kstrohm

Great point, Zoran. If nurses are not properly trained with the new technology, how efficient can it be? It can cause more unnecessary stress and like you said...mistakes. Training is an essential component to any new implementation of technology and hospitals need to make sure that their staff properly understands the system and its benefits. More chances than not, if people understand the need for the new technology rather than just being made to do it, they will more apt to acclimating to it.

This is a unique perspective that I did not think about. Rest is very important especially for those who provide direct care to patients. Data available to health care professionals outside of the hospital is a new and different idea that could potentially become a norm in years to come. There is however, the risk of violating HIPAA or having your network compromised by some kind of virus or hacker. Basically, there will always be pros and cons with new technology, but do the risks outweigh the benefits? That is the question that will need to be answered after each new implementation.

I agree that I too have second guessed my assessment based on the previous nurses charting. I also think that point of care technology can have many disadvantages. One that comes to mind is not using the seven right of medication administration. Bar code scanning is safe and efficient, but it too is a machine and as we all know, machines can malfunction. I do not think that point of care technology should make health care professionals jobs easier, but make information and care of the patient better.

I have found point of care technology to be a great asset to my nursing care. I think that it provides better patient care in regards to efficiency and better documentation. Since we rotate at different locations, we are able to see the different ways each unit implements this technology. During this semester alone, we have seen the implementation of arm band scanning for medications. This has been trying for some of the nurses on our unit to become acclimated to, but I found it to be a very safe and effective way to administer medication. We also rotate on a unit that has computer terminals in between every 2 rooms, allowing nurses to chart immediately after leaving the patient's room, but also allowing the nurse to visibly see patient and stay within in range in case of an emergency. There is also a unit with computers in each room to allow for direct bedside charting; however, there are some barriers to this type of technology. Location of the computer in each room can cause nurses to turn their backs on patients while charting and having to ask visitors to step out of the room due to privacy laws. The computers can be unreliable and slow and patients have complained about the light from the computer interrupting their sleep (Stowoski, 2013). I, personally have used my tablet at the bedside to answer patient questions regarding medications and disease processes. This allowed for me to give a quick answer without needing to come in and out of the patient's room. The only experience I have had outside of the hospital with point of care technology has been personal. My doctors office uses laptops to directly chart in the patient's room. I understand the need for this, but me as the patient felt it took away from the care that was provided. So, I guess I would pose the question to Group F as to how we can implement point of care technology without sacrificing quality nursing care to our patients? Stowoski, L. A. (2013). Electronic nursing documentation:charting in new territory. Medscape, Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/810573_7