FireRMS NEMSIS (Part 2) Presented by Laura Small FireRMS Quality Assurance

FireRMS NEMSIS Part 2 Part 1 of the NEMSIS Class provided the basic information an Agency would need to setup & use NEMSIS Reporting in FireRMS. This section of the Class will show you how to customize the NEMSIS forms to make filling out the reports Easier & Faster for your users. This Class will cover the following “How To” topics: Define and Set Default Values for coded fields Create an Auto-Narrative Template Updating Codes Add, move or remove fields Hide or show tabs

Default Values Overview For each EMS run being reported, you will find that some fields almost always have the same value, time after time. An easy way to streamline data entry is to setup Default Values for these fields. Default Values may be setup for almost every Coded field. Fields that support multiple codes may only have one default value assigned. Not all fields support setting default values: Text fields and fields associated with rules (fields that turn red depending on values entered in another field, or fields that are red until you enter a value) may not support design mode.

Default Values Setup 1 Set your User Preferences to Show the NEMSIS Code Prefixes Click On Tools\User Preferences\NEMSIS EMS\Show code Prefix in lists.

Default Values Setup 1 Create an EMS Incident, add a Patient Name, then add the desired ‘Default Code’ to each field you want to have a default.

Default Values Setup 3 Go to Tools\Administration\System\Settings, then click on the checkbox labeled ‘Initiate Design Mode’ to set the System to use the Design Mode Options: When your system is in Design Mode you can update the Properties of almost every Field in FireRMS. Because the fields on the NEMSIS forms have additional properties not available in the rest of the FireRMS interface, Design Mode reacts differently on NEMSIS fields than fields in any other part of the user interface.

Default Values Setup 4 Re-open the incident where you setup the desired values. Right Click on Each Field to view the Property Sheet for that field. The code you entered for each field will display in the Current Value column of the ‘Default Value’ row on the Property Sheet grid. Type that code into the Target Value column (as shown above), then click Save & Close. When done, restart FireRMS or Disable Design Mode

Default Values Usage Create a new Incident to use NEMSIS. Add the patient name, then use the “Set Defaults” button to set the Defaults: Every field you have set to a default value will be automatically filled in with that value when you click on the Set Defaults Button. The user filling out the report may update any default value if it is not appropriate for their specific report. If any field does not set the defaults as expected, check to see if there is a rule associated with the field or if it is a text field.

Create a Narrative Template The NEMSIS Narrative Template allows the administrator to define what fields will be included in the ‘Auto’ narrative. When adding a NEMSIS Narrative to an incident, the user may manually enter his own text as desired, or they may use the Auto narrative to generate the text and then add to or modify it as desired. Note: The full text of the NEMSIS narrative is included in the NEMSIS export

Create a Narrative Template To create an Auto Narrative Template, start by Enabling Design Mode, then open a NEMSIS Incident and go to the Narrative Tab. Click on the green Button ‘Create Auto Narrative’ The Auto Narrative template form will display. You can add Data elements (Fields) to the template and then add your own text to complete the desired format.

Create a Narrative Template Use the Browser to view the list of available data elements. Select each desired Data Element, then click on the button labeled Insert Element to add that field to the narrative template.

Create a Narrative Template Finish the template by adding your own text to create the complete template for your agency: Click the ‘Save & Close’ button to save your data, then restart FireRMS or disable Design Mode to test the completed narrative.

Using The Auto Narrative When a user fills out an incident, they can click on the ‘Auto Narrative’ button to create a narrative using the default values and text you setup in the template:

EMS Code sets are currently available for all states listed at the start of Part 1 of this class. Each code provided in these spreadsheets has been tested and confirmed to work with the NEMSIS EMS Export routines provided with FireRMS. Many states do not provide codes for every field that uses a code list. If the field shows a dropdown list that is empty, you can create your own codes to provide a list for your agency. This section of the class will show you how to update the Code spreadsheet and what to look for when considering the export. Updating or Changing Codes

Updating Codes When possible, all Code Updates should be completed before creating any ‘Live’ Incident records, especially if you intend to remove or replace any codes. All previously imported codes will be removed from the user interface when you import new codes for any specific field If you have already created incidents using codes you intend to remove, you will be unable to view the previously made selections in FireRMS, but the original codes will still exist in the Patient Record. Contact Customer Support for a script to update the old/previously saved codes if this is desired. Be prepared to identify the ‘old’ code and what the ‘new’ code should be for those records. Test to be sure new codes can be saved and are included in the NEMSIS export before deploying them in the Live environment. Make sure you have a current backup or are working on a test copy of your database before making any changes to your NEMSIS Codes.

Finding Valid EMS Codes Use your local NEMSIS Data Dictionary to find the requirements of Codes you intend to import. Important Points include the Min & Max Code lengths, the Data Type, whether or not it’s a “multiple entry” field, and the Additional Information comments: Always use YOUR local Data Dictionary to check Code Requirements for your State or County!

