* Patient Merge

A patient is brought to a hospital (e.g. an emergency ward) in a state where the patient is unable to inform the health staff on his or her national identification number (e.g the patient is unconscious, and the patient does not have any ID).

Some data needs to be registered on this patient. Because a national ID is a requirement for creating patients in a TOPICA application, and the proper national ID is not known, a new patient with a temporary ("replacement") national ID is created. Then the necessary data is registered on this patient object.

At some later time, the patient's proper national ID gets known. There may already be data registered on this (correct) national ID. The task is now to transfer all data registered on the patient with the temporary ("replacement") national ID to the patient with the proper national ID.

Referring to the above example:

• The patient object with the temporary national ID (e.g. the patient the data is to to be transferred FROM) is called the "source" or "donor" patient.

• The patient object with the proper national ID (e.g. the patient the data is to to be transferred TO) is called the "destination" or "survivor" patient.

• Set the "donor" / "source" patient in context

• Select "Merge" from the patient sub-menu.

• Search for the "destination" / "survivor" patient.

• Click the "Apply" button.

• Depending on how the application in configured, either the "source" patient stays in context, or context is changed to the "destination" patient.

• All data on the "source" patient is COPIED to the "destination" patient. Theretically data could be simply moved, but that would violate the principle, that data in a health care record system should never be deleted (if data were moved to the "destination" patient, it would no longer be visible in the source patient- in TOPICA a record belongs to ONE an only one patient).

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