This guide explains the process for ensuring that surveys completed by clients in the app are correctly synced to their files in the BestNotes EMR system. The most critical part of this process is the correct configuration of client email addresses.
Walkthrough: How to Ensure Proper Survey Syncing
The integration between the app and BestNotes relies on matching client profile information. Follow these steps to ensure a seamless connection.
Step 1: Understand the Matching Logic
The app's system matches a client's survey submission to a BestNotes profile primarily using the Home Email address field in BestNotes. Secondary matching data points, such as Date of Birth and Admission Date, are collected from the initial demographic and admit forms to provide extra layers of verification.
Step 2: Correctly Configure Email Addresses in BestNotes
To ensure accuracy and maintain a clear record, it is essential to use the two email fields in the client's BestNotes profile for specific purposes:
-
Home Email: This field must contain the client's email address. This is the email the client uses to register for the app, and it is the primary field the integration uses to sync the data.
-
Work Email: This field should be used for a secondary contact's email address (e.g., a family member, sponsor, or emergency contact). This allows you to keep the contact's information on file without interfering with the technical matching process.
Best Practice: The assigned clinician or staff member should double-check each new client's BestNotes profile to confirm that the client's email is in the "Home Email" field and the secondary contact's email is in the "Work Email" field.
Step 3: The Client Completes a Survey
When a client uses a tablet or device to complete a clinical instrument (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7, BAM), they will submit their answers through the app.
Step 4: Locating the Completed Survey in BestNotes
Once submitted, the completed survey is automatically sent to the client's chart in BestNotes.
-
Log in to BestNotes and navigate to the client's profile.
-
Click on the "Files" tab.
-
The completed survey will appear here as a new file.
Step 5: Viewing the Survey
You can view the file directly in BestNotes. The document will contain:
-
Client's Name
-
Date and Time of Completion
-
Instrument Name
-
A clear, bolded list of each question and the corresponding answer the client provided.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the single most important step to make sure surveys sync correctly?
A: You must ensure the email address the client uses for the app is entered into the "Home Email" field in their BestNotes profile. The system will not sync correctly if a secondary contact's email is in this field instead of the client's.
Q: Why shouldn't we ask the client for a secondary contact's email during app registration?
A: This can cause two problems. First, if a client believes their private answers are being sent directly to an external contact, they may be less honest in their survey responses. Second, it creates room for error (e.g., the client provides one contact's email, but a different one is listed in BestNotes), which would cause the sync to fail.
Q: A client completed a survey, but I don't see it in their BestNotes file. What went wrong?
A: The most likely reason is a mismatch in the "Home Email" field in BestNotes. Double-check that the client's email address is correctly entered there and matches the email they used for the app. Also, ensure you are looking in the "Files" section of their chart.
Q: The client's survey answers don't match what they are saying in sessions. Is the system broken?
A: No, this is not a technical issue. The system is accurately recording the answers that the client inputs. A discrepancy between survey answers and in-session discussions is a clinical matter, suggesting the client may be dishonest on the self-administered forms. A potential solution is to have a clinician or staff member proctor the instrument completion with the client to ensure accurate baseline data.
Q: Why do clients have to fill out demographic and admission forms?
A: These initial forms collect key data like Date of Birth and Admission Date. This information is stored with the client's app profile and serves as a secondary layer of matching, providing a backup if the client's email ever changes.
Q: What is the clinical purpose of these integrated surveys?
A: These instruments are critical for establishing an evidence-based practice. By capturing a baseline instrument when a client starts, you can then administer the same instrument at later intervals to compare scores and measure therapeutic progress over time.