Technology at Work If you are under the age of 40, you very well may not remember a time that technology was not a big part of your job. You now rely on computers, tablets, and other electronic equipment to do your job, and you have become accustomed to it. Before Technology Prior to computers being used to enter patient information and to document on, this work was done by a hand writing it all down. This method took up a good portion of your shift, however it is an important part of the job, and had to be done. You would try to write as neatly as you could, and without a spell check program, you often had to refer to a dictionary to ensure you go the spelling correct. Then of course you had to rely on reading doctor’s notes for patients. It was a very common practice to call the doctor to get an idea of exactly what they wrote since it’s not legible about 60% of the time.There were no devices used that kept numbers and info in memory, you wrote it all down, and then usually transferred it to a chart before your shift ended. Today, technology makes work much easier in the sense that it takes less time when you do the days documentation, its done on a computer instead of pen and paper. Spell check saves time, and reduces the likelihood of typographical errors. When a physician needs to read information on their patient, they do not have to rely on a nurse to pull the chart, they simply log on and there it is. Related: How to handle Patients with Cerebral Palsy Technology Benefiting Patients The less time spent on documentation, the more time that can be devoted to patients. Mistakes are far less likely to occur, and most of the calculations for dosages are figured out for you in advance. Technology keeps everything on track, medication times, and physician orders are readily available. If a patient has an allergy to a specific medication, that will pop up in a bright color, making it almost impossible to ignore, another mode of protection for the patient. When a patient needs something, it will most likely be delivered much quicker, thanks to a device run by technology.
Personal Technology at Work Technology has certainly made life easier for nurses working in a hospital, but where do you draw the line using your own technical devices? We all have cell phones, some of us have tablets, and watches capable of doing whatever we want to get done. A nurse that had been practicing for a short period of time, was having difficulty keeping up with patient information when visiting multiple rooms. She decided it would be a great idea to speak notes into her phone or watch, so that she could record them when she could sit down at the computer. It sounds pretty simple, and efficient, but it did not turn out that way. She made multiple voice notes with plans to later enter them, which she did successfully without an issue. The problem occurred on her way home, when she began to as many of us do in the care, and speak to the radio, getting things done and making the most of her drive time. Catching up on texts, making posts to her social media account, essentially taking care of things online that she needed to do. The problem occurred when the voice commands got slightly off. To narrow things down, she posted some patient notes to social media, including the patients full name. Several hours later, a work friend contacted her to ask about the posts, and of course she was horrified, and deleted the posts immediately. With the posts being up and available for everyone to see for several hours, she ended up losing her job. It was a mistake, but a very serious mistake. Related: Private Practice Nursing - International Nurses Association Technology is great, but technology can be used against us if we are not cautious about what we are doing. It is always a good idea to double check all info prior to actually posting, and always keep work issues out of your personal social media accounts. Use technology to your advantage, just use it carefully and wisely. Related: International Nurses Association Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter