JP7525792B2 - Drug dispensing system, drug dispensing program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a medicine dispensing system that dispenses medicine from a medicine storage unit.

There is known a medicine dispensing system that can dispense medicines from a medicine storage unit in which medicines are stored in advance, based on medicine dispensing data such as prescription data (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5812228

In facilities where drug dispensing systems are used, in order to reduce the frequency of drug replenishment operations for frequently dispensed drug, a large amount of drug may be replenished to the drug storage unit in one replenishment operation. On the other hand, for specific drug such as drug that is sensitive to moisture or drug that is infrequently dispensed, an operation may be adopted in which the drug is replenished to the drug storage unit each time a drug needs to be dispensed by the drug dispensing system. In this case, for the specific drug, the drug may not be stored in the drug storage unit beforehand, or there may be little drug stored in the drug storage unit beforehand, so there is a possibility that the drug will run out after the start of the drug dispensing operation, causing the drug dispensing operation to be interrupted.

The object of the present invention is to provide a medicine dispensing system and a medicine dispensing program that can assist the user in confirming the contents of a medicine when it is dispensed.

The drug dispensing system according to the present invention includes a determination processing unit that determines whether or not a drug to be dispensed in a drug dispensing operation that dispenses one or more types of drug from one or more drug storage units based on drug dispensing data is a preset drug to be confirmed, a display processing unit that displays identification information of the drug to be confirmed when it is determined that the drug to be dispensed is the drug to be confirmed, and a restriction processing unit that restricts execution of the drug dispensing operation until a specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the drug to be confirmed.

The drug dispensing program of the present invention is a drug dispensing program for causing one or more processors to execute the following steps: a determination step for determining whether or not a drug to be dispensed in a drug dispensing operation for dispensing one or more types of drug from one or more drug storage units based on drug dispensing data is a preset drug to be confirmed; a display step for displaying identification information of the drug to be confirmed when it is determined that the drug to be dispensed is the drug to be confirmed; and a restriction step for restricting execution of the drug dispensing operation until a specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the drug to be confirmed.

The present invention provides a medicine dispensing system and a medicine dispensing program that can assist the user in checking when a specific medicine is dispensed.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a medicine dispensing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of a fixed drug container unit of the drug dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of an adjustable medicine container part of the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of an adjustable medicine container part of the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of an adjustable medicine container part of the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration of a mounting part of the adjustable medicine container part of the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a result of packaging medicines in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a medicine master used in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of allocation information used in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of allocation information used in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a procedure of a medicine dispensing process executed in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed in the medicine dispensing system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a medicine dispensing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a prescription control unit 1, a medicine supply unit 2, a packaging unit 5, a packaging control unit 6, and a code reading unit 7. The prescription control unit 1, the medicine supply unit 2, the packaging unit 5, and the packaging control unit 6 are connected by an internal bus N1 or the like. The prescription control unit 1 and the code reading unit 7 are capable of wireless communication according to a communication standard such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The medicine dispensing system 100 executes a medicine dispensing operation including a medicine supplying operation of dispensing one or more types of medicine from the medicine supplying unit 2 based on the medicine dispensing data, and a packaging operation of packaging the medicine dispensed by the medicine supplying operation into packaging paper in units of packages such as those based on the time of administration, using the packaging unit 5. In another embodiment, the medicine supplying operation may be regarded as a medicine dispensing operation according to the present invention.

In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the drug to be dispensed in the drug dispensing system 100 is a tablet is described as an example, but the drug to be dispensed in the drug dispensing system according to the present invention is not limited to a tablet, and may be another dosage form such as a powder, liquid medicine, PTP sheet, or ampule. For example, the drug dispensing system 100 may be an automatic powder packaging machine that packages and dispenses powdered medicine from a drug storage unit in which the powdered medicine is previously stored, or a sheet dispensing device that dispenses PTP sheets from a drug storage unit in which the PTP sheets are previously stored.

In addition, in this embodiment, the drug dispensing data is prescription data indicating the contents of a prescription corresponding to a patient. The prescription data is acquired from a higher-level system such as a prescription input terminal 200 described below, or is input to the drug dispensing system 100. The prescription data includes information about the patient and information about the drug prescribed for the patient, such as the type, dosage, and usage of the drug. In another embodiment, the drug dispensing data may be dispensing data input to the drug dispensing system 100 based on the contents of a prescription corresponding to a patient.

[Drug supply unit 2]
The medicine supply unit 2 includes a plurality of fixed medicine containers 21 capable of dispensing tablets of a predetermined type one tablet at a time (unit amount), and a plurality of variable medicine containers 22 capable of dispensing tablets of any assigned type one tablet at a time (unit amount). The fixed medicine containers 21 and the variable medicine containers 22 are examples of medicine containers according to the present invention. In another embodiment, the medicine supply unit 2 may include one type of medicine container, either the fixed medicine containers 21 or the variable medicine containers 22.

Each of the fixed drug containers 21 is configured to be detachable from each of the mounting parts 211 provided in the drug supply unit 2. In another embodiment, each of the fixed drug containers 21 may be configured to be removable from the mounting part 211, and the fixed drug containers 21 may not be detached from the mounting part 211. Also, a part of the fixed drug containers 21 may be provided in the mounting part 211, and another part of the fixed drug containers 21 may be detachable from the mounting part 211.

Each of the mounting units 211 includes a first drive unit 23 that drives the fixed drug container unit 21 individually. Each of the first drive units 23 includes a drive motor 231 and an RFID reader/writer 232. The drive motor 231 supplies a drive force to the drive mechanism of the fixed drug container unit 21.

The RFID reader/writer 232 is an information reading means that reads and writes information from an RFID tag (not shown) provided in the fixed drug container 21 using radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless communication technology. The installation locations of the RFID tag (not shown) and the RFID reader/writer 232 may be determined relatively within a range in which the RFID reader/writer 232 can read and write information from the RFID tag (not shown) when the fixed drug container 21 is attached to the attachment section 211.

The RFID tag (not shown) is a non-volatile recording medium in which cassette identification information for identifying each of the fixed drug containers 21 is stored, and the cassette identification information is written by the prescription control unit 1 during initial settings of the drug dispensing system 100. In addition, the fixed drug containers 21 may be provided with a read-only RFID tag in which the cassette identification information corresponding to the fixed drug containers 21 is stored in advance.

Each of the variable medicine containers 22 is configured to be detachable from each of the mounting parts 221 provided on the medicine supply unit 2. In another embodiment, each of the variable medicine containers 22 may be configured to be removable from the mounting part 221, and the variable medicine containers 22 may not be detached from the mounting part 221. Also, a part of the variable medicine containers 22 may be provided on the mounting part 221, and another part of the variable medicine containers 22 may be detachable from the mounting part 221.

Each of the mounting units 221 includes a second drive unit 24 that individually drives the variable medicine container unit 22. Each of the second drive units 24 includes drive motors 241 to 244 and an RFID reader/writer 245. The drive motors 241 to 244 supply drive force to the drive mechanism of the variable medicine container unit 22.

The RFID reader/writer 245 (see FIG. 7) is an information reading means that uses RFID wireless communication technology to read and write information from the RFID tag 26 (see FIG. 6) provided in the variable medicine container 22. The installation locations of the RFID tag 26 and the RFID reader/writer 245 may be determined relatively within a range in which the RFID reader/writer 245 can read and write information from the RFID tag 26 when the variable medicine container 22 is attached to the attachment section 221.

