Need Pain re-assessment icon in EDIS notifications on Tracking Board

There is a critical patient safety concern regarding the functionality of the Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) currently in use. As it stands, all medication orders in EDIS are automatically designated as one-time STAT orders. This system configuration fails to prompt nurses to perform essential pre-medication pain assessments and does not provide notifications for the necessary reassessment of pain following medication administration.

This gap in functionality poses a significant risk to patient safety, especially given that a substantial number of Emergency Department (ED) patients present with acute pain and require Schedule II or III controlled medications for pain management. Ensuring these patients receive the same standard of care as inpatients is imperative. For inpatients, nurses are prompted at the time of medication administration to do the pre-assessment, and a notification icon appears on the tracking board to alert nurses when a pain reassessment is due. However, this crucial safety feature of pre-medication assessment is absent from the X1 medication orders and the re-assessment notification is not available on the ED tracking board, even when the medication order frequency is adjusted to a PRN (as needed) timeframe.

To address this pressing issue, we urgently need the EDIS to incorporate the following functionalities for all pain medications, regardless of whether they are one-time orders:

1. Pre-Medication Pain Assessment Prompt: Nurses must be prompted to perform a pain assessment before administering pain medications. This ensures that the medication is appropriate for the patient's current pain level and condition.

2. Pain Reassessment Notification: An alert icon should appear on the ED tracking board to remind nurses to reassess the patient's pain following medication administration. This reassessment is crucial to determine the effectiveness of the pain management plan and to make necessary adjustments.

Implementing these features will not only enhance the quality of care provided in the ED but also align the safety standards for ED patients with those for inpatients. The absence of these functionalities can lead to inadequate pain management, delayed reassessment, and potential harm to patients, undermining the overall goal of patient-centered care.

We urge you to prioritize these enhancements in the EDIS to safeguard our patients and ensure that our healthcare providers are equipped with the necessary tools to deliver high-quality, safe, and effective care.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this critical matter. We look forward to your prompt response and action to address these patient safety concerns.