Understanding Forms and Charts

When a PDF form is opened for data entry and saved, SYSTOC creates a chart file to store the form and assigns the chart a unique filename that associates it with the patient order. The same protocol is followed for any file that is added to a patient's medical record using the Attach File feature. Look at the icon in the orders grid F column to determine whether an order has a form or chart attached. The background color of the icon field changes to teal when a chart exists. In an orders grid, form names are displayed under the heading Form and charts are displayed under Chart File.

Form files and chart files are both stored in subfolders located in the SYSTOC application folder. You can easily change which form is attached to an order by making a new selection from the drop-down list (click in cell under Form), but if a chart has already been created, then changing the attached form will have no effect, except to mislabel the form name in the grid.

Charts are segregated within the main Charts folder by year and month, for example, 2014_04(Apr). Within each folder, chart files are named by SYSTOC with unique numeric names and appropriate extensions (64453.pdf). Each order can have only one chart attached to it. Therefore, if you add a chart to an order that already has a chart attached, you will overwrite the existing chart and lose the information that it contained. This is especially dangerous if the existing chart was created from a PDF form. Even though SYSTOC provides a warning to help you avert potential problems, the preferred method of adding a chart to a patient order is via the Attach File function, because a new order is created for each file that you attach.