Message #1381

[countrigal]

Susan, speaking as someone who has hospital forms herself, I suggest organizing them by number.  So many of my personnel come in and are looking for Form xx-xx and when you ask them what it is their name for it isn't always what the official form name is.  Then, in the file drawer just put one form per folder with it's number on the tab, and them all in numberical order.  So 1-123 would be before 10-2633.  This also allows you to easily input new ones if they come about, changes in numbering, etc.  You can also utilize different colors for each whole number (all the 1-xxx in red, 2-xxxx in blue, 10-xxxx in green) which will easily show if a folder is misfiled.  



To let others know how to locate forms, create a table of contents for your file drawer and put it in the front of the drawer.  Then if Y wants to find a form and can't figure out your system all they need to do is look on the table of contents and it'll tell them that Form x-xxxx is in a Red Folder, directly behind Form x-xxxy and so on.  If it oges for more than 1 drawer, on the outside of the drawer mark it Form x-xxx to y-yyyy and put the complete table of contents (with drawer numbers on it) in each drawer.  So by opening the first drawer I can find out that form x-xxxx is in the Red Folder in drawer 3, behind blue folder y-yyyy.



Does that make sense?  Hope it helps.