The hospital I work for has changed our classification to "associates" and "partners in healthcare". They are redoing our evaluations to reflect "objective criteria" for evaluations rather than the current "subjective criteria".
They have instituted a new computer charting system, which only the RN/LPN's can chart patient care and education. We must also chart all of the care given by the CNA/tech's. The system is very labor intensive to learn & use. It took me 20 minutes to chart 12 vital signs and I/0's for 6 patients; 30 minutes to do an admission on a new patient. (I could do ALL this in about 20 minutes on the paper system)
The hospital will soon be installing a "tracking system" for employees which is a device attached to your name tag that sends information to a centralized display (like "telemetry" cardiac monitors). They will be able to see where the staff is, how much time is spent in each location and who you are with (ie multiple employees are in a patients room providing care vs in the lounge)
They will be providing a "quality service satisfaction guarantee" to patients. It has not been fully explained to the staff, but it seems to be that if a patient has to wait longer than "x minutes" for anything, they will recieve a financial renumeration by the hospital.
The administrators are saying all of these changes "will improve health care delivery" by allowing "location of staff" and "quick communication patient needs to the appropriate staff member" and "monitor the documentation of care"
If you work in a hospital that uses these electronic system, what is your experience with them?
MY OPINION: the potential for the employers to abuse exists when they reduce professional nursing to a "time and location study" and they "do the monday morning quarterbacking" system of evaluating your whereabouts and time your every move.
