Stu: Welcome back to Epic, guys. Steven here. Epic has a lot of great features, but there are a few things in the patient’s chart you may want to adjust when you first start using it. For this episode, we’ll show you three areas you can tweak before you begin seeing patients.
Stair: Making Epic more personal for you makes it much easier to use. Tip #1: Customize what you see first in a patient’s chart. Epic gives you a preview before you even open the chart with its Snapshot view. Make it matter by using the wrench icon to modify the report layout. Drag and drop what you need to the top to avoid scrolling, which can be just as frustrating as extra clicks.
The reports at the top of your Snapshot view can also be customized using the wrench icon. Click “Add or remove buttons,” select the ones you need, and adjust their location on the toolbar. You have total control over what you need to see.
Once you’re inside the patient’s chart, you can use the same process to modify your layout. Just drag and drop to bring the items you need to the top of your This Visit view.
Stu: Tip #2: Update your lab results view. There are two things you’ll notice immediately when you open the lab results view: the default font is small, and the data shows the oldest results first. If you like this, great, but if you want to change it, there’s an easy fix.
Find the three-dot menu, click User Settings, and make your adjustments. From there, you can increase the font size and change the layout to view the newest data on the left instead of the right. Now you’ll have your own personalized view of a patient’s labs set up the way you prefer.
Stair: Tip #3: Streamline your problem and medication list. The problem list in Epic is extremely important for documentation, orders, and communication about patients. Did you know you can fully customize it to make it work for you?
If you don’t like the system categories, you can remove them. If you want to add one line from the last assessment and plan—or even the entire paragraph—you can display it right there. Just click the wrench icon again and make your adjustments.
We know Epic is a big transition for all of us. Spending just a few minutes adjusting your settings to make them personal will help you hit the ground running.
Stu: Enjoy, and let us know if you have any questions.
