Developing a (simple!) web based database

[Alex]

Hi all,

I've not posted here for a while but I'd be really grateful if anyone can help. I'm not very advanced with my web design setup etc but quite able and willing to learn - I'm just after a pointer in the right direction rather than a complete 'how to' guide.

It's probably easier if I explain what I want to do, and then perhaps someone will be able to help me.

I'm a doctor working in an NHS hospital. The hospitals I work in are generally fully staffed Monday to Friday 9-5 and then run an 'on call' service the rest of the time. What I want to make is a way of handing over information electronically from one team to another - currently this is done on paper and is therefore not trackable/monitorable - and obviously only viewable to one person at a time.

The best way I can see to do this is with a database - an entry form to give clinical data and a report that will list the outstanding jobs. This could then be sorted to view by specific doctor, or by specific ward etc. It could allow viewing by management to track out of hours working, and allow exporting a year's data to a spreadsheet (CSV etc) and then clean out the previous year to clean out the system once a year too. So far so simple, I think.

What I wanted was to make this as user friendly as I can, and to me a web based interface seems simplest. Here's where I become unstuck! I really want a piece of software that I can use to design a simple database, form and report (especially if the report can link each result back to the relevant form). This could be hosted on the intranet (to limit access, and obviously be username/password protected). I know what I want to achieve (which is fairly simple) but don't know how to go about it.

I have found loads of free web based databases but what I want is software to design a simple database for myself. It would need to be purely on the intranet to be secure, and all data stored purely on the trust's computers. What I want is very simple so I don't want to pay a lot for very expensive and powerful software that can do way beyond what I want.

Is what I want to do feasible without having to learn to program? I'm reasonably happy with basic html but that's about it. I don't mind learning a bit but don't want to have to learn a whole programming language to achieve what I want to do! Does anyone know of any cheap or free programs that will help me do what I want to do?

Thanks!!!

Alex

[herulach]

The problem will be getting a web server on the intranet with php and an sql server installed that the IT dept will let you have access to. If you can get that then it should be reasonably straightforward, you'll need to learn basic php/asp/insert compatible scripting language.

Being in the nhs I imagine you've got a whole tonne of data security implications as well. Having done similar things at work for other departments (albeit access based) it rapidly becomes a PITA to maintain.

Tl;dr; you can probably do it, but your IT dept will hate it.

[Alex]

Oh well, that's kind of what I was beginning to think was the case, reading around.

I'll see if I can get MS Access to work in a way that's easy and obvious to the bulk of staff who've never used outlook before!

Thanks anyway.

[bytejunkie]

if you're using outlook, then the solution is already there.

establish a mailing list. put it in an email. then add the notes into the email field. then send the email. end of ****, resend the same email to the same list, but add your new notes in at the top.

you've just created a logging system in the simplest way.

the bonus is, if you're running exchange, it uses single instance storage to not bloat the dataase. unless theres multiple days. but i digress.

[CrazyMonkey]

It is probably important to consider any security implications involved with what you are trying to achieve. I work with a company who specialise in electronic document management. We've done/do a lot of contract work for various NHS outfits and the politics involved is a nightmare.. getting the required level of access, permission to house data on X machines etc take months.

The idea of establishing a mailing list is an easy way to go about it and will provide a relative level of internal security. Though depending on the structure & density of the notes you are trying to disperse this solution may prove troublesome.

An access database and some sort of ASP.NET front end would be a quick to build solution which you could develop locally. It's also a nice environment for a demo to 'the powers that be' in order to ultimately get it put into production.

[badsyntax]

To be honest, you need to do this backwards.

Security/hosting > Which DB format > Front end design/app choice.

That should show your limitations which will decide your options. If you know what you can get away with then that would be your starting point. Talk to IT and see what resources/support/licences are available to you.

Given that you're talking about records or clinical data here, your choices will already exclude the more obvious 'whack it on Google Docs with a couple of user accounts' choices.

Your DB format choices will probably be MSSQL, MySQL or MariaDB. They all have their pros and cons. Find a DB wrangler for a better and more specific answer.

The fact is that any reasonable Office(like) suite will have database functionality. Some, however, may be limited in terms of output formats. So if you've chosen a DB format then your design app choice may be already limited. Your comfort level will factor in here too of course.

[herulach]

Actually rereading the thread I'm going to change my advice to just don't do it. Consider for example what happens when you're on holiday and the system glitches out the record saying someone is allergic to penicillin who then dies. Knowing a couple of nurses and the way their hospital works I'd be surprised if anyone stood up for you. I strongly suspect there'd be a good bit of 'tragedy caused by Doctor going against procedures'.

I tend to agree that nits of paper are more likely to go wrong, and that there'd be big red signs about something as obvious as that (i hope?) but ultimately most managers, and most civil service manager in particular will do whatever they can to divert responsibility for errors.

[finlay666]

Lightswitch via visual studio, designed for exactly this (lightweight front end to a DB)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff851953.aspx

But don't do it, it's not your job and to put it bluntly you aren't qualified, you wouldn't let me give out prescriptions after all would you?

A new developer dealing with sensitive information is just asking for trouble before you even get into security considerations over data transport/storage, quality of work, maintenance/structure and you will have to support it.

[scaryjim]

... I'm a doctor working in an NHS hospital. The hospitals I work in are generally fully staffed Monday to Friday 9-5 and then run an 'on call' service the rest of the time. What I want to make is a way of handing over information electronically from one team to another - currently this is done on paper and is therefore not trackable/monitorable - and obviously only viewable to one person at a time. ...

For pity's sake PLEASE talk to someone in your hospital's IT department. They will almost certainly have a team dedicated to devloping internal usage apps for this purpose, that can be hosted securely on the internal networks, that can be built in accordance with the Trust's Information Governance policies, and that won't get you sacked for inapproriately handling hospital data.

Actually, if you're working in Cardiff I happen to know the NHS in that area has an award winning development team for handling this sort of thing. I've got a mate on it. I've also spent the last 18 months working closely with a number of NHS trusts on data management issues, and also used to work in IT for a local hospital trust developing internal web-based systems. I'm not just having a knee-jerk reaction here.

Seriously, please do not try to do this yourself. Yes, I know the NHS is notoriously slow when it comes to dealing with IT projects, but you're talking sensitive data (whether that's patient-sensitive, or commercially-sensitive, it's still sensitive). Doing this properly is not a trivial task. Even keeping that kind of data in something like an Access database, or emailing it to a mailing list, could get you in all sorts of trouble with information governance. You don't want to lose your job and be the star of the next "NHS releases patient data to the public" headline.

[J90]

To many potential laws to be broken in this one and it wont be you that gets the fist of the law smacked into you face, itll be the NHS's datacontroller.