As alluded to before, the nursing profession has come such a long way in regards to technology. As I continue to research this topic so much is available. Some of those advances include: electronic charting, best practices, evidence based practice, Robotics, and research to name a few. The original model would not recognize this profession.
Technology has allowed nursing profession to be a valuable asset to health care.The opportunity for an Associate Degree or Diploma Nurse to complete a four year degree while studying on-line really works for me. Imagine this, there is even a program, that allows a nurse to be come a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Gone are the days of mounds of paper charting, it is all computerized, simply point and click. Nurses gather and track information regarding a number of disease processes, extrapolate information and create best practice guidelines.
Physician are now required at most major facilities, to utilize technology by electronically inputting their orders. This technological advancement has saved the bedside nurse time;there is no longer a need to call the physician back to clarify a hand written order. More importantly the number of patient errors related to inability to read hand writing has been significantly decreased. I will continue to blog and research how technology as knowledge impacts my profession-nursing.
References
http://www.nln.org/nlnjournal/infotrends.htm
http://www.aornjournal.org/
http://www.nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-news/High-Tech-Nursing-Top-New-Gadgets-and-Trends_31984.aspx
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Ramona,
ReplyDeleteIt is truly amazing how much electronic charting and records have changed the facet of nursing. We can pull previous documentation and records with the touch of a button instead of thumbing through past records and notes. It has made the jobs of most nurses easier, but I also think it creates anxiety and frustration for older nurses who are not computer literate.
Ramona,
ReplyDeleteThe universal use of computers in health care has really created many positives. At my hospital everything is digital including our radiology department. This allows instant access to information and reports. By having digital radiology the docs I work for can look at a CT scan even before it has been read by a radiologist. Because they are not radiologists they may not see everything but they can see if a tumor is larger or smaller and see if a pleural effusion has grown or shrunk for instance. As Crystil said I also believe the instant access to past information and results is amazing - you can see trends on patients so much better than you could when you had to look through piles of paper lab results.
Barb
Ramona,
ReplyDeleteI have just left a hospital that is still in the stone ages as far as the paper charting, and electronic documents. We had some access to previous visits and lab reports, but that was about it. There is a big push from Washington to go towards electronic medical records which is fantastic, but what burden does that put on hospitals in areas that may not have adequate access to technology or the funding. What risks does the lack of computer charting pose for nurses, doctors and patients? What are hospitals doing to help computer illiterate nurse get up to speed?