The RFID tag 26 is a non-volatile recording medium on which cassette identification information for identifying each of the variable medicine containers 22 and identification information of the medicine assigned to the variable medicine containers 22 are recorded.

The identification information is information that can identify the type of tablet (medicine), such as the name of the medicine, medicine ID, JAN code, RSS code, QR code (registered trademark), etc. The JAN code and the RSS code are numerical or textual information expressed in a one-dimensional code (barcode, GS1 code), and the QR code (registered trademark) is numerical or textual information represented in a two-dimensional code.

[Payment detection unit 225A]
The medicine supply unit 2 also includes a dispensing detection unit 225A provided for each of the fixed medicine container 21 and the variable medicine container 22. The dispensing detection unit 225A includes an optical sensor or the like provided for each of the fixed medicine container 21 and the variable medicine container 22 in order to detect tablets dispensed from each of the fixed medicine container 21 and the variable medicine container 22. The control unit 61 controls the driving of the variable medicine container 22 based on the number of tablets discharged counted using the optical sensor 225A, and is capable of dispensing only a preset dispensing amount (prescription amount) from the variable medicine container 22. In addition, when the dispensing detection unit 225A does not detect the dispensing of tablets for a preset specific time or more during the execution of the tablet dispensing operation by the fixed medicine container 21 or the variable medicine container 22, the control unit 61 determines that a shortage has occurred in the fixed medicine container 21 or the variable medicine container 22, and notifies the prescription control unit 1 of the same. In another embodiment, the dispensing detection unit 225A may be an optical sensor or the like that is provided on a tablet dispensing path from the multiple fixed drug storage units 21 and the multiple variable drug storage units 22 and is capable of detecting tablets dispensed via the dispensing path.

[Fixed drug container 21]
Here, an example of the fixed medicine container 21 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Note that Fig. 3 is a diagram in which a cover member covering the upper part of the fixed medicine container 21 is omitted.

The type of tablets stored in each of the fixed drug storage units 21 is predetermined. For example, the front surface of each of the fixed drug storage units 21 is marked with identification information for the tablets stored in the fixed drug storage unit 21.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed drug storage unit 21 includes a storage unit 212 that stores a plurality of tablets, and a tablet discharge unit 213 that individually discharges the tablets stored in the storage unit 212. The tablet discharge unit 213 is provided in a recess formed in the approximate center of the storage unit 212, and the tablets in the storage unit 212 sequentially descend toward the tablet discharge unit 213.

The tablet discharge section 213 includes a rotor 214 rotatably supported by the housing of the fixed drug storage section 21, and an inner wall 214A covering the outer periphery of the rotor 214. When the fixed drug storage section 21 is mounted on the mounting section 211, the rotor 214 is connected to the drive motor 231 of the first drive section 23 via a drive transmission system (not shown) such as various gears. In addition, ribs 215 and ribs 216 are formed at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the rotor 214. As a result, gaps 217 surrounded by the ribs 215, the ribs 216, and the inner wall 214A are intermittently formed on the outer periphery of the rotor 214. The width of the gaps 217 is determined according to the type of tablet that is predetermined as the tablet to be stored in the fixed drug storage section 21, and corresponds to the width of one tablet.

A gap 218 is formed between the ribs 215 and 216 over the entire outer circumferential surface of the rotor 214. Here, the height of the upper end of each of the ribs 215 and 216 is determined according to the type of tablet that is predetermined to be contained in the fixed medicine container 21. Specifically, the height of the upper end of the rib 215 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the height of three tablets, and three tablets are inserted into each of the gaps 217 of the rotor 214. The height of the upper end of the rib 216 corresponds to the height of one tablet.

On the other hand, the inner wall 214A is formed with an outlet 219 for discharging tablets from the rotor 214, and the outlet 219 is provided with a partition plate 220 that is inserted into the gap 218. As a result, of the three tablets inserted into the gap 217 at the outlet 219, the upper two tablets are prevented from falling by the partition plate 220, and only the lower tablet is discharged. Therefore, in the fixed drug storage unit 21, the rotor 214 is driven by the drive motor 231, and the tablets stored in the storage unit 212 are dispensed one tablet at a time.

[Variable medicine container 22]
Next, an example of the variable medicine container 22 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 7. The structure of the variable medicine container 22 described here is merely an example, and other structures may be used as long as any tablets can be dispensed one by one. For example, JP-T-2010-535683 or JP-A-2010-115493 discloses other examples of the variable medicine container 22. The variable medicine container 22 may be a cylindrical member having a helical inner surface, and the cylindrical member may rotate in an inclined state, so that the tablets contained in the cylindrical member move upward along the helical inner surface and are dispensed in order.

As shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the variable medicine storage unit 22 includes a storage unit 222 that stores a plurality of tablets, and a first rotating body 223 and a second rotating body 224 that dispense tablets from the storage unit 222. Note that Figs. 4 to 6 are views in which a cover member that covers the upper part of the variable medicine storage unit 22 is omitted. In addition, the variable medicine storage unit 22 only needs to be capable of dispensing tablets in predetermined unit amounts, and may be configured to dispense, for example, multiple tablets at a time, rather than one tablet at a time.

The first rotor 223 is a disk-shaped member that constitutes the bottom surface of the storage section 222. The rotation axis of the first rotor 223 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction, and the upper surface of the first rotor 223 is inclined at the predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane. In addition, radial ribs 223A are formed at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the first rotor 223. The first rotor 223 is rotatably supported by the housing of the variable medicine storage section 22, and is connected to a drive gear 223B shown in Figures 5 and 6.

The second rotating body 224 is a hollow annular member arranged around the first rotating body 223 in a plan view, and transports the tablets in the storage section 222 to the dispensing outlet 225 and dispenses them from the dispensing outlet 225. The upper end of the first rotating body 223 is located on the same horizontal plane as the second rotating body 224. The second rotating body 224 is rotatably supported by the housing of the variable medicine storage section 22, and a drive gear 224A shown in FIG. 6 is formed on the outer circumferential surface.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the mounting unit 221 includes a drive gear 221A that is connected to the drive gear 223B of the first rotating body 223 when the variable medicine storage unit 22 is mounted, and a drive gear 221B that is connected to the drive gear 224A of the second rotating body 224. The drive gear 221A is connected to the drive motor 241 of the second driving unit 24, and the drive gear 221B is connected to the drive motor 242 of the second driving unit 24.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the variable medicine storage unit 22 is provided with a height regulating member 226 and a width regulating member 227 arranged on the dispensing path of the tablet transported to the dispensing outlet 225 by the second rotating body 224.

The height regulating member 226 regulates the height size of the tablet that can be transported to the dispensing outlet 225 by the second rotating body 224, and the width regulating member 227 regulates the width size of the tablet that can be transported to the dispensing outlet 225 by the second rotating body 224. As a result, in the variable medicine storage unit 22, only tablets that fit within the height h1 regulated by the height regulating member 226 and the width w1 regulated by the width regulating member 227 among the tablets placed on the second rotating body 224 are dispensed from the dispensing outlet 225. Therefore, in the variable medicine storage unit 22, when the height h1 and the width w1 are equal to or greater than the height and width of one tablet contained in the storage unit 222 and smaller than the height and width of at least two tablets, the tablets can be dispensed one by one. More specifically, in the variable medicine storage unit 22, if the center of gravity of a tablet is on the second rotating body 224, there is a possibility that the tablet will remain on the second rotating body 224. Therefore, it is considered that the width w1 restricted by the width restricting member 227 is set to be equal to or greater than the width of 0.5 tablets and smaller than the width of 1.5 tablets.

