Tag Archive for: course-NRS_401

EKG monitoring through a person’s iphone to prevent stroke sound like a great invention that I may personally use one day since Afib runs in my family. Raney Linck is right in his blog about nurses needing to step up to the challenge…the changing technology in healthcare challenge (2014). I agree that we are going to have to increase our knowledge of the upcoming tools and resources that will impact our patient’s lives. I believe society will continue to increase their spending on quick and easy access to apps, devices, and biometric measuring tools, like the now common Fitbit, to improve their health. As nurses are educators and advocates, we must be prepared by expanding our own knowledge of technological health tools.

Mental health issues continue to affect society and finally people are starting to open up about specific mental health concerns that they are experiencing. People are looking for ways to overcome their personal problems by watching television shows like Dr. Oz, surfing the internet, and asking healthcare providers. New interventions like mobile health sensors along with therapy may be the answer to help those that are struggling with diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or PTSD.

Along with verbal, demonstration, and multiple printed educational handouts that we use in the NICU at St. John’s Regional Medical Center to educate our babies caregivers, we also use educational videos on a tablet. Caregivers can choose to watch multiple videos about NICU baby care on our unit’s tablet at their baby’s bedside or they can access the website from anywhere by logging on to http://www.yournicubabynow.com and using our hospital’s password 02557. This free website contains a video library in English and Spanish and also contains many helpful articles in the parent resource section. The education provided by leading Neonatologists and neonatal nurses on this website, in my opinion, is a great informative and helpful tool for caregivers of NICU babies (The Wellness Network, 2015).

Linck, R. (2014, August 1). MHealth: What do we do with all the data? [Web blog post]. Retrieved from http://digitaltrendsinnursing.blogspot.com

The Wellness Network (2015). Your nicu baby. Retrieved from http://www.yournicubabynow.com

The “Digital Trends in Nursing” blog is a comprehensive opinion based blog designed to bring fourth changing technologies and how it is being incorporated into the nursing world.  Unfortunately the blogger (Raney Linck) has not kept up the site, and the most recent post is almost a full year old. With the continued advances in technology, and integration of that technology in healthcare, it is important to remember that changes happen everyday.

I feel like the technology referenced in this blog is becoming more mainstreamed and is available to the masses, not just health care providers.  I feel in the next few months the department I work for will be utilizing the technology available; in fact, today I participated in an inservice for my hospitals new tele robot.  This robot will be replacing the current tele stroke robot, that essentially video conferences a neurologist to a potential stroke patient, and will be used to conduct follow up appointments in the emergency room and connect patients with specialists that would otherwise have to travel to the facility.  This robot, and technology like it, enhances the assessment process, it does not replace it.  It remains the nurses responsibility to be the eyes and ears in the physical room and participate the in advanced assessment process.

It is also important to remember that these technologies are made to enhance the assessment process and do not necessarily replace the need for more “basic” or “primitive” testing; example being an EKG monitors the electrical activity of the heart, but does not replace the importance of auscultating for heart and valve sounds.

It is also important for follow up and proper education if people are bringing these technologies into their homes for self care.  Home health agencies or monitoring companies must be notified to follow up to ensure the patient is truly being cared for and does not have a false sense of safety.  Continual monitoring and health applications could give a better overall picture to the patients daily health status but must be interoperated by a medical doctor and not the redly available “doctor google”.

There is a never ending story of research conducted by multiple agencies, hospitals, and educational centers.  It is important for the health care provider to be alerted to the ever powerful “evidence based practice” research.  Only when research is conducted, tested, and proven in a clinical setting does it become the standard for health care.  As technology advances new tools will be available for clinicians and for people to use at home.  Some pros of mobile technology include the potential for fewer hospital stays, monitoring patients, better recovery outcomes, and an overall better quality of life.  Some cons of mobile technology include false sense of security, interrupted or malfunction of equipment, and poor knowledge of equipment available.

In the hospital I work at, we encourage patients to utilize the technologies available; from blood sugar checks, blood pressure machines, heart rate and oxygen saturation finger probes, and an ACCURATE thermometer.  These are now basic technologies that are common in many homes that, when utilized appropriately, can alert a patient or practitioner of acute health changes that need additional treatments.

Hello, name is Vannessa Barretto. I have lived in Oxnard throughout my entire life, except for one year in 2010-2011, came back for school but not for long….

