New Technology for ER Department

Implementation of a new Emergency Department Management computer application will soon assist the Golden Valley Memorial Hospital Emergency Department clinicians and staff in the critical task of managing patients more efficiently. Features include:

Integrated Desktop and Patient Tracking System
A Patient Tracker Integrated Desktop allows the Emergency Department staff to document the daily functions performed in the care and treatment of patients and manage patient flow from a central point of entry.

Reception
During periods of peak activity, patients often enter the Emergency Department simultaneously. When this occurs, a triage nurse will quickly create a worklist so patients are triaged in proper order.

The reception routine will allow triage nurses to record the small number of data fields necessary to get Emergency patients into the system quickly. Patients are then able to have orders placed, assessments performed, and documentation filed.

Registration
New “bedside registration” routine will allow collection of demographic information, as well as insurance, next of kin, and incident information. Patients will no longer have to go to the business office after their discharge from the Emergency Department.

Patient Documentation and Triage
Documentation is an important part of health care. The new assessment functionality provides access to neatly organized nursing assessments through routines specifically designed for the Emergency Department's workflow. The assessment data flows seamlessly into the nursing computer application, providing a superior level of medical record continuity.

Discharge
The new advanced discharge routine helps staff complete required paper work when patients are ready to leave. This feature includes the ability to automatically provide patient care instructions. The system automatically discharges the patient while discharge instructions, follow-up reminders, referrals, forms, and prescriptions are printing.

For more information about the new technology in the GVMH Emergency Department, please contact Gail Brown, Emergency Services Director, 660-890-7182.