Communicable Disease Screening
All patients, at all Connect Care encounters, are asked about exposure or symptoms that might indicate risk for epidemic disease. All clinicians can review gathered information and access relevant guidance to support decisions and enhance documentation.
Screening Review
Information about communicable disease exposure or symptoms is found in standard locations across all modules (ASAP, Epicare, Optime, etc.) and contexts (Inpatient, outpatient, ER, etc.). The same information can also be found in the Chart Summary of inpatient contexts.
A “Chart Review” is available in all charts, always containing a “Snapshot” display. Open a chart, go to the “Chart Review” activity, note the default “Snapshot” display and scroll down the right-column to find a section called “Communicable Disease Screening” (shows only if data available). Note this section was previously called "Travel and Exposure Screening".
Screening Management
Normally, patient intake staff will do initial data collection. However, new information or more accurate information may become available later in an encounter. All clinicians can enter or edit communicable disease screening data. However, how this is done varies by the clinical context.
Look for Communicable Disease assessment tools in the following activities within an opened chart:
Emergency encounter --> Triage Navigator
Inpatient admission --> Summary Activity
Outpatient visit --> Screenings Activity
The resulting data input form presents standardized questions and options for answers and explanatory comment. A positive answer to some questions may expose additional, more detailed, response options.
Decision Support
Internet links may appear in one or more sections of the Communicable Disease Screening form. These open views of current warnings or other clinical guidance.
Depending upon screening responses, a Best Practice Advisory (BPA) may be triggered. This may present additional links to supporting clinical evidence together with specific recommendations for isolation or other protective clinical actions. The triggers for these BPAs are illustrated in the Tip sheet linked below.