Bryce & Dawna Wedding

The wedding was wonderful ! Someone needs to teach me how to download a slideshow...I have tons of pictures from the big day!

9 months since my last post....pretty pathetic

Wow- pretty sad. I never did get my Christmas stuff put away (its still sitting out in the basement). I figure that at this point I might as well just start getting ready to put it up again. What a year.....and dang how fast it has gone by! Now we can start preparing for PRE-Christmacidal Attackacardia.....

Post-Christmacidal Attackacardia

Well, Its time to start putting away the Christmas stuff until next year and reflecting on 2008 as we ring in 2009. Ron informed me this morning that he was experiencing some "Post- Christmacidal Attackacardia". As many of you know, our little family is known to come up with some interesting diseases....like "Herpagonasyphilitis" (courtesy of Jay). I had a wonderful Christmas because I was able to spend time with everyone and enjoy watching the grandbabies play with one another. I received some wonderful and thoughtful presents- but the best was to be together and laugh. Santa did not bring me the hysterectomy I wanted, but Ron keeps looking online and shopping for it. He tells me that they are all out of my size .....medium since I have an NBU uterus (Never-Been-Used). The Xlarge is abundant, butI guess I'll have to wait until next year when they get some more mediums. I am very grateful that my friend Carolyn got her new knees this year and that Aubrey got her refurbished knee (retread)...but I guess Santa missed Ron's new butt again this year. I am so thankfull that a fresh new year has begun and an opportunity to be ever more grateful to my Heavenly Father for all the blessings he has given me and my family. Happy New Year everyone!

I'd post a slideshow....but it won't load !

McMillan Christmas Party

Thanks for responding...

Okay goofy kids.....you commented on my homework! I accidently posted an online course assignment on my personal Blog instead of my school one !

BLOG ENTRIES FOR MODULE 1

Well...I did not finish the real blog assignment so I better get on it ! I sincerely believe that proper use of IT resources and good information management systems are critical to success in any health-related field (medicine or nursing). As the complexities of our health care system increase, we must acknowledge that the capabilities of human information processing are going to fall short. Our brain can only synthesize so much data and it will inevitably cause a significant gap between what we need to know- and what we are capable of integrating. Well designed systems must take over where the limits of our brain fail. I think this is true of many professions and not just nursing.
In my particular clinical setting (Expresscare) we use a database developed specifically for our clinics (5 of them) that is integrated (we can see and utilize each others data). We have templates that standardize what information is placed in the patient record and fields in in our coding areas (ICD 9 diagnoses) and service levels that limit our options. You are unable to get past certain fields without filling them out so it does force certain data points to be completed. The fundamental problem with this system is that it is not integrated or linked to the other (IHC) systems that contain patient data. The implication for pt care is that critical information may be missed and other service providers may have no knowledge of our interventions. At some future point this issue will be resolved and pt interactions will be accessible to a greater number of providers. This does not completely solve many of the quality concerns, but it does move us closer to an integrated health record. Standardization of evidence-based practice models (or care process models) becoming more formalized within the system can significantly improve patient care (because it can decrease variability between treatment regimens and diagnosis between providers).

Gavin McMillan hanging out with Grandpa...

Myla playing with Grandpa.