EMR - Tests / Measurement Setup

Accessed by:  Documentation -> Tests/Measurement Setup

QuickEMR comes with tests and measurements defined for you already.  But since not all clinics document the same way or perform the same tests or measurements, this section allows you to customize the screen the way that best fits the needs of your practice.

This area is usually something that is set up once and maybe tweaked or added to as you become more familiar with the system or as the needs of your practice change.

Fig 1

 

The five main categories included with the system are Ankle, Hand, Knee, Shoulder, and Spine. New categories may be added on this screen or from the Master Lists screen. Categories can also be re-ordered from this screen by clicking the gray box next to the category and dragging and dropping it to its new location.

Clicking on one of the categories will reveal Groups of tests and measurements. Groups vary depening on the category selected. Again, these groups can be reordered and new groups can also be added if needed. To make a group Inactive so that it does not appear in the documentation, simply click the Inactive check box.

Under each Group you will find predefined tests and measurements. These measurements can also be reordered, edited, made inactive, or added to. There are also shortcut buttons under the measurement list for "Copy" and "Paste". These are used to quickly copy a measurement from one group or category and paste it into another group or category to avoid repetitive entry.

 

Each measurement in the system can have up to 3 columns to capture information on that particular measurement. Each column has a tab as seen above to define the type of data that will be entered or shown in the column. In the predefined measurements, column 1 is usually used as the measurement value, column 2 may be the End Feel, and column 3 may be used for comments. Measurement definitions vary, so take some time to go through the measurements to make sure they are what you would like to see when doing patient notes!

 

Let's look at the example above.

Elbow Extension (L) was defined to have 3 columns. Here is a closer look at the first column definition:

Fig 2

The decription for this column is "degrees". When this measurement is accessed, this is what will appear in the column heading (Fig 6). If the "Print Column Description with measurement" is checked, the word "degrees" will print in parenthesis after the measurement value that is entered.

The data type has been defined as a "Range of Values" with a Lowest value of "-10" and a Highest Value of "150". This means first that ONLY numbers will be accepted in this column for this measurement. It also means that if any number is entered outside of the range of the lowest and highest value, a warning will appear letting the user know what the valid range is and force them to enter a number that falls within the defined range.

Normal Values are for reference only. If normal values are entered, they will appear next to the measurement description on the screen while the user is entering data.

 

Now let's look at Column 2.

Fig 3

This column has been defined as "End Feel" and has a Data Type of "Drop Down List". When this column is selected on the measurement screen, a drop down list will appear showing the listed selections. The user will ONLY be able to enter a choice from the drop down list.

To add more choices to the drop down list, click the "Show Selections" button. The screen below will appear and show a list of unique choices entered for all of the other drop down lists for measurements.

Scroll through the list and double-click on a choice to add to the drop down list. Try to select items in the order you would like them to be listed! To add a choice that is not listed, click the "Add new" button and type in the new description. It will appear at the bottom of the Drop Down Selection list where it can then be selected. To delete an item from the drop down choices for a measurement column, right click the gray box next to the selection and choose "Delete line item" as shown below. Fig 4

Fig 5

 

Finally, we'll examine Column 3 for this measurement.

This column is labeled as "comments" and has a data type of "Text Box". This means that the user can enter both letters and numbers into this field (up to 80 characters).

 

Here's a look at what the measurement will look like on the screen when it is accessed. Notice the column headings.

 

The measurements and test that come with the system are defined twice, once for the Left measurement and once for the Right measurement. If you are not comfortable with this setup, you could modify the measurements so that Column 1 is used for the Left and Column 2 for the right.

There are countless ways these can be set up or modified for any of your needs. If you need assistance, don't be afraid to call us. We'll be glad to help!