Welch Allyn ConnexVM User Manual

Welch Allyn Connex® VM data
management system

Directions for use

© 2011 Welch Allyn. All rights are reserved. To support the intended use of the product described in this publication,
the purchaser of the product is permitted to copy this publication, for internal distribution only, from the media
provided by Welch Allyn. No other use, reproduction, or distribution of this publication, or any part of it, is permitted
without written permission from Welch Allyn.

Welch Allyn assumes no responsibility for any injury to anyone, or for any illegal or improper use of the product, that
may result from failure to use this product in accordance with the instructions, cautions, warnings, or statement of
intended use published in this manual.

Welch Allyn and Connex are registered trademarks of Welch Allyn. Windows and SQL Server are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Wireshark is a registered trademark of the Wireshark Foundation.

Software in this product is Copyright 2011 Welch Allyn or its vendors. All rights are reserved. The software is
protected by United States of America copyright laws and international treaty provisions applicable worldwide.
Under such laws, the licensee is entitled to use the licensed software as intended in its directions for use. The
software may not be copied, decompiled, reverse-engineered, disassembled, or otherwise reduced to human­perceivable form. This is not a sale of the software or any copy of the software; all right, title, and ownership of the
software remain with Welch Allyn or its vendors.

Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

For information about any Welch Allyn product, call Welch Allyn Technical Support:

USA [phone]

[phone]

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European Call Center [phone] France [phone]

Germany [phone] Japan [phone]

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DIR 80015826 Ver. B

Manufacturer

Welch Allyn, Inc.
4341 State Street Road
Skaneateles Falls, New York 13153-0220
USA

Regulatory Affairs Representative
Welch Allyn, Limited
Navan Business Park
Dublin Road

Meets essential
requirements of European
Medical Device Directive
93/42/EE

Navan, County Meath

www.welchallyn.com

Republic of Ireland

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................. 1

Getting started ......................................................................................... 3

iii

About these directions for use ...................................................................................................... 1

Intended use ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Safety .................................................................................................................................................. 1

About alerts and alarms ................................................................................................................... 2

Start the Connex VM program ........................................................................................................ 3

End your Connex VM session ......................................................................................................... 3

About the Home page ....................................................................................................................... 4

About assigning/unassigning patients .......................................................................................... 8

Transferring vital signs readings into the system .............................. 11

Capture readings at the workstation ........................................................................................... 11

Import multiple readings for one patient ..................................................................................... 13

Import multiple patients' saved readings ................................................................................... 14

Adjusting settings ................................................................................. 15

Personalize your Connex VM program settings ........................................................................ 15

Program settings ............................................................................................................................. 16

Change your password .................................................................................................................. 17

Managing patients ................................................................................ 19

Create and admit a new patient ................................................................................................... 19

Discharge a patient ........................................................................................................................ 19

Readmit a patient ............................................................................................................................ 19

Delete a patient ............................................................................................................................... 19

Managing patient data .......................................................................... 21

View or edit a patient record ........................................................................................................ 21

View or edit patient contact information .................................................................................... 22

View or edit patient medical history ............................................................................................ 22

Update unreconciled data ............................................................................................................. 22

Delete records from the recycle bin ............................................................................................ 23

Export a patient list ......................................................................................................................... 23

Managing saved vital signs .................................................................. 25

View vital signs information .......................................................................................................... 25

Searching ............................................................................................... 27

Search for patients ......................................................................................................................... 27

iv Contents Welch Allyn Connex® VM data management system

Build or edit a saved search ........................................................................................................ 27

Search for unreconciled data ....................................................................................................... 27

Search for a user ............................................................................................................................ 28

Search for tests ............................................................................................................................... 28

Search in the recycle bin ............................................................................................................... 28

Managing users ..................................................................................... 29

Create a user account and assign roles ..................................................................................... 29

Modify a user account ................................................................................................................... 29

Inactivate or activate a user account ......................................................................................... 29

Delete a user account .................................................................................................................... 30

Troubleshooting .................................................................................... 31

Why isn't the workstation communicating with the server? ................................................... 31

Why isn't the wired device communicating? ............................................................................. 31

Why can't I progress to the next step after scanning the bar code? .................................... 32

Why can't I find a certain patient in the system? ...................................................................... 32

Why can't I find a certain patient in the Show list on the Home page? ................................ 32

Why aren't vital signs readings imported from a connected device? ................................... 33

Introduction

About these directions for use

Topics included cover the primary use of the product.

Before using the Connex VM system, you must read and understand the directions for use.

For information on using devices that connect to the Connex VM system, consult the directions for
use that came with the devices.