The variable medicine container 22 includes a height adjustment unit 226A for changing the height h1 regulated by the height regulating member 226, and a width adjustment unit 227A for changing the width w1 regulated by the width regulating member 227. A pinion gear is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the width adjustment unit 227A, and is engaged with a rack (gear) formed on the inner peripheral surface of an elongated hole 227B formed in the width regulating member 227.

The height adjustment unit 226A is rotatably supported by the housing of the variable medicine storage unit 22 and is connected to a drive gear 226B shown in FIG. 6. The height adjustment unit 226A is driven to rotate, thereby moving the position of the lower end of the height restriction member 226 up and down, and changing the height h1 restricted by the height restriction member 226.

The width adjustment unit 227A is rotatably supported by the housing of the variable medicine storage unit 22 and is connected to a drive gear 227C shown in FIG. 6. The width adjustment unit 227A changes the amount of protrusion of the width restriction member 227 toward the storage unit 222 side by driving the drive gear 227C to rotate, thereby changing the width w1 restricted by the width restriction member 227. Specifically, the amount of protrusion of the width restriction member 227 toward the storage unit 222 side is changed by the relative movement of the width adjustment unit 227A and the long hole 227B in the direction of arrow R3 (see FIG. 4) by the rotation of the drive gear 227C.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the mounting unit 221 includes a drive gear 221C that is connected to the drive gear 226B when the variable medicine storage unit 22 is mounted, and a drive gear 221D that is connected to the drive gear 227C. The drive gear 221C is connected to the drive motor 243 of the second drive unit 24, and the drive gear 221D is connected to the drive motor 244 of the second drive unit 24. This allows the height regulating member 226 and the width regulating member 227 to be driven by the drive motors 243 and 244.

6 and 7, the variable medicine storage unit 22 and the mounting unit 221 are provided with a drive gear 228A and a drive gear 228B that are connected when the variable medicine storage unit 22 is mounted on the mounting unit 221. The drive gear 228A is connected to an elevating mechanism (not shown) that moves the first rotating body 223 up and down, and the drive gear 228B is connected to a drive motor (not shown). As a result, when the drive motor is driven, a driving force is transmitted from the drive gear 228B to the drive gear 228A, and the first rotating body 223 can be raised and lowered by the elevating mechanism. Therefore, in the medicine dispensing system 100, the volume inside the storage unit 222 can be changed by raising and lowering the first rotating body 223, and the number of tablets that can be stored in the storage unit 222 can be adjusted arbitrarily. Therefore, the variable medicine storage unit 22 can be used both in applications where a small number of tablets are stored and in applications where a large number of tablets are stored.

In the variable medicine storage unit 22, when the first rotor 223 rotates in a rotation direction R1 (see Figures 4 and 5), the tablets in the storage unit 222 are discharged from the first rotor 223 to the second rotor 224. In the variable medicine storage unit 22, when the second rotor 224 rotates in a rotation direction R2 (see Figures 4 and 5), the tablets on the second rotor 224 are transported toward the dispensing outlet 225.

However, among the tablets transported by the second rotating body 224, tablets stacked in the height direction come into contact with the height regulating member 226 and are returned to the storage section 222. Also, among the tablets transported by the second rotating body 224, tablets that are lined up in the width direction come into contact with the width regulating member 227 and are returned to the storage section 222.

As a result, in the variable medicine storage unit 22, tablets of a size corresponding to the height h1 regulated by the height regulating unit 226 and the width w1 regulated by the width regulating member 227 are transported to the dispensing outlet 225 in a state where they are lined up one tablet at a time in the circumferential direction on the second rotating body 224. Therefore, in the variable medicine storage unit 22, it is possible to dispense tablets stored in the storage unit 222 one tablet at a time, and it is possible to control the amount of tablets dispensed.

In this way, by using the variable medicine storage unit 22, the height h1 regulated by the height regulating member 226 and the width w1 regulated by the width regulating member 227 can be changed, making it possible to dispense any type of tablet one tablet at a time.

In addition, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, each of the variable medicine containers 22 is provided with a display unit 25 whose display content can be changed. The display unit 25 is electronic paper in which the display content is written by energizing the display unit 25, and the display content is maintained even when the display unit 25 is not energized.

The variable medicine storage unit 22 and the mounting unit 221 are each provided with a contact-type connector (not shown) that is connected when the variable medicine storage unit 22 is mounted on the mounting unit 221. Here, the display unit 25 is connected to the connector on the variable medicine storage unit 22 side, and the prescription control unit 1 is connected to the connector on the mounting unit 221 side. Then, when the variable medicine storage unit 22 is mounted on the mounting unit 221, the display unit 25 and the prescription control unit 1 are electrically connected by the connector. This makes it possible for the prescription control unit 1 to change the display of each of the display units 25. Note that the display unit 25 is not limited to electronic paper, and may be other display means such as a liquid crystal display. In addition, it is also conceivable that the display unit 25 is provided in the mounting unit 221 to which the variable medicine storage unit 22 is mounted in correspondence with each of the variable medicine storage units 22.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the variable medicine containers 22 has the built-in RFID tag 26 that stores various information. The RFID tag 26 is a non-volatile recording medium that allows the RFID reader/writer 245 to rewrite stored information, and is used to store the cassette identification information of each of the variable medicine containers 22 and the identification information of the medicine assigned to each of the variable medicine containers 22, as described above. The RFID tag 26 is mounted on a control board provided in each of the variable medicine containers 22, and the control board also has a function of changing the display of the display unit 25 of the variable medicine containers 22 according to a control signal from the prescription control unit 1. The control board is equipped with an electric circuit that is driven by power supplied through the connector, power supplied from a power storage unit such as a battery mounted on the control board, or power supplied when writing information to the RFID tag 26. In addition, in another embodiment, each of the variable medicine storage units 22 may have another recording medium, such as an EEPROM, instead of the RFID tag 26, from which the prescription control unit 1 can read and write information via the connector.

[Packaging unit 5]
The packaging unit 5 controls the medicine dispensing system 100 based on the medicine dispensing data, and executes a packaging operation of packaging one or more types of medicines supplied from the medicine supply unit 2 in one packaging paper in packaging units such as a time of administration. For example, the packaging unit 5 packages medicines in the packaging units with a transparent or semi-transparent roll-shaped medicine packaging sheet 51 and seals the sheet by welding or the like. As a result, the medicine packaging sheet 51 containing the medicine in the packaging unit is discharged from the packaging unit 5. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the medicine packaging sheet 51 discharged from the packaging unit 5. In the medicine packaging sheet 51 shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of packaging papers 52 in which a plurality of tablets are packaged in the packaging unit are continuously formed, and a dotted cut line 52A (perforation) is formed between each of the packaging papers 52 to easily separate each of the packaging papers 52.

[Packaging control unit 6]
As shown in Fig. 2, the packaging control unit 6 includes a control unit 61 and a storage unit 62. The control unit 61 is a control means having a CPU, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, etc. The control unit 61 executes various processes according to various control programs stored in advance in storage means such as the ROM, the EEPROM, or the storage unit 62, using a processor such as the CPU. The RAM and the EEPROM are used as temporary storage memories (work areas) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 61 may be an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or a DSP.

