Meditech Problems

[Thakkis]

Is anyone here using Meditech for their ER charting? My hospital just went to it a few weeks ago and we all hate it. Where it used to take a flick of the wrist to write "none" if somebody didn't take any meds it now takes ten clicks of a mouse. Our docs refuse to use it, so they're using our old paper system. The floors can't use it yet so we have to print out mountains of reports to send to them, which they don't know how to read. Our patients hate it because our standard waiting room times increased from two to five hours. Our time in the ER has incresed from three to about ten hours. It's so frustrating. Our administrator's response to our concerns is "We payed $7 million for this system, we're going to use it." It seems broken to me, but it's a huge company with clients across the world. Can it really be as bad as we think it is? Please, any response would be great.

[Carotid]

doesn't sound good for the home team. our er staff began training for meditech charting this week. why did you go from one click options to ten clicks since your inservice training?

carotid

supplying oxygen-rich blood to billions of brains globally

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

I've used meditech for years. But strangely: it's used everywhere in the hospital BUT ER and they use different system, Lynx, I think.

It's a tad cumbersome but your system administrator should be able to modify it to make it more user friendly. That'll just take time until enough people know it enough to point out useful changes.

It'll get easier as you get to know it.

In the meantime, suggest a committee to propose changes to the system. Yeah, I know, another committee.

But.

Like it or not, if they spent 7 mil, they aren't going to toss it into a corner, no matter how much you beg.

Do you know why they went to this system? JCAHO is looking for total computer charting and this is one of the companies that can interface a total computer chart through several depts: lab, pharm, etc.

That's why it's not going away: JCAHO wants it. The cost just seals your fate.

~faith,

Timothy.

[alicenbp]

I am a new nurse and my whole hospital uses this system so it's all I know and after writing charts by hand in nursing school I love this. A lot of the more experienced nurses admit they hated this system when it first came in but they love it now - just takes some getting used to.

[Thakkis]

Do you know why they went to this system? JCAHO is looking for total computer charting and this is one of the companies that can interface a total computer chart through several depts: lab, pharm, etc.

That's why it's not going away: JCAHO wants it. The cost just seals your fate.

It's a JCAHO thing. They want computer generated stats on everything for tracking purposes. It seems like a case of enhancing the administrative process at the sake of quality patient care.

[Thakkis]

We never have had a "one click" option for NKDA or No Meds Taken. We have to go into the tracker, into the private tracker, select the patient, click document, click meds/Allergy History, click add meds, click No Meds Taken/NKDA, click file, click confirm, and click Go Back. Seems like a lot of work for NKDA.