Yesterday I was floated to a hospital I had never been to before. I walked through a new wing, past a lobby with a fountain, into new, single-patient rooms fitted with Alexa to assist you with paging your nurse... and every nurse had 5 or 6 patients on dayshift. Ortho/trauma patients, confused/withdrawing patients, not a single independent one on the entire floor. Pain meds were late, q2 turns didn't happen, getting out of bed happened for the most part only when PT showed up. I'm so glad when the change of shift admission from the ED came in, confused, restrained, covered in blood, that required 6 staff members to get settled, that we had Alexa on the walls, because certainly that was more important to patient care than us having another nurse.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 2/24/2019 at 10:39 AM, LibraNurse27 said:
Ahhh hate that horrible transfer that always seems to happen at change of shift and requires all the staff from both shifts to run to the room to settle the patient!
There were signs on the walls with specific instructions. It was something along the lines of, "Alexa, page my nurse". But like I said, it didn't work. Another hospital is piloting smartphones that you can use to chart... so I can chart while I'm on the john? Why can't I just use a computer like I've been doing? Does my charting need typos like my texts? I have big thumbs, this is not going to be good for me if it expands lol.
I understand using technology to improve care, I just don't understand how these particular changes are useful. And if they aren't useful, aren't they just a waste of money?
There were signs on the walls with specific instructions. It was something along the lines of, "Alexa, page my nurse". But like I said, it didn't work. Another hospital is piloting smartphones that you can use to chart... so I can chart while I'm on the john? Why can't I just use a computer like I've been doing? Does my charting need typos like my texts? I have big thumbs, this is not going to be good for me if it expands lol.
I understand using technology to improve care, I just don't understand how these particular changes are useful. And if they aren't useful, aren't they just a waste of money?
I seriously can't even. I often think about the people out there making more money than I will ever see in my lifetime, sitting in boardrooms making decisions like these. I truly don't know how we can fix healthcare in this country at this point, it is so far gone.
Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
4 hours ago, Swellz said:
There were signs on the walls with specific instructions. It was something along the lines of, "Alexa, page my nurse". But like I said, it didn't work. Another hospital is piloting smartphones that you can use to chart... so I can chart while I'm on the john? Why can't I just use a computer like I've been doing? Does my charting need typos like my texts? I have big thumbs, this is not going to be good for me if it expands lol.
I understand using technology to improve care, I just don't understand how these particular changes are useful. And if they aren't useful, aren't they just a waste of money?
So if Alexa all of a sudden started laughing for no reason (which she's done in the past) or if she for some odd reason got triggered to respond to a question in a room where a patient with paranoid dementia is admitted, wouldn't that create a problem?
I work in the Bay Area in close proximity to Apple, Google, facebook and such and we don't have these in our hospitals. Our nurses do have assigned iPhones with uploaded app called Voalte which they use for communication within the hospital system via text or phone call.
Now that may get the ALEXA boxes pulled out of there. Annoy the 911 operators enough with puzzling calls from patient rooms in a hospital inspired by what happens when cutting edge technology meets poor patient with dementia or raging detoxing alcoholic.
They actually follow up on those calls by notifying the sheriffs office who then calls to check with the hospital about the 911 call from a patient’s room. I have a feeling that would get old quick.
TriciaJ, RN
4,328 Posts
"I have just summoned your nurse. Is there anything else I can do? I have time." At least when Alexa says it, it'll be true.