Remember when nurses made home visits with little more than a stethoscope, clipboard and thermometer?
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Jean Ryan, a registered nurse with the county health department, uses her new laptop to document services and assessments for her earlier visits to patients' homes on Thursday at her office. She received the computer in June and found that at first it took more time to learn but that it now saves her time.
Jean Ryan, a registered nurse with the county health department, uses her new laptop to document services and assessments for her earlier visits to patients' homes on Thursday at her office. She received the computer in June and found that at first it took more time to learn but that it now saves her time.
That wasn't long ago in Cayuga County. But thanks to some new computers and a software upgrade, local health-care workers are getting more on-site help than they have ever had.
The county's health department home care agency is currently transitioning to the new program. Once the staff is fully trained, nurses will be able to bring laptop computers with them on home visits, allowing them quick access to records and other important health information on site.
According to Andrea Anderson, director of patient services, the system will mean more comprehensive, yet efficient health care to the county's customers.
“It will be like having the entire filing system on hand whenever you need it,” Anderson said.
Essentially, all the data that was taken by hand and paperwork - medical history, medication, vital signs -will be recorded and accessed on the computer.
Records are currently being transferred to the new system, Anderson said, and some nurses are already bringing computers with them on visits.
The department has received 29 laptop computers and seven desktops for the new program. At any given time, the county home care agency is working with approximately 250 patients.
Changing the way 35 clinicians gather their information has not been seamless, Anderson said.
There has been a “large learning curve,” she said.
But after what Anderson said she expects to be a six-month period to get used to the new system, the department should run as smooth as ever, she said.
“Everything is right there (on the computer) when you need it, which means a patient's care is really going to be based on the most current information,” she said. “Re-visiting and re-certifying orders is going to be a snap. It's really a good partner.”
Liz Festa, a registered nurse with county home care, has been working as a peer mentor for the system transition.
Festa said the biggest challenge has been teaching staff members an entirely new way of doing their day-to-day business, especially considering that some don't have a computer in their own home.
For instance, the first visit has long included taking down patient information with dozens of paper documents.
Now, that data will be entered into the laptop and synched into the entire system, where it can be accessed in the future at the touch of a button.
“One of the challenges is learning how to navigate what's in there,” Festa said. “There's a lot of information.”
But she also said she hopes one of the advantages of the new system will be that it leads to even more positive interaction between the staff and patients.
Many home care patients are elderly people, and this can be an opportunity to introduce them to technology in a way that is not intimidating, she added.
“Using it is fun,” said Festa, who added that she did not grow up using computers. “A lot of patients are enjoying seeing it. I tell them they should get a computer, that they'll love it.”
The county's health department home care agency is currently transitioning to the new program. Once the staff is fully trained, nurses will be able to bring laptop computers with them on home visits, allowing them quick access to records and other important health information on site.
According to Andrea Anderson, director of patient services, the system will mean more comprehensive, yet efficient health care to the county's customers.
“It will be like having the entire filing system on hand whenever you need it,” Anderson said.
Essentially, all the data that was taken by hand and paperwork - medical history, medication, vital signs -will be recorded and accessed on the computer.
Records are currently being transferred to the new system, Anderson said, and some nurses are already bringing computers with them on visits.
The department has received 29 laptop computers and seven desktops for the new program. At any given time, the county home care agency is working with approximately 250 patients.
Changing the way 35 clinicians gather their information has not been seamless, Anderson said.
There has been a “large learning curve,” she said.
But after what Anderson said she expects to be a six-month period to get used to the new system, the department should run as smooth as ever, she said.
“Everything is right there (on the computer) when you need it, which means a patient's care is really going to be based on the most current information,” she said. “Re-visiting and re-certifying orders is going to be a snap. It's really a good partner.”
Liz Festa, a registered nurse with county home care, has been working as a peer mentor for the system transition.
Festa said the biggest challenge has been teaching staff members an entirely new way of doing their day-to-day business, especially considering that some don't have a computer in their own home.
For instance, the first visit has long included taking down patient information with dozens of paper documents.
Now, that data will be entered into the laptop and synched into the entire system, where it can be accessed in the future at the touch of a button.
“One of the challenges is learning how to navigate what's in there,” Festa said. “There's a lot of information.”
But she also said she hopes one of the advantages of the new system will be that it leads to even more positive interaction between the staff and patients.
Many home care patients are elderly people, and this can be an opportunity to introduce them to technology in a way that is not intimidating, she added.
“Using it is fun,” said Festa, who added that she did not grow up using computers. “A lot of patients are enjoying seeing it. I tell them they should get a computer, that they'll love it.”
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yvonne_m_99 wrote on Sep 17, 2008 1:23 PM: