Central monitoring policy

Fyreflie · Jul 24, 2012

When we had central monitoring in Toronto we didn't have a policy specifically regarding the CM--we were expected to chart every 15 minutes if they were on any kind of continuous monitoring and record a contraction pattern every 30 or every 15 (no oxytocin vs oxytocin use). We were strongly encouraged to still be in the room as much as possible but quite honestly I found the CM was used more and more as an excuse to allow us to work short staffed since we didn't have to be in the rooms as much and could "see" everyone from the nursing station. We often watched multiple patients at the same time from the desk to accommodate breaks etc.

I'd be interested to see what others respond with as I think it's a great idea to set out clear expectations about nurses still being in the room regularly but also about staffing, how many patients can safely be managed on breaks etc. Having a policy regarding not watching more than a certain # of pts at a time would be very helpful for your floor nurses in regards to safely managing their breaks!

babyktchr, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2012

The goal of computerized documentation is to stay at the bedside and do it...just like paper charting, but sometimes that just isn't feasible. While company's like Obix encourage bedside charting, the reality is that most will be done at central work stations. Your overall policy should reflect and support direct patient care. Documetation should not deviate from AWHONN standard and perhaps you could just reflect in your goals of documentation that patient care is of the utmost importance and should not be compromised in lieu of computerized charting. Obix when they install and do your training will also encourage bedside charting as much as possible. (BTW, great choice, I love them).