Dox RDS Standard Edition

RDS-Standard Edition      RDS-Extended Edition

Dox RDS - Standard Edition

Document Characteristics

The following points expand on the functionality of the Prescriptive mode of operation for RDS

Dox is a system that manages all document related parameters by placing each document into an index set that establishes management criteria and document security permissions.  It’s overall functionality

  • Generates original documents using pre-set parameters
  • Identifies self generated documents with a unique machine readable identifier
  • Accepts externally generated documents Archives paper documents by accepting images produced by a document scanner
  • Handles standard sized A5, A4 and A3 documents, single or double sided and carrying one or more forms paer sheet, multi-sheet documents and non-standard size and layout documents such as 6xA4 pages (3xpages per side).
  • Archives electronic documents either as a file of the document in its native form such as MS Word™ or by converting it to a universally recognizable form such as Microsoft XPS™, Adobe PDF™ or TIFF.
  • Manages self generated documents to detect their loss in external workflows
  • Manages self generated documents to provide an alert to possible invalidity of data which may vary with time;

There are three general types of managed documents

Document Type

Description

NN

Not Tracked for loss in external workflow

Not Tracked for time sensitive data

TN

Tracked in the external workflow by setting an allowable period of time to lapse between the time of generating/printing the document and the time when the image of the form is captured in the scanning process.

The document is uniquely identified by a machine readable identifier such as a barcode, as well as human readable identifiers, placed on the form by the system at the time of generating/printing the form

Not tracked for time sensitive data

TT

Tracked in the external workflow by setting an allowable period of time to lapse between the time of generating/printing the document and the time when the image of the form is captured in the scanning process.

Tracked for time sensitive data captured on the document (for example by the patient completing a questionnaire regarding their and their immediate family’s medical condition(s) as at the date of their completing the form.

Document Characteristics 

Document Type

Characteristic

All
  1. The generation/printing of the form is recorded in the management database as a record that the document was published and issued.
  2. Documents are generated from master templates held in the database to ensure that only the current authorized version of a document is published.
  3. Documents that have been published may be reprinted as a duplicate of a formerly printed instance of publishing that patient/episode specific provided that the original version has not already been archived into the database.
NNExample - a patient information form providing the basis of an informed consent.
There are no extra characteristics.
TNThe time allowed for circulation on the external workflow is set for each individual document template
allowing different document types different degrees of tolerance.
TT

Two distinct time periods are carried for each document’s archive in the database.

Documents (e.g. a medical history form completed the prior week) generated by automatic re-printing of an earlier version within the first period are deemed reliable; those between the two time periods are regarded as doubtful and those generated beyond the second time period are regarded as unreliable. 

  • Reliable archived images are available for printing and or display without any system intervention or alert.
  • Doubtful archived images can be reprinted by the system but carry an additional statement explaining the need to validate the information contained in the archive image and also carry a field for the person validating the time sensitive data to sign and date the validating statement.  Once validated the document automatically becomes a new version of the original with its time periods reset to run from the date of validation. Doubtful images are displayed with an alert for the user.
  • Unreliable archived images are not allowed to be reprinted other than as a record (and are marked as unreliable) and are displayed with an alert to the user regarding their unreliable nature.

 

Unique Functionality in RDS 

Dox vs Conventional Document Management

Conventional document management systems concern themselves with management of documents that are placed into an archive, the printing and viewing of archive images of the original documents and sometimes with the tracking of the document in the original hard copy form if it is issued from an archive repository.

Conventional systems can only deal with documents that were not lost while in the workflow prior to scanning. 

Dox, similarly manages archived images but further extends the concept of record management to include

  • the production and use of the document(s) before being archived as an image
  • their tracking to detect loss in the workflow
  • the validity of any time sensitive data carried on the document.

Creation of the Documents for the Medical Record.

Individual documents are either

  •  System Generated
    Documents are produced from master templates, each of which has version control with any new document always using the current version.
    The document may include fields to be completed by hand or the document may be straight text and intended as an information piece.
    Patient or episode / admission related information may be automatically merged onto the printed fom.
    The generation process assigns a unique identifying barcode for each discrete document
  • Externally Generated
    The document is produced by another organisation or process external to the system, often by others.  It may be hard copy such as a letter or electronic such as email or a data file.
    RDS prints     a label for paper documents which are then scanned and processed in the normal way.
    Electronic documents are archived in their native form into the medical record.
  • Document Generation
    RDS uses rules to generate and print the right mix of documents for the episode.  The process of generating and printing the documents can be started from within RDS or (for most systems) started from within the Patient Administration System (PAS).       

Time sensitive data

  • Alert to potential loss
    If issued documents are not scanned within allowable time periods RDS will provide an alert.  Documents tracked this way are TN.
  • Document content validity
    A patient will typically have a succession of events in the course of assessment and treatment. Essential and critical data is often captured in the first encounter – for example a medical history questionnaire.
    That information can change significantly in a very short period. Type TT documents have associated validity periods which allow the document’s captured data to be regarded as either reliable, doubtful or unreliable.
  • Auto-generation of valid document
    The archived image of a type TT document can be automatically re-printed for a subsequent episode / admission depending on its validity status. One of three alternatives will automatically apply
Validity StatusOutcome
ReliableThe document image is printed as a part of the normal set printed for that type of episode / admission.  The patient need not complete the form again and the form is available for normal use by clinical staff.
DoubtfulThe document image is printed as a part of the normal setbut it has an added component explaining the need for the patient to read the previously provided data and to sign and date this new version of the document to certify it remains valid.  The validity base date will re-set to this date of validation.
UneliableA new version of the original document type is printed and the patient will need to complete the form again.

Prescribed process monitoring

RDS provides time sensitive controls to ensure that events or processes that would normally occur for specified type of episode / admission do actually happen.

Typical examples are dictation of reports and management of a patient recall for follow-up care.  If such events are detected then RDS provides alerts to the attending clinician as well as to administrative personnel.