Electronic documentation of trauma resuscitations at a level 1 pediatric trauma center

Although many hospitals across the country have implemented an electronic medical record (EMR) for inpatient care, very few have successfully implemented an EMR for trauma resuscitations. Although there is evidence that the EMR improves patient safety, increases access to all care providers, increases workflow efficiency, and minimizes time spent on documenting thereby improving nursing care, the fast paced, complex nature of trauma resuscitations makes it difficult to implement such a system for trauma documentation. With the support of multiple disciplines with a variety of clinical knowledge, this article describes the design process that has led us to successful development and implementation of an EMR for documentation of trauma resuscitations.