Help with creating DB for medical form?

[lanray]

I took a job that requires me to fill out a one-page form over and over again with (pretty much) the same information. Here's the gist of the form:

Date
Patient Name
Location
Chief Complaint
Symptom History
Exam Note
Diagnosis
Recommendation

Here's what I'd like to be able to do. For example, I'd see 50 folks in a day, 25 at each location. I'd like to create an electronic "form" that would populate the date automatically, allow me to populate the location with information that I enter. Then, I'd enter the patient name. The chief complain would be populated by a check list that I could "click" on. Then, the symptom history would be a text box I could fill in, or perhaps a list of 10 common complaints that I could choose from.

Then, I'd have ~15 common exam notes that I could write out before-hand and choose from based on my examination. I would just choose an exam, and then I could edit it if needed.

The diagnosis would be a drop-down menu of ~15 diagnoses and codes. The same for recommendations.

And, I'd like all this information to be stored in a database that I could mine later on down the road, AND I'd like it to print off a quality looking note I could leave at the facility, AND I'd like it to create a .pdf and put it in a file for me to send to the office later on.

Would Numbers do this? How about Excel? Do I need MS Access? Filemaker Pro? The order listed is the order I'd prefer in terms of using a particular application.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Doctor Q]

I suggest giving Bento a try. It's a one-user simplified version of FileMaker Pro, and sounds like all you need.

Unlike Numbers of Excel, it's intended for exactly what you are talking about doing: creating a simple database with a form for entering data and the ability to see the data in the format you want afterwards. And with the data in a real database, not just a spreadsheet, you'll be prepared to use it in other ways.

There's a free trial. Bento is for Leopard only.

 

[lanray]

I'm looking into it, now

Thanks, Dr. Q, for the recommendation. One concern I have is that Bento won't be as popular as some of the other programs - so it might be less likely to be picked up by others who're doing the same things I am; however, this was not one of the requests I listed.

Anyone else got a suggestion? Is this something that Excel could do?

 

[lanray]

Bento probably won't work

Bento probably won't work because options for printing are pretty limited. Ideally, I'd like a way to record the information, and then (almost) a second place where it would print out. The printout has to look professional - it would require using a company logo, and having a neat, tidy format.

Any other suggestions?

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

Access = Windblows ONLY....NO Mac version, ever! But ok if everyone you work with runs only the skank OS

Bento = Leopard ONLY, NO windblows version, so ok if everyone uses macs......but also, it's NOT networkable either

Filemaker = Totally Cross platform & networkable.....so it is the better choice IF you will be in a mixed-OS environment & want to access the data from multiple locations.....

Also, as far as printing is concerned, just about any Panther/Tiger/Leopard-compatible app can print/save to PDF, & with excellent quality output to boot

 

[lanray]

printing

it's not that I can't print in Bento, it's that I can't print a nice looking, well-formatted patient note.

Someone else has suggested FileMaker Pro. I went on their website, and it didn't seem obvious how it would accomplish what I want to do. Do you have any more information about the program you can provide?