Vithoulkas Compass®
Quick Start Guide v0.2 – Beta Version
Contents
Contents .......................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 2
Requirements .................................................................................................................. 2
Understanding the Basic Concepts .................................................................................... 3
Starting............................................................................................................................ 5
Signing in the application ...................................................................................................... 5
Creating a new Case .............................................................................................................. 6
Upon a new visit or consultation with a patient ................................................................... 8
Adding Symptoms to the Case .............................................................................................. 9
To ask the expert system for proposed remedies (Solve) ................................................... 12
To perform Differential Analysis ......................................................................................... 13
To receive Proposed Questions for Specific Remedies ....................................................... 14
To record a Prescription ...................................................................................................... 15
Upon the next visit after a prescription (Follow-up) ........................................................... 16
Guidelines for best performance of the VC expect system ............................................... 17
Where to find more information .................................................................................... 18
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Introduction
Vithoulkas Compass® is the next generation online classical homeopathy expert system
decisively assisting practitioners in successful homeopathic prescribing. As an application, it
incorporates several features and tools that make the practice of homeopaths not only
easier and more successful, but also a constant learning experience. It is an expert system
based on ground-breaking research designed to emulate the thinking process of a master
homeopath using state-of-the-art software and the experience of George Vithoulkas.
Vithoulkas Compass® is a web based application which is accessible online. There is no
need to download or install any kind of software. That’s why it is not just another static and
isolated homeopathy application. Instead, it is a continuously evolving intelligent system
constantly being upgraded.
This Quick Start Guide will walk you through the typical tasks to help you start using
Vithoulkas Compass®. It will give you a good idea for its everyday use. When you feel
acquainted with the expert system please carefully read the Chapter Guidelines for best
performance of the VC expect system in this document, to ensure you are taking advantage
of the application in its full potential and receiving the best possible user experience.
We honestly believe that a large amount of the success and quality of Vithoulkas Compass ®
will depend on the quality of the beta tester’s feedback. By being a beta tester you are, in a
sense, becoming part of the development team. So take action, report to us any problems
and suggest any improvements, in order to make Vithoulkas Compass® the best online
software for homeopathy.
Requirements
Check first the list of prerequisites for using the Vithoulkas Compass® expert system:
You have access to the internet and a web browser
You are a registered user.
You agree with the terms of service of the application.
You are proficient in the English Language.
You are a licensed homeopath according to the laws of the country you practice.
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You are aware that Vithoulkas Compass® is a consulting aid for homeopathic practice
and should be used accordingly. The full responsibility for prescriptions lies with the
practicing homeopath.
For any questions, refer to the section «Where to find more information» of this guide.
Understanding the Basic Concepts
Vithoulkas Compass records all the information about a patient, in a virtual folder called
Case. The past interactions with the patient are presented in the Case History.
The case history can contain the following types of events:
1. Analysis: A consultation with the patient, where symptoms are inputted and the
expert system proposes remedies for the case.
2. Prescription: The prescription of a remedy after the analysis.
3. Follow-up: The first part of the consultation with the patient after the prescription,
where the patient gives feedback about old symptoms.
New Visit
When pressing the new Visit button, VC initiates an analysis session or a follow-up in case a
prescription has been given in the previous consultation.
The main functions of the expert system:
Solve
Vithoulkas Compass recommends a remedy, based on the selected symptom rubrics.
Differential Analysis
The system proposes questions to the homeopath to ask his patient which could help in
more correct prescribing.
Proposed Questions for Specific Remedy (ies)
The system proposes questions to the patient which refer to a specific remedy (or
remedies). These questions can be limited to specific chapters of the repertory.
A typical workflow when using the VC application is:
1. Create a new Case (or open the Case if it already exists).
2. Add case notes and press “New Visit” when the consultation begins.
3. Record symptoms and add symptom rubrics for the analysis.
4. Press “Solve” to get a list of suggested remedies.
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5. Confirm the correct remedy by using Differential Analysis or by asking for Proposed
Questions about specific remedies.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until the case picture is clear.
7. Check the proposed remedies according to homeopathic resources and your training
and experience. Please carefully read the application disclaimers and bear in mind
that VC is a tool and does not replace the practitioner.
