Setting up and using label abbreviations
On the Premvet system, it is possible to set up your drug stock cards so that they will automatically print a label with the correct dosage, every time you dispense a drug. This facility means you can avoid having to remember lots of codes and manually putting them onto the Auto pricing line in order to produce a label!!
The first step is to tell the computer which abbreviations relate to which dosages.
Setting up label abbreviations.
- From the main menu select:
General Applications (or System Management - Setup)
then Parameters
then Lookup Tables
then Dose Details - A screen with some label abbreviations will appear and you can now add
or edit.
- You can set up to 300 different abbreviations.
The main things to remember when setting them are:
- The codes must be 3 letters long
- The 3 characters used must NOT be repeated in the same order in the description; eg TAB should NOT be used for Give && tablets etc
- Do not duplicate any of the codes.
- There must not be any spaces or punctuation marks in the codes.
NB: The code does not have to bear any resemblance to the dosage at all!
- Type in your 3 character code at the prompt
'
Code to change or add.....' and press return. - The highlight bar will move to the right of the code, enter the
description that matches the code, (See below for examples) and Return
The
&&part of the description ensures that the computer will ask you for amount of tablets/drops etc. and how many times a day to give them when you price the drugs onto a clients card. - Repeat the above steps for as many abbreviations as you wish.
- The following are examples of label abbreviations commonly used in
practice.
BID Twice Daily UID Daily ABC Give && tablet(s) && time(s) a day RES Give && sachets. Repeat in && hours. AAP Apply to affected area every && hour(s) TTO Give && tablets all at one time. DDD Give && drops in the food. CCC Give && capsules every && hour(s) MMM Give && ml(s) every && hour(s) RET Give && tablets.Repeat in && days DEF Apply && drop(s) to eye every && hour(s) GTE then give && tablet(s) every other day GTD Give && tablet(s) a day for && day(s) You can customise any of these to contain dosages common to your practice.
There are three abbreviations that will automatically be recognised by the system. These are:
FHT FreeHand Text You will be prompted for the full dose WOT Work Out Tablets A box will pop-up asking you for the details the system will also determine the number of tablets to be supplied and use this as the quantity. WOI Work Out Injection As WOT except it relates to mls rather than tablets. - It is also possible to set these abbreviations up so that any drug with
a reducing dose can be catered for.
For example,if you want a label to say;
Give 1/2 tablet a day for 3 days then give 1/2 tablet every other day.
- You would have one abbreviation set up for each line e.g.
GTD Give && tablet(s) a day for && day(s) GTE then give && tablet(s) every other day. If you ALWAYS want the second line to follow the first then you would add the GTE abbreviation to the end of the the GTD description line. e.g.
GTD Give && tablet(s) a day for && day(s) GTE NB: When using this procedure,the code and description for the 2nd line MUST PRECEDE the code and description for the 1st line in the actual list of label abbreviations.
If you only want the second line to follow the first on a FEW SPECIFIC DRUGS, then you would leave the description lines as per the first example and refer to the section below that deals with entering the abbreviations onto the stock cards.
Entering label abbreviations onto stock cards.
- Make a list of any of your stock items that you wish to have amended so that you are prompted for the dosage when you add them to a clients card via Auto Pricing.
- Go into each stock card and press the 'down' arrow to access the screen
that deals with labelling.
- Select (E)dit and move the highlight bar to the space next to dosage.
- Enter the appropriate 3 character code for the drug and press Return.
If you require more than one of the label abbreviations (as described in the 'reducing doses' section above) then enter both the codes on this dosage line with a space in between eg: GTD GDE
- After pressing return on Dosage the highlight bar will move down to
Automatically Generate a label - Set this to Yes.
This ensures that when you add the drug to the clients card it will not
only ask you for the dose but produce a label with all the details on.
Entering drugs with label abbreviations onto client clinical records.
- Select (A)uto on clinical record.
- Price drug as per normal,when you press return the machine will prompt
you to fill in dosage details where the && signs were on the label
abbreviation. Enter the correct figures and press return.
- The machine will now wait a few seconds before putting this information
onto the clinical record and then will produce a label.