Sentinel 5.18.8 User Guide

Linked Tab

The Linked tab page displays a list of the suspect cases that have come into contact with the Index (source) case. A search must be performed to locate and possibly link cases that may have come into contact with the Index case. A possible suspect case is referred to as a Contact case. The list of suspect cases can be sorted by clicking on a column header.

For instructions on how to view or edit the Linked tab page, see View/Edit Case Details.

Click here to watch a video about using the Linked tab.

This option is not available to facility users. If there are conditions to which the user does not have permission to view, the entries are not displayed in the Linked Investigations or Case Investigations list.

The terminology is as follows:

Index - Initial patient who contracted the disease/condition
Contact - A case that contracted the disease/condition from the index

The available fields, options, buttons, and columns on the Linked Investigations tab page are as follows:

Field/Option/Button/Column	Description
Linked Investigations
Add Contact Investigation	Click this button to add a new contact investigation to the case. See Add a New Contact Investigation.
Search	Click this button to begin a search for linked investigations. This button displays when you click the Edit icon () on the main Investigations tab page for the case. See Search for Linked Investigations.
Export	Click this button to export the linked case list as a CSV file. This button displays when you click the Edit icon on the main Investigations tab page for the case. See Export Linked Cases.
ID	A unique, system-generated investigation ID.
Patient's Name	The first and last name of the patient.
Condition	The disease name and the subcategory of the disease name.
Event Date	The beginning date of the investigation.
Case Classification	The case classification.
Link Type	The type of case linked. Example: Index or Contact.
Contact Type	The contact type of the investigation. Example: Needle-sharing partner, Sex and needle-sharing partner, Sex partner, etc.
Remove Link to Investigation icon	Click this icon to remove the linkage from the case and select Yes to confirm. This icon becomes available when you click the Edit icon on the main Investigations tab page for the case.
Goto to Investigation icon	Click this icon to open the Linked tab page of the linked case and to view the case details.
Contact Numbers
Contact Investigation	Select No, Unknown, or Yes to indicate if the investigation has additional contacts. If Yes, enter the number of contacts in the Additional Counts fields.
Total Number of Contacts	Displays the sum total of the Number of Contacts (Known Linked Investigations) and Number of Contacts (Additional) fields. This is a read-only field.
Number of Contacts (Known Linked Investigations)	Displays the sum total of the direct and indirect number of contacts available for the known linked investigations. This is a read-only field.
Direct	Displays the direct number of contacts available for the known linked investigations. It includes the Contact type linked investigations only. This is a read-only field.
Indirect	Displays the indirect number of contacts available for the known linked investigations. It includes the Contact type linked investigations only. This is a read-only field.
Number of Contacts (Additional)	If Yes is selected in the Contact Investigation field, enter the additional number of contacts that were not added as linked investigations.
Additional Counts
Notified of Exposure	If Yes is selected in the Contact Investigation field, enter the number of contacts that were notified about the exposure.
Recommended Prophylaxis	If Yes is selected in the Contact Investigation field, enter the number of contacts to whom prophylaxis was recommended.
Recommended Testing	If Yes is selected in the Contact Investigation field, enter the number of contacts to whom testing was recommended.
Developed Illness	If Yes is selected in the Contact Investigation field, enter the number of contacts who developed illness.
(Buttons at the Bottom)
Reset	Click this button to reset all of the options to their default values.
Submit	Click this button to save/submit the information.

Search for Linked Investigations

To search for linked investigations:

Search for the case and/or locate it in the case list on the main Investigations tab page.
Click the Edit icon () for that case in the list. The Case Reporting tab page opens.
Click the Linked tab.
Click the Search button on the Linked tab page. The Search for Linked Investigations page opens.
Enter the search criteria and click Search.
To return to the Linked Investigation page, click the Cancel button.

The available fields and options on the Search for Linked Investigations page are as follows. To broaden the search, enter fewer search criteria. To narrow the search, enter more search criteria.

Field/Option/Button/Column	Description
Investigation ID	To search for a specific Investigation ID, enter it here.
Patient Last Name	To search for a specific patient's last name, enter it here.
Patient First Name	To search for a specific patient's first name, enter it here.
Condition	To search for a specific condition, select one or more condition here.
Event Date	To search for a specific event date range, click in the field to enter the beginning date in the first and the end date in the second field or select them from the calendar pop-up. Today's date is the default date.
Case Classification	To search for a specific case classification, select one or more classification from the list.

After clicking the Search button, the Linked Investigations Search Results page opens with all the suspected cases appearing as contacts which can then be linked. See the previous section for the available fields.

Determine the action to perform on the Linked Investigations Search Results page, and click one of the following buttons:

Add Links - Click this button to add a link to the displayed case. See Add a Link
New Search - Click this button to conduct a new search. The Search for Linked Investigations page opens. Enter the search criteria and click Search. See Search for Linked Investigations for available fields and their descriptions
Back to Linked Listing - Click this button to continue without adding a link to a case and return to the Linked Investigations page

NOTE: Deleted and Superceded cases are not included in the search results. Also, if a case is already linked to the current case (either as the index or the contact), it does not appear in the search results.

