Urology software: one clinic visit, from the symptom score to the bladder diary
Urology software has to keep a follow-up that lives on a handful of numbers, one prostate, two kidneys and a diary the patient fills in at home. This guide sets out what a urology record should hold, follows one visit in OPALEVI from the booking to the bladder diary, and says plainly what OPALEVI records and what it leaves to you.
Key takeaways
- In urology the direction counts more than any single value: keep PSA, maximum flow and post-void residual as numbers in their own fields.
- IPSS in OPALEVI is a typed total. The patient completes the official form and you enter the score from 0 to 35; nothing is added up or graded.
- Put each finding where it was found: a lesion on its zone of the prostate with a PI-RADS category, a stone in the right kidney.
- The bladder diary is a printed three-day sheet headed with this visit's measurements; the patient fills it in by hand and brings it back on the date you set.
Signs your urology notes have outgrown the paragraph
A urology note often reads: nocturia twice, PSA 2.1, flow poor, prostate about 45 g and smooth, kidneys fine, review with a diary. Clear once; across three years of follow-up it hides almost everything:
- The PSA lives in sentences. Seeing it rise from 2.1 to 3.4 means opening every letter.
- The symptom score is on a loose sheet. Only its total ever mattered for comparison.
- “Kidneys fine” has no side. A 6 mm stone in the left lower pole is the finding.
- The lesion has no address. “Nodule, left” does not say which zone of the gland.
- The diary comes back to nobody. A photocopied sheet goes home without a due date.
Urology is followed in trends and sides: this flow against the last one, this PSA against last year's, the left kidney against the right.
What a urology outpatient record should contain
First settle what one visit must capture; this holds for any system, paper included:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Symptom score and night-time voiding | The same scale at every visit, so a fall from 19 to 8 after treatment shows at a glance. |
| PSA, with its date | One value says little; a dated series says more. |
| Maximum flow and post-void residual | Flow in ml/s and residual in ml, from the uroflowmetry and the bladder scan. |
| Prostate size by finger and volume by ultrasound | Two different measurements, kept apart so neither is mistaken for the other. |
| Where a lesion sits | The zone of the gland, the category from the MRI report and the size, together. |
| Each kidney on its own | Length, parenchyma, the largest stone and any dilatation, right and left. |
| What the patient took home | Prescription, referral letter and the diary, with its return date. |
Record, do not interpret
A PSA of 3.4 or a PI-RADS 4 is information to keep; the next step is a clinical decision.
One urology visit in OPALEVI, step by step
A follow-up in the urology department of OPALEVI for clinics: a man in his sixties with night-time voiding and a weak stream, back to review his treatment. Words in bold are the screen's own labels.
Booking
Reception enters the review with Add appointment; with an email address on file, tick Email the patient a reminder the day before. With several departments, a colleague can also send him via Refer to a department.
Vital signs and the hand-over
A nurse types the Vital signs (here oxygen saturation, glucose and pulse) and uses Mark ready for the doctor; the urologist writes the clinical record.
Symptoms
The patient fills in the official IPSS form while waiting. Type its total under IPSS total, choose Nocturia and set Impact on daily life (0–10).
Measurements
Under Measurements, type the PSA from the laboratory, the Maximum flow (Qmax) from the uroflowmetry printout, and the Post-void residual and Prostate volume from the ultrasound.
Examination
In the Prostate section, enter the Size on rectal examination in grams, the Prostate consistency and, for a nodular gland, the Nodule side; then mark what you felt or the MRI showed on the Prostate map.
Plan and paper
Write the Prescription, set Bring the completed diary on and finish the visit. Its header offers Print prescription, Print referral letter, Bladder diary and the full report.
A new visit starts empty; earlier values appear on the chart described below, never copied in.
The urology tools: prostate map, kidneys by side, dipstick and the PSA chart
IPSS as a typed total
The International Prostate Symptom Score is a licensed instrument, so OPALEVI does not reproduce its seven questions on a new visit: the form is completed on paper and only the total, a whole number from 0 to 35, is entered. Nothing is added up and no severity band is shown.
The prostate map and PI-RADS
The Prostate map draws the gland in axial section, as on MRI, its zones drawn as regions. Each numbered mark takes a lesion type (a palpable nodule, an MRI lesion, a biopsy site…), a PI-RADS category from 1 to 5, a size in millimetres and a note. You choose the category; OPALEVI suggests none. Because a mark sits on a named zone, “left transition zone, PI-RADS 3, 9 mm” reads the same at the next visit.
Kidneys, bladder, scrotum and pelvis
Kidneys on ultrasound has right and left columns for length, parenchymal thickness and the largest stone, in millimetres. Hydronephrosis (SFU grade) takes grade 0 to 4 per kidney. The Kidney and bladder map takes stones, obstructions, masses and cysts; the Scrotum map a hydrocele, varicocele or mass; the Pelvis map, a male pelvis in sagittal section, anything else.
The Urine dipstick grid offers each pad only its own answers (nitrite is negative or positive), with Urine pH and Urine specific gravity beside it.
PSA and maximum flow across visits
Each PSA and Qmax you type becomes a point on PSA and Qmax across visits, under Urological course, drawn from his earlier urology visits and today's. It appears with two measurements, gives each series its own axis and plots only what was typed: no target line, no band. OPALEVI does not calculate PSA density or flag a value.
