Re: [Gnumed-devel] EMR tree display of allergy

[James Busser]

On 23-Sep-08, at 10:26 AM, James Busser wrote:

> I am having a bit of a hard time to see the flow with proposed states

Here is what I would suggest, based on reworking of the existing (see  
screenshot) Allergy manager:

- reposition Allergy window titlebar lower on screen to prevent its  
being party hidden by the XFCE panel at the top of the screen, I  
suggest that for example if the plugin Patient details is open to the  
Identity tab, the upper edge of the Allergy window be positioned just  
under the "Comment" column heading

- the checkbox "definite" risks being un-noticed, can it be  
interposed to the left of "Allergy", "Sensitivity"

- Allergy dialog needs widening and extending vertically lower by 1-2  
cm to accommodate:
	1) an "Exit" button.. presently it is only possible to leave by  
pressing Cancel
        2) visually separating individual-item detail from overall state

... presently the state is crowded among 3 buttons between Save Clear  
Delete and Cancel and this competes with screen controls used to  
manage individual allergies. This needs a better visual and  
functional separation. Suggest instead:

1) exclude the State buttons from a rectangular work area which  
should visually enclose all the other elements as more-clearly  
managing items in the list, this rectangular work area should have  
some visual element boundary like a dotted line... as mentioned, this  
may need extending the window down to let State buttons be moved out  
lower

2) exclude listing allergy state in the table because it confuses the  
user who cannot manage such entries with the same tools / buttons as  
they would manage discrete items... I would instead split allergy  
state out of the table and present it as radio buttons

		(  ) None known  (  ) Per above  (  ) Unknown  <---default on  
patient creation

Entering allergies would programmatically change the radio button  
state to (  ) Per above. Only in the absence of listed allergies  
would the user would be able to change the state from "Unknown" to  
"None". Of interest, the user should be allowed to input allergy  
information which came from collateral but it is interesting to  
contemplate that the patient had not been asked hence the tension  
between "No info" and"Unknown" and "Unasked". Presently if I enter  
"Penicillin" the constraints refuse to let me also set state to  
"unknown".

Would you still want to capture "Unanswered" to flag patients for  
whom the issue especially deserves future discussion? If so this  
could be between (  ) Per above and  (  ) Unknown

3) make an "Exit" or "OK" button a default at bottom.

Caveat field:
- while allergy state is unknown (or undisclosed) can the Caveat box  
hold a red "?" (refer to discussion ~ Sept 20th)
        also Greek phi for "none" and "!?" for (  ) Unanswered