Automated medication handling system

Abstract

Described herein are embodiments of systems and methods for providing an automated medication handling system that can, among other things, single-dose package medications, store and dispense medications in a pharmacy, transport medications to a nursing unit or other remote location, store them at that remote location, and load them into a portable unit carried by a nurse, who may dispense the medication at a bedside.

1 . A single-dose container for protecting and transferring medications therein by a machine, the container comprising:
 first and second substantially rigid portions that are configured to couple together and form a machine-compatible container having a hollow enclosure that is sized to enclose a single dose of medication;   an identifier that is provided with at least one of the first and second substantially rigid portions that provides access to information relating to medication within the hollow enclosure; and   an indicator that provides information relating to decoupling of the first and second substantially rigid portions.   
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a barcode, a radio-frequency identification tag, and a two-dimensional matrix. 
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the substantially rigid portions comprises a biodegradable material. 
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the indicator prevents recoupling of the first and second substantially rigid portions following decoupling of the two portions. 
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second substantially rigid portions comprise colors that correspond to characteristics of the medication contained therein. 
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the indicator identifies whether the first and second substantially rigid portions have been decoupled or tampered with since the coupling. 
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second substantially rigid portions, when coupled, form one of a sphere, cylinder, pyramid, square, and rectangular shape.