"John S. Gage" wrote:
>
> One really gets the feeling reading these postings that we have bitten
> off more than we can chew. ...CLIP...
> I suggest that we focus on software that obtains,
> categorizes, and makes available a patient's medication history
> (including medication allergies).
>
> We really have to reduce the flail quotient in open source medical
> applications. This is the best way to do it.
I agree.
I have reduced my own frustration with the following functionality:
In lieu of an "application" I just keep two Applix (word processing)
templates up, one for a med list and one for a prescription. I file
them by the patient's chart number and date of visit, so they're a
snap to pull up. I print out a copy for my patient, one for the
paper chart, and if a prescription is necessary, I just paste the
med list into my prescription template, print it, sign it, and hand
it to the patient.
I use the Medical Letter site for drug interactions; frankly, there's
not often need to run this very often, as drug interactions tend to
be constant, and the panel of medications in my practice is also
stable, though large.
It works, it's fast, the only improvement would be a link to the
vaporware EMR that the mother house has been saying is just 3 years
off for the last 5 years.
It does require a little intranet: I have a 19-inch LCD screen, a
LaserJet 6L, and a cheap linux box in every exam room. The LCD
screens save precious real estate at premium of about a grand
per room. I bought these out of my salary and it was worth every
penny.
The next logical step is to put the Rx app on a palm with an IR
port, I guess, but I prefer not to write Rx's out of the formal
setting of the exam room, and not having one is a good excuse
when the occasional patient stops me in the mall and asks for
a stat refill of that little blue pill he takes at bedtime --
"You know, doc!"
Dan Johnson
