Continuity of Coverage
Patient lists, when automatically populated, depend upon patient attachments. However, attachments can change when prescribers change assignments, on-call responsibilities, or responsibility for absent colleagues.
Connect Care is not used to manage prescriber coverage schedules at this time. Each AHS facility has processes for discovering who is on-call for a clinical service at any point in time. The latest schedules are usually available via facility switchboard (locating) services. Changes to call or service schedules must be communicated to those maintaining the call schedule, whatever else is done in Connect Care.
Within Connect Care, prescribers can make it easier for team members to know who to call by using in-system tools to reflect assigned responsibilities, handovers and cross-covering arrangements. There is no one way to use these tools. It is essential that local groups forge a clear understanding about how prescribers will manage sign-overs within Connect Care.
Inpatient Coverage Changes
Care Team, Patient List and Provider Team tools can help manage attending prescriber attachments for inpatients.
Care Teams (with Inpatient Treatment Team)
This tool is available via the StoryBoard, always present in the leftmost column of a patient chart. Hover over the attending name to view inpatient "Treatment Team" attachments and click on the same area to open the Care Teams activity. Alternately, use Chart Search to "Jump to Care Teams".
Links facilitate quick adding, reassignment or takeover of attending or other roles, including adding for a defined period as an on-call prescriber.
Note that the "Attending" and "Treatment Team" parts of the "Care Teams" activity pertain to the inpatient encounter.
Works best for: Changing patient-prescriber Treatment Team attachments (especially the attending prescriber) for an individual patient.
Patient Lists
The Patient Lists workspace allows groups of patients to be defined by different types of relationships to prescribers or teams.
Batch selection and right-click tools allow instant assignment of a group of patients to a new attending, consultant or on-call prescriber.
Works best for: Changing attachments for defined patient groups when clinical rotation assignments changeover.
Linked Personal Lists
"System Lists" include groupings of patients by location (e.g., inpatient ward), clinical service and Provider Teams.
System Lists can be linked to Personal Lists when prescribers take responsibility for a managed group of patients. Personal Lists, even containing linked System Lists, can be shared with colleagues.
Works best for: Handing over patient groups based on system or personal attachments.
Outpatient Coverage Changes
Where clinicians need to take responsibility for another’s clinic, changes are normally made in the clinic schedule with the help of office support staff. In addition, it is important to ensure that In Basket messages and tasks will be followed by an assigned prescriber.