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Configuring flowsheet and patient data alerts
Configuring flowsheet and patient data alerts
Updated over a week ago

You can create customized alerts based on a reference range or an expiry date for individual flowsheet items and patient data properties. For example, you can highlight an INR result that is outside the normal reference range or flag an overdue blood pressure check for a hypertensive patient.

You must specify the level of alert (critical, warning, or informational), and add conditions in which the alert should appear.

You can set alerts that are flowsheet-specific, user-specific, patient-specific, or apply to all users in the clinic.

πŸ“Œ Note: You must have the Account Level Alert Settings permission to configure alerts that apply to all users in the clinic. Refer to Modifying user permissions for more information.

If you need assistance configuring alerts, contact the CHR support team.

Steps

1. To create an alert, do one of the following:

To create an alert for a flowsheet item, open the flowsheet:

  • To configure an account-wide alert that will apply by default to all users who use this flowsheet, from the main menu select Settings > Templates > Flowsheets and select the flowsheet from the list.

    πŸ“Œ Notes:

    • You must have Templates: Flowsheets permissions to do this.

    • Alerts are not available for medications at this time.

  • To configure patient-specific or user-specific alerts, in the patient's chart, click the flowsheet icon and then select the flowsheet from the list.

To create an alert for a patient data property, from a patient chart, click Start/Open > Patient Data. Ensure that you have the required patient data category folder open. For more information, refer to Viewing and updating entries in the patient data section.

2. If you are in a flowsheet, hover your cursor over the item name, and then click the bell icon. Or, if you are in patient data, click the bell icon to the right of the patient data property.

3. In the Manage Alerts window, select Reference Ranges to set an alert based on a value being out of range, and/or Expiry Dates to set an alert when an item is past due.

4. If you selected Reference Ranges, select the field you want to track from the list.

5. Add an alert. Click Add in the appropriate category, depending on what the alert should be applied to:

  • This Flowsheet, for an alert that applies to this item only in this flowsheet. If you opened the flowsheet from a patient's chart, these alerts are only applied to this patient. πŸ“Œ Note: This option is only available for flowsheets.

  • Patient, for an alert that applies only for this patient. πŸ“Œ Note: This option is not available if you opened a flowsheet from Settings.

  • Current User, for an alert that applies for all patients for only your user.

  • Account, for an alert that applies for all patients for all users and, if applicable, for all flowsheets. πŸ“Œ Note: The Add button is not available here if you do not have Account Level Alert Settings permissions.

6. In the Edit Alert window, specify the conditions in which the alert appears.

a) Select the alert severity from the list: Critical, Warning, or Info. Items with a Critical alert appear in red, items with a Warning alert appear in yellow, and items with an Info alert appear in blue.

b) If it is an Expiry Dates alert, specify the frequency. For example, if you want an alert if it has been more than 6 months since a blood pressure was recorded, enter 6 months. Enter the value in the Amount field, and select a Unit from the list (Year, Month, Day, Hour).

c) Click Add Condition. In the field that appears, enter the condition criteria. See Specifying alert condition criteria, below. You can add multiple conditions - for example, if you want an alert to appear if it has been more than 6 months since the last blood pressure check, and the patient is older than 65.

d) Optionally enter a Message to appear when you click a flowsheet or patient data item that has an alert. For example, you may want to include the conditions in your message to remind you why you are seeing the alert: "More than 6 months since the last BP" or "INR > 3.0". If you do not enter a message, the default message will be displayed ("The value is out of treatment range" for reference range alerts or "This property is expired" for expiry date alerts).

e) Click Save when you are finished setting the alert.

7. The alert appears in the window. Click Close when you are finished adding alerts.

πŸ’‘ Tip: To delete an alert, open the Manage Alerts window, select the alert, and click the trash can icon. You must have Account Level Alert Settings permission to delete account-wide alerts. Do not delete account-wide alerts unless authorized to do so by a clinic administrator.

When you view a flowsheet or patient data, if an alert is triggered, the item appears in the corresponding alert colour. For more information, refer to Using patient flowsheets or Navigating patient data in the patient chart.

Specifying alert condition criteria

Type of condition

Criteria format

Notes

Gender

equalText(gender,'<x>')

where <x> is m, f, or o.

e.g. equalText(gender,'m')

Age

age operator value

e.g. age >= 65

Available operators are:

> (greater than)

< (less than)

>= (greater than or equal to)

<= (less than or equal to)

== (comparison)

Numeric (e.g. lab value, vital)

value operator value

e.g. value >= 3.0

Available operators are:

> (greater than)

< (less than)

>= (greater than or equal to)

<= (less than or equal to)

== (comparison)

To alert when a numeric field is blank, use value == null.

Text

equalText(value, β€˜<x>’)

where <x> is the text you are looking for

e.g. equalText(value, 'Current everyday smoker')

To alert when a text field is blank, use equalText(value,'')

Multiple conditions: x AND y

Click Add Condition to add multiple conditions separated by AND

The alert will appear only if all conditions are met.

Multiple conditions: x OR y

<condition 1> | <condition 2>

e.g. age <= 18 | age >=65

The alert will appear if any of the conditions are met.

Updated February 21, 2024

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