Punitive Computer Documentation?

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2008

I hate the computer documentation. You are right about the computer calling the shots. It is almost that patient care is a distant second to the documentation. It is definately an obstacle!

Dayray, RN · Aug 23, 2008

yes, computer documentation has turned into the standard by which you are measured ie.

bad at computer charting = bad nurse.

when computer charting was being developed i looked forward to it but its entierly too cumbersome now, there is so much more to chart on becuse it all fits together so neatly for admistraiters add to that most hospitals still require the same amount of paper charting they used to

i dont like it , dont think its good for pateints but it seems to be the way nursing is headed. if you want to be successful in nursing dont rock the boat , dont make doctors mad and make sure you keep the computer happy. who cares if your pateints die from neglect? i mean it was charted correctly right?

Riseupandnurse · Aug 23, 2008

We spend more time taking care of the computer and the papers than the patient. Maybe we need to concentrate on that in school. The charting has become an absolute barrier to giving time to our patients. I can not even find the information I need anymore or tell what other people have charted. It's not safe. Every time I go to work I can count on having to stay 2 to 3 hours over to take care of the computers and various paper forms. Uggh, I hate it.

Rnandsoccermom · Aug 23, 2008

I hate to remind everyone of this but computers are programmed by people and your friendly nursing informatics person is "telling" the programmers what to program.

Where I work, there are no flags in our system, it is very user friendly and in every patient room. I left a nice facility because they were half computer, half paper charting-I hated it. I paper charted in the 80's, I'm through with that.

medsurgrnco, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2008

Every time I go to work I can count on having to stay 2 to 3 hours over to take care of the computers and various paper forms.

Thanks for making me feel better. At my last med/surg job, I usually had to stay over ONLY 1 - 1.5 hours! :banghead: I no longer work in med/surg - or with computers!:)

Xbox Live Addict · Aug 23, 2008

Thanks for making me feel better. At my last med/surg job, I usually had to stay over ONLY 1 - 1.5 hours! I no longer work in med/surg - or with computers!:)

Computerization seems to tie people down and hamper nursing care more than anything else. What if the computer system crashes? Computers aren't very reliable, and some businesses have become so computer-dependent that if the computer system crashes, they're completely paralyzed.

A business- especially a health-related business - should never be so dependent on a computer system working properly that the business is incapable of functioning without it.

And I would be very resentful if I worked in a hospital whose computer system was designed to tattle on you for every slight deviation from the norm. Maybe if they had, you know, adequate staff and training, that might eliminate the need for tattling computers? :twocents:

morte, LPN, LVN · Aug 23, 2008

I hate to remind everyone of this but computers are programmed by people and your friendly nursing informatics person is "telling" the programmers what to program.this would only apply if they went to the trouble/expense of hiring a nurse informaticist....
Where I work, there are no flags in our system, it is very user friendly and in every patient room. I left a nice facility because they were half computer, half paper charting-I hated it. I paper charted in the 80's, I'm through with that.

.......

lpnflorida · Aug 23, 2008

I am sorry you feel this way. Having paper charted for the first 20 years, and computer charted for the last 8 years. I personally love computer charting. Not all programs are created equally .Some are more user friendly than others. Should improvements be made so that computer charting has less redundancy, less repetitive places to chart as pointed out to us so often. but you did not chart it here? Yes, but I did chart it here. I a perfect world charting in one screen would automatically cause it to flow to all other appropriate screens,as desired by the institution we work for, not unlike how initial patient stated acceptable pain. It would be nice.

I will say I find computer charting to be much quicker than paper charting in many instances. Number one I do not have to wait hours for the hard copy chart to be available for me to be able to chart in the first place. That use to be a number one problem. Are there things are hard copy charting that I miss yes, sometimes.

As to system tracking , if we are making time constraint errors. Not where I am currently working. Are you referring to the so called palm pilots used for medication administration? Or the computer which is used for medication administration? I have heard this make the person each and every time put in the reason the med is given at a time not designated. I have not personally used this method of giving medication. We still use paper MAR and PIXIS. My best friend up north does use them however and she has told me the steps she has to go through . Can hardly wait....:icon_roll

RN1989 · Aug 23, 2008

Give me paper charting any day. I hate trying to fight nurses, docs, therapists, and secretaries for a chance to sit down at a computer. If you get called away to a room - you've lost your work station. At least with paper charting I can stand in the patient's room and chart, or stand in the hallway and chart. Too many facilities skimp on getting enough computers.

What I really love is when the system goes down and all the "newer" people who have never filled out a manual lab slip or charted in writing start freaking out. They wring their hands, complain to the manager crying "What do we do? How I am supposed to get my work done?". You hand them a manual lab slip and they look at you like an idiot. Too funny. You can run a hospital without all the little "niceties" that are around now days. Oh yeah, I love when a nurse freaks out because there aren't any IV pumps. Apparently they don't realize that in the old days we actually counted drops, labeled IV bags to keep track of the volume and didn't have to worry about all that extraneous crap. New people are too spoiled!

MADHAT6 · Aug 23, 2008

we do not use pyxis for charting,we chart on the computers at the nurses station,i agree that it is the fault of the informational nurses who chose this system,they do not have to use it because they only give classes in it,but it is dreadful,there is no question a system designed to help the nurses would be a blessing and could eliminate stress,but the people in these jobs have no business training and only want to please their bosses,not help the staff,a common sense approach is too much to ask for,and of course,they give you a booklet ,an hour class,and throw you to the wolves,no business could run this way and e successful,and the punitive system is causing a high turnover rate and poor retention since charting is the bloodstream of the hospital system,thankyou for all your responses

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Aug 23, 2008

We use medhost and I love it. Our ER has tons of computers for us to use. And we get to sit down to chart. It is very important to do and chart, do and chart--you have to chart as you go along, can't wait till the end of the day. That was hard for me to learn but I did.

Also used promed charting at another faciility, it is okay too, have used T-charting (not so bad) and EPIC (sucks)

Can't wait to learn CERNA, I hear it is awful.

In the end though I like paper best.