Re: [Gnumed-devel] Encounter, Encountlet, Episode, Health issue, Problem

[James Busser]

Reply shared with the list:

On 12-Aug-08, at 2:11 PM, Rogerio Luz wrote:

> Ok ... seems it´s just a  matter of getting used to the  
> terminology ... but for tranlations it will need some polishing :)
>
> Encounter then is a self contained relationship with patient (i.e.  
> it starts and ends) right?
>
> My problem is in uderstanding why would we need the Episode.
>
> If we have general health issues as a base and Encounter as the way  
> to do the SOAP, we could just get rid of Episode?
>
> Please, I am not saying we SHOULD get rid of it, I am trying to  
> uderstand where and why has it been used.

Among other things, the episode helps to remove from the work area  
all those past health issues and encounters that are unlikely to be  
of interest, so that when working on a patient, it is possible to  
kepp in front of you the things that need to be (re)assessed and  
managed, and to not miss to look after things as a result of  
unworkable clutter.

Episodes also provides an aggregation of encounters that helps to  
visualize a patient having a suspiciously high number / frequency of  
episodes. We cannot easily judge only from encounters, because  
patient's personalities and needs vary... some might come in only  
once or twice, and another a dozen times, for what (in the doctor's  
view) might be the same severity / complexity of illness.