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Yet another crazy system.

A friendly ear
ten0rman
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Yet another crazy system.

#391549

Postby ten0rman » March 2nd, 2021, 3:12 pm

Hello folks,

Some of you may remember that towards the backend of last year, I passed negative comments about the Doctors Patient Access system for ordering repeat prescriptions. Well, yesterday, I came across another system which again fails to pass my userbility test, ie, it does not appear to have been tested on genuine users. Here goes then -

This time it's the dentist. Now I know they, along with everyone else is going through a difficult time, and really, I don't mind what they are trying to do, but as was always being written on my school reports "could do better". So, what are they doing? Well it's an online patient health questionaire...

First problem area concerns entering your birhdate. So I enter 31 July 1950. (No, that's not my real birthday!) Redlined! Why? It wants it in Month/Day/Year format. Perhaps that should have told me something. Then it asks for a signature. Eh? On a computer? Come on, I know it can be done, but not easily. In fact, entering a space is adequate. Then it asks "Do you need Antibiotic Cover?" What on earth is that? And so we go on with lots of, to my mind, dubious questions, dubious in that some of the categories don't seem right. For example, I have had a heart attack & two Stents fitted. Is that chest surgery or heart surgery bearing in mind that the Stents are fitted in the arteries that feed the heart? And then finally, I came to medication. Now fair enough, I can list all that lot, but at 2200 hours, I've had enough, so save it and go to bed.

The following day I decide to continue. Can't continue. There doesn't seem to be anyway of picking up where I left off. Rang the dental surgery and they didn't know either. neither could they amend it. All they could suggest was that they could repeat the request to do the online questionaire, but I would have to re-enter everything. Also when asked about Antibiotic Cover, she didn't know but offered the suggestions that as it's an American thing, perhaps it's a peculiar American idea. Which of course explains the date...

Anyway, she resent the email, I logged on, and deep joy, everything is still there so I was able to amend and correct online easily. It's just a pity that she didn't know that.

I must admit that heart attack & the Stents could very easily go in either heart surgery or chest surgery. Or maybe it's neither since access was obtained via an artery in the wrist, so it's really not that important. But I do think it's a bit too broad brush in places leaving me with a choice of two or more possibilities. But where's the helpfile? I didn't see one. I did see something about a few videos, but frankly I've neither the time nor the interest in wading through videos. And in any case, should they be You Tube, then nowadays YouTube wants me to use an account of some sort - which of course I don't have, and don't want.

At least it did not, as yet, demand a mobile phone number. It did ask for one, but leaving it blank seemed acceptable.

ten0rman

didds
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#391620

Postby didds » March 2nd, 2021, 6:57 pm

You are kinbder than I. Id havbe given uip on "do you want antibiotic cover" as clearly its intended for a service that doesnt reflect anything ive had in the UK.

Or NZ.

Or Germany.

Or the USA come to that.

Mike4
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#391624

Postby Mike4 » March 2nd, 2021, 7:11 pm

didds wrote:You are kinbder than I. Id havbe given uip on "do you want antibiotic cover" as clearly its intended for a service that doesnt reflect anything ive had in the UK.

Or NZ.

Or Germany.

Or the USA come to that.


I'd have put "yes", mainly to see what happened.

GrahamPlatt
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#391688

Postby GrahamPlatt » March 2nd, 2021, 10:35 pm

Do you need Antibiotic Cover?" is a question I wouln’t expect some dentists to know the answer to. It usually means have you got artificial heart valves. You’d not need it for stents.

http://www.intelligentdental.com/2012/0 ... nt-part-2/

ten0rman
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#391757

Postby ten0rman » March 3rd, 2021, 9:52 am

GrahamPlatt,

Thanks for that, I've learned something.

ten0rman

Arborbridge
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#391767

Postby Arborbridge » March 3rd, 2021, 10:19 am

With many of these forms they seem to assume the customer has some intimate technical knowledge - indeed they oblige you to have knowledge. But that does not seem reasonable to me - especially for older people.

I have similar trouble with insurance forms because you know that they will use any excuse not to pay even if you've made a mistake through not quite understanding the question.

Arb.

88V8
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#391988

Postby 88V8 » March 3rd, 2021, 8:21 pm

We're told that we shouldn't enter our DoB online unless its absolutely necessary. So if I'm asked to do that I generally don't proceed.

V8

dealtn
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#392089

Postby dealtn » March 4th, 2021, 8:30 am

88V8 wrote:We're told that we shouldn't enter our DoB online unless its absolutely necessary. So if I'm asked to do that I generally don't proceed.

V8


By who? Why?

AF62
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#392166

Postby AF62 » March 4th, 2021, 10:41 am

dealtn wrote:
88V8 wrote:We're told that we shouldn't enter our DoB online unless its absolutely necessary. So if I'm asked to do that I generally don't proceed.

V8


By who? Why?


Generally it is not wise to distribute personal information that is not required.

Completing an online form for the dentist with your date of birth - fine as that is likely required. Completing an online form for a supermarket with your full date of birth - not fine, as although they might need to do a check for age restricted items then year of birth or at most month and year would be adequate.

Personally if I come across companies who require a date of birth but I don't believe need a date of birth then I take one of two options. Either my birth date is 1st January 1900 or I will use the 1st day of the month and year of my birth (easy to remember and I was not born on the 1st).

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#392178

Postby AleisterCrowley » March 4th, 2021, 11:01 am

I was born on 12 October 1875, which isn't usually an option, so I have to lie

ReformedCharacter
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#392217

Postby ReformedCharacter » March 4th, 2021, 12:28 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:I was born on 12 October 1875, which isn't usually an option, so I have to lie

Yeah, you also apparently died in a Hastings boarding house in 1947 so you must Do What Thou Wilt, eh?

RC

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Yet another crazy system.

#392301

Postby AleisterCrowley » March 4th, 2021, 2:33 pm

a minor incovenience :twisted:


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