Create a Patient Database In 3 Steps

A Guide on How to Create a Secure Patient Database

Storing patient data securely is paramount to any healthcare provider. A patient database that registers patients and keeps track of their payments, appointments, or prescriptions is an important software for healthcare providers, such as clinics, GPs, dental practices, or group practice management.

Patient databases store information about patients, such as their contact information, medical history, billing schedules, appointments and consultations, or check-ups. More complex systems also let you manage and generate documents, such as bills or invoices, or automatically send out appointment reminders.

Let’s go ahead and learn how we can develop a patient database. Scroll down to access a free template application that stores data about patients, doctors, and appointments.

Why Build a Patient Database?

Building a patient database is crucial for medical practices because it ensures that all patient information is systematically organized and easily accessible. This improves the efficiency and accuracy of managing patient records, appointments, and medical histories for GPs, specialist clinics, dental practices, or aesthetic clinics, for example.

A well-structured database enhances patient care by allowing doctors to quickly retrieve medical records and track treatment progress. It serves as a centralized information management tool and also supports better coordination among healthcare providers, reducing the risk of errors.

Moreover, a patient database streamlines billing processes, ensuring that invoices are accurate and payments are tracked effectively.

Last, a database is secure, scalable, and not as easily compromised or tampered with as a spreadsheet, for example. A database can be protected from unauthorized access through logins or user roles.

Overall, it enhances a practice’s ability to deliver high-quality care and manage its operations smoothly.

What Is a Patient Database?

A patient database is a digital system designed to store and manage all the information related to patients within a medical practice.

This includes personal details, medical histories, appointment schedules, treatment records, prescriptions, and billing information. By organizing this data in a structured way, a patient database allows healthcare providers to quickly access and update patient information, ensuring efficient and accurate record-keeping.

This not only enhances the quality of care provided to patients but also improves the overall management and operation of the medical practice.

Patient Databases in Excel

When it is time to create a custom database, many people start with tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

While these spreadsheet-based solutions can be convenient for smaller practices or for those who start a new practice from scratch, they often lead to significant issues and are not recommended for clinic management. Here are some common problems associated with using spreadsheets:

1. Security Breaches:
Spreadsheets cannot be easily secured or protected from unauthorized access. Excel or Google Sheets do not directly support user roles, authentication, or granular access control.

2. Version Confusion:
Front desk staff, doctors, or nurses might have their own local copy of the spreadsheet, leading to multiple versions like “PatientDatabase_NEW,” “PatientDatabase – v2.1,” “Old Patient Database – DO NOT USE,” etc.

3. Lack of Version and Access Control:
Without clear ownership or version control, changes made by different medical practice staff can be lost or duplicated, especially if the person responsible for updates leaves the company.

4. Data Inconsistencies:
Comments, highlights, and manual updates can lead to a cluttered and error-prone spreadsheet.

Setting up your patient database in a spreadsheet can ultimately defeat the purpose of having a single, reliable source of truth. Instead of efficient medical practice management, you end up constantly fighting fires, managing and cleaning up multiple spreadsheets.

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Free Patient Database Template App

Preview the Template App

How to Create a Patient Database in 3 Steps

Building a patient database usually requires technical knowledge that someone working in the medical industry might not have. For instance, you’d need a substantial understanding of database languages like SQL, not to mention the front-end development for user interaction.

Five is an online database builder specifically designed to make creating a customizable patient database much faster.

Creating a patient database with Five won’t be entirely effortless (but we have a free template available), but it will be significantly easier than spending 60+ hours learning various coding frameworks and languages. In addition, with Five, your database is fully customizable and adjustable, exactly tailored to the way you need it to run your medical practice.

With Five, you can

1. Set up a secure database in minutes, and
2. Create a login-protected, user-friendly interface that works well on desktop, tablet or mobile.
3. You can also easily import your existing data from Excel, Google Sheets, or CSV files, allowing you to get started quickly.

Five also offers the flexibility to create custom business logic with code, generate PDF documents, and visualize your data through custom charts and dashboards.

Additionally, you can set up email notifications for your patients, ensuring your communication is seamless, standardized, and automated.

Get free access to Five here and start building a patient database.

Build a Patient Database 
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Step 1: List Out Patient Attributes

Start by compiling a complete list of all attributes relevant to your patients. Think about what matters to your patients and your practice: patients’ personal particulars, emergency contact information, medical history, addresses, prescriptions, etc. Your patient database should be a “single source of truth”, so ensure it’s as comprehensive as possible.

Here are some must-have attributes that are typically included in a patient database or clinic management system:

• Patient ID,
• First Name,
• Last Name,
• Email,
• Phone,
• Address,
• Gender,
• Appointments,
• Reason for Visit,
• Diagnosis,
• Treatment,
• Prescriptions,
• Billing Information

Step 2: Define Other Important Information

Apart from storing information about your patients and who they are, your patient database is supposed to let you manage your clinic more effectively and reduce paperwork.

Define what documents or interactions with patients are important to your practice. Different medical practitioners, such as GPs, specialist clinics, dentists, or aesthetic clinics may have different requirements and data collection needs. It’s important to map these out. Of course, it’s almost important to be aware of regulatory compliance: what records must be stored and for how long?

Step 3: Creating Your Patient Database

Patient Database: Free Sample Application

Here’s a free patient database template application, created in just 15 minutes.

Patient Database Schema

Here’s the database schema for our application.

The patient database schema consists of several interconnected tables.

1. At its heart is the patient table, storing information about patients;
2. Patients are associated with multiple appointments.
3. Doctors attend Appointments.
4. Patients also have Medical Records, which are created by Doctors.
5. Medical records may contain multiple Prescriptions.
6. Last, patients receive Billing for Appointments.

With just six database tables, we have captured the key information for our clinic management software.

Each table in our database holds specific information, such as patient details, appointment records, and medical records ensuring a comprehensive and organized data structure. The relationships between these tables facilitate efficient data management, enabling seamless tracking of patients, consultations, prescriptions, and payments.

Patient Database: Key Features