Palmedic	v 2.1
A  complete patient management solution for the Newton MessagePad and related devices
by J Rick Adams and JRAd consulting, Inc.


Overview
========

As a medical student, I began to realize the power and utility that the Newton PDAs could have on the wards- I could hold all the pertinent information regarding my patients right there in my hand.  Their medications and medication allergies, their lab reports (stretching back as far as I wanted them), an up-to-date problem list, all the procedures that they had received, and any notes I had written about them- from long H&Ps to short scribbles.  This device also had the ability to manage a to do list for these patients to keep me organized, on track, and looking good in front of my medical peers.  The only shortcoming was the medically related Newton software available at the time.  The two that even came close to my standards were remarkably overpriced.  On a student's budget (and even a Resident's salary, I realized), there was no way I could afford one of them.  What if they did not meet my needs?  What if they were buggy?  I'd be out a whole lot of money with no tool to satisfy me.  Thus, the dream of Palmedic was born- "if you want something done right, do it yourself" has been the motto behind the package ever since.  Palmedic has grown from a simple desire to be organized on rounds as a medical student to a package that rivals the expensive solutions on the market today.

With the release of Palmedic v 2.x, the program has become an invaluable resource in producing and maintaining a patient's medical record. The program is written specifically for the Newton 2.x Operating System, thus taking advantage of its many advances, including speed, ease of use and increased functionality. Version 2.x uses plug-ins for data entry and reporting. This makes Palmedic the most versatile medical information manager on the market. The user may load only the modules they need, be it medications, problems, and patient allergies or patient billing, note creation via templates and macros. Users may also have custom modules created for them or may create their own. Palmedic is distributed with a standard set of plug-ins that make it a complete patient management solution, but new modules are being created all the time. There is no longer the need to model the way you manage your patient information after a particular program. Use Palmedic to enter and report on a patient's data using your own methods.

Another great advance in Palmedic 2.0 is its integration with your Newton MessagePad's other programs. Palmedic integrates with the Names application, Dates application, medical reference books (like Lexi-Comp drug reference from K2 consultants), note writing utilities (notably Transcriptionist from Tactile Systems), and with the capability of plug-ins, Palmedic has the ability to communicate with any other program on your Newton- those that exist now, and those that are yet to come.


Requirements
============

Palmedic v 2.x requires a Newton hand-held computer or related device running NOS 2.0 or greater. Users with earlier versions of the NOS may download Palmedic v 1.11 from the home page of JRAd consulting at <http://jrad.seagull.net>.


Installation
============

Note: Users of Palmedic versions before 2.1 should install the updater.pkg onto their Newtons before installing anything else. This package will update several existing items on the Newton, and then delete itself from the Newton's memory.


The Palmedic distribution comes with several separate, loadable packages.
The package labeled "PInstall.pkg" is the Palmedic Installer and should
be loaded first onto the Newton device. Running this package will give
you the opportunity to prepare your Newton for the use of Palmedic. The
installer allows you to install a set of demonstration patient data, a
medication database for use within Palmedic, and/or a set of note templates
for use within Palmedic. The installer that is packaged with the billables
plug-in set allows for the installation of billing codes for use within
Palmedic. These items are not necessary to install, and some will take
significant store space on your Newton device. It is essential, however,
to install the Preferences, and Data Soup items that the installer offers.
Palmedic will not run without them. Once the desired items have been installed
using the Palmedic Installer, this package may be removed from your Newton
device.
NOTE: Installation of large amounts of information (e.g., the medications soup and the code soups) can take a long time (15 minutes on my MP2000). Be patient! 

Second, the package labeled "PData.pkg" should be loaded onto your
Newton device. It contains the standard set of plug-ins for Palmedic.

Third, load "Palmedic.pkg" onto your Newton device. This is the package
that will show up as "Palmedic" in your Extras drawer. Now you're all set
to enjoy a much more efficient means of managing your patient data.


Program Use
===========

Please see the full documentation which can be found at <http://jrad.seagull.net/>.


Palmedic Distribution
=====================

The following items are distributed in the Palmedic package:

Palmedic.pkg - the Palmedic program
PInstall.pkg - program that installs necessary data for Palmedic
PData.pkg - the data for the plug-in set
updater.pkg - updates pre-2.1 copies of Palmedic
Read.Me - The file you are reading.

Any redistribution of the package must contain all of the above in the same form in which they were originally distributed.


Demo notice
===========

Palmedic is released as a demo version allowing 5 patients to be entered into the data soup. On receipt of payment, a password that will unlock the program will be sent to you.  JRAd consulting and Kagi Services have come to an agreement on payment procedures. Visit either web site at <http://jrad.seagull.net> or <http://www.kagi.com> for further details on paying via phone, fax, email, or the World Wide Web.


History
=======

v2.1 (10/20/97)

% changed the list floater popup to pop up from bottom (more like soupListFloaters) and include separator and 'and'
% change pasteSeparator prefs to include 'and' preferences
% changed the setupListFloater function to allow for more control in plug-in scripts
% added the ability to tap on the version # in the about view and see the version #s of all plug-ins registered
% changed the overview general view to move the 'Seen' values so they are always shown
% fixed a problem that occurred when selecting Show from within a patient list
% altered the way Transcriptionist looks up a demographic to allow for case sensitive searches
%Jfixed a problem whereby Palmedic would not recognize updated items added via plug-ins (mostly affected demographics in Transcriptionist)
% lists now save the last Filter preference
%Jmodified the way that plug-ins register with the system so as to allow plug-ins to share the same resources
%Jtests plug-in
	added lab charting capabilities to follow trends
%Jmedication plug-in
	fixed a problem when opening to the edit view to show individual modules
%JTS note plug-in
	allowed the modules to adjust length to increase viewing area
	added a "Convert to Note" router item
% note print layout (affects note plug-in and Transcriptionist note plug-in)
	fixed problem with new changes to note not printed if Print Note immediately chosen
	fixed problem with only single page note being printed
	assured text not cut off at bottom of page
	made page number update correctly
% equivalents (affects note plug-in and Transcriptionist note plug-in)
	HPI
	Physical Exam
	Physical Exam (admission)
	Insert Note ('')
	Insert Test ('')
	added "and " capabilities (in conjunction with new Paste Separator preference item)
% changed the delete data floater so that all items were shown within scrolling lists
% fixed the preference floater so that scroll arrows appeared when appropriate
% added "On Discharge" preferences
%Jchanged the delete data floater so that all items were shown within scrolling lists
%Jfixed the preference floater so that scroll arrows appeared when appropriate
% fixed a bug in the 'Change Title' portion of patient lists


v2.0 (8/18/97)

% first public release



How To Contact the Author
=========================

by email:	jrad@jrad.seagull.net

on the WWW:	http://jrad.seagull.net

by fax:	(616) 349-0991


) 1997 JRAd consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. 14 October 1997.

