Method, apparatus, and computer program product for the dispensing and identification of medication

An apparatus for identifying unit dose medication, comprising:

• a dispenser for dispensing an individual unit dose medication to unit dose packaging;
• an image capture device for capturing an image of the individual unit dose medication;
• a database of known medications, wherein the image captured of the individual unit dose medication is compared with the database of known medications in order to identify the individual unit dose medication;
• and
• an information writing device for writing identifying information about the individual unit dose medication to the unit dose packaging in response to the unit dose medication being identified by comparison with the database of known medications.

A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising:

• program code instructions to cause an individual unit dose medication to be dispensed to a unit dose package;
• program code instructions to capture an image of the individual unit dose medication;
• program code instructions to compare the captured image of the individual unit dose medication to a database of known medications;
• program code instructions to identify the individual unit dose medication in response to the captured image of the individual unit dose medication satisfying a confidence threshold match to one of the known medications;
• and
• program code instructions to provide identifying information about the individual unit dose medication to be written to the unit dose package in response to the individual unit dose medication being identified.

An automated dispensing system comprising:

• an information reading device configured to obtain identifying information from a unit dose package;
• an image capture device configured to capture an image of a unit dose medication contained within the unit dose package;
• a database of known medications, wherein the database contains information regarding the physical appearance of each of the known medications, wherein the captured image of the unit dose medication contained within the unit dose package is compared with the information regarding the physical appearance of a medication corresponding to the identifying information;
• and
• approving the unit dose package for receipt within the automated dispensing system in response to the medication corresponding to the identifying information satisfying a confidence threshold match to the unit dose medication of the captured image.