You got to this page by searching for an exisiting patient or adding a new one. When you add a new patient, be sure to spell and capitalize properly. For names:

Doe, NOT doe or DOE

If you make a correction to a name or address the entry will turn red. Move your mouse over the "Next" box or "Page 1" box to see what to do next.

Be sure to select this if it is part of the person's name.

You got to this page by searching for an exisiting patient or adding a new one. When you add a new patient, be sure to spell and capitalize properly. For names:

John, NOT john or JOHN

If you make a correction to a name or address the entry will turn red. Move your mouse over the "Next" box or "Page 1" box to see what to do next.

Optional

You got to this page by searching for an exisiting patient or adding a new one. When you add a new patient, be sure to spell and capitalize properly. For names:

Frank, NOT frank or FRANK

If you make a correction to a name or address the entry will turn red. Move your mouse over the "Next" box or "Page 1" box to see what to do next.

Optional for PFAS

It is requested that you enter it, if possible, if 159 is also on the call.

Enter as 123-45-6789 or 123456789. emsCharts is happy with either format.

If the patient's home address is the same as the call location, click on this icon and you get a pop up window. Click "Use this address" and save yourself the trouble of re-typing the address.

Use the first line for the street address and the second line for an apartment number, suite number etc (if any).

If the person's sex is unknown, select the blank line at the top of the drop-down list.

The city/state/zip/county entry area can be confusing. It may show 1 or 2 magnifying glasses or a pencil writing on paper.

The first time you open the window, you see the pencil and only get a drop-down list for our local towns. If the patient comes from somewhere else, click on the pencil and the display changes. You can go back and forth between drop-down list and manual entry by clicking on the icons. Now you can type in any city, state, and zip.

If you have the city, state, and zip correct you can probably fill in the county by clicking on "Lookup".

Be sure to check the units for kg versus lb. emsCharts mobile mangles the units during upload so your 200 lb will probably become 200 kg.

Optional

emsCharts is unforgiving on phone number format.

(609) 555-1212 (It wants parentheses and hyphen.)

You may also enter numbers with no spaces or punctuation and emsCharts will accept them.

6095551212

Go figure.

Generally enter "none." These barriers are limited to the patient. Choices are often inadequate, like no "altered" or confusing, like "unsupervised." Do the best you can.

The PFAS has been using "developmental" for children too young to give meaningful answers and for all patients with mental disabilities that prevent them from giving meaningful answers. Use your own judgement.

Enter birthdate as mm-dd-yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy or use the calendar (very painful). It will calculate the age for you when you tab or click out of this box.

You don't need to enter age if you enter a birtdate. emsCharts will calculate age for you.

Be sure to select the appropriate "hours," "days," or "months" for newborns and infants.

Do not enter race unless the patient volunteers it or you find it already filled in.

Do not enter.

Do not enter.

Optional.

PMHX is past medical history. It is the "P" in SAMPLE. It is not the events of this call.

Click on the blue and white scroll and you get a pop up window. You may select from the list or type an entry in as the example shows. After each entry has been found, click "add." After all the entries have been added, click "done."



If the patient has no history, DO NOT leave this blank. Enter "none" or "denied" or something similar.

Enter who gave you the medical history. If more than one choice is true (like family and patient), pick the choice you feel is most representative.

This box is the single most frequently missed entry on emsCharts.

To delete an entry, click on it. It will be highlighted with a blue background. Then click the red X.

Current Medications is the "M" in SAMPLE.

Click on the blue and white scroll and you get a pop up window. You may select from the list or type in an entry as the example shows. Enter Dose and Route if you have them and have time.

If the patient has no medications, DO NOT leave this box blank. Enter "none" or "denied" or something similar.

NOTE: Sometimes you will be handed a pile of papers with the patient's meds and past med history. Stony Brook Assisted living is notorious for this. I have received as many as 20 sheets of paper from them. You do not need to go through them all and sort out the meds. You may, instead, enter "see attachment" into the prescriptions list and then scan and attach the documents. See help for page 9.

"Current Allergies" is the "A" in SAMPLE.

Click on the blue and white scroll and you get a pop up window. Select the entries or type them in. Click "add" after each entry. Click done when done adding.

If the patient has no allergies, DO NOT leave this blank. Enter "NKDA" (no known drug allergies) , "none", "denied," click on the red circle with the slash, or enter something similar.

To delete an entry, click on it. It will be highlighted with a blue background. Then click the red X.

If you change or correct data about the patient like name, social security number, address, you will get this dialog asking you whether you want to retain the incorrect or unchanged information in the emsCharts database. If you click "OK" the incorrect or unchanged information will always be saved. If you click "Cancel" it will usually, but not always be saved. For reasons known only to emsCharts, there is no "No" option.

Do you really want to replace all the information you typed in?

If you change or correct data about the patient like name, social security number, address, you will get this dialog asking you whether you want to retain the incorrect or unchanged information in the emsCharts database. If you click "OK" the incorrect or unchanged information will always be saved. If you click "Cancel" it will usually, but not always be saved. For reasons known only to emsCharts, there is no "No" option.

All of these documents limit what you may do for a patient who cannot speak for himself.

Advanced directives and living wills, need to be read for specific directions. Do not resuscitate means no medical treatment, if the person is in respiratory or cardiac arrest.