Electronic Health Care Records And Communication Systems

By Nancy Crotti, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: January 23, 2008 - 3:24 PM

Hospitals across the country and around the world are adopting electronic health care records and communication systems. Although they take some getting used to, these systems stand to streamline patient care and make health care workers' jobs easier.

Hennepin County Medical Center has phased in an electronic health records system called Epic, according to Marsha Zimmerman, electronic health record clinical manager.

"We had multiple systems before, but they were based on either a department like radiology or based on a given work flow," she says. The Epic system eliminates the need for most other systems. It also allows those systems to link to Epic so that, for instance, a physician may click on the link to a patient's EKG, see the image and read the interpretation. "It's not perfect but we've gotten closer to having all the data and the information that you need to provide patient care in one system so that it also has a consistent look and feel wherever possible for the providers," Zimmerman says.

Epic has also led hospital and clinic staff to identify workflow that could be improved. Not everyone has been happy with the learning curve, but they may have no choice. "You can't avoid the technology trend," Zimmerman says. Other Twin Cities' health care systems and hospitals, including Allina, North Memorial and Regions, have adopted Epic as well.

Some departments at Hennepin have adopted the Vocera communication system, which works like a telephone, but resembles a "communicator" from Star Trek. Vocera is a wireless, voice-activated, Web-based device that provides hands-free internal and external communication.

Users tell Vocera whom to call within a Web-based directory. If the person doesn't answer, Vocera can page them or take a message. Vocera even allows its user to call a group. "It kind of round-robins until somebody answers," explains William Larson, the Hennepin emergency department assistant nurse manager in charge of implementing the system.

"I can locate staff," Larson adds. "The badge will tell me which wireless Internet access point that a person's badge is closest to."

The biggest drawback is that in noisy areas with large staffs such as the emergency department, the badge can have difficulty recognizing users' voices.

"There is a lot of potential for this system," Larson says. "It saves a lot of steps. It makes the work easier. And you don't have to carry a bulky phone."

Nancy Crotti is a freelance writer who lives in St. Paul.

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