(21May2008) Installing MEDLOG on Vista can be more difficult than with other Windows systems. Click HERE for instructions.

(21may2008) The lastest update of MEDLOG utilizes the Excel 97 format for communication with Excel. Unless you are using an old version of Excel (before 97), you will likely notice no difference. There have been reports of a Warning/Error message about "possible lost date" coming from Excel 2003. Not all Excel 2003 installations produce this message (which appears to be spurious), and we hope the 97 format will eliminate it.

(11Feb2008) Version 2008-2 is available in the download area. A new feature (under the Help menu) lets you record notes about the databank that you might otherwise keep in paper records. For example, you might record when and why a study protocol was changed, or when a new person took over responsibily for the databank. Each databank maintains its own note file. The Databank Notes will work just like a note variable, except it belongs to the databank, not a patient in the databank. Access to Databank Notes requires data entry or dictionary priviledges.

(02Mar2007) Version 2007-2 is now available in the download area. One new feature in the Group program allows you to make an enumeration group from any other group. This is a useful tool if you want to "freeze" the patients in a group and yet allow additions and changes to the databank. Minor improvements to the missing tracking system have also been made.

A useful option has been added to the Form program. If "!OPTIONS COLOROPT" is at the top of a form, then the underline (used to indicate were the data is entered) will be colored blue for time-variant variables, green for time-invariant, and fuchsia for any local form variables. Without this option, the underlines are always blue.

The Build program has features which can be useful in "cleaning up" text files and tables. For a discussion of Build's capabilities, click HERE.

Version 2005 and later allow the previous limit of 1500 variables per databank be increased. The new limit is now 2500 variables. No change to any existing databank is required. The increase can be set in "databank options-reset mode". The option is not reversible once set.

Release 2004-6 and later releases have new security features which are recommended in FDA guidelines 21 CRF Part 11. These include expiration dates for passwords and automatic timeouts if a workstation is unattended for some time period. For more details, click HERE.

Watch out for emails containing viruses. Please note that we do not send any bulk emails. All of All our emails are replies to you or have a very clear subject line. If you have any doubts, call or email us before opening any attachment which appears to come from MEDLOG, but you were not expecting. Do not open any attachments you receive from unknown sources.

Clinical trail management involves keeping track of the entry and verification of case report forms. Establishing an automated method for this is not difficult in MEDLOG. Click HERE for more info.

A special-purpose program called Disable is available on request. The purpose of this stand-alone program is to disable portions of the main menu after installation. Program will be sent by email to authorized customers who request it. Disable will only work with versions of MEDLOG2K released after July 1, 2003.

Release 2003-5 includes a new form data entry capability: forms which are designed around graphics instead of text. Click HERE for more info. Also, the design of "pretty" looking data entry forms requires vertical alignment between lines. This can now be done properly with tabs. To see the details, click HERE.

Some customers have experienced difficulties with tables after installing the latest versions on MEDLOG2K. If you receive the message "Version incorrect" or similar, you may have an installation problem involving the Borland Database Engine. For a solution to this problem, click HERE.

Substantial additions have been made to the Form program over the years. These include new options to control how a form terminates, a new display (popup) field action, a new file print (.jpg) option, longer form names and improved font displays. For more information, click HERE. Also, for information on how to manipulate text variables in the Form program, click HERE .

Stringent FDA software procedures may require that you "validate" your MEDLOG installation when you update MEDLOG versions. To help you do this we have provided a validation checklist and a test databank. The checklist is a word document (about 15 pages), click HERE for a copy. The test databank VAL is a zip file, to download it, click HERE

The ability to have control over the processing and actions of the fields on a form is one of the best features of MEDLOG. It is easy to specify the initial actions for a form by having a field statement for the first field on the form. It is more difficult to do the same for the last field because the entry clerk may stop the process early with a click on "complete", or another field may goto [!end] and bypass the rest of the form. To remedy this, a field specification may now be added which will be processed whenever the form terminates. Merely add a [!end] field specification to the fields portion of the form. The actions specified for this field will be done before the "any changes" message is given.

Printers: software developers agree that the variety of printers and printer connections are a major source of aggravation. One problem seen recently was printing from the Form Designer-Editor program. The line drawing font characters were not displayed correctly. The problem was corrected by a change in the printer options in the Windows control panel. The Font option was changed from "Download TrueType fonts" to "Print TrueType fonts as graphics". If you are having any trouble printing, please call and we should be able to help you make the necessary system settings.

Security is a concern in the validation of clinical trials and regarding the privacy of patient records. A new feature has been added to MEDLOG which will record the date/time and initials of the operator each time a databank is opened for any purpose. This feature must be enabled in the Databank Options program (audit trail options). A new file named ACCESS.MED will be created in the databank folder. It may be set to "write only", if you wish. The file may be read with NotePad or similar. The manual will be updated to reflect this addition.

US companies conducting clinical trials for the FDA should know that MEDLOG is fully compliant with the FDA requirements for Electronic Records, 21 CFR Part 1l. In particular, the audit trail files and the password access are addressed by this regulation. Also, the access feature just added (see above) provides additional audit information regarding data access, beyond changing or adding data. Questions regarding MEDLOG compliance may be directed to us by email at medlog@medlog.com. To view our statement regarding software validation, click HERE.

All of the MEDLOG downloadable files, including the Demo, are "zipped". In other words, they have been compressed to make them easier to download and install. If you have PkZip or WinZip you should have no problems. If you DO NOT have PkZip or WinZip, you should download it now and install it on your computer before downloading any MEDLOG files.