[Gnumed-devel] gnumed handling of multiple practice MDs

[James Busser]

Just wondering to what degree gnumed's design already provides for the 
following or, where not, if there is some appeal to the extra functionality at 
some point down the line.

Within a practice there maybe several physicians, any one of whom may be 
the "principal" MD but during whose absence (or even on call) any of the others 
may see a patient. I imagine gnumed will in version 1 support the designation 
of one individual as a patient's principal doc while easily displaying who else 
has had any involvement, presumably in reverse chronologic order.

Where a few physicians migrate out of a practice and may be replaced by new 
ones, or even if an ongoing member gets too busy, there may be a change in a 
patient's principal MD. In the event the desk staff err and change a value when 
they shouldn't ought gunmed be able to display the previous value or will it be 
enough for people to infer from viewing who's been involved.

When designating the practice doc pertinent to a field value, should it be only 
docs presently "active" in the practice who are displayed and is there 
agreement that you'd optionally want to be able to bring up the names of docs 
who had been in the practice or reactivate locums who return from time to time?

Some practices make appointments for patients to come to the office to see 
someone other than one of the main docs. Commonest might be a nurse or perhaps 
dietician if one has been brought into the practice (even only as a free-agent 
available part-time to see patients) and there are also docs who have a medical 
student or resident come to work with them for a day, week, month at a time or 
once weekly for a series of months (Canada's OSCAR software supports these).
- Is is hoped to accomodate such appointment-making and involvement-tracking in 
gnumed?
- Is there an attraction to be be able to book a "joint" or "stacked" 
appointment on a day & time when both the student/resident and the supervising 
MD, or both the MD and the nurse/dietician will be available?