diff --git a/app/lib/collections/patients.coffee b/app/lib/collections/patients.coffee
index f5cf0db..5df3419 100644
--- a/app/lib/collections/patients.coffee
+++ b/app/lib/collections/patients.coffee
@@ -1,267 +1,268 @@
 class @Patient
   constructor: (doc) ->
     _.extend this, doc
 
   caseManager: ->
     return null unless @caseManagerId?
     Meteor.users.findOne _id: @caseManagerId
 
   caseManagerName: ->
     getUserDescription @caseManager()
 
   study: ->
     return null unless @studyId?
     Studies.findOne _id: @studyId
 
   studyDesigns: ->
     return [] unless @studyDesignIds?
     StudyDesigns.find
       _id: $in: @studyDesignIds
     ,
       sort: createdAt: 1
 
   languages: ->
     langs = ""
     langs += @primaryLanguage if @primaryLanguage?
     if @secondaryLanguage
       langs += ", #{@secondaryLanguage}"
     langs
 
 
 @Patients = new Meteor.Collection("patients",
   transform: (doc) ->
     new Patient(doc)
 )
 
 if Meteor.isServer
   Patients._ensureIndex( { id: 1 }, { unique: true } )
 
 
 Patients.before.insert BeforeInsertTimestampHook
 Patients.before.update BeforeUpdateTimestampHook
 
 schema =
   'id':
     type: String
   'hrid':
     type: String
     optional: true
     unique: true
     index: true
   'creatorId':
     type: String
   'studyId':
     type: String
   'studyDesignId':
     type: String
     optional: true
   'studyDesignIds':
     type: [String]
     optional: true
+    defaultValue: []
   'caseManagerId':
     type: String
     optional: true
   'primaryLanguage':
     type: String
     optional: true
   'secondaryLanguage':
     type: String
     optional: true
   'hasData':
     type: Boolean
     defaultValue: false
   'hasDataForDesignIds':
     type: [String]
     optional: true
   'isExcluded':
     type: Boolean
     defaultValue: false
   'excludesIncludes':
     type: [Object]
     optional: true
   'excludesIncludes.$.reason':
     type: String
   'excludesIncludes.$.createdAt':
     type: Number
   'updatedAt':
     type: Number
     optional: true
   'createdAt':
     type: Number
     optional: true
 Patients.attachSchema new SimpleSchema(schema)
 
 if Meteor.isServer
   Meteor.methods
     "createPatient": (studyId) ->
       canAddPatient(studyId)
       check studyId, String
       study = Studies.findOne studyId
       throw new Meteor.Error(403, "study not found.") unless study?
       throw new Meteor.Error(400, "Study is locked. Please unlock it first.") if study.isLocked
 
       _id = null
       tries = 0
       loop
         try
           _id = Patients.insert
             id: readableRandom(6)
             creatorId: Meteor.userId()
             studyId: studyId
             hasData: false
             caseManagerId: Meteor.userId()
         catch e
           console.log "Error: createPatient"
           console.log e
         finally
           tries += 1
           break if _id or tries >= 10
       throw new Meteor.Error(500, "Can't create patient, id space seems to be full.") unless _id?
       return _id
 
 Meteor.methods
   'updatePatients': (ids, update) ->
     check ids, [String]
     check update, Object
     ids.forEach((patientId) -> canUpdatePatient(patientId))
 
     allowedKeys = [
       "$set.caseManagerId",
       "$set.studyDesignIds",
       "$set.primaryLanguage",
       "$set.secondaryLanguage",
       "$unset.primaryLanguage",
       "$unset.secondaryLanguage",
     ]
 
     if Roles.userIsInRole(Meteor.user(), 'admin')
       allowedKeys = [
         allowedKeys...,
         "$unset.caseManagerId",
         "$unset.studyDesignIds"
       ]
 
     if ids.length > 1
       if update['$set']? #don't overwrite with empty values
         delete update['$unset']
     else if ids.length is 1
       allowedKeys = _.union allowedKeys, [
         "$set.hrid",
         "$unset.hrid"
       ]
 
     # If no study designs are selected store an empty array
     if update['$unset']? and update['$set']? and update['$unset']['studyDesignIds']?
       delete update['$unset']['studyDesignIds']
       update['$set']['studyDesignIds'] = []
 
