Choose technology for ease of use, versatility
Include staff in selection of devices
When the leadership team at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Hunt Valley, MD, decided to have all field clinicians document their visits electronically, several types of technology were evaluated.
"We chose to use a tablet PC rather than a laptop computer because it is lighter, easier to handle, and offers different options for entering data," says Maria Lawson, MS, senior systems analyst for the hospice. "It looks like a clipboard and offers the user an opportunity to use a stylus or a keyboard to enter data."
The device was chosen after three devices were evaluated by a committee comprised of clinical and non-clinical, and technologically savvy and non-technological staff members, Lawson says. "The clinicians voted on the device we chose due to its weight, battery life, and durability," she says.
In addition to the equipment itself, it's important to carefully evaluate the software you purchase, says Lawson. "We did a lot of shopping and worked our way down to two providers," she says. "We had each vendor give a full demonstration to the entire clinical management team."
The team was made up of managers from all areas of the hospice, and they were encouraged to ask a lot of questions during the demonstration, she adds.
Training was mandatory for all employees, says Lawson. "Even staff members who were comfortable using computers had to go through the training because they were not familiar with the documentation software," she says. Using a tablet PC with a touchscreen is different than a traditional keyboard and computer, she says. Staff members attended a four-hour training session on the use of the tablet that was scheduled during the day and for which they were paid, Lawson says. "We gave everyone tablets to take home and told them to play with them," she says. "By letting employees get accustomed to playing solitaire, drawing with the stylus, and handle non-clinical tasks on the tablet at first, it was easier for them to learn how to use the software. No one had used a tablet before, so we wanted them to be comfortable with it before we taught the software."
Training for use of the software and forms required for documentation was held for four hours, five days each week, says Lawson. "From experience, we knew that four hours is the maximum length of time someone can pay attention when we are introducing something completely new," she explains. By breaking the training into half-days, employees were able to retain what they learned from day to day and still see patients for half of a day, Lawson adds.
When purchasing laptops or tablets, be prepared for some devices to need service, she suggests. "We keep four or five extra tablets in our office to switch out with clinicians who have devices that need service," Lawson says. "We purchased service agreements for all of our tablets, but we need the backups so clinicians can continue to document visits even if their tablet is in for repair."
Although there were some clinicians who were reluctant to switch to electronic documentation, everyone is dependent on it now, she says. "Even the nurses who were not happy with the use of tablets at first are the nurses that are most concerned about how long they have to be without their tablets when we service the devices or update their software," Lawson says.
SOURCES
For more information about use of electronic records for quality assessment and process improvement, contact:
Carol Arthur, RN, CCM, Quality Improvement Coordinator, VNA of Western Pennsylvania, 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA 16001. Telephone: (877) 862-6659 or (800) 245-3042. Fax: (724) 282-7517. E-mail: [email protected].
Maria Lawson, MS, Senior Systems Analyst, Gilchrist Hospice Care, 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350, Hunt Valley, MD 21031. Telephone: (443) 849-8222. E-mail: [email protected].
When the leadership team at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Hunt Valley, MD, decided to have all field clinicians document their visits electronically, several types of technology were evaluated.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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