I've spent close to 10 hours this week in a classroom learning about EPIC, the new electronic medical record software our hospital will be switching to shortly. As soon as I discovered that there was actually a class to teach us how to use the software my expectations immediately were lowered. Then when I got to the class, we were told that this was a very basic introduction to the system.
The fact that doctors are being forced to use these insanely complex systems is absurd in my opinion. We have a dictation and charting system that has been used for years that is effective and quick. With more and more demands on our time I question the value of having doctors doing what basically is secretary work. Furthermore, if we are going to be forced to use these systems, they should be intuitive and easy to use. They should not require a ten hour course to learn "the basics" and we should not have a screen that has about 100 button choices to chose from.
You might be fooled into thinking that being younger and growing up around computers would benefit me. I am sure that to a certain extent I can pick up on things quicker since I've basically been around computers my entire life. But no way could I walk up to a computer running one of these systems and figure out how to get it to do what I want it to without training and/or experience. That's a real problem in my opinion. These systems should be as intuitive as using Google.
What type of symptoms are intuitive and easy to use?
ReplyDeleteI don't get it... ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah I get it. I'm pretty sure that the computer training course for new RN's at IU is at least that long if not a couple of days. Lots of boxes to click...
ReplyDeleteYeah I think nurses actually have it worse than we do. They seem to have to chart every step they take.
ReplyDelete"If it isn't charted, it wasn't done!" Basically I have to chart on the computer after every time I walk into a room. 100ml of water, fluffed pillows, helped into a chair, etc. It's sort of ridiculous and I have the aide role, not even the RN one yet.
ReplyDeleteThey have a check box for fluffing pillows?
ReplyDelete@Joseph: I'm sure these newer systems have a spot to document pillow fluffs.
ReplyDeleteNurses have it worse than docs for charting. The difference is, docs see a lot more patients per day than nurses. I don't mind documenting, but these systems can literally double are documentation time per patient, and over the course of a day that adds a lot of extra time. For example, sometimes it can be difficult in our EMR to figure out how to print out a simple order. I can spend 10 minutes trying to figure out how to do this task, or I could spend 20 seconds writing it on paper. Multiple instances of this add up over the course of the day.
Can you write things on paper throughout the day and then do it all at once at the end of the day, or are you required to do it right then and there? My doctor spends so much time typing into her computer (on its movable stand) that I asked her once if she was listening to me! auntie 502
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: You can enter it into the computer whenever you like but no one is going to write it on paper first then transfer it to computer because that is doubling your work!
ReplyDelete