At JMH, it's electronic: officials say the switch makes patient care more comprehensive; up next is using Meditech systems to monitor medication online.

The nursing staff and members of other clinical disciplines at Johnston Memorial Hospital are proud to have made the successful conversion from paper to electronic documentation. Since late 1999, patient medical-record keeping has evolved to a fully integrated electronic medical-record system.

Using the Meditech Information Systems, clinicians in inpatient and outpatient care electronically place orders, document patient assessments and treatments and initiate plans of care online. More than 500 nurses and 120 physicians at the hospital, as well as other clinicians including respiratory therapists, physical therapists, dieticians, speech therapists, case managers, pharmacists, radiology technicians and laboratory personnel enter patient data into the Meditech system. Its Enterprise Medical Record represents a single source for viewing all relevant patient information from all these aspects of clinical care. Complete visit histories are electronically stored for each patient over the course of an entire lifetime. The information contained in the EMR is updated on a real-time basis. Whenever an order is placed or a test is conducted, the patient's record of care is automatically updated and available to all clinicians involved in the delivery of the patient's care.

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Johnston Memorial Hospital Nursing Informatics Specialist and Registered Nurse Sylvia Hines has led the charge for the conversion of online clinical documentation. Hines, who has also earned a master's degree in nursing, admits the task has been a challenge and credits the staff for the success of the project. Online clinical documentation is being used with wireless carts at patient bedsides throughout patient-care...