With a family of five, including three young children, it is pretty much inevitable that I will spend more time in the Emergency Department than most people. Case in point, I have been up to the Pediatric ED twice in the past few months.
My four year old son was the first to go, when he fell off the barstool in our kitchen, banged his face on the counter and put his teeth through his bottom lip. Then a couple months later, our entire family came down with the flu. My six year old son got the worst of it and ended up in the ED with dehydration and a mild case of pneumonia.
While it is always scary to find oneself in emergency situations, I must say that it is so comforting to have great hospitals in the Rochester, NY area. We even have two phenomenal Pediatric EDs to choose from! During each of our experiences, my children have been seen promptly and received great care.
There are several factors that I really like about our local hospitals.
- They knew who we were upon arrival.
Our hospital systems and doctor offices use Epic Care Connect, which is an electronic medical record (EMR) system that makes electronic medical records immediately accessible. When we checked in at the ED, all I had to do was give my child’s name and they had all of the other information they needed, already in the system. The ED doctors had instant access to the most up-to-date medical information on my children, without requiring me to fill out paperwork or calling a primary care physician to fax records over. I also like that our pediatrician is able to view hospital records and vice versa.
- The majority of pediatric staff seem genuinely caring and concerned for the child’s welfare.
More than once, different members of the staff had my sons smiling and laughing. They explained each step of treatment to myself and the boys to put us all at ease. Multiple people asked if there was anything we needed. Those seemingly “little” things really make a big difference when you’re in a stressful situation!
- Everything is barcoded.
When I say that nothing happened until the computers were checked and bracelets were scanned, I mean nothing. If my son needed Tylenol, it had to be ordered via the electronic system and then the medication itself and dosage were verified with a barcode scanner – and then double checked by scanning my son’s wristband to make sure the correct medication was going to the correct patient. Each scan worked immediately, cluing me in to the fact that the hospital was using quality barcode scanners, barcode printers, and print media. It was quite reassuring. Learn more in a case study ‘A Critical Component to Patient Safety.’
- Things were cleaner than I expected.
I always get nervous going to hospitals because I am a germ-a-phobe. You never know what kinds of germs you might pick up there! But these last couple of trips it seemed like everything was sterile, people were wearing masks, and hospital staff were vigilant about hand-washing. I probably didn’t even need to sterilize the entire room myself when we arrived…but what can I say? Old habits die hard.
Have the doctors and hospitals in your neck of the woods implemented an Electronic Medical Record system? Are they up-to-date with patient care in terms of technology? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, share with us on Twitter @LTronDirect.
About the Author:
Carmella Giancursio is L-Tron’s Public Relations Specialist & Content Editor. When she’s not working, spending time with her husband, or taking care of her 3 young kids, she can be found in the kitchen, channeling her Italian heritage! Email info@L-Tron.com with questions, or call us at (800) 830-9523.