Pre-op forms: can't take it anymore

[soorg]

Why oh why do we have to fill these god-awful forms out for every case?!

Is the ASA hell-bent on driving us insane?

Most of the information on any given pre-op form is re-written on the anesthesia record, so what gives?

I understand doing it for bigger cases, but not when you're stuck doing something like endo/cataracts. Filling out these stupid forms, in addition to the anesthesia record every 15 minutes in between rapid-fire cases is idiotic.

Can we stop this madness?

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[deleted171991]

Can you be more specific, please?

 

[Idiopathic]

its a requirement for cms compliance and billing purposes that every case have a unique preop evaluation done with in 30 days of the case, i believe

 

[ruralsurg4now]

Why oh why do we have to fill these god-awful forms out for every case?!

Just fill them out very poorly. For example, when I do an EGD, I have to fill out ten forms. So I just fill them out really incompetently. My hospital forces us, for example to fill out a DVT form, even for EGDs, so I check off "no prophylaxis" and under "reason:" I write "don't need." After a while it gets sort of amusing, actually.

 

[Dejavu]

Just fill them out very poorly. For example, when I do an EGD, I have to fill out ten forms. So I just fill them out really incompetently. My hospital forces us, for example to fill out a DVT form, even for EGDs, so I check off "no prophylaxis" and under "reason:" I write "don't need." After a while it gets sort of amusing, actually.

I'll give you a dime to a doughnut that no one ever reads what you write. They just look to see that the papers are present, then, like all administrators and government employees, they are happy. Seen it over and over again in my time.

 

[ruralsurg4now]

I'll give you a dime to a doughnut that no one ever reads what you write. They just look to see that the papers are present, then, like all administrators and government employees, they are happy. Seen it over and over again in my time.

I know. If I see a patient in the ER and take them directly to surgery, I have to fill out a form that says "no changes in history" or "changes in history, as follows." Every so often I want to check off "changes in history, as follows" and write something like "now a woman" or "has two heads."

 

[jwk]

Why oh why do we have to fill these god-awful forms out for every case?!

Is the ASA hell-bent on driving us insane?

Most of the information on any given pre-op form is re-written on the anesthesia record, so what gives?

I understand doing it for bigger cases, but not when you're stuck doing something like endo/cataracts. Filling out these stupid forms, in addition to the anesthesia record every 15 minutes in between rapid-fire cases is idiotic.

Can we stop this madness?

How many forms do you have? We have an anesthesia pre-op form, pre-op and post-op orders that are all check-boxes, an anesthesia consent, and the anesthesia record. We have a MAC pre-op form for eyes and GI cases that is primarily check-boxes, since those cases are short duration-high volume. What else do you need? Antibiotic orders? Surgeon problem. DVT orders? Surgeon problem. We will be totally EMR by the end of the year - any info entered in one form e.g. height, weight, allergies, med list, etc., will be automatically entered into any other form/screen that requires that same info.

 

[Gasworks]

I have never heard of such a thing.. sounds like the nurses and surgeons got administration to dump their paperwork on you.

 

[deleted171991]

Is the OP pissed that he has to actually document his anesthesia H&P, assessment and plan on a form, instead of just 2 lines on the anesthesia record? If that's the case, I cannot sympathize.

 

[soorg]

That's fine-I don't want your sympathy. I'm just tired of redundant paperwork. In some places I work, there's six forms to fill out for each patient. I went to medical school for this?!

 

[aneftp]

Wait until you see some electronic pre op anesthesia forums. You'll be begging for your paper version you hate so much.

I can't stand the electronic pre op forums. Too much clutter.

 

[deleted171991]

That's fine-I don't want your sympathy. I'm just tired of redundant paperwork. In some places I work, there's six forms to fill out for each patient. I went to medical school for this?!

Sorry, I was rude. I hate paperwork, too, and the bureaucrats in "management" positions who invent them. The day our EMR went down, everything was a pain, although we had our old paper forms.

 

[soorg]

No worries.

 

[deleted9493]

I have to sign the anesthesia consent and then update a pre-completed electronic note that is auto populated with the patient's history/labs with my exam/assessment/plan. Comparatively speaking, others have gone through training of similar duration and have far more paperwork that we do, on average.