Citing insufficient training, system shortfalls and the hospital’s failure to involve direct-care nurses in the implementation process, RNs at the 266-bed Affinity Medical Center in northern Ohio have asked hospital officials to delay the rollout of its new Cerner electronic medical records system.
The 250 or so direct-care nurses at AMC, represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee — a national union representing nurses — have attempted to postpone the EMR go-live date, which is slated for June 21.
“Nurses are very disturbed that the hospital would fundamentally alter the practice of nursing at Affinity Medical Center without consulting and including direct-care RNs in this process,” Affinity RN Facility Bargaining Council wrote in a June 14 letter sent to AMC chief nursing officer William Osterman — and obtained by Healthcare IT News.
Nurses also called into question the safety of such a system that prevents registered nurses from overriding the EMR in many cases.
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Date: June 20, 2013