Employees on our wards may be experiencing déjà vu as they see the familiar lime green polos of our Electronic Medical Record (EMR) make a comeback. It’s not a covert Go-Live you didn’t know about; the EMR program has just received a boost with the return of Nursing and Midwifery Super Users for a special project to embed important EMR workflows as part everyday care. This is an essential initiative as the best practise use of the EMR is vital for high–quality, safe patient care.
Chief Nursing and Midwifery Information Officer, Adjunct Associate Professor Naomi Dobroff, explained how the team was formed and the valuable work they’ll be doing. “We all recognised that the EMR would be a significant change and planned to return to the Monash Health sites from March 2020 to support our employees to embed the new workflows. The COVID-19 pandemic response took precedence, however, and our plans were postponed, with good reason! Now we are ready to take up this opportunity to support nurses and midwives in their use of the EMR.
“With the help of Monash Health Bureau and ShiftMatch, previous EMR Go-Live Super Users were identified to have the skill set needed to embed EMR documentation and workflows. They would form a fantastic team to carry on this work!”
A team was redeployed as part of the Employment Stability Payment program geared toward assisting casual and part-time employees whose shifts were impacted during the pandemic response. With the initial briefing and training completed, they are ready to work on the project for up to 10 weeks.
“The team of Super Users has wasted no time in getting stuck into the work,” Naomi said. “They have already looked over more than 600 EMR records as part of an initial review process. Week-by-week, they will go to all Monash Health sites and work on a 24/7 basis to support nurses and midwives on the floor in best practise EMR use. It is so important for the safety of patients and our people.
“The Super User support team will assist by focusing on critical inpatient and risk assessments, Care Plans, rounding, handover, medication administration, and iView. Key to the success of the program will be working closely with Nurse and Midwifery Managers so they can determine which Care Plans suit the patient group in their ward. Their team members can then use this list to identify and tailor the Care Plans that ensure the best outcomes for an individual patient’s needs.
We’re really pleased that we could get back to assisting our EMR users and giving Monash Health part-time and casual employees meaningful opportunities.”
The Super Users are excited to be in the lime green polos again and are looking forward to working with everyone and seeing the progress made at the end of the project. Critical Care Registered Nurse, Lisa Kenny, explained, “It’s great to put the ‘green shirts’ back on. The team is impressed with Monash Health nurses and midwives and how they embraced the implementation of the EMR as a profession and with their colleagues across disciplines. Through this next phase of documentation improvement, we are working together to master the EMR further and utilise all the benefits it has to offer.”
The Super User support team commenced their work in the wards at Dandenong on the 25 May, and their proposed schedule is outlined below. Keep an eye out for the reassuring lime green polos, and be sure to say hello and take the opportunity to ask questions.
Managers and casual and part-time employees who would like to know more about the Employment Stability Payment program and opportunities available through Monash Health Bureau and ShiftMatch can read more here.
New workflow videos are a key feature to the EMR website that you may not have seen and are an excellent refresher for anyone who wants to review them. Watch the videos, access resources, and stay on top of the latest updates on the EMR website here.
The proposed schedule for the EMR Nursing and Midwifery Super User support teams is outlined below:
- Dandenong, commencing 25 May 2020
- Monash Medical Centre and Jessie McPherson Private Hospital, commencing 1 June 2020
- Monash Children’s Hospital, commencing 8 June 2020
- Casey Hospital, commencing 15 June 2020
- Moorabbin and Kingston, commencing 22 June 2020
Authorised by Jane Ross, Director Advancing Care and Adjunct Associate Professor Naomi Dobroff, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Information Officer
Approved by Emilio Pozo, Executive Director Digital Health