RESQ Healthcare Systems to Demo Nurse SelfScheduling at HIMSS



RES-Q Healthcare Systems, developer of resource management and scheduling software for hospitals, announced that it will demonstrate the optional Self-scheduling Module for its RES-Q Labor Resource Management system at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference & Exhibition. HIMSS will be held on February 24-28, 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. RES-Q will be at booth #3317.

"Self-scheduling allows nurses to see the shifts which are not covered and pre-schedule to cover those needs," said Connie F. Whittington, R.N., M.S.N., O.N.C., chief nursing officer and vice president, patient care services, Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, Ga. "This creates a collaborative relationship with staff and managers to ensure adequate staffing."

"Giving employees more control over the balance between the demands of work and home is essential to job satisfaction and ultimately contributes to better quality of care," said Barbara Dahlke, R.N., M.S.N., chief nursing officer, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno, Calif. "Self-scheduling gives our staff much more flexibility to balance their professional and personal lives."

"Self-scheduling enables hospitals to empower nurses with greater control over their work schedules -- and invites them to share responsibility with their unit managers and colleagues for making sure that shifts are appropriately staffed," said Susan Sayari, R.N., executive director of nursing, Covenant Health System, Lubbock, Texas.

Registered users sign on to the RES-Q Self-scheduling Module with their passwords and access a security-controlled console, designed to be as simple as a bank ATM interface. The console presents three options: My Personnel Record, which users can access to update basic personnel information, such as addresses and phone numbers; Schedule Requests; and Class Registration for self-registration in continuing medical education (CME).

With shift codes and descriptions specific to each department, Schedule Requests presents a grid that displays all shifts and all employees who can be scheduled. Cells within the grid are color-coded. For instance, shifts short of staff are highlighted in red. Employees can quickly view their department's schedules and click on the shifts they want to request. RES-Q Labor Resource Management applies department-specific scheduling rules (for instance, to prevent more than two employees to schedule vacations on any given day). If an employee is scheduled for a shift that they would like a colleague to work for them, they right-click on that cell in the grid. A "shift pick-up" request is automatically e-mailed to all employees in their department, and the shift changes color on the grid.

About RES-Q Healthcare Systems

Since 1979, RES-Q Healthcare Systems (Calabasas, Calif.) has pursued one mission: advancing resource management and scheduling software for hospitals. RES-Q Labor Resource Management produces clinically sound, skill-matched, financially optimized, and productive staffing in schedules that account for staff preferences. RES-Q Perioperative Resource Management reviews and verifies surgeon needs and preferences, personnel and equipment requirements, supply lists and inventory, and operating room availability and then establishes surgery schedules that minimize conflicts and maximize productivity. RES-Q's management team, with an average of 15 years with the company and decades of front-line experience in hospital administration, helps hospitals set their schedules for today and set course for success tomorrow. For more information, call (800) 572-1911 or visit www.res-q.com.

Note to Editors: RES-Q will be at booth #3317 at HIMSS. To schedule an editorial appointment, contact David Aquilina for assistance.





RESQ Healthcare Systems to Demo Nurse SelfScheduling at HIMSS