1

Intended use

Welch Allyn Connex is intended for the collection and review of patient data, and also the
communication of the data to information systems. It provides notifications when data deviates
from ranges, allows manual entry of data, provides a means to identify and manage patients, and
provides tools for enhancing productivity.

Healthcare providers and trained personnel are the intended users of the system.

Safety

Safety symbols

Warning statements in this manual
identify conditions or practices that
could lead to illness, injury, or death.

Consult operating instructions.

Caution statements in this manual identify
conditions or practices that could result in damage
to the equipment or other property.

2 Introduction Welch Allyn Connex® VM data management system

General warnings

WARNING The Connex VM system transfers data from a vital signs device only
when a user initiates a transfer. Do not mistake the Welch Allyn Connex VM data
management system for a patient monitoring device.

WARNING If the Connex VM program or the computer running the program fails,
take these steps:
a. If a user attempted to capture or import data prior to the failure, verify that the
system received the data.

b. If the system did not receive the data and the user wants to import it when the
system becomes operational, ensure that the device retains the data.

About alerts and alarms

The terms "alarm" and "alert" both refer to readings that are out of range. If a reading is too high or
too low according to the device settings, that reading appears as an alarm (red or yellow,
dependent upon the device). If a reading is too high or too low according to the Connex VM
settings only, that reading appears as an alert (yellow).

Alarm example (red or yellow = according to the device settings):

Alert example (yellow = according to the Connex VM settings only):

If a vital signs reading exceeds both alarm and alert limits, only the alarm will be shown. For a vital
signs capture, one vital sign reading may cause an alarm, while another may cause an alert.

Getting started

Start the Connex VM program

1. Start the Connex VM program

3

• On the Windows desktop, double-click the Welch Allyn Connex Workstation icon .

• From the Windows Start menu, click Start > All Programs > Welch Allyn > Connex
VM.

2. If prompted, log on.

The Home page appears. You can now perform tasks according to the permissions that have
been set up for you.

End your Connex VM session

Go to the menu bar and click the desired command.

• File > Exit closes the Connex VM program.

• File > Log off ends your session and leaves the Connex VM program ready for the next
user to log on.

4 Getting started Welch Allyn Connex® VM data management system

About the Home page

The Home page is the first page that appears when you open the program. This page enables you
to view a list of patients as determined by the selection in the Show list. From the Home page you
can also initiate many common tasks. You can view the Home page at any time by clicking the
Home tab.

The Scan or type patient ID box

You can enter a patient ID either by typing it or by scanning it using a bar code scanner attached to
the computer. Depending on your system configuration, the Go button opens either the patient
record for that ID or the Capture Vital Signs window.

Directions for use Getting started 5

The Show list

The Show list enables you to select the information that you want to view. Every system comes
with an option to show My locations. Other options in the Show list are determined by the saved
searches that have been created.

If you want to view information that is not available through your Show list, you can find it by
searching.

6

Getting started Welch Allyn Connex® VM data management system

The My locations option

When you select My locations in the Show list, the patients who have been admitted to the
selected locations are listed on the Home page. (If a patient in a selected location does not
appear in your list, you may find that patient by searching.)

You can reveal the location options by clicking the expand symbol ( ).

You can hide the location options by clicking the collapse symbol ( ).

The List and Tile view buttons

The List button allows you to display patient data in list format. The Tile button allows you to view
patient data in tile format.

The Refresh button

The Refresh button updates the displayed data to reflect any recent changes to the database.

The Print button

You can print the contents of the current view by clicking the Print button. Click the Print drop­down arrow, and select the desired command.

The sort order

You can change the order in which the rows are sorted by clicking the desired column heading. For
example, you can sort patients' names in alphabetical order by clicking Patient name.

Directions for use Getting started 7

The action menus

You can bring up an action menu by clicking the symbol next to any item in a list.

The Assign/Unassign button

The Assign/Unassign button enables you to assign patients to yourself or to other clinicians.

The My assignments option

When you select My assignments in the Show list, the patients who have been assigned to you
are listed on the Home page.

If a patient does not appear in your list, you may find that patient by searching. If the list is empty,
no patients have been assigned to you.

1

2

8 Getting started Welch Allyn Connex® VM data management system

About assigning/unassigning patients

You can assign patients to clinicians, and unassign them as well.

The Assign/Unassign window allows for an efficient way to assign and unassign patients to and
from clinicians, dependent on user roles and privileges.

Item Description

The selected clinician

All of the patients who are assigned to the selected clinician

All of the patients listed on the previous page (Home or Search)