Technology: Giving us back those fulfilling moments
The lives of most Americans are touched by technology every day and we can’t imagine a day without being “connected”. I find that this translates over to my work life as well. The thought of not having my email at my fingertips all day long or not being reachable by my staff at a moment’s notice makes me very anxious. However, what is interesting to me is that throughout my medical career, each and every time a new piece of technology is rolled out to frontline staff there is almost always a great deal of resistance. I recall many years ago when my hospital system transitioned from paper documentation to an EMR. The staff was beyond upset; some even went as far as to leave their position. Looking back now however, it would be hard to argue that completing that transition was a bad decision. It is time as nurses that we embrace technology and take advantage of all that is out there.
Recently I was given the privilege of taking over the telehealth department for my hospital system. A simple tablet is installed in patient’s homes and used to take daily vital sign measurements. The most basic of information is gathered, and we have found that when properly analyzed we can greatly increase the productivity of the entire homecare team. Skilled nursing visits can be adjusted so those patients that are higher in acuity are seen more rapidly. On the flip side patients who are doing well can have the time between their visits lengthened. We may also use the gathered information to decide between sending a licensed practical nurse versus a registered nurse.
To take things one step farther, the equipment allows a patient to request a phone call from a clinician. While this may sound like it would increase the work load of the staff it has actually helped us provide a considerably better service in a much more timely fashion. Prior to this option patients would call the triage line directly, inundating the staff with constant questions. The ability to have time to research the patients prior to returning their calls has allowed us to truly “triage” the information the patients need. The staff can analyze all of the available data and then contact the patients in a much more efficient manner.
This example is really one of many where embracing technology has enabled improvements for not just the patients, but the entire business unit, from the frontline staff all the way up to the shareholders. As nurses it is time that we understand technology is going to be a constant. We need to embrace the culture and rather than look at each change as a negative we need to truly become change agents. Each day taking care of a patient is another opportunity to look at how you can be more efficient and how we can better utilize the technology that is at our fingertips. Efficiency saves time, and with that extra time we can do what we all got into this business for in the first place: those extra moments with our patients and the opportunity to truly help them reach a positive outcome!
Have you had similar experiences? We would love to hear about them! Please reach out to us via email, Facebook, or Twitter.
