We’ve discussed this on the podcast and in the Intensive Care Academy and listeners have expressed some interest, so here is the sheet that I use to keep myself organized in the ICU. This is just something that I put together to fit my workflow and specifics I want to know in my unit (most of you will not care about sodium goals for example). Feel free to use it if it is helpful (or use it as a starting point to make your own).
Sometimes I fill this sheet out thoroughly, sometimes I will just make the briefest of notes. One thing that is consistent though is that I make checklists in the right hand column and check the boxes when I do the task (I love a good checklist!). It’s the only way I stay organized some days when I may have 8-10 complex ICU patients. I’ve tried a few times to quit using this list and just use one of the pre-populated sheets that Epic will generate, but I always find myself feeling like I don’t know what’s going on. And quite a few days, i’ll fill out these sheets and carry them around in my pocket and never refer to them (I’ve even forgotten them in the office before). I think, for me, it’s the act of writing it down that cements it in my brain.
critical care notes 