Let's Just Imagine

Depends if you are a nurse of a techie, or both.

As a nurse you volunteer to become a super-user and ask to be trained on the system and then spread that knowledge to the other nurses.

As a techie you ask for nurses to volunteer as super-users and train them on the system.

You get your CIO and DON to do this.

Both sides need to stop pointing fingers and buckle down to learning it.

Well, Sue..., your reply made me feel like Einstein that is EXACTLY what I am attempting to do. Okay, I am of reasonable intelligence, why can't I find much info about the Misys software on my own. Is there a "Misys for Dummies" equivalent? Really, how hard can this be if it is a EMR software package used throughout the industry?

It can be very hard to find user manuals for these programs. We are on HMS and we guard our manuals like gold because the company likes you to attend their expo every year and get them by paying for training.

That said, do you have a buddy in IT? If so, just tell him honestly that you would really like to learn the user side of the system better and you'd appreciate any training materials they have. Offer to copy them so they're not afraid that the sole copy will disappear.

If you don't, repeat the same to your DON and enlist his/her aid in getting the material. Odds are that she might be happy to have a nurse interested in exploring the system.

Whatever you do - and I know this from hard experience - do not even remotely imply to ANYONE that people are saying they were never trained and that the system is not being utilized as fully as it could be. I know that people were trained because I trained them, but things will quickly deteriorate into did too, did not.

I just discovered on a recent implementation that there is a fear on the part of some users that it will take the brain part of their work away, and they do not understand that it simply permits them to use their minds and time to tweak the care plans, etc generated and improves patient outcomes by decreasing the possibility of things being overlooked. You can always tweak what you generate if your system is what it should be. But it is really easy to inadvertently offend, so finesse your way into this, don't bulldoze.

Does this help?

And let me know! I'm really interested in how this plays out.

:)

Yes, it is helpful. I am glad to hear that my initial intuition was correct re:super-users. I landed in the middle of this when I took a mid-level nurse manager position a few months ago. Chart audits showed inconsistent use of the EMR with overtime and inefficiency up. I have openly addressed the issue with the clear emphasis that no one is to be blamed. Techie's say management didn't enforce performance standards related to EMR and clinical staff say they can not remember complicated executions. Currently, less than 5% of the clinical staff is doing more than 10% of their EMR in the field. They are relying on notebooks and "cheatsheets" to enter data later.

Just to complicate things all players, techie's, business staff, and clinical staff all report to a different cost centers, so no line authority. It is like herding cats toward water!!

It is like herding cats toward water!!

Do your users have the appropriate hardware to properly use the system, i.e. decent laptops? Enough memory?

If there is budget available, I'd ask the IT folks what they think about that. And find out if you can spend a week at the EMR facility for training.

herding cats, ANYWHERE....lol

The hardware is more than adequate. Hardware and software were purchased specifically to replace paper and to implement Misys organization wide. We have just upgraded server to so more problems with multiple users synching. Tablet laptops were purchased to enhance "bedside" documentation. We have used program approximately a year. Initial implementation was a nightmare. Over 90% of nurse users do less than 20% of documentation at bedside. No one uses tablets. Integration of care plan problems with documentations is understandably fragmented. I am identifying "superusers", working on my learning curve from Misys naive to future "superuser", trying to mend fences between the nurse IT and staff. Does anyone know of, or have any Misys competency checklists?

I am considering proposing a skill lab for Misys use to simulate bedside. Any suggestions to refresh this group or info specific to Misys appreciated.

Two suggestions related to your "does anyone have any Misys competency checklists?": 1) Post to a larger group suchs as the NursingL and CARING listserves. 2) Join and (or get your IT staff to) post to the Misys user group. I'll look and see what I have related to competency documents and e-mail you if I have anything I think you can use.

Good Luck!

The hardware is more than adequate. Hardware and software were purchased specifically to replace paper and to implement Misys organization wide. We have just upgraded server to so more problems with multiple users synching. Tablet laptops were purchased to enhance "bedside" documentation. We have used program approximately a year. Initial implementation was a nightmare. Over 90% of nurse users do less than 20% of documentation at bedside. No one uses tablets. Integration of care plan problems with documentations is understandably fragmented. I am identifying "superusers", working on my learning curve from Misys naive to future "superuser", trying to mend fences between the nurse IT and staff. Does anyone know of, or have any Misys competency checklists?

I am considering proposing a skill lab for Misys use to simulate bedside. Any suggestions to refresh this group or info specific to Misys appreciated.