Specifically, the control unit 61 controls the drug supplying unit 2 and the packaging unit 5 based on the drug dispensing data, dispenses one or more types of drug supplied from the drug supplying unit 2, and executes the drug dispensing operation of packaging the drug in packets by the packaging unit 5. Furthermore, when the control unit 61 detects a shortage of drug during the drug dispensing operation using the dispensing detection unit 225A, it interrupts the drug dispensing operation, and resumes the drug dispensing operation when the drug is replenished.

The storage unit 62 is a storage means such as a hard disk device or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores the control program and various data. The control unit 61 controls the medicine supply unit 2 and the packaging unit 5 in accordance with the control program, and executes the medicine dispensing operation based on the medicine dispensing data. In addition, the medicine dispensing system 100 may not have the packaging control unit 6, and the prescription control unit 1 may function as the packaging control unit 6.

[Code reading unit 7]
The code reading unit 7 is a barcode reader that reads codes that identify medicines and can read code information such as JAN codes, RSS codes, or QR codes (registered trademarks) that are written on medicine packaging parts such as medicine boxes, medicine bottles, or PTP sheets in which tablets are packaged.

The code reading unit 7 may be, for example, a conventionally known picking assistance device used by a pharmacist or the like to pick medicines. The picking assistance device is used when a pharmacist or the like manually dispenses medicines by taking them out of a medicine shelf according to a prescription, and, for example, reads the medicine from the JAN code written on the storage container and compares the read medicine with the medicine to be dispensed included in the medicine dispensing data. The code reading unit 7 may also be used to read a barcode or QR code written on a prescription.

The information read by the code reading unit 7 is input to the prescription control unit 1 by wireless communication from the code reading unit 7. The code reading unit 7 may be connected to the prescription control unit 1 by wire. When a plurality of the drug dispensing systems 100 are provided in a pharmacy, the code reading unit 7 is provided separately and pre-associated with each of the drug dispensing systems 100.

[Prescription control unit 1]
The prescription control unit 1 is a computer that comprehensively controls the medicine dispensing system 100. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the prescription control unit 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a display unit 13, an operation unit 14, a communication IF 15, and the like.

The control unit 11 has a CPU, RAM, ROM, and EEPROM. The control unit 11 executes various processes by the CPU according to various programs prestored in storage means such as the ROM, the EEPROM, or the storage unit 12. The CPU includes one or more processors that execute various processes, and the RAM and the EEPROM are used as temporary storage memory (work area) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 may be an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or DSP.

The storage unit 12 is a storage means such as a hard disk device or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various data. Specifically, a medicine dispensing program is pre-stored in the storage unit 12 for causing a computer such as the control unit 11 to execute a medicine dispensing process (see FIG. 12) described below. The medicine dispensing program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD, DVD, or semiconductor memory, and is read from the recording medium by a reading device such as a disk drive (not shown) and installed in the storage unit 12. The present invention may be understood as an invention of the computer-readable recording medium on which the medicine dispensing program is recorded.

In this embodiment, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a judgment processing unit 111, a display processing unit 112, a restriction processing unit 113, a matching processing unit 114, and an allocation processing unit 115. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the medicine dispensing program.

The determination processing unit 111 determines whether the type of drug to be dispensed in a drug dispensing operation in which one or more types of drug are dispensed from one or more of the fixed drug storage units 21 and the variable drug storage unit 22 based on the drug dispensing data is a drug to be confirmed that has been set in advance. Specifically, when "pre-packaging verification" is set to "Yes" for the type of drug to be dispensed in the drug master D1 (see FIG. 9) described below, the determination processing unit 111 determines that the drug to be dispensed corresponds to the drug to be confirmed.

When the drug to be dispensed is determined to be the drug to be confirmed, the display processing unit 112 displays identification information of the drug to be confirmed, such as the drug name or drug ID of the drug to be confirmed. The display processing unit 112 may also display the required amount of the drug to be confirmed in the drug dispensing operation or the number of packaging units of the drug, together with the identification information of the drug to be confirmed. Furthermore, when the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22 associated with the drug to be confirmed is being used in another drug dispensing operation, the display processing unit 112 displays a message indicating that a specific confirmation condition, described below, needs to be satisfied after the end of the other drug dispensing operation.

The restriction processing unit 113 restricts the execution of the drug dispensing operation until a specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the drug to be confirmed. In particular, when multiple types of drugs to be dispensed in the drug dispensing operation are the drug to be confirmed, the restriction processing unit 113 restricts the execution of the drug dispensing operation until the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all of the drugs to be confirmed. The specific confirmation condition is that the collation result by the collation processing unit 114 is a match, or that a user operation of a confirmation operation unit K32 (described below) displayed by the display processing unit 112 has been accepted.

The matching processing unit 114 executes a matching process to match the identification information of the drug read by the code reading unit 7 with the identification information of the drug to be confirmed. In this embodiment, a match as a result of the matching processing unit 114 is an example of the specific confirmation condition.

The allocation processing unit 115 can assign the identification information of any tablet to the variable medicine container 22 in response to a user operation or automatically. Specifically, the allocation processing unit 115 associates the variable medicine container 22 with the identification information of any tablet, and registers the correspondence in allocation information D2, which will be described later.

The storage unit 12 also stores various databases, such as a drug master D1, a patient master, a cassette master, and a pharmacy master. The control unit 11 can update the various databases stored in the storage unit 12 based on data read by a reading device, such as a disk drive (not shown), from a recording medium, such as a CD, DVD, or semiconductor memory. The control unit 11 can also change the contents of the various databases in response to user operations on the operation unit 14.

9 is a diagram showing a part of the drug master D1. As shown in FIG. 9, in the drug master D1, identification information such as the drug ID and drug name of the drug is stored in association with information on whether pre-packaging verification is required for each drug. The pre-packaging verification is set to "Yes" when verification of the drug identification information is required before executing the drug dispensing operation, and is set to "No" when the verification is not required before executing the drug dispensing operation. The control unit 11 can change the setting of the pre-packaging verification in the drug master D1 for each drug in response to a user operation of the operation unit 14 in the initial setting of the drug dispensing system 100. In addition, the setting of the pre-packaging verification is not limited to the case where it is performed on a drug basis, but may be set for each drug classification such as psychotropic drugs, high-risk drugs, poisons, and powerful drugs, and may be set according to whether the drug is packaged in a PTP sheet or not. This makes it possible to set the pre-packaging verification to "Yes" collectively for drugs packaged in a PTP sheet, for example, without setting the pre-packaging verification for each drug.

In addition, the drug master D1 also stores information about each drug, such as the JAN code (or RSS code), bottle code, classification (dosage form: powder, tablet, liquid, topical medicine, etc.), tablet size (height and width, etc.), specific gravity, drug type (ordinary medicine, poison, narcotic, powerful drug, antipsychotic, therapeutic drug, etc.), compounding variations, excipients, and cautions.

The cassette master is information indicating the correspondence between the cassette identification information of each of the fixed drug containers 21 mounted in the mounting unit 211 and the identification information of the tablets assigned to each of the fixed drug containers 21. For example, the cassette master is registered by the control unit 11 in response to a user operation of the operation unit 14 during initial setting of the drug dispensing system 100. The cassette master is updated by the control unit 11 based on the identification information of the drug read from an RFID tag (not shown) provided in each of the fixed drug containers 21 by the RFID reader/writer 232 provided in each of the mounting units 211.