8. Record a prescription of desired remedy and potency.
9. When the patient returns for consultation the New Visit button will bring up a
Follow Up screen.
10. Follow-up the case by recording the progress of symptoms and adding new ones.
11. Press “Proceed to Analysis” to start a new analysis, possible prescription etc. (step 3-
4)
Auto-Save
VC application uses the «Auto-Save» function which saves an opened page automatically,
helping to reduce the risk or impact of data loss in case of crash, freeze or loss of the
internet connection.
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Starting
Signing in the application
1. Open your preferred internet browser. (VC currently supports Internet Explorer 8+,
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox 3.5+, Safari and Opera 9+)
2. Enter http://beta.vithoulkascompass.com in the address bar to access VC.
3. Enter your Username and Password in the corresponding fields.
4. Click Sign in.
You should have successfully signed-in and currently viewing the My Compass page.
In case it is the first time you are accessing the application, a form will appear to
prompt you to complete your personal profile.
My Compass is the main portal of VC and includes facilities for the management of
the user’s account and preferences, the overview of the user's communication
within VC (personal messages and exchanged cases), news relating to the system
and homeopathy in general and a helpdesk, where users can create tickets to
resolve issues or get support.
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If you are facing troubles with signing in, please contact us (see the section «Where
to find more information» of this guide).
If you wish to exit the VC application click Sign out located at the top right of the
window.
Creating a new Case
1. At the top right of the window, click My Cases in order to access the My Cases page.
This area is the filing system for cases, where cases can be added, searched, opened
for analysis, organized in different directories, or sent to other VC users thus
enabling homeopaths to cooperate by being able to share cases between them with
ease.
2. At the top right of the main pane, click New Case to create a New Case.
3. In the Create Case window, fill in the Case Details (Case Title and Case Reference are
required).
4. At the bottom left of the window, click Create Case.
A new case has been created and you can now see its Case Overview page.
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The Case Overview displays the complete history of the case. Analyses, prescriptions
and follow-ups are shown in chronological order together with the case notes. The
practitioner can easily access any of these entries for review of past symptoms and
the effect of previous prescriptions.
At the right of the Case Overview page, you see the Case Notes pane which is your
personal notebook of the case. You can use a standard template for homeopathic
consultations instead of writing your notes from scratch, by clicking the Insert
Template icon (the right most icon above the Case Notes) to fill the notes with the
VC Case Notes Template.
You can later access the cases you have created, from the My Cases page by just
clicking on the Case Title of a case in the Cases List at the center of the window.
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Upon a new visit or consultation with a patient
1. Open the patient case (from the My Cases screen)
2. At the top left of the Case History pane, click New Visit.
You are now in the Analysis page, where symptoms can be added and the case can
be analysed with the expert system.
Visit (Analysis mode)
At the top right of the main pane, click Close Analysis to return in the Case
Overview page.
You can later access the visits you have created, from the Case Overview page by
just clicking on a row in the list of visits in the Case History pane at the left of the
window.
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Adding Symptoms to the Case
1. At the top left of the Symptoms pane, click Add symptom to access the Select
Rubric window.
2. At the top of the Select Rubric window, type some keywords of the rubric you are
looking for in the Search Text Field and click Search. The search results list will
appear.
3. At the top of the search results list, type in the Filtering Text Field some words, in
order to filter and further narrow the search results.
4. Just left of a rubric name in the search results list, click the right arrow. The
remedies of the rubric will appear. The appearance of remedy grades is the
following:
grade 1 appear with grey colour,
grade 2 grade 2 with blue italic,
grade 3 with green bold,
GRADE 4 with black bold and capitals.
5. Click on any remedy to consult the Materia Medica (Authors currently included:
Allen, Boericke, George Vithoulkas and Kent).
6. Close the Materia Medica window and return to the search results list.
7. In the search results list, hover over the mouse cursor to highlight the rubric you
want to add.
8. At the right of the highlighted rubric, click the symptom’s weight [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] to
add the rubric in the symptoms list with the appropriate weight.
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9. The symptom has been added with the chosen weight.
10. Continue with adding more symptoms in the same way.
11. At the bottom of the page, click Close when you finish with the addition of
symptoms. You will return to the Visit (Analysis mode) page.
