Technology in Practice
By Paul E. Prusakowski, CPO, FAAOP
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Reviewing product information at a manufacturer's website with a patient while in the patient room. |
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You probably already have computers in many areas
of your practice, but have you ever considered putting them in your
patient rooms? With the price of computers dropping all the time,
it is not that expensive to put a system in each room to provide
you with direct access to information while you are working with
your patient. Include a widescreen LCD monitor and a set of
speakers to create a versatile system that looks very
professional.
For placement, you may already have a good location, or there
are some nice rolling computer desks available that allow you to
move the computer out of the way and ensure that you never have to
turn your back to the patient while accessing the computer. The rolling desk I use in my practice is available
at this link.
There are a number of things that I regularly use the computer
for in the patient rooms. Here are some of the most common
functions:
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Recording patient measurements in the electronic chart. |
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Electronic charting: the primary
purpose of the systems in my patient rooms is to fill out my
clinical evaluations, measurements, fabrication work orders, and
patient notes, as well as have access to historical information on
each patient.
Discussing options with patients: Having
immediate access to relevant websites to discuss orthotic and
prosthetic options with patients is very helpful in describing what
your treatment plans will be. Printing the pages for the patients
allows them to take something home with them to get a better
understanding of what they will be receiving from you.
Patient education: You can create patient
education PowerPoint presentations that can be viewed by your
patient with or without you in the room with them. Also taking
patients to advocacy and support sites such as the Amputee
Coalition of America's website opens up the world to your
patients.
Ordering supplies: I order components for the
patient while I am in the room with them to make sure that it gets
done in a timely manner. For example, if I need to order new
liners or suspension sleeves for a patient, I don't let them leave
the patient room until I have confirmed that the order was placed
online. That way they know it was done, and there are no surprises
when they come back for their next appointment.
Entertaining patients: I keep a selection of
interesting BBC and National Geographic movies for patients to
watch in their rooms while we are busy working on extensive
repairs. A comfortable chair, interesting movies, and a cup of
coffee help make the time fly by quicker than flipping through old
copies of Time magazine.
Communicating with other staff members: We use
Instant Messaging in my office as well, so if I need my secretary
to take care of something for me while I am in the room with the
patient, I can quickly send her an instant message and not have to
leave the room.
There are a number of other benefits to having a computer in
each of your patient rooms, and it all depends upon how you choose
to take advantage of the resources that are available to you. Keep
in mind presentation and mobility so that you can use the system in
a streamlined way, and be sure to have your IT specialist fine tune
your security settings to prevent access to areas of your network
that should remain confidential.
Table Of Contents - March 2008
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