Blog entries for module 1

My name is Ann E. LaPolla and I am currently in the acute care DNP program. I am currently living in the Bay Area and started a new job. Time will tell whether or not I will be able to complete my program at the U of have to transfer to another school. Currently I am commuting between SF and SLC, however the pace of my job is picking up so I will mostly spend more time in SF than SLC. I have found knowledge about information management not only crucial in graduate school but essential at work. My new position requires managing databases, intrepting and communicating results. I need to access information from regulatory agencies daily and incorporate information into new management models. The hospital where I currently work in CA does not have any computer charting. It is extremely frustrationg to collect data from paper. I find it interesting that most hospital in the Bay Area are so far behind Utah in terms of computerized anything. Lots of duplicate and triplicate charting in these hospitals. Lots of room for errors. Going from computerized charting and medication administration systems in Utah has made me realize how dangerous paper charting really is.

The hospital where I work has nothing on the computer except lab and radiology results. The amount of paper charting the nurses must do is horrendous. The charting is in no way coordinated. Everyone tries to access the chart at the same time and tempers grow short. The is a long delay between orders being taken off by the unit clerk, pharmacy releasing or bringing the med to the ICU and the nurse finally administering it. There are no checks in the medication administration process. I see alot of med errors that could be prevented by computerized medication administration.

My new position is Director of Quality, Risk Management and Performance Improvement and there is alot of work that needs to be done to bring the facility where I am working into compliance. Currently, the physician and nursing cultures of the hospital do not support evidenced based practice. The staff is unaware of patient safety goals. There is no internet access at the hospital for clinical staff so they are unable to research meds, protocols and questions. Nursing documentation is not standardized from unit to unit and rarely do the staff look at the previous nursing notes. I believe that access to information is crucial for quality patient care. As an attorney, I see many areas of miscommunication, near misses and actual patient harm. One of my goals is to research a cost effective way to introduce computerized systems into the hospital.