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Is there any way to get preferences for font size while looking at the screen (not to mention notes)? While many of you are younger than the over 50 crowd, many of us are Baby Boomers and we have the over 50 eye thing going on.

I can increase font size on almost any progrma I use. I can increase the size easily on any webpage (very easy, hit ctrl and scroll up on your mouse), but I cannot seem to get AC change.

No, we don't need to change our screen resolution (that will throw all sorts of things off).

~Barbara, who now squints since using AC

Hey, Barbara:

I am pretty sure there is no way to do what you are asking. I seem to remember someone asking about it before.

Although it sounds simple enough, I think what you are asking would be actually be very difficult to accomplish in the main Encounter Form screen, because some of the data fields are only one character tall, and a larger font wouldn't fit on the screen. However, there might still be a workable solution.

I brainstormed a little on this problem. Here are some workarounds I thought of, and some suggestions.

PROOFREADING: This one's easy. There is an existing feature that I use all the time to proof-read. If you want to review your note in a larger, more legible format before saving, just hit Ctrl-D ("Print Draft").

This pops up a print preview screen that is in a larger font for easier review. Also, the change in format just somehow makes it easier to catch mistakes. If I see an error, I close the window, fix it right quick, then hit Ctrl-D again to pop up this display and continue proofreading.

One funny quirk: if you have made a change, and you don't see it reflected in the "Draft" view, just close the window, click in a different window than the one you were last typing, and re-open the "Draft" window, and the change will be there. It's like clicking in another field saves the changes you made to the first field, if that makes sense.

INPUT: My first thought was that when you were ready to type, you could just right-click on the field you wanted to type into, get the template box to pop up, and use that big empty field at the bottom for text entry. I had the idea that the font was bigger in that view, but it isn't. It was just my misperception because the space is so much bigger.

SUGGESTED FEATURE: That field could very easily be converted into a larger typeface: there's plenty of room for it. Then, if you wanted to type in the HPI, and you're getting eyestrain, you could just right-click and start typing into the big HPI *template* field, which would be in a larger typesize. When you got done, you would just click "Move to location". Can everyone visualize what I'm describing here?

If you want a glimpse of what that would look like, click on "Orders". See that bigger font when you type in your orders? There's no reason we couldn't have that in the other template boxes.

WORKAROUND: If you are a person who really types a lot in their notes, it might be worthwhile to keep Notepad or WordPad open at the bottom of the screen, set on a large font. You could type in your text, then cut'n'paste into AC.

Anyway, that's my bow-legged wisdom on this topic. Tell me what you think.

Brian,

Wow...you know what? I never new about Ctrl-D. It's something that I've been wishing was available for a long time!

Maybe I won't get large print, but you've just made my day!

Thank You!

And may I add that Brian is a very colorful poster (in more ways than just the obvious!!)

Geez Roy, that's perfect!! I could read that without my bifocals! Now, can we change the whole board to that?? I could probably eliminate some exclaimation points!!!!!

Roy,

You are too funny. I agree though, those large screens are great...I wish I had them in my tiny exam rooms.

But really, even on my Palm I can increase the font size...would it really be that hard in AC? (Remember...I don't know programming at all!).

Donna, I was going to say before I saw your bifocal comment - yes, the easy way to increase the legibility for the presbyopic among us: Reading glasses.

Have a half dozen or so floating around, since my contact lenses let me see well now at a distance, but can't read well at all with them. *sigh Oh well, always said with the high rosy cheekbones, the greying of the beard/hair, weight gain, and now the reading glasses, will soon be able to start buying red suits with fur trim and wide black belts.

Also, just one more possibility, I seem to recall something in the accessories box in windows that acts as a magnifying glass. Been a while since I played with it, and I do not know if is still in the newer iterations of Windows.

JAAurand.

I experimented with that Windows magnifier before I posted this, and it is pretty awkward. I believe it would be painful to use for text entry into AC, but it is free.

On the other hand, I have a Microsoft Wireless 6000 Keyboard & Mouse with a built in Magnifier feature that is far superior. There is a little button on the mouse that activates the magnifier, and you can easily adjust the dimensions of the magnified area using an intuitive interface built-in to the mouse programming.

I found that the mouse magnifer worked pretty well, if:

# I left the AC screen at its default size, and did not maximize it (as usually do).
# I expanded the dimensions of the magnified area to the maximum.
# I turned the mouse magnification down to its lowest level.

This combination of settings allows you to display several entire data fields at once. Activating AC macros while magnified was a little tricky, but not bad.

This keyboard is pretty awesome. It is actually a set which includes an ergonomic keyboard and mouse (I get wrist strain easily), with lots of programmable hotkeys.

Here's an Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wir...lectronics&qid=1200865369&sr=8-1

Once you start down the road of purchasing third-party magnification aids, there are probably hundreds of products I have found of varying price and sophistication. Some are even free for download.

Hey, everybody!

There’s a newer beta out since yesterday, version 3.77,
and you have got to check out the new Expanded View (Ctrl-E). People have been asking for this for a long time.

It allows you to enlarge the text in the Encounter Form for easier viewing. The typestyle is Verdana, which was designed for easier reading on webpages. Also, there is a much larger text box, so you can see any text that has scrolled off the screen in the small view. Templates are still available by right-clicking in the Expanded View.

Once you are in Expanded View, there are little navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen, so you can cycle through all the main text boxes. Or, you can just hit [tab], [enter], to go to the next screen.

This is going to work great for tablets, and it may actually be my favored input method for AC now.

When you get done putting everything in, you can still hit Ctrl-D and see a big view of the whole document to get the "Big Picture" before you sign off.

Pretty cool!