Furthermore, the memory unit 12 stores allocation information D2 indicating the correspondence between the cassette identification information of the variable medicine container 22 and the identification information of the tablets that can be dispensed from the variable medicine container 22. As shown in FIG. 10, the allocation information D2 registers the medicine ID (identification information) of the tablets currently assigned to each of the variable medicine containers 22. Note that instead of the medicine ID, identification information such as the medicine name or the JAN code (or RSS code) may be stored. Also, here, it is assumed that cassette numbers "C1" to "C4" are preset as the cassette identification information for the four variable medicine containers 22 arranged in order from left to right in the medicine supply unit 2. The cassette identification information is also stored in the RFID tag 26 of each of the variable medicine containers 22.

In another embodiment, the control unit 11 may indirectly assign the drug to the variable drug container 22 by assigning the identification information of the drug to the mounting unit 221. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the identification information of the mounting unit 221 (W1 to W4, etc.), the drug ID (identification information of the drug), and the cassette identification information (C1, C3, etc.) of the variable drug container 22 mounted on the mounting unit 221 are stored in association with each other in the allocation information D2. This enables the control unit 11 to grasp the drug assigned to the mounting unit 221 and the variable drug container 22 mounted on the mounting unit 221, and to cause the drug dispensing system 100 to execute the drug dispensing operation.

The display unit 13 is a display means such as a liquid crystal display that displays various information and operation screens in accordance with control instructions from the control unit 11. For example, the display unit 13 displays various information such as a screen for inputting drug dispensing data, a screen for selecting drug dispensing data, and a screen for selecting the variable drug storage unit 22.

The operation unit 14 is an operation means such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel that accepts user operations, and inputs operation signals corresponding to the user operations to the control unit 11. The operation unit 14 is, for example, a touch panel that accepts various operation inputs such as an operation to request the start of a medicine dispensing operation based on the medicine dispensing data.

The communication IF 15 is a communication interface for connecting the medicine dispensing system 100 to a communication network N2 such as a LAN, and performs data communication with a higher-level system such as a prescription input terminal 200 connected via the communication network N2. The prescription input terminal 200 is, for example, an electronic medical record system installed in a hospital or elderly care facility, or a dispensing management system installed in a pharmacy inside or outside the hospital. The communication IF 15 also has a wireless communication interface such as a wireless communication card that performs wireless data communication with various wireless communication devices such as the code reader 7.

Then, the communication IF 15 acquires drug dispensing data from the prescription input terminal 200 and inputs the drug dispensing data to the control unit 11. For example, the communication IF 15 monitors whether or not drug dispensing data has been stored in a predetermined memory area of a memory means provided in the prescription input terminal 200, and when the drug dispensing data has been stored in the predetermined memory area, the communication IF 15 reads out the drug dispensing data from the predetermined memory area. Of course, the communication IF 15 may receive the drug dispensing data transmitted from the prescription input terminal 200.

In a facility where the drug dispensing system 100 is used, if the drug dispensing data includes a specific drug as a drug to be dispensed, the user may check the specific drug before starting the drug dispensing operation.

For example, in the facility, in order to reduce the frequency of refilling work for drugs that are frequently dispensed, many drugs may be refilled into the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 in one refilling work. On the other hand, for specific drugs, such as drugs that are sensitive to moisture or drugs that are not frequently dispensed, the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 may be refilled with the drug each time it is necessary to dispense the drug from the drug dispensing system 100. In this case, since the specific drug is not stored in the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 in advance, or the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 has only a small amount of drug stored in advance, there is a possibility that the drug will run out after the start of the drug dispensing operation and the drug dispensing operation will be interrupted. Here, it is possible that the user will perform a confirmation operation for all drugs to be dispensed that are included in the drug dispensing data before the start of the drug dispensing operation, but in this case, the user will be forced to perform a useless confirmation operation. On the other hand, if the user does not check all of the medicines to be dispensed that are included in the medicine dispensing data before starting the medicine dispensing operation, there is a risk that the wrong medicine will be stored in the fixed medicine storage unit 21 or the variable medicine storage unit 22.

In contrast, in the medicine dispensing system 100, the control unit 11 executes the medicine dispensing process described below, which can assist the user in checking when a specific medicine is dispensed.

[Chemical dispensing process]
An example of a procedure of a medicine dispensing process executed by the control unit 11 of the prescription control unit 1 in the medicine dispensing system 100 will be described below with reference to Fig. 12. The medicine dispensing process may be executed by the control unit 61, or may be executed by the control units 11 and 61 in cooperation with each other. Various displays in the medicine dispensing process are performed by the display unit 13, and various operations by a user are accepted by the operation unit 14.

<Step S1>
In step S1, the control unit 11 judges whether or not to issue the medicine dispensing data. Specifically, the control unit 11 judges to issue the medicine dispensing data when a selection operation for selecting any one of the medicine dispensing data registered in advance and an issue operation for issuing the medicine dispensing data are performed on the operation unit 14. Here, if it is judged that the medicine dispensing data is to be issued (Yes side of S1), the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is not judged that the medicine dispensing data is to be issued (No side of S1), the process proceeds to step S21.

In another embodiment, when the control unit 11 receives the drug dispensing data from a higher-level system such as the prescription input terminal 200, the control unit 11 may determine to issue the drug dispensing data without requiring the user to perform the issuing operation. Furthermore, the control unit 11 may determine to automatically issue the unprocessed drug dispensing data stored in the memory unit 12 in a preset order such as the order of input.

<Step S2>
In step S2, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the medicine to be dispensed, which is included in the medicine dispensing data, needs to be allocated to the variable tablet housing unit 22. If it is judged that allocation is necessary (S2: Yes), the control unit 11 shifts the process to step S3. If it is judged that allocation is not necessary (S2: No), the control unit 11 shifts the process to step S4.

Specifically, based on the cassette master and the allocation information D2 stored in the memory unit 12, when the fixed drug storage unit 21 associated with the drug to be dispensed does not exist and the drug to be dispensed has not been assigned to the variable drug storage unit 22, the control unit 11 determines that the drug to be dispensed needs to be assigned to the variable drug storage unit 22. Hereinafter, a drug that is determined to need to be assigned to the variable tablet storage unit 22 may be referred to as an assigned drug. Furthermore, when all drugs to be dispensed included in the drug dispensing data match drugs already associated with either the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22, the control unit 11 determines that allocation to the variable drug storage unit 22 is not necessary.

<Step S3>
In step S3, the control section 11 executes a drug allocation process for allocating the identification information of the allocation target drug to the unallocated reversible drug container section 22.

Specifically, in step S3, the control unit 11 identifies an unallocated variable drug storage unit 22 to which drug identification information has not been assigned based on the allocation information D2, and assigns the identification information of the allocation target drug to the variable drug storage unit 22. The control unit 11 may also assign the identification information of the allocation target drug to the variable drug storage unit 22 selected by a user operation. Note that when the drug dispensing data includes multiple allocation target drugs, the control unit 11 assigns the identification information of the multiple allocation target drugs to the multiple variable drug storage units 22, respectively.

In addition, in step S3, the control unit 11 controls the RFID reader/writer 245 to record the identification information of the assigned drug in the RFID tag 26 of the variable drug container 22 to which the identification information of the assigned drug is assigned. In another embodiment, the identification information of the assigned drug may not be recorded in the RFID tag 26 of the variable drug container 22. Specifically, the cassette identification information may be pre-recorded in the RFID tag 26, and the RFID reader/writer 245 may be an RFID reader that can only read information. Even in this case, the control unit 11 can recognize the identification information of the drug assigned to the variable drug container 22 based on the cassette identification information read from the RFID tag 26 and the allocation information D2.

