DiaTrends includes a "Medication Database Update" tool which allows users to quickly and easily update their DiaTrends medication database. This simple utility brings the medication dropdown lists on the "Start Medication" screen up to date by adding the new medications, new doses, etc. that have been released to the U.S. market since the current version of DiaTrends was distributed.

All users are urged to keep their medication database up to date by following the simple 2-step instructions below.  It takes just a few moments.

Installing your medication update will not affect any patient-specific data you may have already entered. 

Note that this medication database update is current through October 16, 2007.

We try to notify all users by email when new updates are available, but you should check here periodically to be sure you have installed the latest update.

Step 1:  Download and Save File

  1. Click the "Download Medication Update" button below with your RIGHT mouse button:


  1. Select "Save Target As..." from the menu.
  2. When the "Save As" screen appears, browse to your DiaTrends installation location, which is usually "C:\Program Files\Overlook\DiaTrends" (see addendum below if you need help with this).
  3. Click on the "DiaTrendsXMLFiles" folder (so it appears in "Save in" at the top).
  4. Click "Save." If prompted to replace (overwrite) an existing file, click "Yes."
  5. Await confirmation that the download is complete (it should take just a moment).  Then click "Close."

Step 2:  Install Update

  1. Launch DiaTrends.
  2. Select "File" from the main menu, then "Update Medications" to open the screen imaged below*.
  3. Review the on-screen instructions.
  4. Click the "Update Medication Database" button.
  5. The process takes just a moment to run.  Upon receiving confirmation of completion, just click "OK" to close the screen.  That's it!  Your DiaTrends medication database is now up to date.

* The screen will look like this:

Notes: 

  • If you are downloading the file to a computer other than the one where you have DiaTrends installed, just download it to any convenient folder or transfer media such as a diskette or USB memory key, then copy it to the following folder on the DiaTrends computer and proceed to "Step 2:  Install Update" above:

      C:\Program Files\Overlook\DiaTrends\DiaTrendsXMLFiles folder

  • In a networked configuration, this update can be done from any (one) DiaTrends workstation.
  • If for any reason you are unable to download the file as above, just let us know and we will send it to you by email, diskette or CD.
  • If you receive a message such as "MedicationUpdates.xml. This file exists with Read Only attributes. Please use a different file name" simply click OK then delete the existing file "MedicationUpdates.xml" (by clicking that file name with your right mouse button, then selecting and confirming "Delete") and again click "Save" to save the new file to that folder.

Once you have done the update, it's a good idea to change any medications you may have previously entered in the "{Other...}" categories to the specific medications. For example, if you have previously selected "{Other angiotensin II receptor blocker}" for a patient on a new drug "XYZ" in that class, you should now add a specific entry for "XYZ" and delete the prior "{Other angiotensin II receptor blocker}" entry. You can do this as each patient returns, or better yet by using your DiaTrends Report Generator to identify and change all such occurrences:

  1. Open your "DiaTrends Report Generator."
  2. Double click on "Medications" then "Medication Reports" then "Medication (Specific): List."
  3. In the "Medication(s)" box, scroll down to the bottom, where you will see 39 "{Other...}" categories.
  4. Click the checkboxes for any or all of these; or simply click "All {Other}."
  5. Click "Run Report" to see the list of patients on any of these "{Other...}" medications.
  6. Print the report if you wish. 
  7. Open the record for each patient in the report, and change each "{Other…}" to the specific medication.

Addendum:  How To Browse To "Save in" Folder:
back to "Step 1" above

As noted in "Step 1: Download File" above, when you RIGHT click the "Download Medication Update" button above, a menu will open where you need to select "Save Target As..."

In case you're not familiar with how to "browse to your DiaTrends installation location" here's more detailed instructions:

  1. When you select "Save Target As..." a window will open with "Save As" at the top. Right under that will be a "Save in:" text box. That text box may be blank (if you have never downloaded a file from the Internet) or else will already display some folder (which would usually be the location of whatever file you most recently downloaded from the Internet for any reason). Hence the generic "browse to" instruction, since we don't know what folder it will open to on your machine. Usually you would need to click the "Up One Level" button (which is usually the second button over from the above text box), probably several times, until you see "Local Disk (C:)" somewhere in the big area of the screen.
  2. Then click with your left mouse button on each of the following in the big area of the screen:
    1. "Local Disk (C:)", then
    2. "Program Files," then
    3. "Overlook," then
    4. "DiaTrends," and finally
    5. "DiaTrendsXMLFiles."  (At that point, "DiaTrendsXMLFiles" will appear in the "Save in:" text box).
  3. Then just click the "Save" button.
  4. When you are asked to confirm that you want to replace (overwrite) the old version of the file "MedicationUpdates.xml" with the new version, click the "Yes" button.
  5. Await confirmation that the download is complete (it should take just a moment).  Then click "Close."
  6. Proceed to "Step 2: Install Update" above.

back to "Step 2" above


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