2/20/2006
Query Module
Consults Outside The NICU
Other New Features
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Query Module
A number of features have been added to the Query Module.
Note: I welcome hearing from you as you develop your queries. I certainly recommend that you review the Help documentation (select Contents from the Help Menu, select Tools, select Queries And Reports, and review the various topics), but the subject is complicated and I'm happy to help get you started. Remember that queries can easily be exported to a text file (on the Select Queries tab of the Query Module, click the Other button at the top of the query list and select Export) which you can send me for review.
Some highlights of the new features include:
1. You can now create query conditions based on the year, month, day of the month, and day of the week components of the Birth Date, Admission Date, and Discharge Date fields. Among other things, this allows to create simpler conditions (e.g., "BirthYear = 2005" instead of "BirthDate between 1/1/2005 AND 12/31/2005") and to create Crosstab queries which sort patients by birth year, month, etc.
2. The system for defining Query Lists (for use with the QueryList function) has been changed. Instead of defining them in the General Configuration Form, they are now defined in the Query List Form which can be displayed by clicking the "Lists" button on the Select Queries tab. This should make it more convenient to use this feature.
3. The GetValue function has been enhanced so that if it is used with a prompt (e.g., "GetValue(prompt)"), the value you enter is saved (using "prompt" as the value name). If you have more than one condition (for filters, columns, rows, or subreports) that use the same GetValue function (i.e., with same prompt), the value you enter the first time will be re-used for all subsequent instances. Also, if you run the same query or report repeatedly, the previously stored values will be re-used and you won't have to re-enter them at all.
4. New Interval Start and Interval End settings have been added to the Select Queries tab. These determine the values of the new IntervalStart and IntervalEnd date variables that can be used in the Values fields of query conditions. If you have designed a query and report that uses a date range (such as a range of birth dates), you can use the IntervalStart and IntervalEnd variables in the query condition (e.g., BirthDate Between IntervalStart AND IntervalEnd) rather than a hard-coded date range (e.g., BirthDate Between 1/1/2005 AND 12/31/2005). This way the query can be used for any time period just by changing the Interval date settings without having to change hard-coded dates in one or more conditions.
5. New TotalDays and IntervalDays fields have been added to the Diagnoses, Medications, and Procedures categories. These are calculated fields, but they can be used like any other field in query filters, report columns, report rows, and conditions. The TotalDays value is the number of days the diagnosis, medication, or procedure is or was active, while the IntervalDays value is the same except only the days falling within the Interval period are counted.
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Consults Outside the NICU
A new Consults option has been added to the Tools menu. This displays the Consults Form, which is designed to allow you to enter information about consults performed outside the NICU and to print consult notes for inclusion in the chart. This feature is very similar to the Supplemental Notes feature on the Other Daily Information Form, but it is specifically designed for use with non-NICU patients (e.g., delivery attendance notes for babies that don't come to the NICU, consults on normal nursery or pediatric patients, and prenatal consults on mothers on the OB service).
The Consults feature has been designed to be quite generic so that it will serve a variety of functions. I welcome your suggestions for improvements.
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Other New Features
1. A new Use Horizontal Form List option has been added to the General >> Data Entry section of the General Configuration Form. This option changes the data entry form layout so that it is more like that of Version 3.1 and may be useful at some sites that are still making the transition to Version 4.0. It is not recommended for newer sites that have never used Version 3.1.
2. When leaving a data entry form which contains any fields whose Status property is set to Required, a warning will be displayed if any of the required fields are left blank.
3. NeoData can now allow patients from different institutions to be stored in the same database (without using the Multiple Services feature) while allowing any one institution to see only the patients from that institution. If you need to use this feature, contact MetaSoft for further information.
4. Custom Reference and Custom Reference Data subsections have been added to the Graphic Charts section of the General Configuration Form. These sections allow you to enter a custom set of reference curves for use in the Growth Charts.
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