4.0 Testing

OpenEMR Development
1

mike-h30 wrote on Friday, March 11, 2011:

I am not sure if these are bugs or the intended design of the three frame view.  I am currently testing our production data with the new slider menu. Before I report these as bugs in the bug tracker, I was curious if others are experiencing similar concerns.

1.)  I am not sure of the proper way to exit a patient chart.   The only two ways I am seeing is to either click on the “Home” link at the top, or use the browser’s back button.  There is not a definitive “close” button like in the old style layout with the menu at the top.

2.)  Clicking the “Home” link to exit a patient chart results in the patient information remaining in the header above the top frame.

3.)  Clicking “Summary” after exiting a patient chart results in the patient demographics of the last chart opened being viewed in the top frame.

4.)  When clicking “New/Search” in the left slider menu, the patient information from the last chart opened is viewable in the bottom frame and also at the header above the top frame.

5.)  When clicking “Calendar” in the left slider menu, the patient information from the last chart opened is viewable in the bottom frame and also at the header above the top frame.

6.)  Clicking “Create Visit” after exiting patient chart results in a new encounter screen in the bottom frame displaying information in the 'Issues" text area from last patient chart opened.  I think if “Create Visit” is clicked, a message should be displayed to choose a patient if one has already exited the chart.

7.)  In the old style layout, the following menu items were only accessible once you entered a patient chart.

Summary
History
Encounter
Transaction
Documents
Report
Close

These menu items were only accessible outside a patient chart.

Find Patient
New Patient
Password
Admin
Appts
Reports
Notes
AB (Address Book)
Billing
Home
Logout

Should the slider menu only display menu items based on whether one is inside a patient chart or not?  Or at least dim out the menu items that are not relevant while viewing a patient chart?

8.)   When viewing a patient encounter in the bottom frame, there is no back button to get back to the summary view.  The only way to back out of an encounter is to click on the browser’s back button.   I was curious if adding a “close” or “back” button in the bottom frame for exiting an encounter was in order?

Mike

2

tmccormi wrote on Friday, March 11, 2011:

In 4.0 the UI allows “multi-tasking” so you can keep the patient chart active do some other (non-patient) related things and get back to the patient.   However, I noticed, and noted also the the top menu had what amounts to a “close chart” action.  We do need that pulled forward into the 4.0 menu’s (all of them).   I think we should just add a ‘Close Chart’ button into the title bar that clears the active patient, as a starter.

Thanks - those are good observations Mike!

-Tony

3

mike-h30 wrote on Friday, March 11, 2011:

I like the “multi-tasking” with the new menu style.  It was a bit of an annoyance in the old style layout to have to completely exit a patient chart in order to look up a name in the address book, check the calendar, or run a report.

Then the real issue is properly closing a chart so that pieces of information from the previously opened chart do not linger in one of the frames or header.  The close chart button should return the user to the interface that a user sees for the first time after logging into OpenEMR - thus having  the calendar viewable in the top frame and messages in the bottom frame.

And also making sure to add the close feature to all menu items while inside a patient chart. Another example is that all of the reports will need a close or exit feature in order to return the user to the patient information efficiently of the chart one is currently viewing.

-Mike

4

jcahn2 wrote on Friday, March 11, 2011:

Mike,

I agree with you that only actions directed to the current task should be available on the menu.  Visits need a disposition at certain points.  Here are some more fantasy menu items from inside a visit:

**Suspend **-> save a visit in its current state to return at a later time.  Maybe it becomes a desktop icon or a placeholder for that window on the taskbar, or creates a browser tab with the suspended visit.  Return to the visit with a single click somewhere.

Close ->  Not locked, but not seen. No information in header or bottom screen. Returns to home screen.  Have to use “New patient” to access again.

Sign  Locks the visit (at least at your authorized level.)  Encounter could now be closed, or could be sent to billing, transcription, etc.  (after assigning ICD-9 and CPT-4 to the visit.)   Returns to home.

Send  Send current visit to billing, transcription, etc.  ( after assigning ICD-9 and CPT-4 to the visit.)    Returns to home.

I am still thinking about the definitions of authenticate, authorize, close, and sign as Julia suggested, but I am trying to get a better feel for the “hands on” patient flow, as it exists, before commenting.  (Still a pretender - not a user.)

BTW, what does “Charts checked out” mean?  Can I read or write on a chart that is checked out?  Don’t make me go read the manual again :>) 

Jack

5

aperezcrespo wrote on Friday, March 11, 2011:

Hi Jack
   Charts Checkout is associated with physical (paper) charts.  For example for those in mid transition to paperless may still have physical paper charts.  You can use the charts out functions to check out a chart from the records room, assign it to someone, and then that someone can checkit back in.  Just like a library works.  Charts checked out report tell you what physical charts are out and where it is or who has it.

Hope that  helps.

Alfonso

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mike-h30 wrote on Sunday, March 20, 2011:

I was doing more testing today with production data and things got really confusing in the encounters summary frame between viewing past encounters, creating a new encounter, and switching to different patients due to missing navigation in the encounters summary.  I had to log out and then back in several times to create a new encounter for different patients.