Survey: Has the use of computer technology taken the nurse away from the bedside?

imaRN · Jun 19, 2001

No,

With computers at each bedside I can get all my labs,radiology reports,call docs from the bedside and watch all trends in vital signs just by clicking the mouse.It also will figure all my drug calculations and my pt's hemodynamics.

imaRN · Jun 19, 2001

No,

With computers at each bedside I can get all my labs,radiology reports,call docs from the bedside and watch all trends in vital signs just by clicking the mouse.It also will figure all my drug calculations and my pt's hemodynamics.

nu.garrvik · Jun 19, 2001

Hi! I notice from the replies posted that most of you seem to be from the USA so I thought you might appreciate a scottish opinion.

We've only recently become computerised and our unit is the pilot for what is known as the "clinical module".When it started, we got loads of support from our IT dept, but this has now significantly reduced. I think in principal computers are a good idea. Nurses are excellent at what we do,however,we're not so good at documenting all aspects of our care; so from this perspective it gives quality assurance and the recognition we deserve.

However, from a practical point of view, I think it's a nightmare! Where before I could check a fluid balance or vital signs at a glance, now I have to log on, find the correct screen, find my patient, find the care plan, highlight the relevant part and finally the info is available. If I want a 24hr total, however, this is a different screen again so I need to come out and find the correct one again.

To change directions for care it's as time consuming as the above.

I find I load a lot of data retrospectively as it takes too long and is often impractical to load it immediately after giving care. Another bug-bear is the fact that at certain times of the day, the system seems to be on a go slow and it takes AGES to load on your data.

We have 2 main PC's at the nurses station and 4 laptops. Each laptop covers a 6 bedded area, so maybe we need more hardware.......I think more nurses would be a better idea!

Does any area employ staff specifically to load on the data? We suggested this but were told that as you are accountable for your own practice, you had to take responsibility for documenting your care; another idea good in theory, but useless in practice!

Enjoyed the rant....!

nu.garrvik · Jun 19, 2001

Hi! I notice from the replies posted that most of you seem to be from the USA so I thought you might appreciate a scottish opinion.

We've only recently become computerised and our unit is the pilot for what is known as the "clinical module".When it started, we got loads of support from our IT dept, but this has now significantly reduced. I think in principal computers are a good idea. Nurses are excellent at what we do,however,we're not so good at documenting all aspects of our care; so from this perspective it gives quality assurance and the recognition we deserve.

However, from a practical point of view, I think it's a nightmare! Where before I could check a fluid balance or vital signs at a glance, now I have to log on, find the correct screen, find my patient, find the care plan, highlight the relevant part and finally the info is available. If I want a 24hr total, however, this is a different screen again so I need to come out and find the correct one again.

To change directions for care it's as time consuming as the above.

I find I load a lot of data retrospectively as it takes too long and is often impractical to load it immediately after giving care. Another bug-bear is the fact that at certain times of the day, the system seems to be on a go slow and it takes AGES to load on your data.

We have 2 main PC's at the nurses station and 4 laptops. Each laptop covers a 6 bedded area, so maybe we need more hardware.......I think more nurses would be a better idea!

Does any area employ staff specifically to load on the data? We suggested this but were told that as you are accountable for your own practice, you had to take responsibility for documenting your care; another idea good in theory, but useless in practice!

Enjoyed the rant....!

oramar · Jun 19, 2001

The previous three post just validated everything I said in my original post on this thread. I would like to add one more thing. It would probably help a lot if managment got input from nursing about new computer systems. It would even be better if they did a trial run on one or two units before purchasing the system. The best system I ever worked with got input from staff during a trial run and then responded to complaints about problems. The worst system was purchased by a high level managment person with no input from the staff. When they tried to tell him there were problems his retort was that, "there were no problem computers only stupid nurses." This was the system that actually drove me away from a hospital about 10 years ago. A job that I had previously liked but the computers were a nightmare. I left after my nurse manager came into a patient room and started screaming at me because a printer was jammed and backed up quite a bit. The patient was going into adult respiratory distress and was really keeping me busy.(Another story from oramar's Why I Hate Managment Annals)

oramar · Jun 19, 2001

The previous three post just validated everything I said in my original post on this thread. I would like to add one more thing. It would probably help a lot if managment got input from nursing about new computer systems. It would even be better if they did a trial run on one or two units before purchasing the system. The best system I ever worked with got input from staff during a trial run and then responded to complaints about problems. The worst system was purchased by a high level managment person with no input from the staff. When they tried to tell him there were problems his retort was that, "there were no problem computers only stupid nurses." This was the system that actually drove me away from a hospital about 10 years ago. A job that I had previously liked but the computers were a nightmare. I left after my nurse manager came into a patient room and started screaming at me because a printer was jammed and backed up quite a bit. The patient was going into adult respiratory distress and was really keeping me busy.(Another story from oramar's Why I Hate Managment Annals)

NurseRachet · Jul 4, 2001

Interesting, because at our hospital, the nurses believe that the computer is a waste of time and takes them away from patient care. From comparing QA results over the past 3 years, there is a definite improvement in clinical documentation from "paper" to "electronic charting". It is more legible, easier to track, and can readily be viewed when the patient is readmitted. I think a lot of it depends on the type of system that you have. If nurses designed the forms, perhaps they would like it more. Oh well, we keep trying:-)