Here’s an article from Advanceweb.com about technology and its impact on patient care at the bedside. After reading this article, I have a new and better appreciation of the newer smartphones and the capabilities they open up for nurses.
Please read this article and let me know what you think. Are you using this technology where you work? If so, let us hear from you about the pluses and/or minuses you experience with their use.
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Nurses help pioneer clinical use of devices for time-saving messaging and more.
By Sandy Keefe, MSN, RN
As relief night charge nurse on a medical unit at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, FL, Jackie Baxter, RN-BC, often was frustrated by communication glitches that negatively impacted patient care.
“We were having problems because patients were waiting too long to see a nurse, but the nurses weren’t always getting the messages about their patients’ needs,” she said. Her graduate studies in nursing informatics made her aware of potential solutions, so she was pleased to be invited to participate in a discussion about smartphone solutions.
Integration
Entrepreneur Trey Lauderdale came to Sarasota to discuss healthcare-focused communications solutions software with nurses and information technology (IT) staff.
“There are so many systems in the hospital setting that produce critical information, notifications and alarms,” he explained. “There are nurse call systems, infusion pumps, smart beds, monitors, alarms and other sources. That’s a lot of information to convey. If your end device is a pager, the nurse won’t get all that rich information. Nurses were getting frustrated with the lack of innovation in end-user devices.”
Lauderdale brought along smartphones preprogrammed with software that integrates some of that vital data. “The nurse walks in, picks up a smartphone from a charger and logs in,” he explained. “The system automatically routes all messages and notifications to the correct end user.”
The synergy between clinicians and IT experts at that meeting gave rise to a long-term working relationship…[read more]…
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Nursing Notes 