Inpatient management

This section covers the management of inpatients within 4Geeks Health. Inpatient management involves the processes and workflows associated with admitting patients to the hospital for overnight stays, managing their care while admitted, and coordinating their discharge.

Overview of Inpatient Management¶

Inpatient management in 4Geeks Health provides a comprehensive system for tracking patients from admission to discharge. It integrates with other modules, such as Patient Records, Appointments (for pre-admission planning), Laboratory, Pharmacy, and Billing. Key features include:

• Admissions: Formal process of accepting a patient for inpatient care.
• Bed Management: Assigning and tracking bed occupancy within the hospital.
• Inpatient Care: Managing the patient’s medical care, including orders, medications, and progress notes, while they are admitted.
• Discharge: Planning and executing the patient’s release from the hospital.

Accessing Inpatient Management¶

You can usually access Inpatient Management features through:

1. Navigation Menu:

   • Look for an “Inpatient,” “Admissions,” “Bed Management,” or similar option in the main navigation menu.
   • Clicking this option may lead to a submenu with specific inpatient functions.

2. Patient Record:

   • From a patient’s record, there may be options to initiate an admission or view existing inpatient records.

Admissions¶

The admission process formally registers a patient for inpatient care and assigns them to a bed.

1. Initiating an Admission¶

There are several ways to start an admission:

• From the Navigation Menu:
  • Select “Inpatient” -> “New Admission” (or similar wording).
• From a Patient Record:
  • While viewing a patient’s record, click an “Admit Patient” or similar button.
• From an Outpatient Visit (if applicable):
  • If a patient is being admitted directly from an outpatient visit, there may be an option to convert the visit to an inpatient admission.

2. The Admission Form¶

The admission form collects essential information for the inpatient stay. Key fields may include:

• Patient *: Select the patient from the patient list. Mandatory.
• Admitting Practitioner *: Select the physician responsible for the patient’s care. Mandatory.
• Admission Date and Time *: The date and time the patient is officially admitted. Mandatory.
• Admission Type: (e.g., Emergency, Elective, Urgent).
• Admitting Diagnosis: The primary reason for the patient’s admission.
• Expected Length of Stay: An estimate of how long the patient is expected to be hospitalized.
• Ward/Department: Select the ward or department where the patient will be located.
• Bed: Assign a bed to the patient (see Bed Management below).
• Insurance Information: (If not already on file) Collect details about the patient’s insurance coverage.
• Consent Forms: Indicate whether necessary consent forms have been signed.
• Notes: Any additional notes relevant to the admission.

3. Saving the Admission¶

• Review: Carefully review all entered information.
• Save: Click the “Save,” “Admit Patient,” or similar button.

4. After Admission¶

• Inpatient Record: An inpatient record (or “encounter”) is created for the patient. This record will be used to track all aspects of their care during the hospitalization.
• Bed Assignment: The patient is assigned to the selected bed.
• Alerts/Notifications: The system may generate alerts or notifications to relevant staff (e.g., nurses, pharmacy).

Bed Management¶

Bed management allows you to track bed availability and assign beds to patients.

1. Accessing Bed Management¶

• Navigation Menu: Look for a “Bed Management,” “Bed Board,” or similar option.
• From the Admission Form: The admission form may have an integrated bed selection tool.

2. The Bed Board/View¶

The bed management view typically displays:

• List of Wards/Departments: A hierarchical view of the hospital’s units.
• List of Beds: Within each ward, a list of beds, often with their status (e.g., Occupied, Vacant, Cleaning Required, Out of Service).
• Occupancy Information: For occupied beds, the patient’s name, ID, and possibly other details (e.g., admitting diagnosis, length of stay).
• Visual Indicators: Color-coding or icons may be used to represent bed status.

3. Assigning a Bed¶

• During Admission: The most common way to assign a bed is during the admission process (as described above).
• Manual Assignment: You may also be able to manually assign or change a patient’s bed from the bed management view:
  • Select the desired bed.
  • Click an “Assign Patient” or similar button.
  • Select the patient from the patient list.
  • Save the changes.

4. Changing Bed Status¶

• You can usually change the status of a bed (e.g., from Vacant to Occupied, from Occupied to Cleaning Required).
• Select the bed.
• Click an option to change the status (the available options will depend on your system’s configuration).

5. Bed Blocking¶

• Some systems allow you to “block” beds (e.g., for maintenance or infection control). Blocked beds are typically unavailable for assignment.

Inpatient Care (During Hospitalization)¶

While a patient is admitted, various healthcare professionals will manage their care using the inpatient record. This includes:

• Progress Notes: Physicians and other providers document the patient’s progress, assessments, and plans.
• Medication Orders: Prescribing and administering medications. This integrates with the Pharmacy module.
• Lab Orders: Ordering and reviewing laboratory tests. This integrates with the Laboratory (LIS) module.
• Other Orders: Ordering other procedures (e.g., imaging, consultations).
• Nursing Care: Nurses document their assessments, interventions, and patient care activities.
• Care Plans: Developing and managing individualized care plans for the patient.
• Vital Signs: Regularly monitoring and recording the patient’s vital signs.

Discharge¶

The discharge process involves planning and coordinating the patient’s release from the hospital.

1. Initiating Discharge Planning¶

• Discharge Order: The attending physician typically initiates the discharge process by writing a discharge order.
• Discharge Planning Meeting: A multidisciplinary team (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) may meet to discuss the patient’s discharge needs.

2. The Discharge Form/Process¶

• Access: There may be a dedicated “Discharge” section within the inpatient record or a separate “Discharge” module.
• Key Information:
  • Discharge Date and Time: The actual date and time the patient is discharged.
  • Discharge Disposition: Where the patient is going after discharge (e.g., Home, Skilled Nursing Facility, Rehabilitation Center).
  • Discharge Medications: A list of medications the patient should take after discharge. This often generates a discharge prescription.
  • Follow-up Appointments: Schedule any necessary follow-up appointments with physicians or other providers.
  • Discharge Instructions: Provide written instructions to the patient regarding medications, diet, activity restrictions, wound care, and when to seek medical attention.
  • Discharge Summary: A summary of the patient’s hospitalization, including diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes. This is often a required document.
  • Final Diagnosis: Confirm the diagnosis.

3. Completing the Discharge¶

• Review: Ensure all necessary information is complete and accurate.
• Finalize: Click a “Discharge,” “Complete Discharge,” or similar button.
• Record Update: The inpatient record is updated to reflect the discharge, and the patient’s status is changed.
• Bed Status: The assigned bed may automatically become vacant or be marked for cleaning.

Important Considerations¶

• Workflow: Understand your organization’s specific inpatient workflow. There may be variations in the order of steps and required fields.
• User Permissions: Different user roles will have different levels of access to inpatient management features.
• Integration: Inpatient management is tightly integrated with other modules, such as Patient Records, Appointments, Laboratory, Pharmacy, and Billing.
• Compliance: Ensure that all processes and documentation comply with relevant regulations (e.g., HIPAA, Joint Commission).
• Training: Proper training is essential for all staff involved in inpatient management.

This documentation provides a comprehensive overview of inpatient management within 4Geeks Health. Remember to adapt any specific field names, button labels, or steps to match your organization’s customized configuration.