For those that still use paper charts...

[freki, ADN, RN]

One of the hospitals I work for recently moved us into a new 25-bed ER, up from 11 rooms. We average about 100-110 patients a day, but don't really have many in-house services as far as medical/surgical specialties go. The powers that be (that have never been in larger hospitals, mind you) set up a scary paper-chart system that is totally ineffective for us (charts keep getting lost, wait times have gone way up, etc). I'm just wondering for those of you that still use paper charts, how does your ER implement to improve flow?

I personally prefer the all-electronic way we do things at the other hospital I work for, but this hospital is too resistant to change and expense to start going that way any time soon. Thanks for your suggestions!

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

the hospital that I worked at in Ireland designed a ED admission book. Had EVERYTHING in it (path forms x ray cards, drug chart obs chart FBC) and then you added another book for a specific problem _ trauma or peads or resp care unit.

When the pt was ready for the ward the ward staff could tear out the Drug chart and the obs chart and file them as they required in the ward filing system.

the ED of the hospital that I work at now is electronic except for trauma calls and they have a similar thing like an ICU flow chart that folds up. But seeing that the new computer system keeps having kittens they often have to revert to paper

[JulieCVICURN, BSN, RN]

We're all electronic, but our ED system doesn't talk to the floor system, even though they're from the same vendor! Transition of care is a huge issue.