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Who knew when I began this blog that within a few days I would be at the hospital as my daughter-in-law and son navigated the scary world of “possible stroke” while 7 months’ pregnant? Fortunately, our daughter-in-law is an RN in the ER in the same hospital system so the scans, medications, lab lingo and hospital protocols over the ensuing days were a little less daunting, although at times understanding the situation was maybe not a good thing.
My role as grandma-to-be was obviously not to offer an opinion or advice but to just sit in a chair and just “be.” I joked that my profession as a medical transcriptionist made me very qualified to sit hours on end listening to machines and medical terminology without getting fidgety or nervous or even feel the need to talk to fill the void of long hours just waiting. I was content to just “be” (and, if truth be told, pray) and was elated by the eventual outcome of “no blood clot,” a healthy Mom and baby, and a discharge home.
What I couldn’t help notice during this time was not only the excellent care the entire staff provided, but the ability to do it in a more or less paperless environment! I had not to this date experienced the patient side of the EMR. What a change! The doctors and residents did not come in while reading a chart but were instead able to give total attention to the patient. Not only were reports, lab results and monitoring easily accessible, they were accessible often right at the bedside. When the final scan came back, it was read from the computer right in the patient’s room. As a nurse, my daughter-in-law needed to hear more than “normal,” and to be honest, so did I! I am sure it made everyone’s job easier by having that report and others available as close to real-time as possible, without having to page through an ever-growing chart to find the results. Hard to believe that may be considered “the old days” now!
I have to say, the EMR up close and personal was a win-win situation for the patient and caregivers. I have to believe that the patient care was in some ways better also as the diminished paperwork enabled them to respond quickly to patient needs, follow through on orders, crosscheck medications, and streamline the admission/discharge process.
As interesting as it was to be an observer of the EMR in action, it was much more gratifying to hear the words “discharge today.” We’ll let the discharge summary tell the full story later after we have long gone home.
