MAW3 Quick Overview
This guide will cover the basics of navigation in MAW3 as well as provide an overview of the user-interface architecture.
Medical Assistant on the World Wide Web (MAW3) is a web based database tool that can easily be configured for many purposes and can contain many types of information such as text, dates, numbers, images, etc. MAW3 has a set of administrator tools that allows a trained MAW3 system administrator to easily setup virtual database tables known as "reports" which also contain information on how to display the "report" as a data entry form. MAW3 requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or greater.
For each clinical trial, the following MAW3 "report types" are created:
- Patient Consent Information - Contains information on patient enrollment (consent) and contains links to Patient Encounter "reports" so each patient encounter with this trial can be tracked separately.
- Patient Encounter - Encounter re ports contain encounter specific information about each patient encounter. Each encounter contains links to Patient Sample "reports" so that samples can be associated with each patient encounter.
- Patient Sample(s) - Contains information on samples collected. Each sample report contains links to derived samples, allowing any associated aliquots to be tracked.
The MAW3 User Interface
When you log into MAW3, you will see a screen similar to the one displayed in Figure 1. The following breaks down the four major screen areas.
Figure 1 - MAW3 Main Screen
We will now break down each area of navigation shown in Figure 1:
1. Control Center
Figure 2 - The Control Center
The Control Center' s (Figure 2) primary purpose is to provide a basic menu allowing access to several major functions within MAW3. For the normal user, the button in the top left of the Control Center is of primary importance. This button is used to manage MAW3 "core concepts." In MAW3, all reports (data entry forms) are based on some core concept. For example, a clinical trial will have a patient as the core concept for a "Clinical Trial" report. In another example, a specimen box will have a freezer as a core concept and the text on the button in the top left of the control center will indicate this.
2. Report Selection
Figure 3 - Report Selection
The report selection area of the MAW3 (Figure 3) screen allows for the selection of a specific study and report to view (the first two drop down menus, on top in Figure 3). The "Filter", "Max #", "List only your reports", "List only unverified reports", and the "Date(s)" fields are all for limiting the reports listed in the "-Select Report" drop down. These filtering mechanisms are very useful when there are a large number of reports. One common filter use is to pull up a report that you know the report number for (either by barcode or human readable number). To do this, you place the cursor in the "Filter" textbox and either scan a barcode number or type in the number for the report you wish to retrieve. Make sure the "report type" is of the type of report you are trying to retrieve and then hit the refresh button (Refresh). This will cause the "-Select Report-" drop down menu to list the report you wish to retrieve. Simply click on the report and it will pulled up in the main MAW3 window.
3. Navigation
Figure 4 - Navigation
The Navigation section of the MAW3 screen (Figure 4) displays information regarding the current report and allows for a variety of other functions. Among other things, the Navigation section displays the report number and the patient name. Note: When a report is first loaded in the "Main Window" it is often necessary to open the folders in the "Navigation" section and click on a field name to force the report to load in the "Main Window" (data entry form).
4. Main Window
Figure 5 - The Main Window
The "Main Window" (Figure 5) is used for the bulletin board when a user first logs in and then, primarily, as the main report viewer (data entry form). To pull up the data entry form in the "Main Window" the user must use the "Report Selection" controls to select the type of report you wish to bring up, then pick the report number you wish to view in the "Report Selection" area, and then expand the navigation tree in the "Navigation" section and click on a field.