GVGPs

Every now and again a piece of software comes along that seems to be so simple and straightforward that one wonders why it was not produced sooner.  The Doctors Control Panel (DCP) is one such piece of software.

Developed by a Melbourne GP, Dr Anton Knieriemen, it began a couple of years ago when Anton wanted something better than the standard prompts within Medical Director 3.  He says "I am passionate about preventive care and change principles.  I leverage the software that I create to implement change in the way I practice medicine." 

The DCP uses the data currently available in the clinical and practice management software databases**.  It uses a set of configurable rules to determine whether prompts are shown and uses information in the database to determine status.  The DCP also allows printing of "data collection sheets" and "action lists" for the day's appointments.  This allows staff to implement the data collection, which the doctor can simply enter into the clinical software at the time of the consultation.

The DCP opens every time a patient's record is opened and appears in the bottom right corner of the screen.  The program has coloured "tablets" based on the traffic light colours: red meaning nothing is recorded; orange if an item needs to be updated; and green if the item is up to date, for measurements, medications, clinical and other preventive health care items.  This colour coding allows GPs to see at a glance if there are gaps in a patient's clinical record allowing the doctor to opportunistically attend to any incomplete or out of date items.  The items are linked to various resources such as the RACGP's Red Book and the Immunisation Handbook.  Left click on a tablet and it will display what needs to be done; right click on a tablet and you will be presented with a link to the appropriate clinical guidelines.

The product is still being developed at very fast pace.  Dr Knieriemen has created a website (www.pracsoftutilities.com) devoted to its promotion which contains a list of update features  as well as a number of useful resources.

The DCP is only available as a download via the website, but you need to register first.  From March 2010, GPs will need to pay an annual subscription to use the program in order to offset development costs.  Read more about this here.

**The Doctors Control Panel is currently compatible with MD3, Best Practice and Pracsoft.