     #pick whitelisted keys
     update = _.pickDeep update, allowedKeys
 
     Patients.find(_id: $in: ids).forEach (p) ->
       study = Studies.findOne p.studyId
       throw new Meteor.Error(403, "study not found.") unless study?
       throw new Meteor.Error(400, "Study is locked. Please unlock it first.") if study.isLocked
 
     #check if changing studyDesign for a patient which has data
     if update['$set']?['studyDesignIds']? or update['$unset']?['studyDesignIds']?
       patientIds = []
       Patients.find(_id: $in: ids).forEach (p) ->
         # unset is always a string
         if update['$unset']?['studyDesignIds']? and p.hasData
           patientIds.push p.id
         if p.hasDataForDesignIds?
           if update['$set']?['studyDesignIds']?
             allFound = true
             p.hasDataForDesignIds.forEach (sDId) ->
               if update['$set']['studyDesignIds'].indexOf(sDId) is -1
                 allFound = false
             if !allFound
               patientIds.push p.id
 
       if patientIds.length > 0
         throw new Meteor.Error(400, "You have removed one or more study designs from patient(s) (#{patientIds.join(', ')}) which have already entered data for one of these designs. This is not allowed and your changes are therefore discarded.")
 
       #remove already created visits with no data
       Patients.find(_id: $in: ids).forEach (p) ->
         Visits.find( patientId: p._id ).forEach (v) ->
           if Answers.find( visitId: v._id).count() is 0
             Visits.remove _id: v._id
 
     ids.forEach (id) ->
       try
         Patients.update _id: id, update
       catch e
         if e.code is 11000 #MongoError: E11000 duplicate key error
           throw new Meteor.Error(400, "The HRID you entered exists already, please choose a unique value.")
         else
           throw e
     return
 
   "excludePatient": (patientId, reason) ->
     checkIfAdmin()
     check patientId, String
     check reason, String
 
     patient = Patients.findOne patientId
     throw new Meteor.Error(500, "Patient can't be found.") unless patient?
     throw new Meteor.Error(500, "Patient is already excluded.") if patient.isExcluded
     study = Studies.findOne patient.studyId
     throw new Meteor.Error(403, "study not found.") unless study?
     throw new Meteor.Error(400, "Study is locked. Please unlock it first.") if study.isLocked
 
     Patients.update patientId,
       $push: excludesIncludes:
         reason: reason
         createdAt: Date.now()
 
     Patients.update patientId,
       $set: isExcluded: true
     return
 
   "includePatient": (patientId, reason) ->
     checkIfAdmin()
     check patientId, String
     check reason, String
 
     patient = Patients.findOne patientId
     throw new Meteor.Error(500, "Patient can't be found.") unless patient?
     throw new Meteor.Error(500, "Patient isn't excluded.") if !patient.isExcluded
     study = Studies.findOne patient.studyId
     throw new Meteor.Error(403, "study not found.") unless study?
     throw new Meteor.Error(400, "Study is locked. Please unlock it first.") if study.isLocked
 
     Patients.update patientId,
       $push: excludesIncludes:
         reason: reason
         createdAt: Date.now()
 
     Patients.update patientId,
       $set: isExcluded: false
     return
 
   "removePatient": (patientId, forceReason) ->
     check patientId, String
     canUpdatePatient(patientId)
 
     patient = Patients.findOne patientId
     throw new Meteor.Error(500, "Patient can't be found.") unless patient?
     study = Studies.findOne patient.studyId
     throw new Meteor.Error(403, "study not found.") unless study?
     throw new Meteor.Error(400, "Study is locked. Please unlock it first.") if study.isLocked
 
     if patient.hasData and !forceReason
       throw new Meteor.Error(500, "patientHasData")
 
     if patient.hasData
       Meteor.call "logActivity", "remove patient (#{patient.id}) which has data", "critical", forceReason, patient
     else
       Meteor.call "logActivity", "remove patient (#{patient.id}) which has no data", "notice", null, patient
 
     Visits.find(patientId: patientId).forEach (v) ->
       Answers.remove visitId: v._id
       Visits.remove v._id
 
     Patients.remove
       _id: patientId
     return