EPIC Computer Charting

Specialties MICU

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Specializes in ICU.

I particularly like the "smartphrases" for writing progress notes. With computerized physician order entry, it's also very nice to actually be able to READ the orders, rather than trying to interpret (sometimes by a committee of 2-3 other nurses) what the doc has scribbled.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

LOVE epic OneChart. I cut my teeth on it, so I am biased. My experience with other systems is limited, basically just Cerna which I hated, but again, unfamiliarity can sink an opinion.

Epic is extremely powerful, well supported and filled with charting failsafes. You can do anything from anywhere with it. You'll get trained, play with it.

I do not work for the company that makes it. And again, I learned EMR charting on Epic so I am probably biased. I admit that, but it's worlds better than at least one other system I have had direct experiences of.

Specializes in Thoracic Cardiovasc ICU Med-Surg.

The hospital where I am transitioned to EPIC a year ago in Feb/Mar. We did not get NEARly enough time to get trained on it, but HR does a pretty good job with the new hires these days. I don't miss paper charting. At. All.

I love being able to tab and click through my assessment and charting. I can still write a "flowsheet" note that is visible to everyone who reads the Notes.

What I like best is that once you put it in EPIC it's there forever! No more ripping pages out of charts these days!!

( A doctor I used to work with back when dinosaurs roamed the earth would round on patients at midnight...from the doorway. And he would write up all these assessment findings. Well one night we told him the patient he was charting on had died earlier. And yes, he ripped out the entire page of that chart.)

To the OP, it will be an adjustment but you will get through it. Pay close attention when they teach about administering the blood though. We have to click this superlittle box that everyone forgets to click.

Good luck!

nureli

6 Posts

We transitioned to Epic a week ago from mdeitech. The support from epic has been wonderful standing by on the floor to help us through this steep learning curve. I agree I feel the screens are busy, I have a hard time concentrating on the item I need to be looking for.

IABP4U

5 Posts

Specializes in CVICU.

I've worked with Epic for a total of 6 years (at several different facilities). Each hospital tweaked it a little differently according to their needs. Some were more user-friendly than others. My current hospital has the best version, in my opinion. "Best" being the most streamlined, easy to use, most forgiving.

AMR21, BSN, RN

139 Posts

Specializes in PICU.

Epic is great or awful depending on who designs it. I worked in a large children's hospital and lived it. Clean, streamlined, only needed a few (assessment, restraint, profile for admits, controlled substances, vitals, i&o) even for the sickest Pts.

Then I transferred to a major university teaching hospital that implemented epic within a month if me starting. Wholly Hott mess. They decided to go crazy w the tabs. I probably used 10-12 every day.(vitals, i&o, pain, restraints, assessment, pivs, daily cares, hourly rounding, ldas that are not pivs,wounds, glucose/insulin/carbs, and more!) No one ever cleaned up orders so the active orders page would have junk from old order sets (pot or line placement type things, etc.). Then there was the code manager. Omg. I don't think even the people who invented that could accurately chart a code. Than after u "ended" the code u couldn't read what had happened. Epic there was awful. They took away the nurses writing notes in the notes section bc mds didn't want us cluttering up their space. So we wrote significant events in a box on the vitals page. Awful. You had to actually scroll back days and click the box to read what people wrote. Part of the reason I was done w that place.

I have since returned to the picu in the children's hospital. Epic there remains uncluttered and streamlined. I can see what has happened w my pt over the course io their stay. I am very happy with it.

So. I think epic is either great or awful drowning in where you are.

skarlitred

3 Posts

Specializes in ER, PICU, NICU, Peds.

I'm the first to admit, I'm slow on the learning curve on new systems in general. I was looking at this post to find out if there was anywhere I could find updates and info privately in order to get faster on my charting. I went from a hospital that used Cerner- which was ok but seemed not to "flow" to me. Things didn't seem logical the way they went together in the program. Now I work for a facility that uses Meditech, and I'm having some issues with it. VERY frustrating!!!!

skarlitred said:
I'm the first to admit, I'm slow on the learning curve on new systems in general. I was looking at this post to find out if there was anywhere I could find updates and info privately in order to get faster on my charting. I went from a hospital that used Cerner- which was OK but seemed not to "flow" to me. Things didn't seem logical the way they went together in the program. Now I work for a facility that uses Meditech, and I'm having some issues with it. VERY frustrating!!

Cerner sucks. I liked EPIC better but I am not familiar with Meditech. Could you ask your hospital's IT/informatics department to give you more time to practice? When I trained with Cerner and EPIC, the IT department gave us booklets on common tasks such as charting an assessment, entering an order, executing a task like collecting lab specimens etc. and allowed us to use a mock electronic chart to enter information.

Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

I've used both and EPIC is much more intuitive. When I got hired they even had an EPIC three day class for training. Having that has helped me get the basics down.

bsiby

2 Posts

does anyone knows how to find a discharged patient?

kitty29

404 Posts

We will be soon using Epic in our hospitals....I am very scared I will not catch on. I have looked at a few of the examples and it looks very overwhelming! Now we have a graft and trend of our clients stats....I do not see that in the examples. All boxes and tabs.

witescorpio

2 Posts

I used Meditech at my last facility...I liked your post ,very user unfriendly. Any idea how to learn Epic for a travel RN whose current facility doesnt use it?

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