AN ER WITHOUT PAPER!!!

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I work in a busy level 2 trauma center and May first the er is going to be with out paper. Our director says that we will be one of the first er's to go to computer charting...is this correct does anyone out there use them at their er? If so how does it work? As a member of younger generation i welcome the change and look forward to decreasing all of the time spent double and triple charting things. the part i fear is the changeover and the famous bugs in the system. if you have paperless er how did the change affect your er?

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Specializes in ER, PACU, OR.

we don't have it yet.....

but I have a friend who works at a nearby ER (within 12 miles of our ER) and he says they like it alot. They feel it was a huge improvement - I would assume as long as the HD or something doesnt crash.

Rick

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They have been doing computer charting in Gillette WY for about a year. I was traveling there when it first started. No one liked the change. I don't know how they feel about it now.

I didn't mind it at all. It just takes time getting used to it.

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Don't have it, but I would be interested in knowing how it works. I hate writing. How many computers do you have? Our main hospital system is always going down. What is the backup when this happens? Can you print charts if you have a transfer? Is it entirely paperless. Maybe these are dumb questions, but I can't imagine an ER that is paperless.

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Specializes in ER.

wow

that sounds wonderful.

no more killing trees with temporary lab reports, no more photocopying 5 times, no more filing and pulling charts only to do it the next day.

i hope this catches on everywhere.

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our er is in northern vermont and we went to computer documentation about two years ago.If it had been implimented correctly-with adequate staffing and FULL MD cooperation ,it would have been fine.Also ,we had no say once the system was in place wether we liked it or not.We were simply told that we had to comply or find another job.We are fully qualified ED nurses-ACLS,TNCC,PALS and on down the line.We are not stupid people !!The system that they bought is hard to learn,repetative in what it documents and often because it is "Canned Notes"once you click that space it may not be what you want to say.It is a court case waiting to happen.Please if your facility is looking at this-demand that you as a group have alot of imput!!:rolleyes:

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

We just went live with EMSTAT yesterday. Total chaos, but we're getting better. Level I trauma center with 62k visits/year!!

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We have been using computer charting throughout our hospital since 1996. It used to be a Columbia facility. We use Meditech and I think it is great!:roll

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Specializes in ER, PACU, OR.

ratfink or anybody else - what about when the power goes out, and the generators kick on? any problems with the system shutting down and having to get it back up again?

me :)

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we have been using the emstat system for 3 years now. we love it. if by chance the computers go down, we go back to the paper system. it takes a little time to learn emstat, but it is well worth it.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Same with us - if Emstat goes down (which it does do), we go back to paper.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Howdy Yall

From deep in the heart of texas

Im not sure I like the idea of computer charting, I know its coming, but. Maybe its just that Im too old and dont want to change. Even after all these years Im still a 2 fingered typer, just cant get all ten fingers too work on a keyboard.

keep it in the short grass yall

teeituptom

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