Study: Better health IT could give nurses more patient time

A new study suggests nurses could gain significantly more time to spend with patients if the health IT industry establishes standards and helps to eliminate key workflow issues. Right now, thanks to inefficient work processes and environments, nurses typically spend only 30 percent of their time on patients, according to American Academy of Nursing (AAN) President Linda Burnes Bolton.

The study, conducted by the AAN's Workforce Commission, found that IT could help address more than 300 workflow issues, including documentation, care delivery and coordination of care, communication, medication administration and supplies and equipment. However, it will only be able to do so if the industry establishes a single industry standard for interoperability, according to researchers.

To find out more about the potential for health IT to help nurses:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece [1]

Related Articles:
Case study: Nurses drive MSHA EMR project. Report [2]
Nurse decision support reduces re-admissions. Report [3]