It was a difficult decision for me to head back into school after graduating with my ADN from Ventura College this past year 2014. I have been going to college ever since high school graduation without any real break the last 8 years (hah I could’ve gotten a doctorate already).

In 2010, I headed off to North Dakota being offered an athletic scholarship with collegiate softball. I took advantage of the scholarship and pushed my luck in nursing while being a full time student, employer,  and athlete traveling the U.S missing classes, didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. So came back home to save money and focus on school and my future career.

I had played softball for 15 years straight, to add year round and it was a huge change for me that took some time to get use to. I realized all things happen for a reason and I couldn’t have been more thankful for how it all played out.

Now since after graduating with my ADN, I have been working for Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura since last November working in the Medical-Surgical/Oncology Unit. The experience I gained from North Dakota doing a full year of nursing opened my mind set of what nursing can be, how the culture is so different even in the United States. As I gain more experience in the nursing field I plan to work in Public Health/Travel RN, possibly in a manager setting or work my way to a Nurse Practitioner in years to come. However with all this schooling taking longer than expected, I have been thinking of taking a break after our graduation this upcoming May. I would like to travel with partner in crime (whom you see in the picture below). Actually for the first time, I will be traveling outside of the country in a few months for a short period in time but as a glimpse of what is yet to come.

Look forward to all your posts/responses.

Ciao!..See you soon.

I think that Nurses will be using technology more and more in the coming years. There are a lot of recent advances in technology that will be used in Nursing. For example the EHR-MU makes it easier to transfer patient records form one facility to another. Also it makes patient medical data more accessible even within the same facility. The federal health mandate around electronic health records have also begun to require that patients have access to their own health information (Linck, 2014).

CPOE is a clinical software application designed specifically for providers to write patient orders electronically rather than on paper. With CPOE, providers produce clearly typed orders, reducing medication errors based on inaccurate transcription (Nursing World, 2014).

There are also ear buds that can measure your heart rate, speed and calories burned per workout while you are listening to music and an iPhone case that turns your phone into an EKG monitor (Linck, 2014).

I think that for me as a nurse it would be beneficial to constantly educate myself about new technology and see if it is something that can help me have better access to information or help my patients. I think that mobile technology can help patients to monitor themselves but it should be recommended with caution as patients may try to self diagnose rather than seek the help of a health care professional.

The pros are that technology help nurses to have better access to information whether it is the EHR, or the internet or looking up medication information. Also with the CPOE this helps to stop medication errors by ensuring accurate transcriptions.

The cons are that new technology can be time consuming to learn and may distract from patient care.

The way that I have seen technology being used for patient education in the hospital is when the nurses can bring up handouts related to patient education that are linked to the patient record based in their current diagnosis. There were many that could be printed out and discussed with the patient like diet suggestions, or warning signs and when to call the doctor.

Reference:

Huston, C., (May 31, 2013) “The Impact of Emerging Technology on Nursing Care: Warp Speed Ahead” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 18, No. 2, Manuscript 1.

Linck, R (2014). , Digital Trends in Nursing : http://digitaltrendsinnursing.blogspot.com

Digital technology is fast becoming ‘the norm’ in all aspects of our society, and healthcare is no exception.  From having access to healthcare records with a few key strokes to simple things, such as new hands-free and wireless telephones for healthcare staff, technology is making most healthcare professionals’ jobs easier.  It’s great to have a smart device or computer unhand to look up any desired information at a moments notice.  I am by no means ‘a techie’, but I fully embrace  the technological advances and am willing to learn the newest things that come out.

I think that the new EHR’s and healthcare documentation software are making assessment documentation somewhat easier for nursing staff.  With an increasing number of RN’s coming into the workforce that are tech savvy, it is a time saver. However, in regards to the older nurse population, is has made documentation more difficult, as some are not comfortable with computers in general.  EHR’s also require a multitude of man hours for education in order to teach staff how to use the new systems.

Another downside to mobile technology is that it has driven people to seek healthcare advice from internet resources which may, or may not be reliable sources. People need to realize that digital media is a decent starting point, but if they have questions or concerns about health, their primary care physician is the best source.

I see technology used frequently within the hospital setting for patient education.  The hospital uses printed sources from Krames and other similar sites for medications, patient safety, exercise programs, and disease process education.