I have recently spoken to a programmer from EMIS
who was quite interested to hear the problems that we have. I think I may have mentioned this before but i've not had any time to do anything about it.
What I want is a complete list of what we need to make this system work for us for our needs.
He will look at our case and see what they can and cannot do. I can either mail him or just ask him to look on here.
My starters are :-
Work out a diary so it knows when bank holidays are.
Be able to record Methadone and Subutex doses so they are able to be searched for on the system e.g. the amounts, as in free text doesn't seem to be easy to audit.
print out the new wordings for missed doses (Will need the official wording for this)
Look at NDTMS if they are not already doing so.
Any other thoughts ?

Apparently NDTMS isn't compatable with EMIS - that concept has been ditched as NDTMS is using its own web based system from January.

Well NDTMS should or could be compatible and if it isn't then somebody should be making it happen.
We are a very small service with a very large list of patients we don't have time to do this stuff, there must be an easier way and if not why not.

Hi Simon
it's funny you should mention this as I have just been in correspondance iwth malcolm Roxburgh, IT man at the NTA on behalf of Heather Walker who was asking aboout developing a local NTDMS template in EMIS. I am pasting my reply based on what he saidbelow - see if it makes any sense, get back to me for clarification if not:


It has always been possible for service providers to define their own codes for NDTMS (previously known as READ codes, now to be called SNOMED codes)
The problem with doing it this way is that the codes will only apply locally, so it doesn't create a national solution. It is probably only worth doing if done locality-wide
There is a clear intention for Connecting for Health (this is the new name for the National Programme for IT or NPfIT) to take over coding the NDTMS. The timescale for this is supposed to be 12 months. When this happens there will then be a nationally defined set of codes. EMIS will automatically adopt these in one of their routine upgrades.

So you have 2 choices:
Either
go ahead and do it - it will be an interesting exercise, and may well you get to an electronic version of NDTMS several months sooner, but bear in mind that things will change a few months later. If you had some extra codes that you were particularly keen on, you could aways still collect data in those areas, but the 'report writer' which filters in the codes required for the NDTMS report will only pick out the nationally agreed set, ie it would still all work fine.
Or,
wait for CFH to do the job for you. At this point I'm sure you will be wanting to ask how sure we are that they will do it on time - all I can say is it's untested water at the moment, but it is of critical importance to us that they do, so we will be monitoring progress extremely carefully.

Hope this helps

NDTMS is changing to a web based system now, so I will stick with that for the time being!

Susi,
I'm aware there was a previous version of the NDTMS without approved read codes and so was not transferable. I think Chris Ford said it was time consuming. We need a national solution to this and also the other problems with EMIS
I want to be able to tell them exactly wordings that are used on prescriptions so that the programmers can help us.

quote:

Originally posted by harniman:
NDTMS is changing to a web based system now, so I will stick with that for the time being!

Beverley,
That may be so but it will need someone to input the data.