"We implemented CPSI's Point of Care at Mid Coast Hospital in November 2002. All of the nursing units except our Emergency Department use Point of Care for their nursing documentation (ICU, Behavioral Health, Ambulatory Care, Outpatient Procedures, PACU, OR, OB, Nursery, and Med-Surg). The ancillary departments using Point of Care for inpatient documentation include Rehab Services (Speech, PT, OT), Cardiopulmonary, Pharmacy, and Food and Nutrition Services.

"CPSI provides excellent customer service and responsiveness. The positive impact of Point of Care on patient care and nursing practice is notable. The most outstanding benefit to patients with the system is the safety features of the medication administration component, which have helped to prevent medication errors. Overall, clinical staff members have adapted and integrated Point of Care into their practice and are documenting very well. The addition of Point of Care Ad Hoc Reports has had a positive impact enabling departments to collect and report on their statistics and QI initiatives. The following statements from our clinical staff members support these statements:

"I really like the system. I find that entering the Pharmacy orders and having an electronic MAR saves me time. It is also easier to read." (Med-Surg)

"I find my documentation is more accurate and concise as I am prompted to document a more in-depth, detailed note than I was with the written record." (Med-Surg)

"I think the system is user friendly and I like that it triggers me to document all aspects of the patient's care." (ACU)

" We are much better at documenting our education as it is part of our daily flowsheet. With POC AD Hoc Reports, we are able to pull data directly from our flowsheets for QI studies." (ICU)

"It is easier to interpret what the patient has received for meds by reviewing the MAR. The documentation is neater and easier to read. Daily documentation has actually improved." (Psychiatry)

"Unlike the paper record, even if someone else is reviewing patient documentation, I have access to view data or document on my patient." (ACU)

"We now have an integrated system so that nursing and pharmacy have identical MARs and Pharmacy Profile. With the paper system, these could be quite different and neither party would know. The pharmacy is also able to control the timing of meds, for instance, assuring that a med that is to be given with food is timed with mealtimes or assuring that drugs that interact with others are not scheduled to be given at the same time." (Pharmacist)