Home Forums Discussions Feedback and Recommendations Improving AmazingMeds

Bert:

1. When new medications come out do you just add them one at a time via Access?

2. When you download an Amazing Charts update, do you just make a copy of your AmazingMeds folder before updating, or is there no effect on AmazingMeds from updating?

Yes, when new medications come out, you simply open your database and insert the new medication names at the bottom. When you close the database, it will automatically sort the names alphabetically. Of course, you have to delete those two tables in the earlier version and different tables in the newer version of AmazingMeds. But, as long as you are using the same database from before, you should be OK deleting the last two tables so AC will rebuild them upon restart. I can point you to my two posts if you wish.


I think this will be easier to understand if you grasp the difference between code and .mdbs and the two ways to use client/server with programs even though AC is not a true client/server program.

First, you can simply install the entire program on your server or pseudoserver if you are peer-to-peer and then browse to the executable file from each client and run the program off the server. Some people like to do it this way, because then you only have to update one program rather than seven to ten or so or even 50 to 100 or so in bigger organizations. In that case, you need to copy ALL of your databases to another folder, then install, and then copy and paste them back in and say yes when windows asks if you want to overwrite. If you simply left them there, then the new databases would overwrite your older ones (usually -- there are exceptions. But, no matter what, I would NEVER install a fresh copy on your real folder with all your data and files without backing it up first.

The second way is the way AC recommends, which is to install a client application on each client and then browse to the AmazingCharts.mdb file on the server. Note that this file MUST be in the AC folder; it cannot be a standalone file. I generally just have the folder of Amazing Charts on my server and not the entire installation. You can keep your databases in the folder and only install the updated applications to your clients. It is during the install process that all the changes are being made secondary to the new code. Sometimes for the databases to work with the new edition, you have to run the database tuner, but this will not change any data, but of course you should back up first.

Also, I would recommend keeping a copy of things like AmazingMeds or Codes in a safe place either on your PC or preferably burned onto a CD in case anything did happen to your database.

I am considering, once I have all of my projects done, doing an entire adult medication database to add to my pediatric database. It seems like there is a huge desire out there for it.

Well, if you can massage it with Access, you only have to massage it to add any new meds you might want in it.. maybe what? Two or three meds a year? Even then, they can live on your "hot list" rather than IN the database without any pain.

V.

Yeah, that's right.

I was thinking if it was only updated once a year or so, I could just re-do the routine I went through this time, and kind of have a yearly update, with all the "new meds of 2007".

Thanks for your input, Vinny.

I am not sure we are talking about the same thing, but my method for updating my AmazingMeds.mdb database is to update it on the fly anytime I find myself prescribing a medication which is not in it. Alternatively, keep a running list (like with OneNote -- one of the better Microsoft programs) and update it monthly. Yearly? Hell, Vioxx (sp?) could be in there 11 months after it was taken off the market.

I uninstalled it! It looked like nothing much to me. What do you do with it?

Oh Brian, Brian, Brian...

What am I to do with you? I will PM you later and give you the low down. (Is that one word or two?)

Bert,
Can you PM me too?
I don't know what One Note does except to occupy hard drive space.

Roy, Roy, Roy

Sure thing, Roy.

Bert,

You may as well let us all in on how to use OneNote with AC.

On another note, is it really so easy with Office 2007 to edit Amazing Meds? What about with Open Office?

Barbara,

Uh oh. I was just talking about OneNote in general. Doesn't really work WITH AC. Although, I say that loosely, because I find it is extremely helpful with HOW I use AC and how I work with patients.

As to Open Office, not helpful at all. As to Office 2007 or 2003 or whatever version, editing AmazingMeds is easier than losing a game of Checkers to a 7 year old.

Open Office: no database editor? I thought they had one!

Office/Access 2007: My perspective is that if you start with no previous database editing experience whatsoever (as I did this year), I would say that editing Amazing Meds is a bit more like winning a game of chess against my 13-year-old son.

