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HomeGrown Solution: Prenatal Record with Dynamically Changing Dates

Title

Prenatal Record with Dynamically Changing Dates

Submitted By

Valorie MacKenna

HomeGrown Solution Number

276

Identification of the Problem

Previously, each week during a semester, a prenatal record for a maternity scenario would have to be edited on the fly, and new dates would need to be calculated based on a due date to keep everything consistent with the patient being "3 weeks from her due date". This was a labor-intensive exercise, and sometimes dates wouldn't be correct, which led to confusion for the student learners.

Unique Idea

The prenatal record was converted from a word file to an excel file - and each field that requires a date (to match a date during the patient's pregnancy in weeks of gestation) would be set up to change based on formulas within each cell on the form. Every entry was tied to the one date to change for each week - the EDC date (Due Date). This saved time for the facilitator of the OB simulations, and keeps the prenatal record being accurate.

Supplies/Ingredients

  1. prenatal record information (from template, hospital form, etc)
  2. MS Excel
  3. calendar
  4. pregnancy wheel (optional)

Steps to Creating the Solution

  1. Open Excel software
  2. Lay out prenatal record (or any record where you want dates to change based on a set date in the record)
  3. In the fields (or cells) where you want a date on the record to adjust, type in a formula - For example: in a cell on the form for a test that happens at 6 weeks gestation, the formula would be: =SUM(J2+42) J2=the date for the patient's last menstrual period, or LMP, and "42" is 42 days (or 6weeks x 7days/wk) from that date.
  4. If you are crafting a prenatal record, you will calculate all of the important dates one time - then, just by changing the due date, all of the other dates will change, too.

Images

screenshot of Excel spreadsheet Prenatal Record close-up screenshot of Excel spreadsheet with gestation dates

Video

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