Point-of-Care Technology

Abstract

The growing complexity of technology, equipment, and devices involved in patient care delivery can be staggering and overwhelming. Technology is intended to be a tool to help clinicians, but it can also be a frustrating hindrance if not thoughtfully planned and strategically aligned. Critical care nurses are key partners in the collaborations needed to improve safety and quality through health information technology (IT). Nurses must advocate for systems that are interoperable and adapted to the context of care experiences. The involvement and collaboration between clinicians, information technology specialists, biomedical engineers, and vendors has never been more relevant and applicable. Working together strategically with a shared vision can effectively provide a seamless clinical workflow, maximize technology investments, and ultimately improve patient care delivery and outcomes. Developing a strategic integrated clinical and IT roadmap is a critical component of today's health care environment. How can technology strategy be aligned from the executive suite to the bedside caregiver? What is the model for using clinical workflows to drive technology adoption? How can the voice of the critical care nurse strengthen this process? How can success be assured from the initial assessment and selection of technology to a sustainable support model? What is the vendor's role as a strategic partner and "co-caregiver"?

Promoting a culture of collaboration between point-of-care clinicians and industry partners

“…Partnering with vendors who share a common vision and developing them as co-caregivers is one proposed strategy for improving the patient experience in a technology-rich environment. 9…”

“…Gregory and Buckner 9 provide a brief perspective article that discusses the clinician–vendor interface and is thus the single article relevant to the study topic. The authors wrote from the perspective of the critical care nurse regarding the growing volume and complexity of technology, equipment, and devices that are involved in the current delivery of patient care and called for nursing’s proactive involvement in the planning, adoption, and integration of technology.…”

“…Working together strategically with a shared vision can effectively provide a seamless clinical workflow, maximize technology investments, and ultimately improve patient care delivery and outcomes. 9 (p. 268)In the strategic adoption of technology—whether, that be an EHR, a bar-coded medication administration technology, a patient-monitoring device, or one of the other numerous technologies that nurses interact with daily partnering with a vendor with a shared vision and viewing them as co-caregivers supports optimal interprofessional collaboration.…”

“…Working together strategically with a shared vision can effectively provide a seamless clinical workflow, maximize technology investments, and ultimately improve patient care delivery and outcomes. 9 (p. 268)…”

Electronic Records With Tablets at the Point of Care in an Internal Medicine Unit: Before-After Time Motion Study (Preprint)

“…It is essential that the nurses are involved and committed to completing EHRs. Their use should be guided by nurses, as it is common for nursing professionals not to participate in their development [2,[4][5][6][7]. EHRs should be usable for nurses and relevant for their practice [2,8].…”