PHMS - Basic Concepts

What is a Networked Relational SQL Database?

The data store of PHMS is PostgreSQL 8.0 networked relational SQL database. This means that the database server must be installed in one and only one location only (ie. on one computer). All of its database clients (a.k.a. PHMS software) will access it through your network (LAN). It is not a file, or a webpage, but a specialized application allowing multiple clients (PHMS) to access the contents of the database through the network. Your IT department should be able to install, configure and maintain your database server for you.

Since it is not possible for database servers to share data amongst each other, if you do install the database server in more than one location, data entered on one PHMS will not be accessible from another installation. If you do have more than one database server installed, please contact your IT department to install the software properly and tell them to read the overview of how the database works.

Configuration Data

All configuration data, except for the hospital id, is stored in the database. This means when someone changes the configuration in installation of PHMS client on one computer, the changes will be reflected on another computer. You may have to restart PHMS on another computer such that the configuration is reloaded from the database such that you can actually see it in the Preferences window.

Data Entry Methodology

There are three different data record types available for entry. These are,

  • Assessment/Followup
  • Vasodilator Challenge
  • 6-minute Walk

While the purpose of the later two is self-explanatory, the Assessment/Followup can stir up confusion as to which one to enter - a Followup or an Assessment. The reason why they are written as Assessment/Followup instead of separately is because they are essentially the same with the following exceptions.

  • Assessment holds more data than a Followup.
  • A Followup must come after an Assessment (for historic reasons)
Sample Assessment/Followup Data Entry Order

Sample data entry order for a given patient

For example, if you have data for a patient that only fits in an assessment, enter an assessment. If the data does not need an assessment (eg. medication adjustment or lung function tests) then enter a followup.

Basic fields

There are two basic fields that must be entered first, before anything else. These are the study date and the patient ID.

The patient ID is a unique identifier associated with a given patient. It is assigned to a patient by your institution. The format is set in the Preferences window.

IMPORTANT: When entering data, always make sure you enter the Patient ID first. Make sure that the Patient ID is accepted by the database which means you should no longer be able to change it (ie. the field will become read-only). If you made a mistake, click Cancel and re-enter the record.

The study date is the date associated with a given record. For example, in 6-min walk or vasodilator challenge, the study date is the date that the given test was performed. For assessment or a followup, this probably should be the date of the doctor's visit. This date is very important to establish a trend to patient's results and it is important it is entered correctly.

There is currently no easy way (and no way in PHMS) to change a given record's Patient ID or Study Date field once entered. The simplest way is to reenter the data for the affected record(s).