Sorry - I have been travelling quite a bit. Personally i do not like PDAs - They take too much time to interact with. My personal preference would be a wearable computer with voice command capability and complete access to the MIS.
The objective is a device that steals relatively little attention of the nurse, provides a great deal of information, could be used for dictation as well as interacting with the MIS, could be used to message other personnel and systems seamlessly, i.e. pharmacy, collateral caregivers, facilitate seeking more analytical insight into patient situations... a PDA can do some of this but only at great expense of time and energy - distracting nurses attention from caregiving... My own particular objective would be that the amount of time nurses spend documenting their activity should be reduced by 90 - 95% whereas PDAs are more likely to change the type but not the quantity of nurses' time spent on documentation... Bear --- Nandalal Gunaratne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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! 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