Recording Skills
The Basis for Data Collection, Organization, Assessment Skills, and Treatment Plans
After reading this chapter, you will be able to:
• Describe the clinical importance of good charting skills.
• Differentiate among the following types of patient records:
• Problem-oriented medical records (POMR), and include SOAPIER progress notes
• Discuss the importance of the Heath Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
• Define key terms and complete self-assessment questions at the end of the chapter and on Evolve.
Types of Patient Records
Problem-Oriented Medical Record (POMR)
A good POMR method should take a systematic approach in documenting the following:
• The subjective and objective information collected
• An assessment based on the subjective and objective data
• The treatment plan (with measurable outcomes)
• An evaluation of the patient’s response to the treatment plan
• A section to record any adjustments made to the original treatment plan
S Subjective information refers to information about the patient’s feelings, concerns, or sensations presented by the patient:
“I coughed hard all night long.”
“I feel very short of breath.”
Only the patient can provide subjective information. Some cases may not involve subjective information. For instance, a comatose, intubated patient on a mechanical ventilator is unable to provide subjective data.
O Objective information is the data the respiratory care practitioner can measure, factually describe, or obtain from other professional reports or test results. Objective data include the following:
• Sputum production (volume, consistency, color, and odor)
• Arterial blood gas and pulse oximetry data
A Assessment refers to the practitioner’s professional conclusion about the cause of the subjective and objective data presented by the patient. In the patient with a respiratory disorder, the cause is usually related to a specific anatomic alteration of the lung. The assessment, moreover, provides the specific reason as to why the respiratory care practitioner is working with the patient. For example, the presence of wheezes are objective data (the clinical indicator) to verify the assessment (the cause) of bronchial smooth muscle constriction; an arterial blood gas with a pH of 7.18, a Paco2 of 80 mm Hg, an of 29 mm/L, and a Pao2 of 54 mm Hg are the objective data to verify the assessment of acute ventilatory failure with moderate hypoxemia. The presence of rhonchi is a clinical indicator to verify the assessment of secretions in the large airways.
P Plan is/are the therapeutic procedure(s) selected to remedy the cause identified in the assessment. For example, an assessment of bronchial smooth muscle constriction justifies the administration of a bronchodilator; the assessment of acute ventilatory failure justifies mechanical ventilation.
I Implementation is the actual administration of the specific therapy plan. It documents exactly what was done, when, and by whom.
E Evaluation is the collection of measurable data regarding the effectiveness of the therapy plan and the patient’s response to it. For example, an arterial blood gas assessment may reveal that the patient’s Pao2 did not increase to a safe level in response to oxygen therapy.
R Revision refers to any changes that may be made to the original therapy plan in response to the evaluation. For example, if the Pao2 does not increase appropriately after the implementation of oxygen therapy, the respiratory care practitioner might continue to increase the patient’s Fio2 until the desired Pao2 is reached.