EMS Code Excel Format The Spreadsheet used to import NEMSIS Codes has a particular format. You must always include the header row with the expected titles, and each data element must include the expected Number, Data Element, Code and Description. Multi-Select Fields MUST also include codes for the NEMSIS Null Values (-25, -15 & -5 only). Failing to include NEMSIS Null codes will prevent multi-select codes from working properly in the User Interface. Save your spreadsheet with a “.XLS” extension

Import & Test New EMS Codes Use SQL Utils to import the new Codes: Use the ‘Update EMS Codes’ button on the NEMSIS Tab and then browse to the location of your new Code Spreadsheet. The new codes will overwrite any codes you had previously imported for the categories included in the spreadsheet. After importing the new codes, test them by creating a new EMS incident and confirming you can select, save, and change the selection of the new codes. After testing, mark the incident complete, then save and export the incident record. Open the export in Notepad or any other XML editing tool and confirm your new codes were included in the incident record. If you run into any problems, correct the issue and re run the code import.

Reviewing the New EMS Codes Codes EMS: Check under Codes EMS to confirm your new codes were imported correctly. You may also use the sort options to relocate commonly used codes to the top of each list, or to create a list of ‘common’ codes. Codes may also be added to Sub Category Groupings if desired.

Customizing Fields The National NEMSIS Data Dictionary provides over 400 field definitions that may be used to collect data for a Patient Care Record. FireRMS provides 12 Tabs that cover the major sections of NEMSIS EMS reporting with default fields included on each tab. The selection of these default fields were defined during our early Beta tests of the NEMSIS option. You can add additional fields or remove any of the default fields. You can move fields from one tab to another and hide some tabs completely if they don’t fit the reporting requirements for your Department. Check the FireRMS NEMSIS Administrator Guide or your Local Data Dictionary to determine if you need to add additional fields to the User Interface for your Local Reporting requirements. Keep in mind that NFIRS requires 3 fields for minimal EMS reporting, so regardless of the required fields for your NEMSIS reporting system, you must always keep those three fields.

Customizing Fields: 1 Use the Tab Control function in FireRMS to add, move or remove fields on the NEMSIS forms. In FireRMS, click on ‘Tools, Customize, Incidents, NEMSIS, Open Saved. A list of the available NEMSIS Forms will display. Select the tab you want to update, then click on the button labeled ‘Finish’

Customizing Fields: 2 The form opens in Design Mode – click the Add Object Button to Add New fields

Customizing Fields: 3 After clicking on the Add Object Button, the Tab Creator Wizard displays. Click on the Radio button labeled “NEMSIS Data Element”, then click on ‘Next’

Customizing Fields: 4 A list of available NEMSIS Objects will display. The list is sorted by Data element number, but is also logically grouped by the Data Type, in many cases matching an existing Tab Name. Click on the Data Element you wish to add, then click on the button labeled ‘Select’

Customizing Fields: 5 The selected field will be added near the top of the form

Customizing Fields: 6 Click on the Upper Left Corner of the field Frame and Drag it to the desired location.

Customizing Fields: 7 After adding all new fields, click on Save, then Update Published. Your new field is now available for Data Entry.

Customizing Fields: 8 Use the Mouse to drag fields you don’t want to the ‘Flaming Trash’. Press Save & Update Publish to Save your changes.

Customizing Fields: 9 To move fields from one NEMSIS form to a different one, delete it from the current form by dragging it to the Flaming Trash and then pressing Save & Update. The deleted item will be returned to the list of available objects. Then, you can follow the same steps to add the field to the desired form.

Customizing Fields: 10 When adding or moving fields, you may find it hard to get them to ‘line up’ exactly right on the form. One easy way to handle this is to right click on each field as you add it. The Property Sheet, shown below, will display. Review the Current ‘Top’ and ‘Left’ value – the pixel count from the top and left of the forms – and adjust each field as desired by entering new Default Values for the locations to ensure they all line up top to bottom and left to right across the screen.

Customizing Fields: Results

Adding Extra Fields Three ‘non NEMSIS’ fields are offered in the default list of NEMSIS Objects, or you may create and add your own. The field ‘Total Miles’ may be added to the Unit tab to collect the total miles for each call when that data is needed for local Billing or reporting purposes. Data entered in this field is saved to the E02 table in column ‘E02_TotMil’ The field 'Free text patient info' may be added to the Patient Info tab to allow proper entry of non-USA address, phone number and/or other contact information. The data entered in this field is saved to the E06 table in column 'E06_FTPI' The field 'Free text billing info' may be added to the Billing tab to allow proper entry of non-USA address, phone number and/or other Insurance Company info. Note: you must add an insurance company name before this field will become accessible for data entry. The data entered in this field is saved to the E07_03_0 table in column 'E07_FTPI‘

Not required fields? All NEMSIS forms may be hidden to prevent users from having to (or being able to) fill in data on the fields contained on that form. Some forms have one or more required fields that need to be moved to any other form before the main form should be hidden. Tabs that are typically hidden include the History and Assessment tabs. Tabs that should never be hidden include the Patient Info and Scene tabs. Be sure you understand your rules before hiding any tabs. Each State or NEMSIS Reporting agency has different sets of rules regarding what fields must exist in the export. Some fields are required based on entries made in other fields. Check the FireRMS Admin Guide for NEMSIS, your local Data Dictionary, or contact Customer Support for more information on rules for your location.

Adding & Hiding Tabs In FireRMS, click on Tools, Customize, Incidents, Tab Control. In the Tab Level dropdown list, choose ‘NEMSIS’: After checking rules and moving any desired fields, clear the checkbox under the word ‘Show’. That will hide the tab!