Computer Charting

[Tiki_Torch]

Just wondering how many of us work in NICUs that no longer use flowsheets of any kind and do all charting in the computer.

My new hospital does only computer charting and I have an issue with constantly having to look multiple places in the computer for information when I am used to simply glancing at a flow sheet and seeing everything very quickly. (Things like what time the baby ate last, voided/stooled, O2 sats, vent settings, yada yada yada). I simply sometimes feel like I have to go around my backside to get to my elbow if you know what I mean!

We have a computer printed Kardex which we print each shift for the oncoming nurse to use, and we often write notes on this for our shift and then toss it. If we want to know what happened on the previous shift we must search in the computer for the information. I suppose I am just more comfortable being able to see lots of information at a glance, after all, it's easier for me to know where I'm going if I know where I've been and the flowsheets were very helpful to me this way.

Big sigh.

If anyone has any suggestions or tips for helping me get used to computer charting I'd be ever so grateful!!! :kiss

[wjf00]

Still paper charting in our unit, and no mention of any changes on the horizon. I guess I am not in the majority on this one, but I do look forward to computer charting. I am so tired of trying to figure out what was written by someone else. Even on check boxes, I see check marks so far off the mark I can't tell what box someone was looking for.

[SURFnNURSE]

We computer chart, and sometimes it is a royal pain. Its nice when you are caught up, but if you have a sick baby thats crashing, you cant just pull up a computer and chart. you find yourself writing everything down on small pieces of paper to keep track of whats going on, and before you know it you have 6 hrs of charting to catch up on. kind of defeats the purpose of computer charting. If i have a hard night with a baby, i sometimes have to stay an extra 1-2 hrs to catch up on charting. And by that point, all i want to do is go home.