The “Patients” icon provides access to records for all the patients you have entered in AcuGraph. By default, this screen
opens to the Secure Mode. In this mode, no personally
identifiable patient information is shown, in compliance with
HIPAA regulations.
To switch to Open Mode and see all patient information,
click on the “Show All” icon. When you do
so, you will see a warning informing you that your full patient
list will now be visible. You should only use this feature
when your monitor is out of view of any unauthorized
persons.
To re-enter Secure Mode at any time, simply click
the “Hide All” icon.
In Secure Mode, you can locate any specific patient by
typing the patient’s name or ID number in the search box. As
you type the characters of the patient’s first or last name, the
search list will be narrowed and the number of patients found
will decrease until there is only one patient remaining. This
patient’s name will then be shown.
If the patient’s first or last name alone is not sufficient to
narrow the list to only one patient, type a space and then
the patient’s other name. You may type first, last or last, first
as long as you remember to separate the names with a
space.
For example, let’s assume you are searching for a patient
named David Rice. If you have only one patient named
David, typing the name “David” in the search box will display
David Rice. If you have more than one patient named David,
you will have to type David Rice. Similarly, you could type
Rice David. Either entry will locate the correct patient. Clicking on the X button to the right of the search box will clear
the existing search and the number of patients found will be reset to
the number in the full list.
In Open Mode, the complete patient list is shown. Patients
are listed by last name in alphabetical order.
In Open Mode, you can quickly locate the patient you want
in one of the following three ways:
- Scrolling: To locate an existing patient, use the
scroll arrows to scroll through the list of patients
and click on the one you want to select.
- Searching: A faster way to locate a patient is to
simply begin typing the patient's first or last name in
the “Search” field. The list of names matching the
letters you type will automatically be produced as
you type the letters of the name. Using this feature,
even with a database of thousands of patients, you
can locate any specific patient in a second or two. If
you type two names, separate them with a space.
You may type first, last or last, first.
- Sorting: You may also select patients by sorting
your patient list. You may sort by Last Name, First
Name, Middle Name, Date of Birth, Date of Last
Exam, Number of Exams, ID Number, or Custom
field. To sort by any of these attributes, simply click on the column heading of the column you wish to
use for the sort.
Note that when you click on a column heading, a small
arrowhead appears in the heading. Clicking on the same
heading again reverses the direction in which the arrow
points. When the arrow is pointing up, the items are sorted in
alphabetical order (in the case of names) and in descending
order (in the case of dates.) Reversing the arrow's direction
reverses the direction of sort.
The “Add New Patient” icon opens the “Add
New Patient” window, where you can enter information
about a patient who has not yet been added to the database.
Enter a new patient by performing the following steps:
- Enter the patient’s name in the indicated fields. Use
the “Tab” key to move between fields.
- Enter the patient’s date of birth in the format
shown. The date of birth is used to distinguish
between different patients with the same name.
- Enter the patient’s gender. The gender controls the
gender of the illustrations that will be used during
the exam.
- All the fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be
entered. All other fields in the Add New Patient
window are optional.
- When you have completed data entry for the new
patient, choose “Add New Patient and Begin Exam”
to begin an exam on this patient directly, or “Add New Patient and View Patient List” to return to the
Patients tab with the new patient selected.
The “Edit Patient” icon opens the “Edit
Patient” window, where you can change information about a
patient who is already in the database.
Deleting Patients: Once a patient has been entered into the
AcuGraph database, the patient will remain in the database
and cannot be removed or deleted. Similarly, exam records
cannot be deleted. This is to protect the integrity of your
records.
If you wish to exclude a patient from appearing in patient lists
or searches, simply remove the check mark from the “Patient
is Active” check box (in the “Edit Patient” screen). This will change the patient to inactive
status, and the patient will no longer be shown in the patient
listings.
To view patient records that have been marked inactive, go to
the “General” tab of the Preferences window and select
“Show Inactive Patients.”
The “Last Graph” icon is a convenient, one-click way to display the last exam for the selected patient without the need to select the exam from the list.
If you double click the selected patient or push the “Enter” key, a new exam for that patient will automatically open. You can also start a new exam by clicking the “New Exam” icon.
The “New Note” icon opens a window where the user may record notes relevant to the patient’s case. This is a useful place to record symptoms, progress, treatment method, etc. The first part of each note recorded will appear next to its associated graph in the records list. Notes may be recorded in any length and contain any text you choose. You may also paste text into the notes window from another application.
The “Insert Template” pull-down menu inserts a pre-formatted template in your note. This is useful if you have a typical notes template you usually use, such as the S. O. A. P. note format. You can add new custom templates to this menu in the “Notes” window of the “Preferences” section.
Once you have selected a patient, a list of that patient’s exam records appears in the bottom half of the Patients screen. You may select one or more exams by clicking to highlight them in the list. If you select one exam, you may view it by clicking the “View Graph” icon.
If you have selected more than one exam in the list, view them by clicking the “Compare” icon.
