Top Issues with Your EMR

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Hello,

As an RN who recently moved to the IT world, I will be spending the next few years helping to improve the electronic documentation at my hospital. I was wondering if anyone could share your experiences, both positive and negative, with computerized documentation.

-If there was one specific part of your EMR that you could change, what is it, and how would you change it (realistically)?

-Is your employer educating staff about Meaningful Use?

-What system do you have (e.g. Meditech, Epic, Cerner, etc)?

-What % of your day are you spending on the computer?

-How do you think your patients feel about the growing role of computers in healthcare?

Thanks for your feedback:-)

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

I like that I can access the chart from any room. That saves me walking back to the desk. I also love scanning the meds. I know when I go home that all meds have been given.

-If there was one specific part of your EMR that you could change, what is it, and how would you change it (realistically)? Not have to click on so many screens. Just an admit is well over 30!!

-Is your employer educating staff about Meaningful Use? Sort of.

-What system do you have (e.g. Meditech, Epic, Cerner, etc)? Meditech. Epic arrives next year.

-What % of your day are you spending on the computer? 85% of it, easily, but I do discharges and am a charge nurse.

-How do you think your patients feel about the growing role of computers in healthcare I think most are accepting.

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Specializes in NICU.

We use McKesson Paragon. It can be a pain in the tush at times (areas to chart not being consistent, resulting in double charting, or hard to find information). I would love to use Epic or Cerner, but this is a smaller(ish) facility, and we just don't have that type of budget.

I love being able to scan medications--I wish that the meds scanned would actually be in the database, however (most of our dilaudids, morphines, fentanyls don't scan..argh!)

I love being able to use the new computers that were hard wired into the pt rooms, I just wish it wouldn't take 10 minutes to get logged in before being able to do anything. (although, we may be getting a system that lets us log in and go to the last open screen just by swiping our badges..yes!)

My patients don't seem to have an opinion one way or another regarding computer use.

Our most recent unit meeting was the first time I had heard of Meaningful Use in regards to our charting system--I've been at this facility for 9 months.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Part of EMR to change? Not allowing same data to be charted in several places. Still have to look for things.

meaningful use? Some education done

Type? HMS

% of day on computer? 20% or so. I do not do direct patient care. I am diabetic educator and use HMS for monitoring and trending.

Patients? Never considered their opinion as we have it whether we (or they) want it or not.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Neuro, Respiratory.

- The only problem I have had is that sometimes it takes about 10 minutes to get logged in to the system. I am not sure if this is due to the software we have or if it is stemming from some other problem.

- Yes, we have a group of nurses from each floor that was specially trained in our computer system to help out other healthcare members using the computers. It's nice to have this resource available.

- We are using Meditech now.

- I spend probably about 60% of my day on the computer.

- As for patient opinion, I have honestly never asked them how they have felt about this.

Best of luck with your new job! I hope you really enjoy it. :yes:

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-I'd make the company I work for change from MediTech to EPIC

-Is your employer educating staff about Meaningful Use? NO, I actually had to find out on my own.

-What system do you have (e.g. Meditech, Epic, Cerner, etc)? MediTech

-What % of your day are you spending on the computer? 98%

-How do you think your patients feel about the growing role of computers in healthcare? I feel that most people are starting to grasp the idea, and are appreciative that we are trying to better the system for them. I do feel it's taken some responsibility away from patients getting to fully understand, or memorize what they should...what pills they take, what's the name of them, what is it for, who are their consulting physicians. Now, it seems they just expect we know because we have a computer in front of us. That is a problem. Especially when they can get so much info. With EPIC, they get an After Visit Summary, with all of the up-to-date information on it, pending the doc/RN/MA put the correct information in.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

We have Meditech. Most of the patients think it's cool that we can look everything up on the computer. The worst part about EMR is redundancy! Some things (such as IV, pain level, etc) I chart on two or three times. Since I work 12s I'm expected to chart twice and let me tell you - my eyes glaze over sometimes.

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I have used epic, cerner and am now trying to learn paragon (travel nurse). And by far the one that I prefer is epic. Cerner is my least favorite. The downside to being a traveler is we don't get near the computer training that full timers get and we only get 1 day with a preceptor. I am working in CVCU with patient ratio being 3-5:1 total care. I try to ask questions but everyone is so busy with their load I don't always get the answers. I feel like the hospitals want you on the computer 99% of the time to CYA or maybe to cover theirs and that is a slight problem for me. This job wants hourly rounds documented which is tough with 5 patients and not having a CNA. As for the patients, most seem ok with it and like that we can pull up info from previous stays.

Good Luck!!

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Cerner

I spent 60-70% of my day charting

I find Cerner very difficult to navigate - there's too many tabs on the side menu, too many redundancies. The main task screen is often incorrect. If a patient has had multiple stays then I have to slog through so many consult notes. Not a fan.

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Specializes in ICU.

Were using epic and everything is so simple and my hospital right has additional update this week

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Not sure what our current system is, but we are switching to EPIC next month. People are overwhelmed, but it seems like it's going to be a really good thing in the long run.

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Specializes in med surg.

I would like a system where it is one and done instead of having to document in several places. I believe we spend at least 90% of our time on the computer when you factor in scanning meds. Patients do complain that we look at the computer and not the person which is true to some degree.

I do believe that there are fewer med errors due to the scanning of both the patient and the medication. It is easier to access educational material for the patient but it still all takes time. While I am all for technology I worry that moving away from the patient may be the death of us all.

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