Further down on the mapping screen there are two tabs – one for the results grid and one for the results tree. The results grid is a flat, spreadsheet-like display with column headers that represent several of the LOINC database fields (Number, Short Name, Component, Property, etc.). Every time a user performs a search, the results of that search are displayed in this grid. The results tree shows the result LOINCs in their position in the multi-axial hierarchy.
NOTE – Export actions taken against the grid and tree (e.g. Print, Copy to Clipboard) affect either the selected rows or all rows, depending on what you pick on the Configure Export screen. (Other actions taken against the grid affect only the selected rows.)
Rearrange Column Order
To rearrange the column order, select a column by clicking on the column header and then drag the column to the preferred position.
The “Configure Grid” option can be used to select the columns being displayed and the order in which they are displayed on both the grid and the tree. That screen also allows you to reset the display to its default values.
Sort a Column
To sort a column in the grid, click on the column header. Clicking once sorts the grid in ascending order (A to Z). Clicking twice sorts the column in descending order (Z to A).
Sort Multiple Columns
To sort multiple columns, right-click and select “Sort Grid”. Sort Grid settings are sticky during a RELMA session – for example:
- You search for BLOOD.
- You perform a Sort Grid so the results are sorted first by Component, then by System.
- You search for SERUM.
- The SERUM results are sorted first by Component, then by System.
Resizing a Column
To resize column width or row height, click on the line between two column or row headers and drag to resize the cell to the width or height you desire.
Printing
There are three ways to print the data in the grid. The first method uses the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P. The second method is to click on the “Print Grid” button located to the right of the grid. The third method is selecting File > Print Search Results from the menu. All of these methods will display the printer’s dialog box and allow the user to customize his or her print job.
Note: The grid/tree must have at least one result before the options for printing will become available for your use.
Mapping
To map a local term to a LOINC term you may double click on a LOINC result in the grid or click the “Map” button to the right of the grid, which maps the local term to the highlighted LOINC term in the grid.
Exporting Search results
Most of the grids in the RELMA program provide robust options for exporting their contents to other programs. These options include:
- Copy to Clipboard
- Save to File
- Export to Excel
- Send as Email
By default, RELMA’s standard action is to copy the highlighted rows to the Windows clipboard. To use this function, just highlight some rows in one of the grids, right click and select the “Export” option from the context menu. The selected rows are now in the Windows clipboard and available for pasting into another application. You can also use the standard CTRL-C keyboard combination.
Copy to the Clipboard is very useful, but sometimes you need more control over which fields are exported. Or you may want your output to go somewhere else. RELMA provides this additional control in the “Configure Export” option.
To use these options you first need to tell RELMA what action you want to perform, which fields to use, and whether to act on all rows or only the selected rows when performing the action. This is done via the “Configure Export” option available on the right click (context) menu and via the button on the mapping screen.
The “Custom Export” Screen allows you to configure your export preferences and then save those settings for the remainder of your RELMA session. Once saved, you execute the desired action simply by choosing the “Export” option from the context menu or by pressing CTRL-E. Each grid and tree in the program has their own “Custom Export” screen so you can configure each one differently to suit your situation.
As shown in the screen shot, there are three main things you need to tell RELMA – what action you want to perform, which fields you want included, and whether to include all rows or only the selected rows. The actions are selected via the radio buttons on the right side of the screen. Only a single action can be selected at one time. The fields from the grid that available for export are listed on the left side of the screen. You check or uncheck fields as desired to get exactly the data that you want. If you want the field names included in the export, check the “Include column headers” box in the lower left of the screen.
When everything is configured as the way you need it, click the “Export and Save Configuration” button. As the name implies, this button does two things. First, it saves all of your selections for this session and this particular grid or tree. Second, it performs the action selected. If you are not ready to do the export at this time, you can use the “Save Configuration” button to save your setting but not perform the action. You can also use the Cancel button to leave the screen without making any changes or performing any action.
After you have saved your export configuration, you can repeatedly execute the selected action for the selected grid by simply clicking the “Export” option from the context menu or by pressing CTRL-E.
Tree Search Results
On the tree search results, the search results are displayed in a hierarchical fashion. This tree is organized identically to the “multi-axial” hierarchy on the search restriction screen.
To map a local term, highlight one of the LOINC codes returned from the search and click the “Map” button the right side of the screen. You can also map a term by double clicking on a LOINC row or from the context menu displayed when you right click on the search results screen.
NOTE – You cannot map a local code to one of the bolded rows of the trees. These rows represent LOINC parts and not LOINC codes per se.
Status Bar
At the very bottom of the screen in the figure above you will see a status bar. Each field of the status bar contains a different text element aimed at increasing the functionality of the RELMA program.
The leftmost field (“Entry #: X of Y”) contains information on navigating through your local input file. The first of the two numbers is the record currently displayed in the text boxes at the top of the screen. The second number is the total number of records for the current Local Term File. As you move forward or backward through the Local Term File of local terms, this field will be updated with the new information in order to keep you informed of where you are within the set. If you click on the Clear All button, this box will be empty since you are no longer browsing the current Local Term File but entering search terms manually. As soon as you begin navigating through the set again, the box will resume marking your spot in the file.
The “Units” field is a bimodal indicator of the search restriction to limit search results to those in which the LOINC Property is compatible with the local term’s units. The word “Units” will be gray when the restriction is OFF, meaning that terms with inconsistent Properties will still be displayed. The word “Units” will be black when the restriction is ON, meaning that only LOINC terms whose Property matches the local term’s units will be displayed. To enable or disable the restriction a user may either click on the word “Units” directly or toggle the checkbox labeled “Exclude terms consistent with local units” located on the Search Constraints screen.
The “Specimen” field is a bimodal indicator of the search restriction to limit search results to those in which the LOINC system is one of the default specimens listed in the “Limit to Default Specimen” textbox on the mapping screen. To enable or disable the restriction a user may either click on the word “Specimen” directly or toggle the checkbox labeled “Exclude terms inconsistent with specimen” located on the Search Constraints screen.
The “Methodless” field is a bimodal indicator that controls whether or not LOINC terms with a value in the Method part are returned during searches. If this field is ON (the word “Methodless” appears black), only terms with NULL methods will be returned. When it is OFF, no restrictions on the method are placed on searches and the word “Methodless” appears gray. To enable or disable the restriction a user may either click on the field directly or toggle the checkbox labeled “Exclude method specific terms” on the Search Constraints screen.
The “Filters” field displays the name of one of the available “common” search filters. When no fitler is selected, the string “No Common Limits” will be displayed. To change filters, use the drop down list located just under the search button.
The “Battery” field controls whether the battery (OBR) name is copied to the search TextBox (“Accept or enter OBR name and/or OBX name”). When the field is ON, the word “Battery” appears black and the battery (OBR) name from the current local term and the test (OBX) name from the local term are automatically copied to the search TextBox when you first switch to that local term. When it is OFF, the word “Battery” appears gray and only the test name is automatically copied to the search TextBox when you first switch to that local term.
The rightmost field displays the number of results found during a search and the time the search took to complete. This field is updated after each search.