It's coming....

[Amina516]

So, in November all hospital doctors will be transitioning to entering their own orders online into our System. This means no chicken scratch papers, no yelling orders across the department. Only time a verbal order will be acceptable is if the doctor is physically notin the building. now, the ER docs have been doing this for a year and it's been great. But they're only a small minority of the doctor population and ER docs are usually an Independent bunch.

I'm not looking forward to it. I can see MD meltdowns in my future.

[trailerparkmedic]

Our computer system went down unexpectedly for a few hours shortly after the interns started. The docs were actually complaining about having to write orders and do paper charting on patients. Seeing as how the computer system has only been in place for a year and a half, I think that speaks volumes to the awesomeness of the system we use and just the awesomeness of computer charting in general. It was fun to bond with the interns by enlisting their help in deciphering the upper level's handwriting.

[Der Cute]

On any platform change or upgrade, there will be loud whines and kvetching for months. Once that settles, there's an upgrade. Get your earplugs!!!

[csquared]

I can see it now...

Why should I have to do such a menial task? Can't you get a flunky nurse to do that?

I am a DOCTOR!

I AM A GOD!

[dalesys]

Isn't M.D. short for Maximus Dei?

[Sapphire Silk]

One of our local hospitals is getting ready to roll out EPIC, and the docs are going to have to put in their own orders.

The nurses, cynical bunch as we are, predict a lot of docs will start phoning in orders to get around that. Which might fly for awhile, but the ordering system is supposed to be available from their homes I think.

[Amina516]

We have EPIC. Nursing Staff and ER docs have been on it over a year now and it's been great. It's the admitting docs that are going to be transitioned and they're generally much more whiner than the ER docs who are told to suck it up on a regular basis. I wish I could videotape the happenings. Oh, the funnies.

[Antares]

EPIC will be rolling out in our system over the next couple of years. I hve little faith in the ability of our doctors to adapt.

[jedimaster91]

We just switched over to a new version of our ordering software. There are things about it I love, and things I hate. I wish we were going to a more computerized ordering system because as it stands now, our policy is we still have to see a written order. Which means fun games of Hunt Down the Chart and What Does This Scribble Mean? Electronic orders from the ER seem to be the only exception, but they still have to be electronically signed by the ordering doc. Not his nurse.

[wolfie]

Amina516, Panacea, and Antares, have you seen the latest issue of the Risks Digest? The first item, and the Mercury News article it links to, are a real shocker. Looks like your hospitals are in for an EPIC fail.

[Sapphire Silk]

Amina516, Panacea, and Antares, have you seen the latest issue of the Risks Digest? The first item, and the Mercury News article it links to, are a real shocker. Looks like your hospitals are in for an EPIC fail.

Bugs like this are common in new software rollouts.

However, I fear you are right. The software HAS rolled out at one of the satellite hospitals in my area, and one of my colleagues was, shall we say, less than impressed.

I'm sure I'll have stories in a couple of months.

[Amina516]

I also think it's bugs, but that was a very interesting article, Wolfie.

Nothing can compare to the human mind. Unfortunately, technology has served to make people mentally lazy. It's still the workers job to make sure that doses and medications are appropriate to the patient. We haven't had these issues or anyother major safety concerns, dropped appointments in my hospital and it's been about 18 months. I'm hoping they work their issues out.

[wolfie]

When I saw the same name mentioned here and on RISKS (another "must read" site for me), I figured it would be malpractice on my part if I didn't alert people using the system to some of the dangers, since (PHBs being the way they are) the brass making the decision might not tell you about problems with their pet project, but the peons would catch hell if those same problems result in patients being harmed (even in cases where the peons didn't know about the problems).