‘Good training’ key to making computer system work: Chaggares
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - Natalie Miller
Good training, goal setting and developing timelines helped make the transition from paper trail to computers a successful one at Springdale Country Manor, says the home’s administrator.

Pauline Chaggares

For five years now, employees at the Springville long-term care home have been using computers for resident data and care plans. Pauline Chaggares, administrator and director of care, says the transition went well but there was an adjustment period.

OMNI is working with Mississauga-based Wescom Solutions Inc., a health care software solutions provider, to introduce software called PointClickCare.com to all homes by year’s end. The long-term care provider has invested more than $150,000 in start-up technological costs, which included supplying an average of two computers per home, bringing the Internet to those homes and linking them to a network.

Springdale is the only home currently using computers for resident charting and care plans and will be the first to receive the PointClickCare.com software. After piloting the new software, training will begin in OMNI homes with the goal of having staff on computers by year’s end.

When computers were first introduced at Springdale, it was a learning process for management and registered staff, says Pauline. She notes while some people were computer literate others had never turned on a computer before.

“It was a gradual turnover,” says Pauline.

“Change is a challenge for everybody. This was a major challenge.”

Pauline says Springdale developed a schedule and a plan for getting the new system into place. Staff entered resident data into the system, transferred care plans and developed new ones on a continuing basis until all of the necessary information was entered.

Staff members were invited to explore the computers and “super-users” were trained to help those who were intimidated by the new system, says Pauline.

Staff using the computer outnumbers the four computers the home has so job routines were shifted to incorporate the computer time necessary for charting. Pauline says having the data on the computer makes for more legible information and it’s quicker to pull up the necessary information. However, the length of charting time depends on the computer skills of the individual who’s entering the data.

Throughout the transition, Pauline says, “the staff helped each other. Everybody helped everybody else.”

As OMNI homes prepare to make the changeover, Pauline’s advice for other managers is “good training. Provide lots of training,” she says. “Make a plan, set goals and timelines and follow through.”