12. The added symptoms now appear in the Symptoms pane.
13. Click again Add Symptom if you want to add more symptoms.
14. At the top left of the Symptoms pane of the Visit page, click Delete Symptoms, to
enter the symptoms deletion mode if you want to delete one or more symptoms. In
this mode, click the checkboxes at the left of the symptoms you want to delete and
click Delete selected in order to delete them or click Cancel to exit the symptoms
deletion mode.
15. To sort the inputted symptoms by order of input, Chapter, Weight Ascending or
Weight Descending, click Sort and select your option from the Drop down menu.
16. To include or exclude symptoms from the Solve process click Symptom On/Off, then
click the check boxes and select or deselect the desired symptoms. This enables the
homeopath to efficiently view different variations of the case without altering it.
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17. Update a symptom’s weight by clicking the weight drop-down at the right of the
symptom.
You just added and edited first symptoms in the visit of the case and you are ready
to consult the VC expert system about the suggested remedy.
Visit with added symptoms
The search engine of the VC application returns in the search results list, any rubric
containing ALL the typed substrings in its full symptom name.
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When you open the Select Rubric window, the VC Repertory chapters appear
initially in the search results pane. Alternatively to search, you can click a Rubric in
order to navigate the Repertory. By clicking a Rubric all its children (sub-rubrics) will
appear in the window.
To ask the expert system for proposed remedies (Solve)
1. At the top left of the Visit page, click Solve.
2. The Results and Prescription window appears which displays a list of the suggested
remedies.
3. At the left of a remedy, click the Plus icon to see the analysis of this proposition. In
order to see the remedies of a “based-on/not present” rubric click on the arrow
located on the left of each rubric. Next to the rubric name, the weight of the
symptom is displayed (that was inputted during the case taking in the symptoms list)
and next to that the weight of that rubric in the repertory.
4. At the right of a remedy, click the Book icon to consult the Material Medica.
5. At the bottom left of the window, click Close to return to the Visit page.
You just consulted the VC expert system which proposed you the candidate
remedies, taking in account the added symptoms and their weights.
At the top left of the Results and Prescription window, click Large to see only the
large proposed remedies or click Small to see only the small proposed remedies.
Click All to see again the full list of the proposed remedies.
In the analysis of a proposition (Based On and Not Present), the symptoms on which
the proposed remedy is highly dependent, appear with red colour.
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To perform Differential Analysis
The capability of the VC engine is really evident when using differential analysis. The system
will provide the required questions to either refine the candidate remedy list or to confirm
the candidate remedies. This is uniquely valuable in finding the correct remedy. VC guides
the user, effectively taking the guesswork out of case taking.
1. At the top left of the Visit page or in the bottom left of the Results and Prescription
window, click Differential Analysis.
2. A list of suggested symptoms to be investigated, appear with red colour right after
the added symptoms.
3. At the right of a suggested symptom, click the weight drop-down and set a value in
order to add this symptom.
You just consulted the VC expert system about candidate for addition symptoms.
The suggested symptoms are based on the full list of the added symptoms. Every
time you change the added symptoms list, this may influence the suggestions.
In order to see the remedies of a suggested symptom, click the suggested symptom.
The Select Rubric window will appear. At the left of the rubric, click the right arrow
to see the remedies. At the bottom left, click Close to return to the Visit page.
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To receive Proposed Questions for Specific Remedies
This feature enables the homeopath to select up to five remedies and receive questions
which refer to a specific remedy (or remedies). It is extremely helpful if the practitioner
already has a suitable remedy/ies in mind and is looking to clear the image of the case.
1. At the top left of the Visit page, click Solve.
2. At the bottom of the Results and Prescription window, click Propose questions for
specific remedy.
3. At the left of the remedies list, click the check boxes of the remedies and select up
to five remedies.
4. At the bottom of the window, click Propose questions.
5. The Results and Prescription closes and you return to the Visit page. The proposed
symptoms appear with red colour right after the added symptoms (just like in
Differential Analysis).
6. At the right of a suggested symptom, click the weight drop-down and set a value in
order to add this symptom.
You just consulted the VC expert system which proposed questions for specific
remedies.
After clicking Propose questions for specific remedy, at the right pane you can also
select up to Five Repertory Chapters to limit the proposed questions.