Furthermore, in step S3, the control unit 11 specifies a driving condition including information on the height of the dispensing path and the width of the dispensing path corresponding to the assigned drug, and transmits a control instruction including the driving condition and the cassette identification information of the variable drug storage unit 22 to which the assigned drug is assigned to the control unit 61. The driving condition corresponding to each drug may be registered in the drug master or stored in the storage unit 12 as information separate from the drug master. The control unit 61 drives the variable drug storage unit 22 according to the driving condition by controlling the mounting unit 221 to which the variable drug storage unit 22 is mounted based on the control instruction from the control unit 11, thereby making the variable drug storage unit 22 capable of dispensing the assigned drug from the variable drug storage unit 22. For example, the control unit 61 changes the height of the dispensing path and the width of the dispensing path in the variable drug storage unit 22 based on the driving condition. In this way, in the medicine dispensing system 100, the variable medicine container 22 is driven according to the driving conditions, so that any tablet can be dispensed one tablet at a time from the variable medicine container 22. The timing of changing the dispensing path of the variable medicine container 22 is not limited to the timing of assigning medicine identification information to the variable medicine container 22, but may be the timing when the variable medicine container 22 is attached to the attachment part 221, or the timing before dispensing medicine from the variable medicine container 22, etc. The driving conditions are not limited to the height and width of the dispensing path, but may be the rotation speed, rotation interval, whether or not to slow down, or whether or not to perform reverse rotation when stopped, etc., when the drive motor 242 that drives the variable medicine container 22 is driven.

<Step S4>
In step S4, the determination processing unit 111 of the control unit 11 executes a determination step of determining whether any of the drugs to be dispensed included in the drug dispensing data is the drug to be confirmed. Specifically, the determination processing unit 111 determines that the drug to be dispensed included in the drug dispensing data is the drug to be confirmed when the information of "verification before packaging" is set to "Yes" in the drug master D1. Note that, when there are multiple types of drugs to be dispensed included in the drug dispensing data, it is determined whether each of the drugs is the drug to be confirmed. Here, if it is determined that any of the drugs to be dispensed is the drug to be confirmed (S4: Yes), the process proceeds to step S5, and if it is determined that all of the drugs to be dispensed are not the drug to be confirmed (S4: No), the process proceeds to step S12.

<Step S5>
In step S5, the display processing unit 112 of the control unit 11 executes a first display step of displaying a confirmation screen P2 on which at least identification information of the confirmation target drug is displayed on the display unit 13. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the confirmation screen P2.

As shown in FIG. 13, the display area A2 of the confirmation screen P2 displays a message indicating that the confirmation target drugs need to be checked, along with "7" which is the number of types of the confirmation target drugs that need to be checked, and "Drugs M1 to M7" which are the identification information of the confirmation target drugs that need to be checked. The display processing unit 112 displays the confirmation target drugs that are determined to satisfy the specific confirmation condition among the confirmation target drugs displayed in the display area A2 in a manner that makes them identifiable from the other confirmation target drugs by graying them out or the like. In addition, the display area A2 may display only the confirmation target drugs, or may display all the confirmation target drugs included in the drug dispensing data in a manner that makes the confirmation target drugs identifiable by graying out the drugs that are not the confirmation target drugs or highlighting the confirmation target drugs.

As shown in FIG. 13, the confirmation screen P2 displays an operation section K2 for accepting user operations. The operation section K2 is an operation section that is operated to close the confirmation screen P2 and start the drug dispensing operation based on the drug dispensing data. After the user has confirmed all the confirmation target drugs displayed on the confirmation screen P2, the user operates the operation section K2.

When step S5 is executed, the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22 corresponding to the drug to be confirmed may be used in another drug dispensing operation based on other drug dispensing data different from the drug dispensing data. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 11 displays information such as a message in the display area A2 to the effect that confirmation of the drug to be confirmed currently in use needs to be performed after the completion of the other drug dispensing operation, and also displays the drug to be confirmed in use in the other drug dispensing operation in an identifiable manner.

<Step S6>
In step S6, the control unit 11 determines whether any of the drugs to be confirmed displayed on the confirmation screen P2 has been selected. For example, the control unit 11 determines that the drug to be confirmed has been selected when a user operation to select the drug to be confirmed is performed in the display area A2 of the confirmation screen P2. The control unit 11 may also automatically select the drugs to be confirmed one by one. Here, if it is determined that the drug to be confirmed has been selected (S6: Yes), the process proceeds to step S7, and if the drug to be confirmed has not been selected (S6: No), the process proceeds to step S10.

<Step S7>
In step S7, the display processing unit 112 of the control unit 11 executes a second display step of displaying a collation screen P3 for supporting the collation work of the confirmation target drug determined to have been selected in step S6 on the display unit 13. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the collation screen P3.

As shown in FIG. 15, the display area A3 of the collation screen P3 displays a display area A31 in which the identification information of the drug to be confirmed is displayed, and a display area A32 in which the identification information of the drug read by the code reading unit 7 is displayed. The display area A32 is blank until the identification information of the drug is read by the code reading unit 7. Then, when the identification information of the drug is read by the code reading unit 7 from a symbol such as a barcode attached to the drug packaging material in which the drug is packaged, the control unit 11 causes the identification information of the drug to be displayed in the display area A32.

As shown in FIG. 15, the display area A3 also displays an operation unit A33 for selecting a user who is checking the drug to be checked. The control unit 11 stores history information of the user selected by the operation unit A33 in the memory unit 12 as the user who checked the drug to be checked.

15, the display area A3 also displays an operation section K31 that is operated when refilling the drug to be confirmed, and a confirmation operation section K32 that is operated when skipping matching of the drug to be confirmed. Note that the control section 11 displays the operation section K31 in an operable state when the identification information of the drug displayed in the display area A31 and the display area A32 match in the display area A3, and displays the operation section K31 in an inoperable state, for example by graying out, or does not display it until the match is found.

In addition, the display area A3 displays an operation unit K33 and an operation unit A34 used to input the number of refills of the confirmation target drug, and when the user refills the confirmation target drug using the operation unit K33 or the operation unit A34, the control unit 11 stores in the memory unit 12 as a refill history that the confirmation target drug has been refilled in that number. In addition, the control unit 11 may display on the operation unit A34 the number of packaging units in the drug packaging material of the drug whose identification information has been read by the code reading unit 7. The control unit 11 may also display initially on the operation unit A34 the required amount of the confirmation target drug in the drug dispensing operation.

<Step S8>
In step S8, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the drug to be checked satisfies a specific check condition set in advance. If it is judged that the specific check condition is met (S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S9, and the process waits in step S8 until it is judged that the specific check condition is met (S8: No).

For example, the specific confirmation condition is that the verification result of the drug to be confirmed is a match. Specifically, when the identification information of a drug is read by the code reading unit 7, the control unit 11 executes a verification process to verify the identification information of the drug and the identification information of the drug to be confirmed. Here, if the verification result of the verification process is a match, the control unit 11 notifies the user by displaying the fact on the display unit 13 or the like. Then, after the user reads the identification information of the drug to be replenished from the drug packaging material of the drug to be replenished by the code reading unit 7, if the verification result is a match, the user continues to replenish the drug to be confirmed that is packaged in the drug packaging material to the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22 corresponding to the drug to be confirmed. This prevents the user from mistakenly putting the drug to be confirmed into the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22. The identification information of the drug to be confirmed is, for example, the identification information of the drug stored in the RFID tag (not shown) of the fixed drug container 21 or the RFID tag 26 of the variable drug container 22 associated with the drug to be confirmed. The control unit 11 determines that the specific confirmation condition is satisfied if the result of the comparison process is a match. The control unit 11 determines that the confirmation condition is not satisfied if the comparison result is not a match even if the drug identification information is read by the code reading unit 7, and displays a message indicating a mismatch error or the like on the display unit 13.

