Reading and reactions
Reading and reactions
•Test results are entered after:
•Test series with materials brought in by the patient have been compiled and entered into the computer, see Patient test series (materials brought by patient), and
•the centre specific test series have been chosen for the given patient, see Choose test series (centre specific test series).
•In principle, both patch test results and prick, scratch and other immediate type hypersensitivity results can be recorded after the respective test series have been compiled (see Choose test series (centre specific test series), and after reading times and grading of reactions has been adapted in the table tblReactionCat (see Keyboard, hints and configuration).
The following description deals with patch test, the focus of ESSCA
Entering readings:
•Readings may be entered into the computer either
o"online", i.e., with the back of the patient at the side of the screen, so to speak,
or
o"offline", with the intermediate step of noting results on a paper draft (individualised forms for this draft can be printed for this purpose) and entering them into the computer at some later time.
•In the case of "online" recording the reading time is obviously fixed, and the different test series have to be chosen and "read" for the particular reading time one after the other (the order doesn't matter, but take care not to forget one).
•In the case of "offline" recording it makes sense to chose one test series and then successively enter results for all of the applicable reading times, e.g., D2, D3, D4, before choosing the next series and proceeding in a similar fashion.
Negative results:
•Negative results do not need to be entered explicitly - every result is implicitly regarded negative if not coded otherwise.
•However, to store the information of a completely negative reading for one reading time of a series, you merely have to choose the reading time for the series and then press the "O.K." button.
•If you do not select a reading time, it will appear as if no reading was made for this series and the negative readings will not be stored!!!
Reading times:
•D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6 and D7 are integrated as fixed reading times.
•Additionally, one late reading may be recorded choosing the reading time "late" and specifying the day of the late reading in a special separate data field.
Allergens "not tested":
•Those test substances not tested individually because, e.g., of known sensitisation , temporary non-availability, have to be marked with "N.T."(not tested) during the first reading, because otherwise they would be counted as "negative". Negative reactions do not have to be entered, but are considered automatically.