Those of you who are doing home hemo would you switch from pen and paper recording to electronic form of keeping your daily records?
Can’t vote on the poll, but I sure would, looks great.
Cathy, if you register on the board and login you will be able to cast your vote…
Do those in home programs have to record info every 30 minutes like in-center?
Indeed, of course!..that’s where we do all the dirty work… :lol:
But, like having home dialysis we can also make our record keeping nicer and more economical by elminating pen and paper with PDAs’…
Here’s a little more info on how the digital future can streamline our daily living…keep in mind it’s not not for us just patients but for everyone to!
Read More about it here…
http://www.microsoft.com/office/onenote/prodinfo/demo.mspx
Hey, I made my first Dialysis Log chart for NxStage patients… feel free to use it… 
Happy Valentines Day!
Back to square one,
its been a while since I last updated this thread and must revive it again as there has been some new tech updates that may have an influence how we do our home dialysis recording…
For the past several months I have researched portable notebooks that may be worthy in our record keeping, but sadly all those past notebooks failed expectations, due to poor software, bugs, and ease of use.
Today, Microsoft Corporation tries to do it again with their new invention, “Origami”…an ultra small notebook that can nearly do it all. Take a look at the recent videos and BUZZ about this, then after looking through would you think something like this would benefit homedialysis recording?
Video(Example uses)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV1WGDW37c0
Official Site(More Information)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/default.mspx
Community(See what others think about it)
http://origamiproject.com/default.aspx
…I will look further into this and down the road will post again here.
Tell me you are kidding when you say you have to record info every 30 mins? Why do you need to do that? How in the world could you do that on Nocturnal? :shock:
In an example scenario would be wireless…
In this case, Micrpsoft’s “Origami” features both WiFi and Bluetooth…bring this together with these following products below and you have paperless recording…NxStage System One is capable of communicating wireless, but they have not yet put it to full use…so imagine every parameter and setting beeing sent to Microsoft’s “Origami”…then at end of month I can electronically send the data to my clinic for billing…
Gus,
I have all ready talked to NxStage about the integration of a new control panel that will address all of the tech you have mentioned. It would pop out of the machine, and you would able to set the panel in you lap and adjust your controls, and having the readings taken every thirty mins without moving a mussel. A spread sheet built in and the data automatically entered. I did not think of the scales, but that could be added to. All I need to find is a Bluetooth thermometer and to get NxStage to put Bluetooth in the machines.
We don’t do checks on nocturnal every 30 minutes either. On and Off is it.
Gus I certainly don’t do 30 minute checks. In the beginning I did just to verify everything, now I do one check about 30 minutes in and that is generally it (except the log in checks prior to getting on and the checks when I get off). My unit seems fine with this. If I start feeling funny of course I do a check but that very seldom happens.
I don’t think doing checks every 30 minutes is the norm.
Cathy
Where I am, we’re supposed to do a “round” every 30 minutes on short daily. On nocturnal, only one at the very start (only the usual post-treatment vitals after that in the morning).
Why every 30 min on short? Because more things can happen when running at short daily UF rates and pump speeds. The main concern is unexpected hypotension, which could be extremely dangerous if it happened at home.
I’m not sure what purpose electronic logging would serve, since the main purpose of the round is not to record data for historic purposes, but rather to make us, the “patients”, keep on top of any developing situation, especially with regard to blood pressure. Just because you’ve always been stable, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a hypotensive crash.
Pierre
I don’t know about you guys, but where I am at its required for both research and billing…
Am sure most of us do it…
Not required for that where I am, Gus. They want the logging done, but they don’t even collect the log sheets. At the dialysis centres here, they have computerized automated logging like you suggest. A nurse only has to confirm it has been done.
Pierre
Sorry Gus, I am in the research program too and obviously need to have billing done. I DO need to fill out a form, log in specifics, but it is NOT required that I log stats every 30 minutes. In fact the billing summary sheet ONLY requires info of dates I did a treatment, pre and post weight, standing and sitting b/p, pulse, temp, and length of treatment, oh and any meds other than heparin.
I’m quite curious to see if I am the exception or the “rule”.
Cathy
…Hmmmm, :?: …that brings something in mind…maybe I should try that at my own will, just record pre/post vitals…
Will look further why my clinic wants records of of every 1/2 hour…
All Medicare needs for billing for dialysis is what dates you did dialysis during the last month. Medicare has no set time requirement on how long the dialysis treatment must be for the clinic to bill. In fact, a dialysis clinic can bill for a treatment once there is blood in the lines. What can cause a problem is if you are scheduled to do a treatment and you don’t do it and don’t turn in your flow sheets. If the clinic bills Medicare (or your insurance) thinking you’d done dialysis, the clinic could get in trouble for billing too much. With Medicare, this is called Medicare fraud.
In addition to needing the flow sheets to bill correctly, dialysis clinics want patients to log times, weights, BPs, machine readings, etc. so they can see how well the patient is doing on the current dialysis prescription. They can observe patients who are on in-center hemodialysis but must rely on your reports and your flow sheets to know if things are going well or if changes need to be made.