In addition, even if the specific confirmation condition that the result of the matching process is a match is not satisfied, when the confirmation operation unit K32 is operated, the control unit 11 determines that the matching process is skipped and the specific confirmation condition is satisfied. That is, the acceptance of the operation of the confirmation operation unit K32 is also an example of the specific confirmation condition. When the user determines that the matching process is unnecessary for the drug to be checked, the user can skip the matching process and proceed with the work. For example, the user may want to skip the matching process when he or she knows that the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 corresponding to the drug to be checked has already been replenished with the required amount of the drug required for the drug dispensing operation. The control unit 11 may switch whether or not to display the confirmation operation unit K32 based on the setting contents of the matching skip function that is set in advance by initial settings, etc., and may make the matching process mandatory when the matching skip function is disabled.

<Step S9>
In step S9, the control unit 11 executes a confirmation end process for the confirmation target drug that is determined in step S8 to satisfy the specific confirmation condition, and returns the process to step S5. Specifically, when the control unit 11 determines in step S8 that the collation result of the collation process is a match, the fact that the collation result for the confirmation target drug is a match is stored in the storage unit 12 as history information. In addition, when the control unit 11 determines in step S8 that the confirmation operation unit K32 has been operated, the control unit 11 stores in the storage unit 12 as history information that the collation process for the confirmation target drug has been skipped.

<Step S10>
If it is determined in step S6 that the drug to be checked has not been selected (S6: No), then in the following step S10, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a completion operation has been performed to complete the matching work of the drug to be checked. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that the completion operation has been performed when the operation unit K2 of the confirmation screen P2 has been operated. Here, if it is determined that the completion operation has been performed (S10: Yes), the process proceeds to step S11, and if the completion operation has not been performed (S10: No), the process returns to step S6.

<Step S11>
In step S11, the restriction processing unit 113 of the control unit 11 judges whether or not the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all of the drugs to be checked. If it is judged that the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all of the drugs to be checked (S11: Yes), the process proceeds to step S12, and if it is not judged that the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all of the drugs to be checked (S11: No), the process proceeds to step S111.

<Step S12>
In step S12, the restriction processing unit 113 of the control unit 11 transmits a request to start the medicine dispensing operation based on the medicine dispensing data to the control unit 61, and returns the process to step S1. As a result, the control unit 61 executes the medicine dispensing operation of dispensing one or more types of medicine from the medicine supply unit 2 based on the medicine dispensing data, and packaging the medicine in packets by the packaging unit 5.

In this way, step S12 is a process that is executed when it is determined in step S11 that the specific confirmation condition is satisfied. That is, the restriction processing unit 112 of the control unit 11 executes a restriction step that restricts the execution of the medicine dispensing operation until it is determined in step S11 that the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the medicine to be confirmed. In particular, when there are multiple types of medicine to be dispensing that are the medicine to be confirmed, the restriction processing unit 113 restricts the execution of the medicine dispensing operation until the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all of the medicine to be confirmed. Then, when the restriction processing unit 113 determines in step S11 that the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the medicine to be confirmed, it releases the restriction on the execution of the medicine dispensing operation and executes the medicine dispensing operation.

<Step S111>
In step S111, the control unit 11 notifies the user of the presence of the drug to be checked. Specifically, the control unit 11 pops up a notification screen P31 on the collation screen P3, as shown in Fig. 16, on which information such as a message is displayed to the effect that the drug to be checked remains and that the specific confirmation condition needs to be satisfied for the drug to be checked. When a predetermined operation is performed on the notification screen P31, the control unit 11 returns the process to step S5.

<Step S21>
Incidentally, when it is not determined in step S1 that the medicine dispensing data is to be issued (S1: No), in the subsequent step S21, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a shortage of medicine has occurred in the medicine dispensing operation. Specifically, the control unit 61 determines that a shortage of medicine has occurred in the medicine dispensing operation when the dispensing detection unit 225A does not detect the dispensing of the medicine during a period from when the fixed medicine container unit 21 or the variable medicine container unit 22 starts the operation for dispensing the medicine until a preset time has elapsed. Then, when a shortage of the medicine has occurred, the control unit 61 interrupts the medicine dispensing operation and transmits shortage notification information to the control unit 11 to notify the shortage of the medicine. The shortage notification information includes, for example, information such as identification information of the medicine that has become out of stock in the medicine dispensing operation and the number of the medicine that is in short supply in the medicine dispensing operation. As a result, when the control unit 11 receives the shortage notification information from the control unit 61, it is possible to grasp that a shortage of medicine has occurred in the medicine dispensing operation and identification information of the medicine that has become out of stock. If it is determined that a shortage of the drug has occurred (S21: Yes), the process proceeds to step S22. If it is determined that a shortage of the drug has not occurred (S21: No), the process returns to step S1.

In this embodiment, since the dispensing detection unit 225A is provided for each of the fixed drug storage units 21 and the variable drug storage units 22, in step S21, the control unit 11 can determine whether or not a shortage has occurred for each type of drug corresponding to each of the fixed drug storage units 21 and the variable drug storage units 22. In the case where the dispensing detection unit 225A is provided commonly to a plurality of the fixed drug storage units 21 and a plurality of the variable drug storage units 22, in step S21, whether or not a shortage has occurred for the drug dispensing system 100 as a whole may be determined. Furthermore, even if the dispensing detection unit 225A is provided in common to a plurality of the fixed drug storage units 21 and a plurality of the variable drug storage units 22, if the drug is not dispensed from the plurality of the fixed drug storage units 21 or the variable drug storage units 22 at the same time, but is dispensed from the plurality of the fixed drug storage units 21 or the variable drug storage units 22 in sequence with a time lag, it is possible to determine whether or not a shortage has occurred for each type of drug corresponding to the fixed drug storage units 21 and the variable drug storage units 22.

<Step S22>
In step S22, the control unit 11 displays a medicine refill screen P1 on the display unit 13 to prompt the user to refill the medicine. Here, FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the medicine refill screen P1. As shown in FIG. 17, the control unit 11 displays a message indicating that a medicine is out of stock in the display area A1 of the medicine refill screen P1. Also, in FIG. 17, the control unit 11 displays, based on the shortage notification information, in the display area A1, identification information of the medicine determined to be out of stock in step S21, and the number of shortages of the medicine. This allows the user to understand that at least 7 tablets of the medicine M2 need to be replenished. Also, in FIG. 17, the number of shortages of the medicine is displayed, but instead of or together with the number of shortages of the medicine, the number of packaging units in the medicine packaging member such as a medicine box, a medicine bottle, or a PTP sheet in which the medicine is packaged before refilling may be displayed. For example, when the medicine packaging member is a PTP sheet in which tablets are accommodated in units of 10 tablets per sheet, "10 tablets" is displayed as the number of packaging units. Note that information such as the number of packaging units of the medicine packaging member may be included in the code information read from the medicine packaging member by the code reading unit, or may be registered in advance for each type of medicine in the medicine master D1 or the like.

