Telemarque Aquila Merge

Quick Start

• Open the TM-Aquila Merge application.
• Open the Settings tab
• Find the Aquila Server/Database Settings group and open it (press the button to the right with the two down arrows)

• Carefully check that the settings refer to your test database before proceeding
• Note that they will differ from the screen shot below).
• Now open the Exported Files Settings group

• Again, carefully check that the settings are accurate for your configuration & the folders exist as stated.
• Note that they will differ from the screen shot above
• Press the Create Import Report button to start the comparison

You only need to verify your settings once per installation. On second and subsequent runs, you can skip straight to the Create Import Report option.

Algorithm Settings

The Aquila/TM Merge program is delivered with some sensible defaults for matching patients, however it's fairly inevitable that some changes will need to be made.

Algorithm Process

• Incoming patient records (from Telemarque) are given a quality score based on which identifiers and key demographic information each record possesses, and in some cases whether images or Telemarque Assessments are present in the Telemarque data.
• Based on this score, a decision is made whether to import or not. (Empty records, with little demographic information and no images etc are not imported)
• Where a record is okay to import, a further decision is made whether the demographics quality is sufficient to apply the matching algorithm.
• If the demographics quality is sufficient to import, but not at the required standard for running the algorithm, the record is imported as a new patient into Aquila
• If the Telemarque record quality is good, then the program will use the algorithm to attempt to match patients between the two systems.

Interpreting the Results

The spreadsheet will show:

• the incoming Telemarque patient details in the first (left most) columns
• the following columns show the result of the merge (e.g. "Import as new patient", "Matched Patient & Above Confidence Threshold", etc)
• the Aquila Patient ID and details that it has found (any in italics did not meet the full requirements for a match, but could be considered "close)
• the Algorithm details - count of matches, scores for matching, required score, and the final column is a detailed report of the algorithms progress.

The key thing we need to avoid is FALSE POSITIVE MATCHES because unpicking two different patients in AquilaCRS that the merge has combined together is likely to be a difficult and error prone task

Far better to allow the merge to create new patients as it will be easier in AquilaCRS to combine two patient records together (assuming they're the same person of course).

Adjusting the Algorithm

BEFORE adjusting the algorithm settings please consider whether it would be more prudent to update the demographics data either in Aquila or in the Patient Master File.

If you see a close match in the spreadsheet that you consider to be the same person, you should investigate which aspect of the demographics it failed to match, and then update whichever database is the one missing the data.

For example: if there's a close match between two patients that is clearly the same person, then either Aquila or the Telemarque (Patient Master File) will have some mismatched or missing data. Correct the data in the appropriate system and re-run the merge.

If, after adjusting data in either system a record is stil not merged then you can consider one of the following strategum:

a) Consider increasing the relative importance of the demographics item in question (i.e. give the Date of Birth a greater importance)

b) Consider lowering the required confidence score as a whole, so that the score given to the close match record now passes.

CAUTION

Altering the algorithm scores will affect the algorithm results for ALL records - after each alteration, very careful attention should be made to ensure that there are no false positives.