Method for need-based order-picking of medicine portions in dispensing packs

Method for the need-based requisitioning of medication portions in dispensing packs using an automated storage facility in which a multitude of medication packs are stored chaotically under optimal utilization of space on the storage surfaces of level shelves or slanted chutes, with the medication packs being put onto or removed from the storage surfaces with the aid of at least one computer-controlled operating device, with:

• (a) blister packs of various dimensions, each containing several pharmaceutical drug portions of a certain kind in several reception chambers and the reception chambers in the case of the various blister packs arrangeable in various ways, being identified and put in storage in the automated storage facility so that the automated storage facility will contain blister packs in addition to the medication packs, with the data identifying the individual blister packs being saved allocated to the identification of their respective storage sites, with
• (a1) a medication pack containing at least one blister pack in an outer package being transported to a repackaging station;
• (a2) the at least one blister pack being removed form the outer package;
• (a3) identifying information of the medication pack being copied and stored as identifying data of the at least one removed blister pack;
• (a4) the at least one blister pack being entered into the automated storage facility, with the information copied as identifying data allocated to the identifications of the storage sites;
• (b) at least one dispensing pack to be filled being provided at an automated filling station and being filled as required, in which case for each type of the medication portions to be filled into the dispensing packs
• (b1) a blister pack containing this type is removed from the automated storage facility by means of the operating device or of one of the operating devices and transported to the filling station;
• (b2) at least one individual medication portion is removed from the blister pack or separated from it by a device for the separation of medication portions, with the number of medication portions remaining in the blister pack being identified;
• (b3) the at least one removed or separated medication portion is filled into at least one predetermined reception chamber of the dispensing pack;
• (b4) the blister pack is returned into the automated storage facility if at least a predetermined number of medication portions remains in the blister pack;
• (c) the filled dispensing pack being returned to the same or a different automated storage facility if the dispensing pack is not to be released yet;
• with the number and arrangement of the medication portions contained in the blister pack (i) being recorded while the blister pack is being stored in step (a) and being saved allocated to the identifying data and/or (ii) being recorded following the removal of the blister pack from storage in step (b1) and prior to the removal or, respectively, the separation of the at least one medication portion in step (b2);
• with at least one blister pack being entered for storage in the automated storage facility by attaching the blister pack to a carrier or placing it upon a carrier, with the carrier being designed in such a way that an operating device can grasp and transport the carrier together with the blister pack.