Measures
RehabAlpha is still under active development. It is not yet HIPAA compliant and should only be used with dummy data.
A measure is a tool for quantifying a patient's ability to perform some task. Measures can be used to track patient's progress towards a goal. Common measures include Balance, Bed Mobility, Sit-to-stand, and Memory recall.
Data model
RehabAlpha stores measures under a case:
When a document (eval, tx, prog note, or discharge) is signed, each active measure in the case acquires a lock. A lock references the document that created it along with a timestamp. This essentially creates an unmodifiable snapshot of the measure as it existed when the document was signed. (I.e. it "locks" measurements and goals on or before the lock date from editing.)
Discussion
Measures come in two flavors, numeric and categorical.
Numeric measures are scored with a number. For example,
- How much does the patient weight (in pounds)?
- How much time does it take the patient to go from sitting to standing (in seconds)?
- How many items can the patient recall in a memory test?
Numeric measures may include units - a label that describes the number being tracked. For example, "pounds", "seconds", "feet", etc.
Categorical measures are scored using a ranked, discrete set of categories. For example
- How much assistance does the patient need to microwave a meal? (none < minimal < moderate < maximal)
- How much pain does the patient feel? (none < minimal < moderate < severe)
Categorical measures are scored using a pre-established set of ranked categories.