Re: [Gnumed-devel] further thinking on list of current medications

[Jim Busser]

On 1-Apr-09, at 3:27 AM, Karsten Hilbert wrote:

> To take this example to the extreme:
>
> <snip>
> Looks OK ?
>
> Does this mean we *need* two modes of presentation ?
>
> - alphabetically w/o dupes for quick reference as to "what"
> - grouped by issue with duplicates as needed - tells us "why"
>
> Note, all this is about the doctor's view.

I agree that it looks ok (helpful, even) from the point of view of  
"with *what* are these conditions being treated" and not "what is  
this patient taking".

For patient use, it would be important for each drug to be listed  
only once, however if the one-to-many link would allow mutiple  
indications to be concatenated into a column "taken for" this can  
help to explain or remind the patient why the medication is being taken.

This will remind us that in my function as a general internist and  
even in the GP experience where you come across a patient taking  
medication, you cannot always tell for what purpose the medication is  
being taken. I suppose I am most uncomfortable when a patient  
"happens" to be taking prednisone or methotrexate and cannot tell me  
why.