Northern Health’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is due to go live on 4 September 2023! In approximately eight months, staff in the emergency department, any inpatient setting, and ambulatory (maternity) will be transitioning from paper-based documentation to ‘paper-light’ documentation, primarily using workstations on wheels (WOWs) to document patient clinical data into the EMR.

From using new devices and workflows to deliver patient care, administering medications using barcode scanning, to documenting patient information in near ‘real time’, this implementation will be a significant change for Northern Health staff and consumers. Last year, the team had the privilege of speaking with some of our executives and staff members about what EMR will mean for them as individuals, cohorts, and the organisation as a whole. Today, we are delighted to share this video so you can hear firsthand what EMR means for them in their own words.

Lucia Bento, Site Director of Broadmeadows and Director of Nursing, says, “With the EMR going live in September, for my staff and I, it will mean there will be less paper-based charts with most documentation being completed in the EMR. Our staff will also be able to access specific patient charts to prepare beds, medications, and much more, before the patient is transferred to our site.”

Vallavan Kulasekaran, Medication Management Software Pharmacist, says, “For pharmacists specifically, we will be able to verify medication charts and drug orders using the EMR. I am really excited about the EMR because it will come with a lot of benefits. In the long run, I think it is important for everyone to remember that EMR is built with decision support tools, like allergy checking, and duplicate drug checking, but remember that this doesn’t replace our clinical decisions and the need for clinicians.”

Visit the EMR website to find out more about the EMR and the benefits it will bring to you, your area of work, and the organisation. Reach out to the team by emailing NH-EMRQuestion@nh.org.au.