Christina Koopmans, second from the left, and her fellow nurses have more time to spend with patients thanks to the Nursing FOCUS project that was implemented in February.

Christina Koopmans became a nurse so she could care deeply for her patients—and offer support and comfort to their families. She takes a great deal of pride in learning more about her patients’ lives beyond the hospital walls.

But with the constant need to type up patient care notes in the electronic health record (also referred to as documentation or charting) during each shift, Koopmans, a registered nurse in the transplant unit at Sutter’s CPMC in San Francisco, often felt the meaningful time she valued with patients was being cut short.

“Charting always felt like this daunting task hanging over me,” said Koopmans. “I didn’t realize how much it affected my relationship with patients.”

Listening to Frontline Staff

A comprehensive nursing survey at Sutter Health, a California based not-for-profit health system, revealed that many bedside nurses were feeling like Koopmans, reporting the documentation process was inefficient and cumbersome.

In response to the feedback, Sutter launched an initiative called Nursing FOCUS (Flowsheet Optimization and Care Plan Updates to Simplify Documentation) in February 2025. The FOCUS initiative is aimed at reducing screen time and streamlining documentation, with the goal of giving nurses more time for patient care and improving the overall patient experience.

Why tackle a daunting problem like charting? Sutter has found people want to work in a place where they feel their work has a greater purpose and they are making a difference. The healthcare system is working to improve patient care and make the staff’s work more meaningful by listening to nurses’ concerns about charting and actively deploying solutions.

Nursing is a key component of Sutter’s broader digital strategy to deliver a connected, convenient, and best-in-class experience for caregivers and patients. Sutter continuously seeks and acts on input from its teams, knowing that engagement is strongest when people feel heard and see meaningful change as a result.

Sutter’s Nursing FOCUS initiative reflects that commitment to being the best place to work and practice, translating nurse insights into real improvements that simplify documentation and support exceptional care.

“Staff love the changes. The stories we are hearing from the staff on the time they have been given back for patient care has been phenomenal,” said Fiona Dennison, Sutter Health’s director of nursing informatics.

Implementing tools like FOCUS—alongside other systemwide efforts—help reduce manual tasks, cognitive load and charting time, freeing up nurses and clinicians to focus on delivering care. In 2024, Sutter saved employees more than 1 million hours of work by making things easier—thanks to smarter technology, automation and simpler workflows like the FOCUS program.

Since launching FOCUS Sutter has seen an 18% reduction in time spent charting.

More Than a Nurse Impact

Koopmans said it’s incredible what she can learn about a patient when she has time to sit and talk with them and their families.

“What makes me a good nurse—and why I became one—is how I build relationships, especially when people are sick,” she said. “I get the family involved. I want to be someone the patient and family can find comfort in—not just someone who provides medicine.”

Koopmans had a heartwarming experience she credits to the FOCUS implementation.

“It was day two for me with this particular patient,” she said. “He slept most of the time so I brought a chair in his room so I could chart and just sit with him. He didn’t have many visitors and was pretty lonely. When I finished charting, I asked him if he would like me to hold his hand, and he said yes—so I did.

“He wanted that closeness. That moment was very special for me. When I came back on shift a couple of days later, I learned that he had passed away.”

While Sutter’s nursing informatics team initially prioritized nurses as the primary impact for FOCUS, it’s experiences like Koopmans’ that reveal the greater impact on patient experience.

“We have a huge opportunity to positively impact the patient experience simply by giving our nurses more time at the bedside,” said Dennison.

Dennison said she gets chills when she hears stories like Koopmans’, “We knew that there would be an impact, but we didn’t anticipate the magnitude. It’s so rewarding to hear that the patients are truly benefitting.”