Re: [Gnumed-devel] Test results schema question re method of acquiring the result

[Karsten Hilbert]

> How/where is the information to be stored if a doctor should want to 
> manually enter into test_result data that arrived on paper from a lab 
> organization?
Quite exactly the same way as when it was imported by some
script.

> The table supports test_type_id which uniquely identifies a 
> test_result as a test of type <code> originating from a particular 
> organization.
Yes. Enter your own practice as an "organization", eg.
"in-house lab" and go from there. Widgets may opt to pre-fill
this value (eg. when entering weight, height, blood pressure
etc it is fairly obvious they were done in-house).

> A user might be allowed to pick (or specify) the source of the 
> test_result from existing values for  test_type_id or to create a new 
> row in test_type.
Yes.

> However it might be useful/important to distinguish whether the row 
> inserted into test-result had been manually entered or had come via a 
> particular software module/interface/script.
Yes.

> Among the auditing fields is modified_by which is NOT NULL DEFAULT 
> 'current_user' but what value is written in here when the row is 
> created as part of an import?
Well, the "current_user". The database does neither know nor
care whether that's a human or a script.

> Should there be a field "origin" or "interface" or "source" or 
> "import_method" that might usefully specify the interface or script 
> though which the value as imported or -- in the case of a manual 
> entry -- the widget through which the result was entered?
Although I see no real value in distinguising beyond
manually/automatically (and if the latter maybe name/version
of import script) there are at least two possibilities:

- Add the import script ID into the test_result comment field.
- Create a designated database account.

Karsten
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