A painful confession: I have edited the heck out of my Amazing Charts database, but (wincing) never actually installed it because:

1. It's only a 100% improvement over the old one, and not quite yet up to my perfectionist standards.

2. I have never taken the time to sit down with Bert's instructions, and delete this database and that database, and let Amazing Charts regenerate this database and that database.

I'm just dreading that last step for some reason! I am sure it is no big deal, and I have it built up too big in my mind. I keep saying I'm going to do it sometime when things get quiet. Maybe over Thanksgiving (I'm on call).

Hopefully helpful and not condescending.

Open Office has a database editor, but you would want to do it in Access.

Now, I simply don't know why you would not want to use your new database. I will give you two HUGE reasons why you should. This is not like entering commands into a Cisco PIX firewall during lunch on your busiest day of work, lol.

Reason number one:

I will make this foolproof. Not like the instructions I just posted in the Tips and Tricks forum. Rather than use Formulations, Listings, MedNames and MedDetails, I will use 1, 2, 3, 4 as they come this way as tables on the left. So, it would look like:

1
2
3
4

Now, numbers one and two are VERY important. Lose though with no backups and ALL your work is gone forever

Number 2 is your very important one as it is your LISTINGS. Clicking on it will LIST your medications. Brian, you must have clicked on this hundreds of times to add meds.

So, let's go through the step of adding a medication minus the detail of how to put the actual formatting in.

Step 1: Click on Listings
Step 2: Enter medication
Step 3: Right click on #3 and #4 and press delete.
Step 4: Click save and close the database. That's it!

I wish it were harder so I would look really smart, but it's not.

Reason number two:

So, you have your AmazingMeds.mdb database on your desktop. You make one change or hundreds. It is now saved on your desktop and, as you say, 100% better than the ghost of itself that still resides for reasons unknown in the AC folder.

So, open the folder and take it out. Put it somewhere besides your desktop or Windows will get very confused and ask you if you want to overwrite the one on the desktop. So, put it in My Documents or rename it. Now put your 100% better one in the folder. Use Amazing Charts. See all your new meds in the prescription writer. Notice all the meds that aren't there.

Now, let's say you accidentally deleted the formulations table in your new database. What would happen when you opened AC? Nothing? What would happen when you opened a chart? Nothing. What would happen when you opened the script writer. Error message. Followed by AC crashing. Well, your application on your computer would crash. Nothing would happen to your folder on the server. It would crash because when you opened the script writer, AC was looking for four tables. And, formulations wasn't there, and it confused AC so it just got angry and decided it didn't want to play. It took its script writer and went home.

So, you put the other database in and everything's good. Or you could even copy the formulations table into your new database in AC.

There is absolutely nothing to worry about. Nothing. Trust me. Now if you had SBS running and were using Cisco PIX and told me you wanted to allow Remote Web Workplace to run, I would not give you the command:

access-list outside_access_in permit tcp any host 72.xx.xxx.32 eq https

and expect you to enter it even though I know it would work.

Anyway, good luck!

And, I am just having fun. I am not trying to be condescending or cute.

I just wanted to announce that I finally posted my improved AmazingMeds database which anyone can use.

It's under Helpful Downloads, here.

Helpful Downloads is a moderated forum, which means that posts don't always show up there in a timely manner. So, if you have a question or a concern about the database, and you want a reply, consider posting it here, or starting a new topic.

On the original subject of this thread, I think that the Amazing Charts Prescription Writer will only really take off and become a super application when we are able to edit the medication database, like we edit the ICD-9 database.

Brian,
The only thing I have found that is a little annoying is where it will say something like:
LIPITOR TABLET - EQ 40MG BASE
What in the world is that supposed to mean? But at least there are no spelling errors which I have found.


Leslie

Leslie:

Yeah, there are some things like that which bother the perfectionist side of me, but I still think it is a lot better overall.

I usually just leave those "EQ" and "BASE" things in there, but if you don't like it, just double-click on each word and hit backspace. The corrected version will go into your hotlist and it'll come up right the next time.

Little things like that made me procrastinate for months before posting my database, but I finally decided some people might feel it was worth it, and it might pave the way to better things yet.

