New Technologies to Help the Workflow in Nursing

We all know that there is a shortage of nurses and this shortage is only going to increase over the next several years.  There are increasing numbers of elderly that need to be taken care of and the nurses work load is increasing.  Invasive procedures take time.  Increased nursing workload and lack of nurses can equal decreased patient safety and poor patient outcomes.  What can healthcare do to fix this problem?  There are new emerging technologies that will soon impact the way nursing care is provided and improve the workflow in nursing. 

One such emerging technology is the use of less invasive and more accurate tools for diagnostics and treatment in healthcare.  Non-invasive and minimally invasive tools for diagnostics and treatment generally result in lower patient risk and cost (Huston, 2013).

 

In the future heart disease is likely to be diagnosed by a new blood test that eliminates the need for risky diagnostic angiograms. There is a new 23-gene blood test that checks for certain blood proteins linked to heart disease and in a recent trial, the blood test was 85% accurate in detecting potentially harmful blockages among patients (Huston, 2013). 

 

Blood Glucose Tattoos have also  been developed that can monitor blood glucose without a finger prick.   The miniature tattoo, which is only a few millimeters in size, is made up of nanosensors that contain a yellow-orange dye. The dye lights up when glucose levels are high and becomes darker when the levels drop. The tattoos are applied once a week and completely non-invasive (Huston, 2013). 

 

 

 

 

So how will this new technology improve nursing workflow and increased patient safety for better patient outcomes?  New technology can improve safety in several ways.  One, it can facilitate a more rapid response after an adverse event has occurred (Bates & Gawande, 2003).  For example, by wearing the blood glucose tattoo, an intervention to a high or low blood glucose level can occur quicker.  Through technology information can also be tracked and information about adverse events can be obtained quicker  (Bates & Gawande, 2003).  Technology tools can improve communication, make knowledge more accessible, assist with calculations, perform checks in real time, assist with monitoring, and provide decision making support (Bates & Gawande, 2003). 

 

In 2002 the American Academy of Nursing started an investigation to identify nursing practice environment and workflow practices that could result in nursing workflow inefficiencies, nursing dissatisfaction and nursing turnover which could affect the nurse's ability to meet the demand for safe, quality patient care.(Bolten, Gassert, & Cipriano, 2006).  Nurses identified 327 workflow issues that were part of he nurse's care delivery. The eight major workflow categories of concern were admission, discharge, care coordination, care delivery, communication, documentation, medication administration, patient movement, and supplies/equipment (Bolten Gassert, & Cipirano, 2006).  It was determined that each workflow category could be improved with the use of technology.  Further comparison between nursing care and patient outcomes through technology can be found here.

 

 

References

 

Bates, D., & Gawanda, A. (2003).  Improving safety wit information technology.  The New England Journal of Medicine, 348, 2526-2534.

 

Bolton, L., Gassert, C., & Cipriano, P. (2008).   Smart technology, enduring solutions.  Journal of Health Information Management, 28(4), 24-30.

 

Huston, C.  (2013) "The impact of emerging technology on nursing care: Warp speed ahead.  The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 18, No. 2, Manuscript 1.