The American Nurses Association just kicked off National Nurses Week 2017, honoring the nation’s three million nurses who are changing the face of patient care and compassion. Health IT Outcomes recently spoke with three nurses who also work in the healthcare IT space to hear how the latest technology advances are having a positive impact on the nursing profession. Here’s what they had to say.
When today’s seniors were teenagers, they couldn’t have imagined the types of advancements we’ve made in our technological pursuits. From our phones being used as computers to self-driving cars, we’ve come a long way since the days of listening to your favorite radio show as evening entertainment.
When you think of nurses working in a hospital, you probably imagine them passing out medications, administering treatments, interpreting doctor’s instructions, or simply holding a patient’s hand. And, when I first graduated from nursing school, those were things I did. But my view of nursing began to change in 2002 when I was training to become a surgical nurse while serving in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 385,000 sharps-related injuries occur annually in the U.S. healthcare industry — an average of more than 1,000 per day. A sharps-related injury is a penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or other sharp object that may result in exposure to blood or body fluids. By Dave Hurton, Key Account Director, MedSafe
AMN Healthcare recently released its 2015 Survey of Registered Nurses. This research included input from nearly 9,000 RNs on topics ranging from retirement, education, and emerging roles. A number of the findings struck me, the following two especially:
That leaves us with the most experienced nurses nearing retirement and the majority of remaining nurses not feeling overjoyed with their jobs, although they love nursing. This points to an overwhelming need to improve conditions for care staff. Typically, the top dissatisfier for staff are staffing/scheduling issues, e.g., being short, having to float, having shifts cancelled, and being recruited constantly to pick up additional shifts. One of the solutions to this critical concern is a combination of technology and workforce strategies that can provide more certainty with staffing, greater work-life balance, and increased time with patients. By Chris Fox, president, Avantas
From the Apple Watch to the FitBit, wearable technology is revolutionizing how we manage our health. We track steps, count calories, and monitor sleep cycles. But what about older Americans who are unlikely to own a smartphone, much less feel comfortable using a piece of wearable technology — will the digital healthcare revolution leave seniors behind?
The healthcare industry is in the midst of a transition from ‘healthcare’ to ‘health optimization’ and remote monitoring technology will play a crucial role. By Julie Carr, RN, BSN, Director, Clinical Operations, Healthsense, Inc.
Half of all patients fail to take their medications correctly, according to a 2010 report by the World Health Organization, due to problems such as overuse, underuse or misuse of prescription or non-prescription medicines. This poses possible dangers, as mixing medicines could adversely affect someone's health, and not taking medicines in the correct dosage can lower the ability to fight off disease. By Jamar Ramos
Individuals are connecting to the Internet in exploding numbers, especially with mobile devices. Smartphone use grew by 45 percent from 2011 through 2012, and by 44 percent from 2012 through 2013, according to a new report by ABI Research. In addition, an article in Venture Beat citing the report concludes that there will be 1.4 billion smartphones in the world by the end of 2013. This doesn't even include the number of tablets, laptops, and other devices that people use to connect with the Internet. Health companies have been capitalizing on our increased use of mobile devices by developing apps to make health care more accessible and more efficient. By Jamar Ramos
The 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act allocated a significant amount of funds to help strengthen the country's infrastructure. This included measures to incentivize hospitals and other health care facilities to adopt the use of electronic health records (EHRs). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act outlines standards for the Meaningful Use of EHRs as set out by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Implementing EHRs nationwide may help improve health care by providing access to more accurate information in a quicker, more efficient fashion, as well as giving patients more power over monitoring and taking part in their health care. By Jamar Ramos
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