[Gnumed-devel] re timezones

[Karsten Hilbert]

People,

I've been adding code to gmPG that sets the default client
time zone upon connection creation.

PG optionally stores timestamps with a time zone qualifier. If
connecting clients don't specify a time zone it uses that of
the server PG is running on (for input/export, that is,
storage is always in UTC AFAICT). This may not be the desired
behaviour for GnuMed, eg. when I insert data about patient A
into David's database running at his AU office I'd be
submitting CEST time strings. The server would think, however,
they are AU times unless I tell it otherwise.

What to do about input is pretty clear: Tell the server what
time zone I am in and happily submit my local time which will
be converted to UTC for storage.

However, what about retrieval ? Again I can tell the server my
time zone just fine and it'll nicely convert back UTC to my
local time. But what about this:

2003/24/08 13:45   Kirk involved in traffic accident, oversaw
                   elderly pedestrian at Fourth Street, Melbourne

Now, where's the problem ? Well, 13:45 is *my* CEST local
time. However, the accident happened some 12 hours earlier, at
1:45am AU local time ! The time displayed in my client will
never hint me into thinking of checking night vision on Kirk. He
may have selective blindness/tunnel vision at night.

Is this of any clinical concern ?

I am probably blindfoldedly splitting hairs with a blade I am
not allowed to even touch.

Karsten
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