Relationships that don't work

[DonH]

I decided I am probably overlooking something obvious so I will let somebody beat me over the head with it.

I have 2 DBs

PatientInfo and Chart

Both have the patientindex in them. So I created a relationship between the 2 based on patientindex. Now I am trying to make a report that pulls the NAME from PatientInfo and specific items from Chart (lab results).

Now I get the data from one db but not the other. They just won't hook up together. I think I'm losing it on "external field". Maybe I'm not setting that up correctly.

[DonH]

LOL Nobody can tell me how to make a relationship?

Okay, let me rephrase the question. Step by step, how do I make a page that pulls information from 2 different db with both having a field called patientindex?

[-Queue-]

I think your original question was either vague or difficult to interpret, hence the lack of response.

Create two relationships, each from the pi of the current file to the pi of one of the other two files. Then, if you want data from PatientInfo, use that relationship and select your field. And if you want data from Chart, use that relationship and select your field.

[EllenG]

From your "primary" file (PatientInfo), define a relationship to Chart, matching on PatientIndex from both files.

On your report or screen layout, drag a "Field" from your tool bar and specify that field from either the PatientInfo or Chart db. The PatientInfo file will be indicated as "Current File". In layout mode, when you right click on a field and select "Specify Field", the db is displayed at the top, with a pop-up indicator to the right. Click on the pop-up indicator to select the correct db.

[DonH]

Okay. That is what I have done. So now on this page I have things like

DATE Chart::date

NAME PatientInfo::name

I have 2 relationships Chart which is patientindex::patientindex and PatientInfo which is also patientindex::patientindex

I have only 1 defined field on this new page and that is patientindex.

BUT nothing shows up. If I try to do a find say for a patient I get "NO RECORDS MATCH THIS REQUEST".

I even put patientindex in the layout and tried to do a find on that and same thing. The new page is not talking to the other 2 pages at all. There must be something I'm missing.

[-Queue-]

We must be missing something, too. Layouts don't communicate with each other. They are simply a gui way of presenting different data on different screens. Any fields you have defined for the file, or in relationships to that file, exist and are valid for any layout in that file.

If you have a patient, say with an index of 15, in your current file, then your relationships will pull information for that patient in the other two files, where the index matches. It sounds as if you have no records in the current file, in which case none of the relationships are valid, therefore, no data appears.

[macguys]

Plan carefully before you start coding. Are charts going to be continous (you just have a big scrolling field where you continue to enter information) or will it be a set of discrete entries? In the later case, I'd have at least three related databases. The first is patients, the second is charts, and the third is providers (assuming that this is a multiple provider practice).

Remember that there is this pesky thing called HIPAA and that medical records software falls under the FDA definition of "medical devices", and therefor must be compliant with 27CFR11. It's not too difficult to implement. You will need to design in some additional security, an access log, and an audit trail.

If you want a canned, of-the-shelf, FIleMaker solution for a medical practice, check out http://www.practicemaker.com.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.