| Introduction

The vxVitals/Measurements application is designed to store all vital signs and various measurements associated with the patient's hospital stay or outpatient clinic visit within the patient's electronic medical record. Data entered can be accessed by vxVistA applications (e.g., vxCPRS) that interface with the vxVitals/Measurements application.

The vxVitals application is composed of two modules: vxVitals and vxVitals Manager. The vxVitals module is used to enter patient data and is assigned to clinical staff.

The vxVitals Manager module is used to manage the vxVitals templates and abnormal values ranges. This module is typically assigned to the facility Clinical Application Coordinator and other clinical informatics staff.

Functionality

u Provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to make collecting and viewing of data easier. Additional information on GUI software is contained at the end of this chapter.

u Supports documentation of a patient's vital signs (e.g., temperature, pulse, and respiration).

u Tracks patient height, weight, central venous pressure (CVP), circumference/girth and oxygen saturation via oximetry with supplemental oxygen information.

u Supports documentation of detailed or positional blood pressures for a patient (for example, bilateral blood pressures taken in a sitting position).

u Displays latest patient information of vitals/Measurements in both metric equivalents and U.S. customary units (when appropriate).

u Displays with the date/time the information was obtained and the name of the user who entered the information.

u Allows facilities to establish hospital-wide high and low values for most vital signs and measurements.

u Identifies abnormal values outside the high and low on vxVitals/Measurements reports.

u Allows users to record a reason for the omission of a patient's vxVitals/Measurements (such as Patient on Pass).

u Associates qualifiers (alpha characters appended to the measurement's numeric value) to provide a more detailed description of the patient's vxVitals/Measurements.

u Displays graphic reports on workstation monitors, and provides a variety of printable reports. Reports can be printed for an individual patient or for multiple patients.

u Supports archiving and purging of patient measurements that are no longer required.

Terminology Used in the vxVitals/vxVitals Manager GUI Software

Accessibility Features in vxVitals

Keyboard shortcuts and navigation options have been added to make the GUI accessible to a wider range of users, including those who have limited dexterity, low vision, or other disabilities. See Appendix A for a complete listing of access keys and shortcuts.

Data Trees

Data Trees are lists that the can be expanded or collapsed in order to navigate to needed information. The plus sign (+) to the left of a Data Tree item indicates that tree item contains additional entries. Clicking the plus sign will expand the tree list to display those additional entries. A minus sign (-) indicates that the expanded entries can be collapsed for ease of viewing when clicked.

Hints

Hints can provide a brief description or instruction to display over a specific area of the application that may be unknown to the user. Placing the cursor over a specific button or area will result the Hint description.

Hot Keys

Access keys are used to quickly get to an option through the drop down menus. To use the access keys, hold down the <Alt> key and press the key matching the underlined letter of the desired drop down menu to display the next menu. Next, still holding down the <Alt> key, press the next matching key of underlined letter for the desired option.

Some other screen components (e.g., buttons such as OK) can also be reached by holding down the <Alt> key and pressing the underlined letter for that screen component. Some buttons and icons can be used by holding down the <Ctrl> key and pressing a letter key. A few can be used by pressing a function key (e.g., F5). See Appendix A for a full list of access keys.

GUI

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. The GUI is most commonly referred to or seen as the Windows screen. Those familiar with using programs that use application windows will be familiar with the navigation of the vxVitals GUI screens. The vxVitals GUI is only implemented on the Windows platform at this time.

Tool Bars

Tool bars are shown in the gray bar below the Menu bar. The tool bar contains icons (with or without text) that perform a function when selected. For example, the printer icon opens a dialog box allowing for use of a printer.