Women seen in urology
The record opens for every patient. For a woman, the man's parts (PSA, prostate volume, prostate, scrotum, pelvis map) are left off; the rest stays.
The bladder diary and the other printouts
The Bladder diary sheet opens with Findings at this visit: flow, residual, PSA, prostate volume, the IPSS total and nocturia, whichever were recorded, none of them scored or compared with a range.
- Instructions. How to fill in the diary gives five plain lines: every drink and void for three days, urine measured in a jug, any leak noted, and bed and rising times.
- The return date from Bring the completed diary on.
- Three days of twelve lines. Time, drink and amount, urine volume, Urgency (0–3) to circle, Leak yes or no, and notes; a page break falls between days.
The sheet prints before anything is measured, so it can go home at the first visit. It stays paper: OPALEVI does not read the returned diary. The other papers are the prescription, the referral letter carrying the visit's diagnosis and therapy, and the full report, which from the second measurement also draws the PSA and flow chart. Dispensing at a clinic's own pharmacy is covered in pharmacy software.
The laboratory, imaging and the rest of the clinic
- The laboratory. With the clinic's laboratory in OPALEVI, PSA or creatinine is requested under Analyses and read in Analysis results; see the medical laboratory guide.
- Imaging. With two or more departments, Refer to a department asks radiology for an ultrasound or MRI, tracked on the Referrals worklist; see radiology software. Report PDFs attach under Visit documents.
- Onward care. For oncology follow-up, a Referral letter or an internal request; see the oncology guide.
- Billing. Invoicing is switched on at sign-up: Invoice this visit puts consultation and uroflowmetry on one bill; Book a follow-up appointment opens the booking with the patient already chosen.
Urology records start open to staff allowed to read clinical records. With two or more departments, Record privacy can narrow them to urology's own staff, or to the assigned clinician alone; a one-department practice has two choices, Automatic and Only the clinician. The desk sees visit history only when the clinic turns that on, and finance staff never see it. Every save is kept, before and after, in the Change history.
Questions to ask before choosing urology software
Ask them of any vendor, ourselves included, during a trial.
| Question | Look for | OPALEVI |
|---|---|---|
| Are PSA and flow charted across visits? | Dated values on one chart, typed once. | Yes: PSA and Qmax across visits, from two measurements. |
| Does it score the IPSS for you? | Clarity on licensed instruments. | No: the total is typed from the official form, 0 to 35. |
| Can a lesion sit on a zone of the prostate? | An axial figure with a category per mark. | Yes: the prostate map, with PI-RADS chosen by you. |
| Does it calculate PSA density or flag a PSA? | Plain words about what is computed. | No: PSA and volume sit side by side; nothing is calculated or flagged. |
| Does it read the uroflowmeter or the ultrasound? | A tested connection, or a clear file route. | No: values are typed; reports attach to the visit. |
| Is the bladder diary digital? | A diary the patient keeps and you can read back. | Partly: a printed three-day sheet with the visit's values, filled in by hand. |
| Will the bill stay predictable as you grow? | Pricing that ignores patient numbers. | Yes: it follows staff seats alone. |
The pricing page lists the plans and the features page the modules beyond urology. For general buying questions such as data protection, read how to choose clinic software.
A first week with urology in OPALEVI
Work through First steps on Today:
Choose the department
Sign up as a clinic, or as a private practice if you see patients alone, and select urology; its record is described on the urology department page.
Prices and letterhead
Add your services and prices (consultation, uroflowmetry, bladder scan, ultrasound) and Set up the report letterhead.
Print a diary
Print a bladder diary for a test patient on your own paper.
Bring in the team
Invite your colleagues: the nurse who takes vital signs and the desk that books, each under a role of their own.
Type the same numbers every time
Enter PSA and Qmax whenever measured, and the IPSS total at each review; from the second visit the chart compares for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is urology software?
A program that keeps a urology clinic's records in structured form: the symptom score, PSA, flow and residual, the prostate, both kidneys, the dipstick, prescriptions, referrals and the bladder diary. Follow-ups can then be compared over years, while every reading of the findings stays with the urologist.
Does OPALEVI calculate the IPSS?
No. The IPSS is a licensed instrument, so OPALEVI does not ask its seven questions on a new visit. The patient completes the official form and the urologist types the total, a whole number from 0 to 35. No severity band is shown, and what the score means stays the clinician's call.
Can reception see urology notes?
Not unless your practice allows it. Reception books, admits and takes payment; reading visit history is a clinic setting that starts off, and finance staff never read clinical records. With two or more departments, Record privacy can also keep urology to its own staff or to the assigned clinician.
Can the urologist use it on a tablet?
Yes, or on a phone or computer: OPALEVI opens in the browser and installs nothing. On a small screen the menu becomes a bar along the bottom, so the last PSA and flow can be checked between rooms. A current browser is all each member of the team needs.
Is there a free trial for a urology clinic?
Yes, free and without a card, starting the day you register. Spend it on real follow-ups: a PSA and a Qmax typed, the prostate map marked, a bladder diary printed. If you do not subscribe, nothing is billed and records stay open to read.
How is OPALEVI priced for a urology clinic?
By seats: each staff member with an active account in the clinic takes one. Paying for a year lowers the monthly rate. Patients, visits and printed diaries are never counted, so a long follow-up list does not raise the bill. The pricing page has the figures.
