Title: Six Emerging Healthcare Technologies for Leaders in Nursing | Norwich University Online
Headings: Six Emerging Healthcare Technologies for Leaders in Nursing
Six Emerging Healthcare Technologies for Leaders in Nursing
Electronic Health Records
Mobile Communication Systems
Patient-Generated Health Data Systems
Real-Time Location Systems
Smart Alarm Technology
Nursing Education Software Advancements
Learn More
Sources:
Explore this Program
Find out more

Content: This technology allows easy and immediate sharing of records between facilities and providers, thereby improving communication and quality of care for patients and increasing the scope of patient information available to nurses and other health care workers. EHRs provide nurses and other health care workers with access to a patient’s complete health information at the point of care, allowing earlier diagnosis and treatment. According to a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), EHRs “can automate manual tasks, streamline documentation, and enhance communication among caregivers.” EHRs can also improve quality of care and boost safety by reducing the risk of medication errors and allowing automated alerts to prevent potential errors or allergic reactions when a new medication is prescribed. In a paper-based system, identifying problems such as these is much more time-consuming. Mobile Communication Systems
Better quality of care depends on staff communication and coordination, and facilities that integrate mobile communication systems report significant improvements in those areas. According to Andrea Elmquist, spokesperson for Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation center in Englewood, Colorado that specializes in spinal cord and traumatic brain injury, installing a mobile communication system—which allows staff to communicate in real time on a two-way, in-house system—decreased untimely interruptions for clinicians and improved patients’ experience and overall level of care. “The biggest benefit from the nursing perspective is that we now have one device for communicating about care, medication administration, and receiving alert messages,” Elmquist said. “ The nurses often had a type of tool belt that held multiple devices—such as cell phones and pagers—and were used for various clinical purposes.” Elmquist said that by streamlining communication for the company’s clinical staff, nurses were able to locate other nurses around the hospital, send secure direct messages to other clinicians, assign tasks to themselves or others, and receive patient alerts—all on one device.