Technology in Nursing

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I am a first year nursing student and I have wondered about our current changes in healthcare with technology. My idea of nursing is taking manual vital signs, recording everything with pen and paper but, nowadays in hospitals you have electronic medical records, electronic vital checks etc.

What are some of the things that are now done electronically that we done manually before? Any inpute is appreciated.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Our wall mounted machines for taking vitals send the vital signs directly to the computer chart for that patient.We scan the patient's arm band so they know who's vitals we are taking.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I LOVE the super beds . . . with built-in scales, auto-turn, etc. They add tremendous value in terms of safety and quality. EHRs... not so much - poorly designed systems with horrible user interface are creating more problems. They turn formerly rational and competent clinicians into 'mindless clickers', 'copy and paste' artists & work-around champions.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Oh heavens yes, I love our super beds too. The built in scales are terrific.Ours have a "chair " function as well.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

Technology can be helpful, but it can be a problem too.

You may want to look at this thread titled "Patients Need a Nurse--Not a Computer"

https://allnurses.com/nursing-activism-healthcare/patients-need-nurse-924424.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YthF86QDOXY

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I don't think we will come to a point where we don't need RNs and RPNs at all. So, that video was a bit of a stretch

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

The video was meant to use humor to bring attention to a very real problem at some facilities.

National Nurses United has launched a media campaign criticizing the effects of what it called "digitalized care." The mutlipronged campaign specifically criticizes electronic health records and bedside computers, saying they "too often fail" and lead to diagnoses and treatments based on "generic population trends" instead of individualized assessments.

The campaign also references a December report from HHS' Office of Inspector General, which said EHRs allow hospitals and physicians to cover up fraud or medical malpractice...

... Studies have come down on both sides of the tech debate. Last summer, an analysis in the Annals of Emergency Medicine said EHRs in emergency rooms potentially overwhelm physicians, leading to self-reported increases of wrong orders.

However, other studies, such as one last year in BMJ Quality & Safety, said digitized records have the ability to help hospitals improve patient care, such as by reducing readmissions...

Nurses union targets EHRs, other tech in campaign | Modern Healthcare

PS: There was a nurse in the video. She came in to take care of the patient.
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