Rounds - Then and Now

Daily rounds - when doctors go to check on their patients and develop a therapeutic plan - have changed. A few short years ago, your list was developed containing the room room number, patient's name, diagnosis and looked something like this:

Room 2300 - Smith, Tom - CHF, Aortic stenosis
Room 2304 - Jones, Rhonda - s/p Acute MI, PCI
Room 4023 - Callahan, Robert - Atrial fibrillation
... and so on.

But now, our rounds have changed. We get to work, log on to the computer, and are greeted to this:

Addendum Notification Copy (1)
CC'd Charts (5)
Open Charts
Letters (1)
Covered Work
ED Follow-up (2)
Hospital ADT (4)
Incomplete Notes
Medication Cosign (15)
My Open Encounters (3)
Letters - Unsent (2)
Order Cosign (55)
Overdue Results (20)
Patient Call (3)
Patient Message
Phone Calls
Pre-Surgery Notification (12)
Result Notes (3)
Results (55)
Review Reports (4)
Staff Message (4)
Transcription Copy
Verbal Order Cosign (2)
Deficiency Letters (1)
Chart Deficiencies (1)

So if inpatients ever wonder where their doctors are, they should probably check one of the computer terminals.

After all, we're making rounds, 2009-style.

-Wes