Study: Nursing point-of-care IT can interfere with workflow

While hospitals buy it to increase patient safety and improve nurse productivity, some of the point-of-care technology they've implemented can sometimes interfere with bedside care, according to a new study. The study, conducted by Spyglass Consulting Group, concluded that facilities are making major clinical information systems investments, including both fixed and mobile devices and applications, designed to drive patient care data near to or at the point of care.

It's not as though point-of-care devices are all negative. The researchers, who interviewed more than 100 nurses, found 78 percent of nurses record their care at the patient's beside using IT applications, which saves time over recording data on paper and transferring it to electronic form. Nurses also find it helpful to record vital signs automatically for high-acuity patients, which can then be used immediately for nursing review and uploaded to EMRs.

However, some devices are difficult to move with, and may not maintain contact with the network as reliably as they ought to, the consulting firm found. Also, the devices need to be better integrated with broader systems, and their data synchronized more effectively with information from other relevant applications, before they can reach their full potential, the study suggested.

To get more data from the study:
- read this Modern Healthcare article (reg. req.)

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