MTW IT Service Desk

Step

Tips/notes

1

If a patient’s clinical observation frequency timer on the tracking board needs adjusting for a clinical reason, a special observations order can be used.

From the ward tracking board, select the patient you require and check the details in the patient banner

2

Click on the ‘Enter Order’ icon from the main toolbar

3

With the Order Entry Worksheet open, in the search field, type ‘Special’ and the 4 Special Observation orders will appear below

4

Special Observation Orders

Adult Post-Op

Clinical observations will be due every 15 minutes for first hour, every 30 minutes for second hour, then hourly until order completed OR clinical override order placed

Blood Transfusion

Clinical observations will be due every 15 minutes for first hour, then hourly until blood order completed to indicate end of blood observations OR clinical override order placed

Clinical Override

Clinical observations will be due every 15 minutes until order is completed.

End of Life

Stops the countdown in the NEWS2 Freq column

5

Select the Special Observation order you require and click on the ‘Add’ button (there is no order form to complete), the order is added directly to the bottom of the Order Entry Worksheet

Submit the Order Request and you will return to the ward tracking board

6

With the patient still in context, under the Special Obs column, the appropriate icon to match the request will be displayed and in the NEWS2 Frequency column the timer will have changed the countdown to when the next set of clinical observations are due.  Examples of special obs icons:

Adult Post-Op

Blood Transfusion

Clinical Override

End of Life

Note – the Special Observation order will continue until the request is completed

7

Remember that when the clinical observations are getting closer, the cell will turn green and when the clinical observations are overdue the timer goes into a negative and the cell turns red

8

If the Special Observation order is not required anymore, with the patient in context, click on the ‘Orders’ tab

9

With the Orders tab displayed, select the Special Observation order under the Referrals section on the Orders Summary and notice that the status of the order is Active

10

Right click anywhere along the row of the order and from the menu options select ‘Complete’

11

The status of the order now shows as ‘Completed’ under the Order Status column with the Stop date and time

12

Return to the Tracking Boards tab and the NEWS2 Frequency timer reverts back to that indicated by the NEWS2 Score