Although acute care settings such as hospitals employ sophisticated, technological system networks, information technology systems in long-term care settings, such as nursing homes, is often lacking. The need for information technology services is often overlooked in nursing homes.
Warning
Medication errors and erroneously written medical charting are a danger that nursing homes face as a result of their lack of information technology. Hospitals employ bedside computers that allow doctors and nurses to enter the patient's clinical findings into the computer without leaving the bedside. This allows for fresher information and decreases the risks that the caregiver will forget crucial statistics such as vital signs and medications given, as they must typically go back to the nurse's station to retrieve the actual patient's medical record to begin their charting.
Benefits
When information technology systems such as in-room computers are available, patient information is permanently saved on the computer, alleviating the risk of lost medical records. Sometimes, important paperwork from the patient's chart is lost or misplaced, causing a delay in treatment, which does not occur when the medical record is saved on the computer.
Prevention/Solution
To prevent loss of the patient's medical records, nursing homes need to update their information technology systems so paperwork can be streamlined. Because of concerns regarding patient safety, nursing home policy makers and committees are recommending the development and construction of new technologies to promote and support medical data standards, says Science Daily, a scientific website devoted to the latest in research news.
Tags: information technology, information technology systems, nursing homes, technology systems, care settings, care settings such, medical record