Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112907

Gretchen Sampson, RN BSN MPH, Polk County Health Department, 100 Polk County Plaza, Ste. 180, Balsam Lake, WI 54810, 715-485-8506, gretchens@co.polk.wi.us and Karen S. Martin, RN, MSN, FAAN, Martin Associates, 2115 S. 130th St., Omaha, NE 68144.

Nurses in local health departments use various ways to ensure that their practice targets Healthy People 2010 objectives and that the pertinent details of their practice are documented and communicated. An increasing number are using methods such as quality improvement activities, the Internet, standardized terminologies, and computerized information systems. These trends reflect the Healthy People 2010 data and information system objectives (23-4: Increase proportion of 2010 objectives for which national data are available for all population groups). Reliable data is necessary to measure success of nursing interventions and impact on Healthy People 2010 objectives. Quality improvement activities are critical for reliable data. The Polk County Health Department in Wisconsin, an Omaha System user, has a two-pronged approach to achieve reliable data. Program managers and staff first conduct an annual formal review of home health and public health nursing records. An Omaha System consultant facilitates the process by reviewing client records before the scheduled meeting and guides staff through components of the records that exemplify documentation strengths as well as areas needing improvement. This process enables staff to identify strategies to improve consistency of documentation as well as enhances staff use of the software capability. Following the annual review, recommendations about documentation and use of clinical software are summarized and distributed to staff. At monthly staff meetings, time is allocated to review records to assure documentation recommendations have been incorporated into practice. This process has resulted in improved documentation, maximized use of the clinical software and increased reliability of client data.

Learning Objectives: