What Else Can Guidelines be Used For?

The Guideline is not constrained to the concept of clinical guidelines to manage patients' conditions, though it can be utilised for that purpose. It is a much more powerful tool. It can also be used:

• To change your view of the patient record, by displaying elements from different parts of the database on one form.
• As a start-up form to display summary information, such as significant medical history or problems data, recent medications and recent consultations.
• Customised for different members of staff, particularly attached ancillary staff like District Nurses and Midwives, as different views can be defined as their startup forms.
• To guide infrequent users of the system, by including patient data, textural help on how the practice wants data recorded, and buttons to take the user to the correct forms for data entry.
• Triggered from events recorded in the patient record, so if your locum enters a condition of URTI, it can immediately present a guideline suggesting that it is practice policy NOT to prescribe antibiotics.
• Provide customised lists of READ codes to limit data entry to codes useful to the practice.
• Provide lists of appropriate drugs for prescribing, and the ability to navigate through the BNF from that point.
• Print customised reports on individual patients such as Encounter forms, Visit reports, Insurance reports, or Patient summaries when the patient moves practices.
• Provide links to external applications such as the electronic BNF, Bodyworks, PatientWise or any other applications available from your workstation.