When a printer stops working at a nurse station or a resident's chart will not open, the instinct is to call or email and say it is broken. That is understandable, but it often starts a round of back-and-forth questions that costs everyone time. A few details in the first message can often get a problem solved in a single contact.
This guide is written for staff who are not technical. Feel free to print it, post it, or add it to your new-hire packet.
Describe the task, not just the symptom. Saying you were trying to open a resident's medication record is more useful than saying the computer is broken.
Write the exact words of any error message, or take a photo of the screen with your phone if policy allows. Be careful that a photo does not include resident information. If it does, tell the helpdesk and share it only through approved channels.
Give the location, such as the east hall nurse station, and the device name if there is a label on it. Many workstations have an asset tag. It lets support staff connect to the right computer immediately.
Note whether it stopped suddenly, got slowly worse, or only happens at certain times, such as shift change. A change that coincided with an update, a power flicker or a move can point straight to the cause.
Is it only you, or are others nearby affected too? One person usually indicates a device or account issue. Several people usually indicate a network or system issue, which needs higher priority.
Urgency should be about care and safety, not just inconvenience. Use plain language:
Resident care is affected right now, such as no access to medication records
A department cannot work, such as billing being unable to submit claims
One person is slowed down, but there is a workaround
A request that can wait, such as a new monitor
If resident safety is at risk, call rather than email so a person can respond right away. Your IT provider should give you a clear emergency number and tell you what counts as urgent.
A few simple steps solve many problems. Do them only if you are comfortable and they are allowed by your procedures:
Check that cables are plugged in and that any power strips are on
Restart the application, then the computer if it is not in the middle of a clinical task
Try another workstation to see whether the problem follows your account or stays with the device
Note whether your Wi-Fi or network connection icon shows a problem
Do not keep trying many different things in a row, because that can make it harder to find the real cause. Do not try to fix suspected malware yourself.
Some requests should never wait:
You clicked a suspicious link or opened an unexpected attachment
You entered your password on a page that seemed wrong
A device is lost or stolen
You see resident information somewhere it should not be
Someone asked you for your password or a verification code
Report these immediately, by phone if possible, and do not worry about getting in trouble. Quick reporting is exactly what protects residents and the organization.
What I was trying to do:
What happened instead (exact message):
Location and device name:
When it started:
Who else is affected:
How urgent it is:
You can help your team by choosing one clear way to ask for help and making sure everyone knows it. Several different phone numbers and email addresses often lead to lost requests. Remind staff that asking for help early is better than working around a problem for days.
UnityCare IT provides helpdesk support for healthcare and senior-living organizations, and we are glad to share ready-made quick-reference cards for your stations and onboarding materials.
Call or text: 405-285-3845
New customers: start@unitycareit.com
Existing customers: support@unitycareit.com
Address: UnityCare Technologies, 2524 N Broadway Ste 554, PMB 947974, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034-4172