Traditionally, organizations operating within the emergency medical services, health care, and air medical sectors have been at the forefront of innovation. The talented professionals working in these rewarding career fields are equipped with the latest skills and leading-edge technologies, which they expertly apply to save lives.
However, many EMS and Air Med providers throughout the nation still rely on physical checklists and other forms. While there was a time when these paper-based solutions were the only thing available, that is no longer the case.
In fact, continuing to rely on these antiquated documentation methods can actually have a negative impact on your staff and the organization as a whole!
Below, we’ll examine five reasons why your organization should consider switching to digital checklists and forms. We’ll also provide you with a flexible and dynamic means of doing just that in case you want to learn more about going digital!
1. Reduce Your Costs
As a leader within your organization, you are probably always looking for ways to reduce your operating expenses. However, doing so can be incredibly challenging, especially as the cost of specialized medical supplies and equipment continues to rise.
Fortunately, the transition to digital forms and checklists can be a great cost-saving measure. This will allow you to eliminate the need to print hundreds of paper documents each week.
In addition, you will no longer need to invest in storage equipment such as file cabinets. You can even reduce staffing costs, as less document management is necessary. Instead, everything can be monitored from a single database.
Going digital not only reduces costs — it can also minimize clutter within your office, making it easier to create streamlined workflows.
2. Enhance Accuracy
While accurate documentation is important in all industries, it is particularly essential when you’re tasked with providing medical care to patients. By switching to digital documents, forms, and checklists, your organization can significantly increase the accuracy of the data that it collects.
In the event that information is incorrectly entered, an authorized user can easily locate this data and make necessary corrections. This will be especially beneficial when preparing for accreditation processes.
Another benefit of increasing accuracy through digitization is that it reduces the risks your organization faces from civil liability. Your team can ensure that patients receive adequate care based on accurate data. They can also easily relay this information to other professionals, such as ER staff.
3. Facilitate Real-Time Reporting
Collecting and reviewing physical documents can be a massive headache. To make matters worse, gathering forms and checklists can be extremely time-consuming.
Conversely, digital forms and checklists facilitate real-time reporting capabilities. Your staff can immediately review important documents as soon as they are uploaded to your database. As a result, you can significantly reduce the amount of time that you waste sorting, analyzing, compiling, and reporting on data.
4. Increase Mobility
When your organization transitions to digital checklists and forms, you can significantly increase agility and mobility. Your staff can easily access these documents from any internet-enabled device, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. This has become increasingly important as support staff often work remotely.
5. Improve Patient Care
For any organization operating within the healthcare space, patient care is of utmost importance. However, the use of paper checklists and forms can actually act as a barrier that inhibits your organization’s ability to provide optimal patient care.
Going digital enhances patient care in two significant ways. First, this approach streamlines the sharing of information, especially when patients are being transferred from the custody of EMS to hospital staff.
Instead of tediously writing down information or passing off easy to lose paper documents, EMS personnel can seamlessly transmit digital forms to the receiving providers. This can streamline handoffs while ensuring continuity of care. It can also save time, which can make all the difference in a medical emergency.
Going digital decreases the amount of time that staff members have to spend on redundant tasks. This leads to less burnout, which ultimately translates to a higher level of patient care. When providers are less stressed by administrative tasks, they can enjoy more time to devote to their patients.
Go Digital with NinthBrain
If your organization is experiencing paper overload, NinthBrain can help. Our team serves clients in a variety of front-facing industries, including EMS, air medical, pharmaceutical, dispatch, and fire sectors. However, our adaptable digital form and checklist builder tools can be invaluable to virtually any organization that needs access to custom digitized documents.
The NinthBrain form builder creates a seamless documentation workflow and even includes detailed data reports for analysis. With our powerful tools, you can create an unlimited number of forms and custom responses to meet the needs of your organization.
To learn more, we invite you to review our form builder page. You can also book a no-obligation demo.