Dr Zimmer, All I can say for now is, wow, this is a huge idea that would be greatly useful.
My daughter is currently at Oxford University studying Medical Anthropology and we talk about following the habits of people groups as related to general health. Your question brings it down to life with following family groups. I will be giving your question a great deal of thought. Thanks, Ben -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Leo Zimmer Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 1:42 PM To: Hardhats Subject: [Hardhats-members] does VistA need a PATIENT FAMILY file? Ok, For a diversion from the heavy lifting going on over in vista-open-source... And for something to think about while digesting the turkey... I am a <<family>> doctor, ok? VistA has never seemed particularly family oriented to me. (Perhaps because most veterans do not bring Mom and all the kids along for their health care.) So, how might we address the task of capturing and using (for pleasure, profit and the good of mankind) a patient's family ties? I do not mean existing next-of-kin fields. I want structured linkages among patient records. For example, when one of four children comes in for immunizations, the system might be able to present more than just Johnnie's record and <<his>> currently needed shots. I want to be presented with the fact that MaryAnn missed her last polio update, and that Daddy is probably past due for a tetanus booster, three years ago. And it might be good to know that grandpa is past due for his colonoscopy. It is the sort of thing that could get out of hand very quickly, of course. But the ability to treat family groups rather than just individuals is one of the few things that keeps me convinced that I am doing some good in the world. OK, so the question is what would one add to VistA's patient records to allow such linkages within patient records? I don't want a kludge, but something elegant. Thanks to all, JohnLeoZ Healthcare, a human right. ------------------------------------------------------- SF email is sponsored by - The IT Product Guide Read honest & candid reviews on hundreds of IT Products from real users. Discover which products truly live up to the hype. Start reading now. http://productguide.itmanagersjournal.com/ _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members ------------------------------------------------------- SF email is sponsored by - The IT Product Guide Read honest & candid reviews on hundreds of IT Products from real users. Discover which products truly live up to the hype. Start reading now. http://productguide.itmanagersjournal.com/ _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
