Changes to Clinical Work

CST is transforming health care delivery systems and processes to improve the safety, quality and consistency of the patient and caregiver experience.

What this means for clinical work:

  • Real-time electronic charting at the point of care, enabling more immediate information about a patient’s condition (e.g. symptoms of sepsis)
  • Common clinical and process standards across VCH, PHSA and PHC (including workflows and integrated plans of care).
  • Clinical decision support tools including reminders for preventive care, alerts about potentially dangerous situations, evidence-based clinical guidelines, condition-specific order sets and more.
  • Computerized provider order entry: medications and other instructions will be entered directly into the information system and will immediately become part of the patient’s record.
  • Closed loop medication management in acute care facilities: a fully electronic process to help improve patient safety by making sure each medication is prescribed and given to the right patient, in the right dose, at the right time, with the right documentation.

Clinicians will start using CST Cerner when their site goes live and…

  • Access electronic patient records using single sign-on
  • Have WOWs, MDCs and other new devices they need, tap and go functionality and reliable WiFi
  • Use electronic staff assignment tool (CareCompass) to assign patients/rooms/ beds to clinicians and electronic task list tool to prioritize patient care activities
  • Review/complete orders, view related results electronically and receive electronic consults
  • Access the electronic MAR to document medication administration using closed loop process
  • Use Sunquest Clinical Collect (in some areas) to scan the patient’s armband and label specimen collection at the bedside
  • Place orders for nurse-initiated protocols or urgent verbal orders where CPOE is not possible
  • Ensure electronic order exists for point-of-care testing or create one before sending to the lab
  • Document and sign all notes in the clinical information system to make them viewable
  • Review and validate home medications to ensure best possible medication history (BPMH) is completed for all inpatients (done by Nursing and Pharmacy Technicians where possible)
  • Use a patient summary (mPage) for consistent handover of patient care at shift change/transitions