What you need to know
The Connect Care clinical information system needs periodic maintenance. The next scheduled update will occur during downtime on Thursday, September 12, 2024, between 00:30 and 04:30. On this occasion, all Connect Care production systems are affected, including Hyperdrive, Transfusion (WellSky), Content (Quanum), Dictation (Dragon Medical One), OBIX, MUSE and ECG Web, MyAHS Connect, and the Link Provider Portal. The environment that controls information flow between clinical systems, the Regional Integration Engine, will also be taking a scheduled outage during this time (from 00:30 to 02:00).
- PRD SRO (the read-only copy of the production environment) will be available during this outage; PRD SRO is accessible from any computer used for documenting in Connect Care regularly. Netcare also remains available.
- Note there are also limitations on managing personalization settings before (and during) this period due to the transparent lockdown, previously posted about here.
- As the Regional Integration Engine will be down, resulting/messages from systems integrated with Connect Care such as WellSky (Transfusion Medicine) and AegisPOC (Point-of-Care Testing) will be queued and automatically update at the end of the outage.
This downtime window is specifically for the Fall 2024 Upgrade, with changes to most Connect Care applications. These changes are primarily enhancements and will affect all prescribers using Connect Care. General summaries of the change impacts for Ambulatory and Inpatient Orders are available in comprehensive slide decks linked below, with additional slide decks detailing track-specific changes. These slide decks include links to tip sheets hosted by Epic; users will need to have an Epic account to view them. In addition, a tip sheet details changes specific to Mobility (Haiku/Canto). All these resources are also linked to from the Manual.
What you need to do
BEFORE DOWNTIME
- Complete orders and documentation in the chart before downtime begins.
- Stop using PRD for orders 15 minutes prior to downtime, as they may not be processed.
DURING DOWNTIME
- Check with Unit Clerk/Charge Nurse to confirm processes for ordering, documentation, and patient movement.
- Use paper documents provided in clinics and inpatient units, with forms appropriate for orders and/or charting.
- Postpone, if possible, routine orders or documentation until after downtime. This will limit amount of data entry and reconciliation required post-downtime.
- Orders: Use paper order sheets for essential orders during downtime.
- Documentation: Use paper forms or eScription for essential documentation for procedures or intervention results and reports.
AFTER DOWNTIME
- Prescribers are responsible for the following activities for any patient admission, transfer, or discharge:
- Updating the problem list
- Completing medication reconciliation
- Entering admission, discharge, or visit diagnosis
- Prescribers receiving In Basket messages about missing chart elements should follow the link to the missing chart element and, for non-ED prescribers, enter “.DOWNTIME” (SmartPhrase) to complete the chart element, indicating that content is available elsewhere in the chart. For ED prescribers, use the SmartPhrase ".DTNOTE".
Where you can find more information
For essential information on downtime procedures, see the 1-page tip sheet. For additional information, see the Connect Care Manual: