[civilized]

I wonder if part of the issue is having to remember a bunch of random things about a bunch of different people so that you can apply the information at the relevant time. E.g. the left arm is easier to find a vein, but this information is only useful for 30 seconds a day during a blood draw, so it's hard for people to remember or even retrieve (how much notes do you have to read through to find this info?)

If the info were somehow magically there when needed, it would be used, right?

[Aeolun]

Like, google glasses but for ICU workers?

[civilized]

I was gonna say augmented reality, but there are probably low-tech options that could do the trick.

I would start with "sticky note on the relevant machine" type interventions first.

[ler_]

Your comment made me think about this for a bit. It is almost fun imagining something like seeing a short little warning floating up in the air above a patient's arm, saying "blood draws from here". It would be pretty darn cool. If this were possible, it would be worth seeing how much it helps with continuity of care.

To let my imagination run a little wilder, I tried to think of what a system like that would be in practice, and how it relates to the problems that we currently face with the systems we already have. As much as it would be interesting to have all that information available through some sort of AR, there are really three important things that I would like to see about a patient: code status, vital signs and how they get up from bed.

It's really crazy to me how even the simplest of stuff is buried in a chart or EMR. Most do show the patients code status easily, but quite often it is in a small little font beside not-quite-as-relevant stuff like their marital status and what type of insurance they have. Why isn't this in big bold red letters in every room and in every chart as soon as you open up a document? Even for vital signs you have to click through two or three different things to get the information you need (but thank goodness I get to see some stuff right away, like that ICD-10 code for unspecified follow up for dietary counseling!)

One thing I think a lot of people may also not realize is how little information a nurse often has to go off of when walking into a room. If I am answering a call light for a patient who is not one my assigned ones, and they are screaming that they need to go to the bathroom yesterday, and you see them with both feet planted on the floor ready to get up, you have a quick second to think about a few different things. 1) How alert is this patient? 2) How mobile are they, do we need two people in the room? 3) Is this someone with a massive diabetic ulcer who wasn't supposed to be putting any pressure on that heel at all and they are about to do just that? Of course, you can look at the whiteboard, but you better pray that it's updated haha.

So, going back to the AR stuff. If I could have a snapshot of all this information as soon as I walked into a room, it would be a life saver, especially for situations like the above.