[Gnumed-devel] Drug database/browser/prescription design

[Hilmar Berger]

Hi, 

I'm just starting to plan the AMIS german drug browser. There are some
questions left open by the documentaion/code I have seen until now.
First I will try to summarize what I have found so far:

1. GUI :  
- There is a notebook-page module to browse the whole drug
database ('pharmaceutical reference browser') and display all information
available about a certain drug.  
- In the prescription dialogue, pharmaceutical data should be presented in
a way facilitating prescription. This might include processing of regulatory
information (positive lists etc.).

2. Backend
- gmdrug.sql
  medical and regulatory data

Questions : 
1. What is the supposed relation of the pharmaceutical
reference browser to the prescription dialogue ?  
2. The documentation of the prescription dialogue
(gnumed/html/developers-manual/prescriptiondialogue.html) mentions
abundant use of popup windows. I learned that popups are thought to be a bad 
thing (although I don't quite understand why) and should be avoided.
IMHO the prescription dialogue already present in GnuMed
(gmGP_Prescriptions.py) neither holds all the infomation mentioned in the
documentaion nor is there enough space to implement all the controls
needed. Is it possible to implement this dialogue as an popup window
started from gmGP_Prescriptions.py ?
3. If the backend definition for the drug database does not match the
specification of some regionally available database, should the current
definition made more general to match it or should it be customized to the
special requirements ?

Thanks, Hilmar