If you cannot locate the case in the case list on the Linked Investigations Search Results page, click the Back to Linked Listing button to return to the Linked Investigations page. Click the Add Contact Investigation button to create a new contact investigation. See Add a New Contact Investigation.

Add a Link

To add a link to a case on the Linked Investigations Search Results page:

Locate the case in the list on the Linked Investigations Search Results page.
Select a link type of the case from the Link Type drop-down list. For contact type cases, select a contact type from the drop-down list.
Select the checkbox corresponding to the case.
Click the Add Links button to complete the linking of the case. The specific case is then moved to the Linked Investigations page.

Export Linked Cases

To export the linked investigations list for a case, first search for the case and/or locate it in the case list on the main Investigations tab page, then click the Edit icon. The Case Reporting tab page opens. Click the Linked tab. The Linked Investigations section displays the currently linked cases. To export the case list as a CSV file, click the Export button.

If there are no linked cases available in the linked investigation case list, first conduct a search by clicking the Search button. The Search for Linked Investigations page opens. Enter the search criteria and click Search. The Linked Investigations Search Results page opens with the search results. Link the case(s) from the search results page by clicking the Add Links button. To return to the Linked Investigations page, click the Back to Linked Listing button. Click Export to save the linked investigations list as a CSV file. See Search for Linked Investigations.

Add a New Contact Investigation

To add a new contact investigation, click the Add Contact Investigation button on the Linked tab page. The Add Contact Investigation pop-up window opens. Enter the required information and click the Search button to search for a case. The search results are displayed at the bottom of the page.

The available fields and options on the Add Contact Investigation pop-up window are as follows:

Field/Option/Button	Description
Last Name	Enter the last name of the patient. This field is required.
First Name	Enter the first name of the patient. This field is required.
Date of Birth	Click in the field to enter the patient's birthdate or select it from the calendar pop-up. Today's date is the default date.
Disease	Select the disease name from the drop-down list.
Search	Click this button to start the search. The button is only enabled when the Last and First Names are entered.

After clicking Search, the application searches through all cases for the ones that match the search criteria before allowing a new case to be added. If the case appears in the search results, select it and then click the Link Selected button that appears at the bottom of the pop-up window once a case is selected. Next, select the contact type from the drop-down list and click the Link button. The investigation is linked and displayed on the Linked Investigations tab page.

The available fields, options, buttons, and columns in the search results section on the Add Contact Investigation pop-up window are as follows:

Field/Option/Button/Column	Description
(select)	Select this option and click the Link Selected button that appears at the bottom of the pop-up window to link the selected case with an investigation.
Investigation ID	The system-generated unique investigation ID.
Patient Name	The first and last name of the patient.
Date of Birth	The patient's birthdate.
Current Sex	The patient's current gender.
Disease	The name of the disease.
Classification	The classification of the case.
Event Date	The event date of the case.
Status	The status of the investigation.
View	Click this button to view and print the case report.
Create New	Click this button to create a new contact investigation.
Link Selected	Click this button to link the selected case with an investigation. This button appears only after the case is selected in the search results list.

If you cannot locate the case in the search results list, click the Create New button to create a new contact investigation. The New Contact Investigation pop-up window opens with pre-populated patient information that was entered on the Add Contact Investigation window. Enter the required information and click the Submit button. The new contact investigation is created and linked with the investigation. Click the Cancel button to return to the Add Contact Investigation pop-up window.

The available fields and options on the New Contact Investigation pop-up window are as follows:

Field/Option/Button	Description
Last Name	Enter the last name of the patient. This field is required.
First Name	Enter the first name of the patient. This field is required.
Date of Birth	Click in the field to enter the patient's birthdate or select it from the calendar pop-up. Today's date is the default date. This field is required.
Current Sex	Select the patient's current gender from the drop-down list. This field is required.
Ethnicity Group	Select the ethnicity group of the patient from the drop-down list. This field is required.
Race	Select one or more races from the list. This field is required.
Disease	Select the disease name from the drop-down list. This field is required.
Referral Date	Click in the field to enter the referral date or select it from the calendar pop-up. This date cannot be before the patient's birthdate. Today's date is the default date. This field is required.
Case Classification	Select the case classification from the drop-down list. This field is required.
Investigation Status	Select the status of the investigation from the drop-down list. This field is required. Note that if you create a new case with the Cancelled, Closed, Completed, or Superceded investigation status and view the case details after linking the case from the Linked Investigations page, the case is opened in the view only mode and it cannot be unlinked from the investigation.
Contact Type	Select the contact type from the drop-down list. Example: Needle-sharing partner, Sex and needle-sharing partner, etc.