Consultation Manager

Consultation Manager is where all clinical data is recorded in Vision 3 3.

After you access Consultation Manager, you can select a patient from either an Appointments list, the patient register or a group previously created.

After selecting a patient, a consultation is started before any data is added. Consultations can be categorised according to consultation type, for example:

  • Surgery consultation

  • Telephone call

  • Repeat issue

  • Clinic

From Consultations - Options - Setup, you can decide which aspect of a patient record displays and how it behaves.

The Patient Record screen is where most data entries are made, there are system-distributed views you can use with different tabs, depending on the preference of the user. They include:

  • Data tabs - Different tabs which allow data to be viewed in a number of different ways, according to categories, for example:
    • Journal - Displays all entries chronologically.
    • Test Results - Displays all test entries.
    • Filtered - Displays the data selecting in the Navigation pane.
    • Therapy - Displays prescribed medication, listing repeat masters, acute prescriptions and issues of repeats. Therapy is entered from the Gemscript Drug Dictionary which provides supportive drug information. Warnings are given for drug sensitivities and once a drug item has been selected, checks are made against the patient's data and contra-indications, interactions and drug doubling are flagged before the final selection is made. Drug defaults can be used to enter the quantity and dosage automatically, though these can be overridden. A full drug class categorisation can also be consulted whilst adding medication. Each drug item carries full information about the product. Prescriptions can be printed with accompanying dispensing labels if required. The country flag automatically determine the variation in prescriptions forms:
      • FP10 for England and Wales
      • GP10 for Scotland
      • HP10 for Northern Ireland.
    • Appointments - Displays booked appointments for the clinician either logged in, or selected.
    • Management - Displays management plans.
    • Patient Browser Link - Displays a web link to a map of the currently selected patient's home area and lists of local hospitals. It can be customised further according to the user's preference.
    • Problems View - Displays data attached to specific Problems, there is an optional graphical timeline which can record episodes of on-going problems, colour-coded according to the Read dictionary chapter. You can populate the Problems and Currently Relevant screens using Populate Problems utility. Several of the views have a problem-oriented approach.
  • Navigation pane - A column listing all recorded clinical data and showing where the data was added. Clicking on one or more of the functions filters the data to be displayed under the Filtered tab. Direct access is available to summary forms, data grids and management plans.
  • Data Entry - Clinical details can be entered in a number of different ways but in most cases are stored either in a generalised medical history, or within what is termed a structured data area (SDA), for example, to enter a blood pressure reading:
    • From the Add menu, select Blood Pressure.
    • From Read - Add, enter BP and press <Enter>.
    • From various Management plans, select the + alongside Blood Pressure or BP.
  • Alerts pane - Displays at the bottom of the Navigation pane it display various warnings, for example, allergy entries, recalls, health promotion, immunisations due, CHD/CVD risk percentages, unprinted therapy. A red Alert flashes on the toolbar if the patient has missing data.
  • Consultation View - An optional pane which groups most of the frequently used data entry fields, entered by topic under the categories of SEDI (Symptom, Examination (including Test Results), Diagnosis, Intervention) as well as Management, Administration and Guideline. Entry of a clinical term from this screen automatically defaults to the correct SEDI type. Within each consultation, one or more topics can be created with which a patient may present, for example, a night-time cough, and advice re contraception.
  • Management Plans - Displays specific current and historical information in a clear grid format, and provides a quick and easy method of adding new information. Management Plans can be particularly useful in a clinic setting, for example Maternity, Epilepsy, Asthma, Diabetes.
  • Summary Forms - Displays the same details as the Management Plans and can be used for the same purpose but on tabbed forms. This can be useful for the clinical management of conditions that can be sub-divided, for example, Maternity Care: Pregnancy Start, Ante-Natal, Investigations, Outcome, Infant Details, Post-Natal.
  • Reports - Pre-defined reports can be viewed and/or printed for either a selected patient or a group of patients. These effectively filter the patient's data to specified data areas. You can also create your own practice reports, for example, PMA reports and home visit reports.
  • Clinical Terms - Most clinical details are entered by selection from the Read dictionary and are dual coded automatically in the background to SNOMED CT.
  • Formularies - You can create and maintain two types of practice-defined formularies:
    • Read Formulary - A formulary of clinical terms, see Populate Read Formulary.
    • Drug Formulary - Created in Drug Dictionary Utilities, based on your most frequently used drug dictionary items.
      Note - Formularies can be exported, imported and shared between local practices.

  • Health Promotion - Entries are collated from clinical details screens so you can quickly ascertain whether there is a qualifying record or any intervention has been given to the patient on a Health Promotion Summary.

  • Recalls - You can add a Recall date for most data, and send a patient a recall letter based on a template letter. Groups of patients due a recall can be created from Search and Reports and recall letters sent to a group of patients from Patient Groups and Recalls.

  • Referrals - You can create a referral and referral letter for a patient, merging with the patient's details, and using data for hospitals and provider units set up in Organisations, see File Maintenance (Control Panel) for details. Default referrals can be set up for referrals common to your practice, for example, the entries for a common Read code or frequently used hospital unit.

  • Graphs - You can display and print any numerical data, for example, blood pressure, weight, test results, in graphical form.

  • Pathology Results - Test results can be received, viewed, processed and filed from Mail Manager into a patients record in Consultation Manager.

  • Vision+ - A utility that provides an immediate way of capturing essential QOF data using real time alerts and templates. The data entry element is present in Consultation Manager which, when a patient record is opened, provides colour coded timely alerts that capture the patient's QOF or other practice protocol requirements at a glance. Vision+ also brings a comprehensive reporting suite which includes a Recall Management Programme and QOF Reporting Tools.

    See Practice Reports - Vision+ and Template Designer for details.