After clicking Propose questions for specific remedy, at the bottom of the window,
click Cancel in you want to return to the Results and Prescription page.
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To record a Prescription
1. At the top left of the Visit page, click Solve.
2. At the left of the Results and Prescription window, click the Remedy name you want
to prescribe. The remedy will be entered automatically in the Remedy text field of
the Prescription pane at the bottom left of the page.
3. At the bottom right of the page, type in the Prescription details field the prescription
details (e.g. dosage) using free text.
4. At the bottom left of the window, click Save prescription.
5. Read the disclaimer and if you agree with it, click I accept.
6. You have been navigated back to the Visit page and you can see the recorded
prescription in the Case History pane.
You just recorded a prescription.
If you want to prescribe a remedy not listed in the Proposed Remedies pane, start
typing the formal name or abbreviation in the Remedy text field. An auto-complete
list will appear. Select the desired remedy.
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Upon the next visit after a prescription (Follow-up)
1. At the top left of the Case History pane, click New Visit.
2. At the top left of the Follow-up page, click the Overall Remedy Effect combo box and
select the overall remedy effect.
3. At the Symptoms pane, update the weight of all symptoms by clicking the weight
drop-down at the right of each symptom.
4. At the top right of the window, click Close Follow Up to go back to the Case
Overview or click Proceed to Analysis to go to the Visit (Analysis mode).
You have just successfully followed up the case.
Case History pane of the Case Overview
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At the top left of the Symptoms at prescription pane of the Follow-up page, click
Add Symptom to add symptoms which appeared after the prescription.
At the top of the Symptom at prescription pane, click Insert late addition to add a
symptom which existed during the last prescription but was not added (late
symptom addition).
At the top right of the Symptom at prescription pane, click Delete symptoms to
delete a new symptom or a late addition. Note, that the prescription symptoms
cannot be deleted.
Guidelines for best performance of the VC expect
system
We suggest you start by inputting the predominant symptoms of the patient. These
symptoms will then guide the whole case. It is better to begin with the chief
complaint of the patient, and symptoms which are clearly defined, before
proceeding to less important ones. Symptoms which are expressed spontaneously
are of great value. The ones which the practitioner mentions to the patient should
always be considered more carefully.
Try to be as precise as possible with the symptom weights. Generally the weight
represents both the intensity and the frequency of a symptom. Weights should also
be assigned according to the importance of each symptom in the case. Try to include
all the range of weights in a case. Note that you should evaluate the weight taking
into account the overall attitude of the patient. Don’t put all the symptoms with
high weight in an overall extrovert and “intense” patient. Accordingly in a close, low-
spirited patient you should put a high degree even to a symptom which is expressed
in a bit more intense way.
Make sure that you do not represent one symptom with multiple rubrics.
If in doubt about a symptom or rubric it is usually better to not include it in the case.
Do not enter an excessive number of symptoms. 8-14 symptoms are the optimum
starting range.
Differential diagnosis will improve the candidate remedy list, if proposed questions
to the patient are answered correctly.
When performing differential diagnosis it is better complete all weights. VC will
completely ignore blank symptom weights. A 0 or -1 weight can be important in
solving a case.
Be careful with questions about a specific remedy and chapter. They should be used
with care as they can bias the expert system away form the correct remedy due to
their specific nature.
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Always confirm the proposed remedies with all available material, including materia
medicas, homeopathy textbooks and other cases. VC includes such materials but
they are by no means exclusive.
Always be aware that VC results are highly dependent on rubric selection and the
required remedy is not always displayed first.
Please complete the follow-up and overall effect of the remedy effect field. They will
be used to improve the VC engine and make the repertory more accurate.
In case you consider an important symptom is missing from the repertory, you can
create it and follow it in a case. It will not be used by the VC engine but it will be
considered for addition to the repertory, according to its definition and progress
within the case.
Where to find more information
For the purpose of reporting problems (bugs), suggesting new ideas or improvements
(features), or even asking questions about the functionality of the application, please
send us your brief note via e-mail at
[email protected] or call us on +30 212
222 8800.
Rest assured that our team will assist you during weekdays, and will respond to you, via
an e-mail, as promptly as possible.
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