Busy service, best ways to keep track of patients

[Espressso]

Just started a busy EM rotation. What's the best tips/tricks to keep up with the patients on the floor? I'm looking for both a way to easily go back to a patient when presenting and have the info laid out in a well organized manner. After day one, I've realized my normal way of scribbling things down all over the place is just not efficient.

I'd like to have a more organized system to jot down notes when I'm in a room with a patient and also a summary page or something for the patients I'm seeing on the service.

Any input would be great

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[IMGASMD]

Take a patient sticker and write the cc and pertinent positives in it. Or on index cards.

You have to start learning what to write down and what to present when it’s a busy service.

Depends on if you’re M3. I’d probably say 2, at most 3.

 

[southflorida1107]

Just started a busy EM rotation. What's the best tips/tricks to keep up with the patients on the floor? I'm looking for both a way to easily go back to a patient when presenting and have the info laid out in a well organized manner. After day one, I've realized my normal way of scribbling things down all over the place is just not efficient.

I'd like to have a more organized system to jot down notes when I'm in a room with a patient and also a summary page or something for the patients I'm seeing on the service.

Any input would be great

Try to memorize the info as much as possible and just jot down the small details specific to each patient. Also including a list of labs that you need so you can cross off as they get resulted would help. But try to get in the habit of going off memory

 

[jurassicpark]

back in the old days, I carried a clipboard. On that clipboard I kept a copy of the daily progress notes of my patients, any pertinent lab or radiology reports, consultant notes, etc. I also carried a copy of the rounding list, so as we rounded and the attending said what they wanted, I jotted notes next to each patient.