Removing outstanding recalls

Occasionally, you may want to remove recalls from patient records that are no longer relevant. Before you attempt to remove recalls, or request that Communicare does this for you, check the following information.

Types of recall

There are three types of recall. The type of recall determines future Communicare behaviour:
  • Manual recalls - these recalls are added to Communicare by a user. Manual recalls can be cancelled or deleted with no future problems, unless another user wanted that recall to remain until dealt with.
  • Automated recalls - these recalls are added to a patient's record as a result of an automated recall rule. Disabling the rule removes these recalls from all patient files, unless the recall has been edited by a user. If the rule is enabled again, the rule adds the recalls back into patient records.
  • Recalls generated from incomplete procedures - these recalls are put into a patient's file because a procedure, such as an Aboriginal adult health check, did not have all the required qualifiers addressed. Recalls from incomplete procedures appear in the database as manual recalls and behave in the same way. If recalls from incomplete procedures are cancelled, this is a declaration that there is no need to record that the health check is underway but not yet complete. If recalls from incomplete procedures are deleted, they can reappear whenever the incomplete item is edited, either by a Communicare user or by a database upgrade.

Recall reasons

Some recall types are clearly important and should never be cancelled or deleted without a review of the patient's clinical record. These recalls should not be adjusted automatically. However, some recall types are reminders and are less important. From time to time, a health service may review those reminders that were entered by recall rules, usually On Registration rules, but occasionally On Completion or On Presentation rules. Where a particular recall is no longer required, turning off the rule removes most recalls.

Ways to remove recalls

Do not complete recalls just to remove them. Completing recalls declares that the activity to which it relates has been completed. For example, a patient due for a pap smear has had the pap smear on the date that the recall was completed. Instead use one of the following options:
  • Cancelling recalls - records that the recall for an activity was cancelled by your health service on this day, with a comment if required. Any new automated rules relating to that activity are ignored for that patient. If you require recalls for the patient in future, add them manually.
  • Deleting recalls - removes all evidence that the recall ever existed. Turning on an automated rule again, or failing to turn off a rule, replaces the recalls for all eligible patients.

Recommendations

Communicare advises the following approach:
  1. Disable all unwanted automated recall rules. This action cleans up most overdue recalls. This step must be completed before Communicare can consider any request to cancel recalls of this type in bulk. To disable all unwanted recall rules:
    1. Log on as Administrator and select File > Reference Tables > Automated Recall Types.
    2. Double-click the rule you want to disable.
    3. In the Recall Type Properties window, deselect Enabled.
    4. Click Save.
    5. To delete any remaining recalls created by that rule, whether or not it was accepted or modified by a user, right-click the rule and select 'Delete Outstanding recalls' and in the 'Confirm' window, click 'Yes'.
  2. Cancel other outstanding manual, automated or incomplete recalls.
    • Cancelling recalls ensures that there is a record in the database that the recall did exist but was cancelled by the health service. If required, provide a comment that can be attached to all cancelled recalls.
    • Cancelling old recalls solely because of their due date is not recommended. Some recalls are essential but appear outdated because the default due date is relative to their date of birth. For example, if there is a rule that all patients should have an influenza immunisation from the age of six months, any patient who has never had one has a recall dated from when they were six months old; so a 50 year old with no immunisations recorded has a recall due in 1970 but it is still current and should remain there until the patient has been given the immunisation.
    • Deleting recalls is not recommended.

Further help

If you still need assistance with removing outstanding recalls, raise a request with Communicare Support. Depending on the complexity of your request, this task may incur costs.