Skilled Nursing Facilities, including pediatric facilities,
are discovering it takes less time to update charts and review patient care
when they change to paperless documentation.
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| Jennifer Morgan |
“We started using
computerized record keeping for doctors’ orders about a year ago. Now the rest of the staff is able to report
or review the latest information at kiosks (computer stations) located
throughout the building,” she said
Reporting is quicker, she noted, because a series of
questions pops up to record progress, level of assistance needed and condition
changes.
“We get a clear snapshot of what’s been done immediately.
It’s easy to tell what chart you are in; and there is no difficulty deciphering
handwriting,” Jen said. Staffers use
unique user names and passwords to access secure records and their automatic
signatures on entries ensure accountability and accuracy.
NEPC’s system currently color codes Activities of Daily
Living: “to do” is yellow; completed jobs are green; red means overdue, Jen
explained. Soon the system will
similarly display changes in medications and treatments when an individual’s
chart is called up.
For the past two years Cedarcrest Center for Children with
Disabilities in Keene, NH has been using kiosks and an integrated medicine cart
to enable real time charting of meds, vitals, and activities of daily living at
the facility.
Recently, following an evacuation drill, administrators
decided to modify its software system to allow remote access to records,
according to Jeff Fuller, Director of Development and Community Relations.
“We are working in conjunction with the pediatric clinic
practice at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene to work out the protocols and technical
issues to make remote access possible for on-call and emergency situations,” he
said.
Seven Hills Pediatric Center in Groton, MA started using a
simple version of EHR in 2004, and is in the process of moving to updated
software. Certified Nursing Assistants
have been making reports on the new software and the rest of the staff will
move in the fall, according to Holly Jarek, Vice President and Executive
Director.
“Even eight years ago when the first system was introduced,
we found little resistance to change because people were using computers at
home. We made this conversion without a
blink. ”
Note: All nursing homes are required to implement electronic
records by 2014.
