The information contained on this page is relevant as of Penelope version 4.19.1.0 and above.
All of the Document Classes check who the Document is Completed For. So (depending on the Document Class) multiple Initial or Close stages can exist but for different individuals.
Working with Staged Forms
The stages feature enables you to create Initial, Progress, and Close versions of Documents; while Outcomes Assessments and Surveys automatically include stages, you can optionally enable stages in Forms. Letter Documents cannot include stages.
You can use stages to track a client’s progress over time (i.e. the Initial Stage sets a baseline, Progress tracks progression over time, and Close reflects the final state). You can optionally implement Stage Rules which allow you to modify which Questions are included in a Document depending on which Stage the client is completing. For example, you can choose to display a Question only for a specific stage, hide a Question for a specific stage, or display the response from a question completed at the Initial stage in Progress and/or Close stages.
Staged Documents can include one Initial and one Close stage. Similarly, when a responder is completing a Document, they can complete the Initial and Close stages once each. Both Outcomes Assessments and Forms can include multiple Progress stages and responders can complete Progress stages multiple times. For example, if assessment updates are completed at a regular interval, you can set up multiple Progress stages accordingly (Progress – 30 days, Progress – 90 days, Progress – 180 days etc).
Completion of Staged Forms
The Initial, Progress and Close stages have to be completed on the same record (i.e. the same Service Event, the same Service File etc).
The Initial stage must exist on the record, for a Progress stage or Close stage to be completed.
Only one Initial stage can exist per record, per individual (i.e. you cannot have 2 Initial Stages on the same Service Event or Service File etc).
A Progress stage can only be added after an Initial Stage exists.
Unlimited Progress stages can be added to a record with an existing Initial stage.
Close stages can only be completed after an Initial Stage exists. It’s important to know that a Progress stage does not have to exist to complete a Close stage.
Only one (1) Close stage can exist per record (i.e. per Service Event, Service File etc).
Important Information on Staged Form Dates
Dates cannot have a Progress or Close stage dated before the Initial stage’s date.
Initial, Progress and Close stages can be completed on the same date.
You cannot complete a Progress stage when the date is after the date of the Close stage.
You can complete a Progress stage if a Close stage exists when the date is before the date of the Close stage.
Working with Outcomes Assessments
Outcome Assessments are scored documents that allow your agency to track change over time using Initial, Progress and Close documents. It’s important to note that each Service File can only have one Initial and one Close document but multiple Progress documents.
The notes below do not apply to ORS/SRS documents. They have some other special rules that are in their own section below.
Completion of Outcome Assessments
When Restrict to Service Event Completion is selected, assessments can only be completed at the event level. This field is optional and can only be used with Outcome Assessments.
When completing a Document Template Revision with Restrict to Service Event Completion set to off:
Initial, Progress and Close documents can exist within a Service File.
The Initial stage must exist on any event within the Service File or in the Service File to complete a Progress stage or Close stage.
Only one initial stage can exist in any event in the Service File or in the Service File.
A Progress stage can only be added after an Initial stage exists.
Only one Close stage can exist in any event in the Service File or in the Service File.
When completing a Document Template Revision with Restrict to Service Event Completion set to on:
Initial, Progress and Close documents can exist throughout events in a Service File but are hidden from the dropdown for selecting Outcome Assessment stages at the Service File level. At present, it will still display if a Document was previously completed on the Service File level (to be changed in a future version of Penelope).
An Initial stage must exist in any event in the Service File to complete Progress Stage or Close Stage.
An Initial stage can exist in any event in the Service File.
A Progress stage can only be added after an Initial stage exists.
Important Information on Outcome Assessment Dates
Dates cannot have a Progress or Close stage dated before the Initial stage’s date.
Initial, Progress and Close stages can be completed on the same date.
You cannot complete a Progress stage when the date is after the date of the Close stage.
You can complete a Progress stage if a Close stage exists when the date is before the date of the Close stage.
Working with Surveys
Surveys are a little different from the documents listed above when it comes to stages and dates but also have some similarities, as you’ll see below.
Surveys default to Pre, Mid and Post rather than Initial, Progress and Close like other documents. See below for more information:
Pre = Initial
Mid = Progress
Post = Close
Completion of Surveys
A Post survey cannot exist before an Initial survey is completed (both must be on the same record, e.g. same event, same individual etc).
A Mid-stage can exist before a Pre stage is completed.
A Pre-stage can only be completed once in a single record (e.g. only one in a Service File but another Pre could exist in an event within that Service File).
Survey stage rules do not check/apply across records at the same level (e.g. Pre/Post restrictions apply/check within a single event but not across events in the same Service File).
Important Information on Survey Dates
There’s really no date rules for Surveys here but just so it’s clear what happens in certain circumstances:
Pre stages can be dated after a Mid-stage
Mid stages can be dated before the date of the Pre-stage
Post stages can be dated before the date of the Pre-stage
Post stages can be dated before the date of any Mid-stage
Mid stages can be dated after the Post-stage
Working with ORS/SRS
he Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) assesses the client’s therapeutic progress and the client’s perceived benefit of treatment, while the Session Rating Scale (SRS) assesses the client’s perception of the client-practitioner alliance.
Completion of ORS/SRS
Document Template Revision with Restrict to Service Event Completion turned off:
An error will display when selecting an Initial, Progress, Close stage at the Service File level from the Outcomes Assessment drop-down.
An ORS/SRS can only be completed on events marked Show (you will get an error message when clicking Finish if trying on an event with a different status).
Initial, Progress and Close documents can exist throughout the events in that Service File.
The Initial stage must exist on an event in the Service File to complete any Progress stages or Close stages
One initial stage can exist in any event in the Service File.
Progress stages can only be added after an Initial stage exists
One Close stage can exist in any event in the Service File
Document Template Revision with Restrict to Service Event Completion turned on:
Initial, Progress and Close documents can exist throughout that Service File but are hidden from the drop-down for selecting stages at the Service File level. At present, it will still display if a Document was previously completed on the Service File level (to be changed in a future version of Penelope).
An Initial stage must exist on any event in the Service File or on the Service File to complete a Progress stage or close stage.
One Initial stage can exist on any event in the Service File or on the Service File.
Progress stages can only be added after an Initial Stage exists.
Important Information ORS/SRS Dates
You cannot complete a Progress or Close stage dated before the Initial stage’s date.
You can complete an Initial, Progress and Close stage on the same date.
You cannot complete a Progress stage when the date is after the date of the Close stage.
You can complete a Progress if a Close exists when the date is on or before the date of the Close stage.