IMPROVE WORKFLOW WITH ENHANCEMENTS TO SUNRISE™ CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT
By Kevin Lonergan
Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools in Sunrise™ Enterprise 5.0 have been enhanced to provide
more customization of application functionality and allow organizations to build more tailored
configuration exclusive to their workflows.
Medical Language Modules (MLMs) and Objects+ can now be used by facilities or departments to
automate workflows that cannot effectively be met with core functionality. This is especially
important in high volume areas, such as the Emergency Department, where adoption is dependent on
an efficient user experience. It will also become increasingly important as the use of Eclipsys
solutions expands internationally and there is a need to meet wider variations in practice
standards and workflow.
Some major enhancements to MLMs functionality in 5.0 include the ability to:
- enter orders automatically, even without any user intervention
- perform advanced calculations and field validation on clinical documentation structured
notes and flowsheets (i.e., ‘called MLMs’)
- add, modify, discontinue, and delete ‘Health Issues’, ‘Care Providers’, and ‘Significant
Events’
- trigger MLM alerts at application login
Although these enhancements may seem minor, they create some exciting new possibilities that
greatly improve user satisfaction. There are many ways these new features can improve processes,
here are a few:
- Create orders automatically based on documentation
- RN protocol orders could be recommended and submitted automatically based on a
patient’s documented admission assessment, acuity, or other documented vitals. This
would ensure adherence to an organization’s protocols. For example, a patient that is
identified as a regular smoker could automatically be enrolled in the Smoking Cessation
Protocol. This may involve a referral order to an anti-smoking program or educator, as
well as an order for a nicotine package and these orders could be submitted automatically
after an RN saves the admission assessment.
- Configuration and policy change communications
- Application login alerts will commonly be used to alert physicians about large
numbers of unsigned orders. They could also be used to alert users of configuration
updates or policy changes that are specifically relevant to them. This is more effective
then e-mail or other common forms of communication because the viewing and
acknowledgement of these alerts can be made mandatory and would be formally logged in
the same manner as other CDS alerts.
- Associate resident to attending care providers on patient chart
- The appropriate Attending Physician could be added automatically to a patient’s
chart when a Resident is added. This linkage could be based on any number of custom data
sources or logic within Sunrise™ itself to suggest the appropriate proctor.
- Improve entry of automatically calculated observations
- Some types of observations should be automatically calculated without user
intervention (e.g., Gestational Age) and do not lend themselves well to the existing
calculated observations/auto enter functionality. Using MLMs instead, you can ensure
that observations are documented automatically and the proper protocols are followed.
As always, the use of MLMs and other custom functionality needs to be carefully evaluated.
Proper planning, testing, implementation, and post-implementation support are crucial to make
effective use of the new enhancements to these tools – and in some cases, to determine that
alternate approaches are more effective or sustainable. It is also important to closely follow
Eclipsys’ development plans to ensure solutions are in-line with future core functionality.
Some organizations believe that Sunrise™ applications are just not designed to meet their
workflow. This is often a result of poor configuration, or they are not making use of the tools
available to them, including MLMs and Objects+. It is crucial to ensure that you have the right
mix of technical staff that is sufficiently trained to take advantage of the new CDS
enhancements. It is equally as important that all analysts in your organization are well versed
in the power of MLMs and Objects+ to meet unique end user and business requirements.
For more tips on how MLMs and Objects+ can improve your workflow, contact us at 610-444-1233
or visit our website at www.getvitalized.com