therapy is followed.
In addition, the wearability of the containers and the ability to adapt the type of signal to the presence or not of the containers in the base seats, guarantees a maximum use flexibility and makes it much easier to comply with the therapeutic program, by adapting the dispenser functionalities to the daily habits and needs of the patient.
Moreover, all the takings being saved and catalogued (or the picks up of the containers) in a suitable table accessible on line, the doctor or family members can easily have a precise measurement of the therapeutic compliance of the patient.

Claims

Device for the controlled dispensing of medicines, comprising:
- a base body (2) provided with a plurality of individual seats (3);

- a plurality of containers (4) each of which is suitable to contain a dose of medicine to be taken, said containers (4) being removably insertable in said plurality of individual seats (3);

- communication means configured for receiving and sending signals to a control information system for the taking of said medicines, said control information system being remotely accessible.

- electronic command means configured for commanding the operation of said dispenser, said command means being connected to said communication means, for receiving and sending signals to said control information system for the taking of said medicines.

- electrical power supply means.
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said containers (4) are provided with a respective closure member (5) which is openable and closable several times.
Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the closure member (5) is connected to the container (4), even when said closure member (5) is open.
Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it comprises signalling means associated with said control information system for receiving a signal representative of a scheduled taking of said medicines and configured to signal said scheduled taking of said medicines, said signalling means being connected to the command means.
Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said signalling means comprise a sound member able to emit an auditory signal and/or a visual element able to emit a visual signal to signal the scheduled taking of a medicine dose.
Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said signalling means include a plurality of visual members, the number of visual members being equal to the number of individual seats (3), and each visual member being placed near a respective
individual seat (3).
Device according to one or more of the claims 4 to 6, characterized in that each of said individual seats (3) corresponds to a time of the day in which the taking of a predetermined medicine dose is scheduled; said information system being programmed to send a signal representative of an activation of the signalling means corresponding to the individual seat containing the medicine dose provided for a given moment to said signalling means.
Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said individual seats (3) is provided with related detection means of the extraction of said medicine connected to the communication means.
Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said communication means are suitable to communicate with other remote communication means.
Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said communication means comprise a SIM card and a related reader.
Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said reader is integrated in the base body (2).
Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said base body (2) comprises a movable upper surface (2A).
Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the gripping members (2D) comprise fins that are integrally formed with the upper surface (2A).
Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the base body (2) comprises a front surface (2B), a rear surface and two side surfaces (2C) in which respective recesses for inserting the fins (2D) are formed, said fins (2D) and said recesses being arranged in an asymmetrical position relative to said front surface (2B) and said back surface.
Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the communication means are configured to send a signal to a patient's electronic dispenser, provided with equivalent communication means, when the detection means signal the absence of the container at the predetermined time for the taking of the corresponding medicine dose.