What can GNUmed do for me today ?

As of January 2010 GNUmed can be used to do the following:

Administration

Appointment handling (using partner application)

• KOrganizer
  • view appointments registered in KOrganizer
  • activate patient from KOrganizer appointment
• Terminiko
  • transfer patient from GNUmed to Terminiko for appointment registration
  • activate patient from Terminiko appointment
• Other external appointment managers
  • activate patient in GNUmed
  • create GNUmed patient from appointment
  • depends on external app willingness to co-operate with GNUmed

Manage waiting lists

• add current patient to user-definable waiting list zone(s) with comment(s)
• filter patients by waiting list zone for a display of Zone, Urgency, Waiting time, Patient, Born, Comment
• activate patient with a double-click

Inbox Handling

• view per-staff Inbox
• from inbox message jump to unreviewed documents or measurements for this patient

Staff handling

• manage staff members

Medical Record

Allergy Handling

• view at-a-glance the absence (or existence) of allergies
• view (and refresh) when the allergy state was last checked
• quickly confirm / refresh / revise the allergy state
• capture allergies at a drug-specific vs "class" level

Document Management

• add new documents
  • select files from file system
  • drop files onto GNUmed
  • get data from scanners/cameras
• associate metadata and textual descriptions with documents
• view documents in different sort modes
• classify and sign off documents
• export documents to files for re-use outside GNUmed
• print, fax, or mail documents
• access any externally stored originals via permalinks
• each part of one single document can be of any type, such as text, image, or video

Forms and Letters

• write template based forms and letters in OpenOffice or LaTeX from within GNUmed
• transfer data into forms and letters with help of interactive placeholders
• completed forms/letters are stored with the patient, just like any other document

Measurements Handling

• manually manage test results
• classify and sign off on results
• any number of test types
• any number of test results
• any number of test result providers
• direct access to online lab tests database

Medication Handling

• track substance use (medications, drugs, OTC, ...)
• document approval or non-approval of intake
• print professional medication lists
• interface with external drug databases for in-depth drug information and interaction checking

Hospital Stays and Procedures

• track hospital admissions for patients
• track diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed on patients both during hospital stays or in community care

Progress Notes

• SOAP-style input
• threaded, multi-issue encounters
• browse chronologically (pooled), or within an EMR "tree" ordered by
  • health issue
    • episode
      • encounter
• export to text file
• free text search within and across medical records

Structured Problem Lists

• manage health issues
• manage episodes (standalone or associated to a health issue)
• manage encounters (consultations)
• manage progress notes

Patient Handling

Add patients

• manually add new patient

Import patients

• import new patient from legacy software
• import new patient via German medical cards "KVK" and "eGK"

Merge patients

• merge two patients

Manage patients

• search for patients by
  • name fragments (soundalikes, previous names, nicknames, ...)
  • any external and internal ID (drivers license, chart no, care plan no, ...)
  • date of birth
• edit patient demographics
  • support multiple identities (names and aliases), addresses, phone numbers, identifiers
• concurrently access a patient record (by more than one person at a time)
• disable patient record

Other Client Functionality

Customization

• configuration
  • per user, per workplace, database-based profiles, making them available site-wide

• hooks for custom scripts
  • e.g. run a script after activating a patient

Interfaces

• external appllication links
  • look up drugs in the German MMI/Gelbe Liste drug database
    • works under Windows and Wine
  • display a list of online medical knowledge resources
  • link to an online lab tests database
  • use a DICOM viewer to display CD-ROMs containing X-Rays, MRs, CTs etc

• remote control GNUmed from a legacy application
  • import patient from German-style XDT file (BDT/GDT)
  • make GNUmed select that patient
  • activate a particular plugin for that patient

Multi-language-capable (i18n)

• a single database can present its
  • menus
  • headings and screen elements
  • listings in multiple languages to different users

(depends on the user community to contribute translation table files)

Statistics and Reports

• run reports of arbitrary statistical complexity over any data in the database
• activate patients right from the report if applicable
• visualize (plot) the results
• more at GnumedReportGenerator

Tools

• display an (unvalidated) Snellen Chart

Database Functionality

• installation on RAID/NAS/encrypted devices
• access from Linux, Windows, and MacOSX
• backup: automated, hands-off, zero downtime, digitally signed
• lossless upgrades with utmost safety precautions
• "HIPAA compliance" oriented auditing and logging

The following items have working code in the VCS but have not been included in the current release due to not being polished and tested sufficiently.

• vaccination status
  • enter administered vaccinations
  • display previous vaccinations
  • display missing vaccinations
  • generate vaccination status table

Q: What does "do for me today" mean ?
A: It means you can download GNUmed and rightfully expect to be enabled to do any of the above. It may not work the way you expect it to but there should be a way to accomplish those tasks and it should work. It is your right to (and our hope that you do) email the developer list on anything that does not work as advertised.

Q: But I can't do the advertised tasks in the browser interface/the ... interface.
A: That is correct. The above refers only to the wxPython reference client GUI. Other frontends may be lagging behind or (in theory, at least) could be further ahead.

-- KarstenHilbert