Computer Charting -- Do you like it or hate it?

I've always stayed late to chart whether it's by hand or by computer.

I like the computer well enough. Has it saved me any time? No, I still have to chart the same stuff. :)

I "love" computer charting. I "love" charting by exception. My favorite part of charting on computer is being able to read what other nurses and health care professionals have charted. We are going to computer orders for doctors. Won't that be awesome!

...............we are going to computer orders for doctors. won't that be awesome!

yeah, i can visualize that "kodak moment" now. they will be hating life for sure! imagine our being able to finally read what they "type"! :rotfl:

yeah, i can visualize that "kodak moment" now. they will be hating life for sure! imagine our being able to finally read what they "type"! :rotfl:

i bet i could make a lot of $$$ inventing doctor fonts. this way they could have their same atrocious handwriting on the 'puter.

We just started the computer charting in October. I guess for the most part it is ok,, although i dont know that our program is the easiest to move around in. Our biggest problem right now and im sure it will just get worse is finding a computer that you can actually sit down to and work. Between the rest of the CNA', LPN's, and others needing to get on the computers its difficult to get the discharges done, do any incidental charting and such. Hopefully it will get better.

We started computer charting in the OR last month. And it's a pain. It locks up, they keys get stuck, and when you find out that a charge item isn't listed, it takes 10 minutes to get someone in the room that might be able to find it. Well if it's a case like a Maxid cath or a D & E, the case will be over before you're done with the basics.

Love it! I never stay late charting but I've always been someone who can type and click a lot faster than I can scribble.

We are using it to chart the "outpatients" in our Maternal Child Unit. These ladies are here for non-stress tests or labor checks, or even just medical checks, sore throats, falls, etc while they are pregnant. It is great to have them already linked to what the OB clinic has entered, but the computer network seems to lock up or go down at the worse times. Also there are only two stations at the present time (they plan to get two more) and with four-five nurses on duty and one or two docs it gets congested. :smiley_ab We also use these stations to order labs, set the acuitity levels and check official e-mail from the hospital and management. They talked about having bedside terminals, but they were installed on the old L&D unit before we moved to the new LDRPs on the other side of the hall. Maybe when everything catches up and gets linked to the printers on our side of the unit it will be nice. Right now it is a real pain to have to go across the hall to get printouts on labs and patient sheets. I am sure that the numerous personnel who "support" the hospital (non-clinical) would never have to put up with this type of nonsense. It seems to take forever for workorders to be processed to change things.

I am only a student, but I have done both computer charting and paper charting in my clinicals. I really dislike the computer charting. You get kicked out of the system sometimes for no apparent reason, the computers are always being used by someone else, etc etc. Nothing is all in the same place-you have to click here, here, here, here there to look for nurses notes, for vital signs, for assessments, etc. It's just hard to navigate, doctors orders still get initially ordered on the paper chart, etc. Annoying

paper charting-the whole assesssment is on a few pages right in front of you. flipping from page to page is easier than clicking here and there. the notes are right there in front of you. its just faster b/c you can just write, not type and click, type adn click. and you never get kicked out of a paper chart like on the computer.

just my opinion. paper all the way!

I've done both and I hate computer charting.

When I was visiting my stepfather a couple of weeks ago in the hospital, I noticed that when the nurse came in to give him his medication that she had brought her computer right in with her on wheels. She scanned his band, gave his meds, made some notes and left. To me, that seemed pretty interesting.

Kris

It can be easily read. We can capture vital signs by the minute if one so inclined (our monitors and urinometers communicate with the computers). Running totals of I&O's for a shift, day, or length of stay is at our fingertips. It easily allows for exception comments. We can see the big picture of a patient with an easy "quick look" which is a screen with the most vital info on one full screen. We can view the flowsheet by q5 minutes, q10 minutes, q15 minutes, q 30minutes, qhour, q2, q4, q8, q12, or q24 hours. Trends are very easy to find and follow without going through a bunch of separate flowsheets.

We have one computer at every bedside on our unit and several on wheels throughout the unit and a few at the nurses sations. Our computers have gone down twice in the almost five years I've been there. Each one also has internet access.

Labs (show up on flowsheet too!), operative reports, some doc's progress notes, radiology reports, CT, MRI... name it and it's there (but in a separate application than the flowsheet-no biggie). I can order tests, labs, etc.

I'm not complaining except I wish the entire medical record were computerized so that I can read the docs notes.

I truely think that our computer charting gives us more time for patient care. We're not spending time thumbing through pages and pages of bad handwriting.