I haven't figured out how to quickly modify that component of all 12,000 entries, and I don't have time to fix it by hand.

Actually, I just thought of an idea. I'll see if I can fix that, and if I can, I will post the corrected database.

If you let me know exactly what values to be updated, I can quickly/easily write an SQL update query to make the changes.

I am the ever so happy user of Brians wonderful personal med list for Family Practice. Now I am curious how to update on the fly as Bert alludes to. Is that with 'one note' or 'access'. Can somebody direct me to the simplest source of knowledge, (one note for dummies?) so that I can also edit my list? Grateful to you all for this powerful tool.

ERIC:

Thanks for your kind offer, but I think I'm going to have to do it by hand.

In the above example, you could just delete EQ and BASE, but there are 1200 entries that contain those terms, and they are incorportated in different ways, in relation to other dosages and characters. Automatically deleting those words might turn the dosage into nonsense, or leave extra spaces which would make it look sloppy.

I think I will have to scan through them, one by one, and make sure none of my corrections break the Law of Unintended Consequences.

MARTIN:

You will need Microsoft Access. Here are the steps to take, modified from Bert's original instructions to me:

• Open the AC folder.
• Find AmazingMeds.mdb. Rename it AmazingMedsTodaysDate.mdb, or something like that. (This creates a backup copy, in case you mess up. To restore your previous database, you only have to rename the original to AmazingMeds.mdb).
• Copy this and paste a copy to your desktop and rename it to AmazingMeds.mdb. Open it. You can play with this one with the knowledge that you still have a working copy in the chart, which just has to be renamed.
• Once you have opened it, look under "Tables". Delete "MedNames" and "MedsDetail". Leave "Listings" and "Formulations". You have to perform this step every time you add a new medication.
• Click on "Listings" to open the database. ("Formulations" can be ignored, but do NOT delete it).
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen and add your new medications, following the same format I used. (Include the hyphen! It may act buggy if you don't).
• Save, and close the database.
• Copy and paste the new database into your AC folder.
• Open AmazingCharts.

And that's how simple it is!

DocMartin,

OK, I have to pay back Brian for all the many times he has THANKFULLY pared down my instructions for something and made it easier. While his description works, I think it can be much easier MAINLY because there is ABSOLUTELY no way to screw it up, hence the lack of need to do all the renaming and saving.

I would do the bottom steps in this order:

1. Open Amazing Meds in your AC folder
2. Open the Listings table
3. ADD THE NEW MED AT THE BOTTOM IN BRIAN'S FORMAT
4. IMPORTANT: Delete the MedNames and MedsDetails tables.
5. Restart AC and you are in business. AC will automatically rebuild the two tables you deleted

Trust me, I have been doing this for many, many months.

-- While I am very proud of my completely from scratch pediatric database, Brian's is an unbelievably great creation. But, there is no need to go to all that trouble.

Example: You could open the database and go to the bottom and write. "The big elephant tramples trees with no regard to the environment." Nothing would happen wrong except you would have a new elephant medication.

I love Bert's eloquence

Brian,

Finally got to incorporating your GREAT medication list. WORKS LIKE A CHARM!!

I did remove all of the EQ and BASE from the database. I also removed IV chemotherapy drugs (which I don't think most primary care physicians administer or prescribe).

If anyone wants a copy of Brian's SUPER MEDICATION list with EQ and BASE redacted, I will try to upload it to the DOWNLOAD SECTION.

Just how do you upload the database?

Roy:

Thanks for your kind words.

I plan to release a finished "final" version at some point. After I remove the EQ and the BASE, I want to go through it line by line and make sure it doesn't create any artifacts.

I left the injectibles in because they weren't too obtrusive and I was afraid of accidentally deleting helpful injectibles that people might need.

Roy,

You just go to Helpful Downloads, start a new thread, write what you wish, then choose File Manager and upload your file. Vinny will then activate it after reviewing it. hth

Brian,
I've been using your database for about 2 weeks or so.
It's awesome.