Then, when the operation unit K1 displayed in the display area A1 of the drug replenishment screen P1 is operated, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 13 to display the comparison screen P3 in the same manner as in step S7. At this time, the display area A31 of the comparison screen P3 displays the identification information of the drug determined to be out of stock in step S21 instead of the drug to be confirmed. The control unit 11 then executes a replenishment comparison process to compare the identification information of the drug determined to be out of stock in step S21 with the identification information of the drug read by the code reading unit 7. The replenishment comparison process is executed whether the drug that is out of stock is the drug to be confirmed or not. Then, when the comparison result of the replenishment comparison process is a match and the operation unit K1 is operated, the control unit 11 stores in the memory unit 12 as history information that the medicine determined to be out of stock in step S21 has been replenished by the number of replenishments displayed on the operation unit A34, and then closes the comparison screen P3 and displays the medicine replenishment screen P1 again.

The control unit 11 can set whether or not to execute the replenishment matching process in response to a user operation during initial settings of the medicine dispensing system 100. Specifically, when the replenishment matching process is set to be executed, the replenishment matching process is executed when a shortage occurs for all types of medicine, and when the replenishment matching process is set not to be executed, the replenishment support process is not executed when a shortage occurs for all types of medicine. As another embodiment, the control unit 11 may execute the replenishment support process when the medicine that has become out of stock is the medicine to be confirmed, even when the replenishment support process is set not to be executed in step S23.

When the operation unit K2 displayed in the display area A1 of the medicine refill screen P1 is operated, the control unit 11 transmits an instruction to the control unit 61 to resume the medicine dispensing operation, and returns the process to step S1. As a result, the control unit 61 resumes the medicine dispensing operation that was interrupted.

In the drug dispensing system 100 configured as described above, when the drug dispensing operation based on the drug dispensing data is executed, if the required amount of drug for the drug dispensing operation has not been replenished in the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22, the drug dispensing operation is interrupted after the drug dispensing operation is started. Then, when the drug for which the shortage has been detected is replenished in the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 and the operation unit K2 on the drug replenishment screen P1 is operated, the drug dispensing operation is resumed. In particular, for drugs that are dispensed infrequently or are sensitive to moisture, the amount of drug replenished at one time to the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 may be reduced. In this case, if there is no drug stored in the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22, or if there is a high possibility that there is only a small amount of drug stored therein, and if the drug is not replenished before the start of the drug dispensing operation, it is highly likely that the drug dispensing operation will need to be interrupted and resumed after the start of the drug dispensing operation.

In contrast, in the drug dispensing system 100 according to this embodiment, if a specific drug that is replenished in a small amount at one time or a specific drug that is replenished each time dispensing is required is set as the drug to be confirmed, it is possible to notify the user of the presence of the drug to be confirmed before the start of the drug dispensing operation and prompt the user to confirm it. Therefore, for a specific drug registered as the drug to be confirmed, it is possible to prevent the drug dispensing operation from being started without the specific drug being replenished in the fixed drug container unit 21 or the variable drug container unit 22, resulting in a shortage of drug and interruption and resumption of the drug dispensing operation.

However, it is also possible to consider a configuration in which the drug dispensing operation cannot be started unless the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all drugs to be dispensed, which is included in the drug dispensing data. In this case, the user needs to perform an operation to satisfy the specific confirmation condition for all drugs, which increases the workload. In addition, it is also possible to consider a configuration in which the drug dispensing operation can be started even if the specific confirmation condition is not satisfied for all drugs to be dispensed, which is included in the drug dispensing data. In this case, there is a risk that the user will replenish the wrong drug to the fixed drug storage unit 21 or the variable drug storage unit 22 when the drug dispensing operation starts. In contrast, according to the drug dispensing system 100, the user only needs to perform an operation to satisfy the specific confirmation condition for only the drugs set as the drug to be confirmed before the start of the drug dispensing operation, which reduces the workload of the user's confirmation work compared to the case where all drugs are targeted. Then, for the drug to be confirmed, the matching process or the like is executed to satisfy the specific confirmation condition before the start of the drug dispensing operation, which also prevents the user from putting the wrong drug into the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22. That is, for the drug to be confirmed, not only is the filling matching process preventing the wrong drug from being put in when a shortage occurs, but the matching process also prevents the wrong drug from being put in even before the start of the drug dispensing operation, when there is a high possibility that the drug will be replenished.

In addition, in the drug dispensing system 100, the control unit 11 may manage the amount of drug remaining in the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22. For example, when replenishing the fixed drug container 21 or the variable drug container 22 with drug, the control unit 11 stores the replenishing amount of drug as a theoretical inventory amount, and then updates the theoretical inventory amount by subtracting the number of the drug dispensed from the theoretical inventory amount. In this case, even if the drug to be dispensed is determined to be the drug to be confirmed in step S4, the control unit 11 may not display the confirmation screen P2 and the collation screen P3, etc., if the theoretical inventory amount of the drug to be confirmed is equal to or greater than the amount required for the drug dispensing operation based on the drug dispensing data. Furthermore, even if the control unit 11 determines in step S4 that the drug to be dispensed is the drug to be confirmed, if not only is the theoretical inventory amount of the drug to be confirmed greater than or equal to the amount required for the drug dispensing operation based on the drug dispensing data, but also the elapsed time from the refill date and time of the drug to be confirmed to the present time is within a predetermined time, it is also possible that the control unit 11 will not display the confirmation screen P2 and the comparison screen P3, etc.

Claims (8)

a determination processing unit that determines whether or not a drug to be dispensed in a drug dispensing operation for dispensing one or more types of drug from one or more drug containers based on the drug dispensing data is a predetermined confirmation target drug;
a display processing unit that displays identification information of the confirmation target drug when the drug to be dispensed is determined to be the confirmation target drug;
a restriction processing unit that restricts execution of the medicine dispensing operation until a specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the medicine to be confirmed;
A medicine dispensing system comprising: A reading means for reading identification information of a medicine;
a verification processing unit that verifies the identification information of the medicine read by the reading means with the identification information of the confirmation target medicine;
Equipped with
The specific confirmation condition is that the collation result by the collation processing unit is a match.
The medicine dispensing system according to claim 1. The display processing unit displays a confirmation operation unit corresponding to the confirmation target drug together with the identification information of the confirmation target drug,
the specific confirmation condition being that an operation of the confirmation operation unit has been accepted;
The medicine dispensing system according to claim 1 or 2. the restriction processing unit, when a plurality of types of medicines to be dispensed in the medicine dispensing operation are the medicines to be confirmed, restricts execution of the medicine dispensing operation until the specific confirmation condition is satisfied for all of the medicines to be confirmed.
The medicine dispensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The display processing unit displays, together with the identification information of the confirmation target drug, a required amount of the confirmation target drug in the drug dispensing operation or the number of packaging units of the confirmation target drug.
The medicine dispensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. the display processing unit, when the medicine container corresponding to the confirmation target medicine is being used in another medicine dispensing operation, displays a message indicating that the specific confirmation condition needs to be satisfied after the other medicine dispensing operation is completed.
The medicine dispensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The medicine storage unit is a variable storage unit capable of dispensing any type of medicine allocated by the medicine dispensing system.
The medicine dispensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. a determining step of determining whether or not a drug to be dispensed in a drug dispensing operation for dispensing one or more types of drug from one or more drug containers based on the drug dispensing data is a preset confirmation target drug;
a display step of displaying identification information of the confirmation target drug when the drug to be dispensed is determined to be the confirmation target drug;
a limiting step of limiting execution of the medicine dispensing operation until a specific confirmation condition is satisfied for the medicine to be confirmed;
A drug dispensing program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.