Hi Bear, Thanks a lot for what you have said. I too feel that a hospital information system must address the needs of the nurses to succeed.
You have set down the problems but not suggested a solution. Have you any ideas of your own? I think a PDA like carry around device is important. A mobile, dependable and simple device which has a decent sized screen and connects to the hospital network. What else? Nandalal --- bear <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Ingo, > > You might want to check out an earlier post of mine > in which I > suggested that we won't make a lot of progress until > we accept the idea > that "computer assisted nursing" systems need to > change the way nurses > work not incorporate the way they work... > > In many settings I have observed there is a long > history of > work-inflation that has been begrudgingly accepted > by nurses. It is all > too common to find multiple forms that duplicate > most of their content > and add little or nothing to the management and > control of nursing > units. These forms are often generated by outsiders > but occasionally > within nursing. Nurses often tire of pointing out > inadequacies in such > situations because nobody seems to listen and > efforts to correct a > small duplication problem can generate solutions > that create far more > work. It tends to be easier to accept the latest > idiot from the > business department's brainstorm than to try to fix > what is wrong with > it. > > Ideally, nurses ought to have wearable or handheld > computers, the data > to be collected ought to be recorded automatically, > and patient info > ought to be able to be retrieved without recourse to > paper records. > That is the ideal. What often happens is that > administrators or nurses > do not trust the computer system - hence, they ask > nurses to complete > all the old, dysfunctional paperwork and also learn > how to use a > crippled on delivery (COD) computer system. They > enter the same data > they recorded on paper charts on the computer charts > - albeit, after > waiting for a free monitor to be able to use the > new, more efficient, > computer system. The period of duplication often > lasts longer than the > glow of the new system and eventually the system is > trashed or worse, > everyone continues the paperwork, the dysfunctional > old computer > system, and the latest bells and whistles computer > system to come along > - that of course, means threee systems that are > dysfunctional. > > To really address these problems takes an effort to > understand what > nurses do, should do, do not do, or should not do. > Nurses report that > up to 60% of their time is spent doing documentation > activities - that > ought to be reduced by 90+% if a computer system is > to be considered > "nurse-friendly" and "design-adequate". Instead, all > too often, the > computer system offers nurses little relief, no > extra information about > their clients, and means more clerical work for > them, reducing time > available for nurses to do nursing - oh yeah, some > of us still think > that working with patients rather than documentation > is the key to > nursing... > > Nurses make up a large part of the workforce in > health care > organizations - yet their needs for information and > analysis rarely get > the same attention that business managers and > financial personnel get. > To really make a health care management information > system work it is > critical to enhance the work efficiency of the > largest workforce in the > system, meet their needs for information and > analysis, do it in an easy > to navigate system, and one which clearly has > payoffs for them. A > poorly designed system that fails to incorporate the > needs of the > nursing workforce will never rise above the level of > an "also-ran"... > > Oh, yeah - I am a nurse... > > care2k is as promising as any other system around - > more so than many, > but I suspect it has not yet adequately addressed > access and utility > for nurses... > > When considering what needs to be done for nursing - > think about a > large insurance company in the early 1980s when > everything was done on > paper. It took several years for people to trust > computers and for the > programs to be made user friendly and user > accessible. The use of > computers by nurses is at that earlier stage and is > likely to remain > logjammed there until a breakthrough is made in > simplicity and utility > of use. > > Bear > > > --- Ingo Zugenmaier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hello list, > > > > I recently talked with a nurse about Care2x, and > there came up one > > question about the daily routines: > > > > Is it planned that nurses take PDA (or laptops) > with them when they > > do > > their daily 'round' (inspections) on patients, for > example measure > > temperature, pulse, blood pressure and so on? Do > they write that > > information down (on paper) for each patient and > then, after > > finishing > > all, enter it in the desktop computer? That seems > to be double work. > > > > Does anybody know if there are hospitals where > laptops are used on > > wards > > for that work? > > > > Regards, > > > > Ingo Zugenmaier > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > This SF.Net email sponsored by Black Hat Briefings > & Training. > > Attend Black Hat Briefings & Training, Las Vegas > July 24-29 - > > digital self defense, top technical experts, no > vendor pitches, > > unmatched networking opportunities. Visit > www.blackhat.com > > _______________________________________________ > > Care2002-developers mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/care2002-developers > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email sponsored by Black Hat Briefings & > Training. > Attend Black Hat Briefings & Training, Las Vegas > July 24-29 - > digital self defense, top technical experts, no > vendor pitches, > unmatched networking opportunities. Visit > www.blackhat.com > _______________________________________________ > Care2002-developers mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/care2002-developers > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email sponsored by Black Hat Briefings & Training. 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