Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
I would like to suggest some improvements to this workspace.
- Add a menu at the base similar to other workspaces
- Print button - maybe 2
- Print Report - will print the attached report - the result
- Print Form - Potentially print the associated form if it exists for the investigation
- Completed button - will mark the record as completed - allow for multiple object selection
- Reviewed button - mark the record as reviewed. - allow for multiple object selection
- Print button - maybe 2
- Move the Columns and allow columns to be resized (currently due to long product names and investigation names the report column in well off the side of our screen and we have big widescreen monitors.
- Move the report colum closer and truncate the report name so it doesnt go wide.
- Improve filtering to allow filters by current clinician
- Change the default filter to be "recieved" not ALL. Most times clinicians will be interested in results they have recieved but not completed.
- While not a change specifically to the Investigations workspace - create a new Report - that is linked to all patients called "Sample Label" printing this report will print a label or whatever the user programs the report to do for that patient. We currently have a blood sample form that we attach each time we send a sample and print multiple copies to attach to each sample. but this creates a lot of unneccessary entries in the history. I havent quite thought out where this would be accessed from?
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
Hi,
These seem sensible and welcome changes. We have many investigations that are not marked as completed. For this and other reasons we don't seem to use the investigations as I would prefer it was. While 1 b and c will help is there an easy way to mark all investigations on the list completed (to help clear this list out?).
5. I don't quite see what you are getting at here.
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
Adrian - the 'how to print a blank label' problem is related to how the system's forms are printed. When you print a drug label, the system looks in the document templates for one having the type 'Patient Medication Label', and uses that.
Hence to print an investigations label, one needs to add a 'Print Label' button on the investigations screen, and also add the code to go look for a new template type called say 'Investigations Label'. As with the Drug Label, the integrator can tweak the jrxml file to print whatever is required on the label.
Regards, Tim G
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
I like all of Ben's suggestions.
I recently manually changed 1000 investigations from 'in progress' to 'cancelled' as they were created unnecessarily (we use a lot of investigations). To be able to select a certain type or date perod and then 'cancel' or 'complete' them would save a lot of time.
Another suggestion is to save my search. When I am looking for 'in progress' investigations, I change the status to 'in progress', then go to the last page and work my way forward (lots of the ones on the first page should still be 'in progress' as they are external path). Then I click on the patient, find the investigation, manually change it's status to 'cancelled' or 'completed' or just delete it. Then I go back to the Investigations to do the next one, but I have to go through the same process - change type to 'in progress', go to the last page etc. Would be great if it was just still where I was the last time I was in investigations. Hope that makes sense.
Greta
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
I like all of Ben's suggestions.
I recently manually changed 1000 investigations from 'in progress' to 'cancelled' as they were created unnecessarily (we use a lot of investigations). To be able to select a certain type or date perod and then 'cancel' or 'complete' them would save a lot of time.
Another suggestion is to save my search. When I am looking for 'in progress' investigations, I change the status to 'in progress', then go to the last page and work my way forward (lots of the ones on the first page should still be 'in progress' as they are external path). Then I click on the patient, find the investigation, manually change it's status to 'cancelled' or 'completed' or just delete it. Then I go back to the Investigations to do the next one, but I have to go through the same process - change type to 'in progress', go to the last page etc. Would be great if it was just still where I was the last time I was in investigations. Hope that makes sense.
Greta
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
I like all of Ben's suggestions.
I recently manually changed 1000 investigations from 'in progress' to 'cancelled' as they were created unnecessarily (we use a lot of investigations). To be able to select a certain type or date perod and then 'cancel' or 'complete' them would save a lot of time.
Another suggestion is to save my search. When I am looking for 'in progress' investigations, I change the status to 'in progress', then go to the last page and work my way forward (lots of the ones on the first page should still be 'in progress' as they are external path). Then I click on the patient, find the investigation, manually change it's status to 'cancelled' or 'completed' or just delete it. Then I go back to the Investigations to do the next one, but I have to go through the same process - change type to 'in progress', go to the last page etc. Would be great if it was just still where I was the last time I was in investigations. Hope that makes sense.
Greta
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
Hi Greta,
I too have many investigations "In Progress". Over 175 pages worth. I have not had the mental strength to try to deal with this yet.
Your bulk edit idea is a good one.
Incidentally the two areas where these "unused" investigations arise with us are:
1) Nurses and vets creating investigations when running a test. A new investigation is automatically generated when charging as well. So one ends up unused. Training has not solved the problem. This is one reason why I would love to see charging generated in different parts of OVPMS. My ideal from a generating investigations and charge capture perspective would be to have charges generated when an investigation is generated and linked with a product. Really, you shouldn't be able to create an investigation without creating an invoice item (otherwise you run the risk of running a test without charging!).
2) External lab tests when we run multiple tests on a sample. So the vet charges a profile, then a culture then a whatever. System is geared currently to generate an investigation for each product. So we get multiple investigations generated. However only one form is used for the samples.
I am keen for suggestions on how to improve my workflow for problems listed above.
The "Save My Search" idea is great as well. It really is an extension of the "hold focus on last selected screen" idea. This problem arises as well when editing products for example. If you are on page 3 of 5 and you click away, when you come back you are on page 1 again.... Frustrating.
Re: Improvements to the WORKFLOW - Investigations workspace
Hi Adrian,
I have no solution to the workflow issue. We have tried multiple training and reminders for charging item rather than creating investigation, but it only slightly improves it.
1. Completely the same issue with running a test inhouse. Our main one is inhouse pathology. We have electrolytes included in our hospital charges, so if a nurse was to run a sample of just electrolytes, she would have to add a dummy charge (electrolytes $0) in order to get an investigation. Also if running haematology and 1 slide of biochemistry, then they need to skip the second investigation. Easier said than done for some. Basically, I don't really have a solution. I have put a laptop right next to the IDEXX vetlab, so they can charge straight away and not have to walk off to put charges in/get investigation number. Maybe has improved 5%. Obviously there are times when they just want to get the sample run (ICU/Emergency department) and don't really have time to put charges on.
2. I don't have as many issues with the external lab, but maybe the requests are a bit different in VIC.
I do however have a lot of final microbiology reports stuck in my 'Results In' folder (not in OpenVPMS, but related), because OpenVPMS is able to replace a report with a more current version. However, my folders on s: drive cannot figure out how to automatically replace documents in the 'Results Archive' folder with newer version. I just manually move and replace every couple of days, but this is tiresome... Probably no ones issue on this forum, but maybe someone will have a tip.
I would also be really be interested in others suggestions for improving our investigations and workflow. It doesn't really affect most of our staff, but just creates a bit more work for admin.
Thanks,
greta