How to navigate the Consultation page.

In this manual, the term consultation denotes both consultations and admissions, which are facilitated through a similar interface with minor variations. However, in certain contexts, the term consultation may specifically refer to inpatient scenarios, while admission is consistently used for outpatient situations.

The Consulation page has 3 main sections :

• Toolbar : Usually positioned at the page’s top, the toolbar offers rapid access to frequently used operations. All toolbar buttons have an icon and a label. The icon graphically signifies the button’s function, simplifying the user’s understanding of the action triggered by clicking the button. When the page is minimised, the button label is concealed, but icons remain visible at all times.
• Blue ribbon : Situated at the upper part of the page, directly beneath the toolbar. It is characterized by its blue background and extends across the entire width of the page. On the Consultation page, the Blue ribbon includes buttons that switch the view displayed in the Interactive space section. It also accommodates a flag switch that can make the consultation stand out in the homepage. For more details on a setting that determines whether or not the flag switch is displayed in the Blue ribbon, please click here.
• Interactive space : The central feature of the majority of pages, with only a handful of pages lacking this key component. It serves as a dynamic platform where users interact with a variety of functions specific to each page. Depending on the page, it might include elements such as tables, forms, views, buttons, and data displays. This adaptable and user-focused area is engineered to enable smooth interaction, positioning it as the core of the user’s engagement with any page that has this section.

The consultation page offers the flexibility to capture consultation data via keyboard typing or through a writing pad for handwritten entries. The system features a setting that can either activate or deactivate the writing pad, depending on the user’s preference. It’s important to note that not all computers possess the required hardware to support input through a writing pad. For additional details on how to enable or disable the writing pad input for the Interactive Space views, please click here.

Many doctors favor the use of writing pads over keyboards for data capture, finding it more intuitive and convenient. This method also facilitates maintaining eye contact with patients, enhancing the personal touch during consultations. The Interactive space is designed to capture various types of consultation data, either through keyboard typing or using hand written notes via a writing pad. The types of consultation data captured using these methods include:

• Comments which consist of non-confidential information accessible to a broad range of hospital/clinic staff, such as nurses and nurse aides, and may include details like treatment instructions.
• Notes, on the other hand, contain sensitive information exclusively available to doctors. Any staff member not designated as a doctor in their employee role cannot access these notes.
• Prescriptions pertain to medication-related information and can be printed on official documents bearing the medical practice’s letterhead.

In the consultation page, the Interactive space features four distinct views, with navigation between them being facilitated by buttons located in the Blue ribbon section. At any given time, only one view is visible in the Interactive space. By clicking a button in the Blue ribbon, users can switch between different views within the Interactive space.

Here is a list of Blue ribbon buttons, and the views which they activate when they are clicked.

• Dashboard : This is the view displayed by default on opening a consultation page. It displays patient information, a summary of the captured vitals (e.g. temperature, blood pressure), and the five most recent timeline events (i.e. How to view a patient's historic data (i.e. previous consultations, previous admissions, attachments and forms).). The comments keyboard input is also part of the dashboard view.
• Timeline : This view is dedicated to displaying both historical and recently saved patient consultation data, divided into two main sections: recent data and historical events. The recent data section of the timeline view appears at the top and enumerates data gathered during that particular consultation, including comments, notes, and prescriptions, whether hand written or typed. Each piece of data is accompanied by a timestamp, indicating the employee who recorded the data and the time it was saved. The historical data section, located at the bottom of the same view, catalogs all events for that particular patient who is being consulted. This includes past consultations, admissions, attachments, and forms, providing a comprehensive historical record.
• Keyboard inputs : This view contains the three (3) separate inputs for capturing comments, notes and prescriptions via keyboard typing. This blue ribbon button (and the corresponding view) is not visible when a consultation is in pending status.
• Writting pads (3 buttons) : Located on the extreme right of the Blue ribbon, you will find three (3) distinct buttons, each dedicated to a writing pad. These writing pad buttons are labeled according to their corresponding consultation data types: comments, notes, and prescriptions. Clicking on any of these three (3) buttons opens the respective writing pad, allowing for the capture of handwritten notes. For additional guidance on navigating the writing pad and utilizing its various tools, please click here. These blue ribbon buttons (and their corresponding views) are not visible when a consultation is in pending status.