In the fast-moving world of nursing, every second counts when it comes to providing appropriate patient care. Technology is now a key partner in this work and cloud-based EMRs are essential resources for facilitating clinical documentation in ways that are increasingly efficient and accessible.
As a nurse, you do not have to be an expert on technology to embrace these tools—you have to know how cloud-based EMRs can help you give safer, faster, and more reliable care. They were created with nursing realities in mind, so they are user-friendly for everyday use.
Quick Access to Patient Charts
One of the most significant benefits to cloud EMRs is how quickly you can access a patient’s history, at the bedside, in the nurses’ station, and even when you are supporting a doctor while they make their rounds. Accessing patient charts while knowing that every accurate detail is available in seconds is one less source of stress and chance for error.
- There’s no hunting down a paper chart or waiting for a file to be passed around
- Anything updated by any provider appears immediately, so you are always seeing the current details available
Being more efficient gives you more time to take care of patients rather than taking care of paperwork, hopefully making your workday less overwhelming. Additionally, you can respond with purpose to urgent changes, like low blood pressure or lab results that need immediate attention.
Recording Notes Securely
Your notes are incredibly important for the rest of the care team to reference, and because cloud EMRs are such a secured and straightforward way to record your notes, it is more possible than ever before. Unlike handwritten notes within a hardcopy chart that might be hard to read or easily lost, documenting in an EMR provides explicitness and allows for long-term data storage.
Using electronic medical record systems, you can document vitals, symptoms, and changes to medication in real time, reducing the chance of oversight, and therefore, patient prescription errors. If you are a nurse working collaboratively in a team, you will have secure, instant access to up-to-date information, so all staff members can be confident knowing every member of the care team coordinated care for the patient and are not relying on misplaced or incomplete notes.
This dependability also fosters trust with patients, as they can be assured their care is being accurately written.
HIPAA Reminders for Busy Shifts
While you are delivering high-quality patient care on a busy shift, you might occasionally forget small nuances of compliance. Cloud EMRs help you by incorporating HIPAA safeguards into your daily workflow. Read more on this page. Automatic logouts, role-based access, and audit logs are notable reminders that you are always protecting patient fidelity.
This means you do not have to carry the weight of compliance—a given expectation at your workplace—always at the forefront of your mind. Instead, the system assists you to allow you to follow compliance, and focus entirely on the needs of your patients without thinking twice about whether your documentation meets the necessary security requirements.
It is a little bit of help during the times where multitasking is often all you are capable of managing, particularly when you are working in a high-acuity practice like in the ER or ICU.
Mobile Use for Nurses
Mobile-friendly EMRs are a huge asset for nurses that are constantly on the move. Instead of going back to a station with a desktop computer, you can pull up charts, check on orders, or even update a patient’s chart from a tablet or phone. This enables real-time documentation at the point of care, reducing steps and improving workflow. To know more, click this link at https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2022/1/e30512.
- Completing documentation at the bedside reduces the potential for duplicate and erroneous data entry
- You can receive alerts and reminders no matter where you are, thus taking full advantage of the handoff in the change of shift
This flexibility can save you a lot of time and avoid forgetting to update information later in the shift. Additionally, the information can accurately reflect continuity of care, because when incoming staff changes occur, they can easily see what has been accomplished, and what still requires attention.
Supporting Better Patient Care
In the end, the salient purpose of cloud EMRs is to help you provide the safest, most effective care. Improved accuracy and the ability to record electronically during patient care reduces patient-related prescription error risks. When full patient data is accessible and available in an electronic format, collaboration with colleagues such as physicians, other nurses, and allied health professionals is much easier to accomplish. Everyone is accessing the same information and providing real-time updates.
As technology continues to develop and advance over the next decade or two, EMRs will find a way to support nurses even more in their day-to-day duty as bedside caregivers. And if you don’t have to put as much energy into charting, you can focus on what is important to you—your patients feel safe, respected, and cared for, and that trust in care extends into their entire healthcare experience, especially in the organizational aspect of their day.