It's undeniable that healthcare is becoming more efficient than ever thanks to technology like electronic health records. These new advancements may be providing both nurses and doctors with easier access to important health information that could be vital for urgent patient care. When learning how to become a nurse, you may have to use mobile technology regularly. Here are some great reasons why you should hop on the mobile bandwagon.
Patient contact.
According to Minority Nurse, a 2009 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Membership Survey found that 60 percent of respondents used a personal device or smartphone in their medical practice.1 One of the biggest benefits is being able to keep patients engaged beyond the hospital visit, monitoring their health outside of the practice. New applications even allow physicians to get real-time updates through text messages and alerts regarding changes in patient health conditions.
Extend education.
Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses explains that patient education may be one of the most challenging aspects of nursing, as many patients are unaware of their medical conditions or medical history.2 The convenience and advantage of having relevant medical information at your fingertips can not be overstated. Being able to give detailed information about a specific condition or treatment to a patient goes a long way to help them feel at ease. Not to mention how quickly you’ll be able to look up important information on the fly for your own learning. You no longer have to make a mental note to look something up later.
Increased safety.
Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses also reported that integrating mobile technology into nursing training may improve the safety of patients under a nurse's care.3 Being able swiftly determine and analyze conditions may improve the overall effectiveness and quality of care being administered. Mobile technology might provide nurses with the immediate access to information that's pertinent to caring for their patients in an emergency environment. With more vendors making their EHR technology mobile accessible, nurses can track patient medication information and reduce any possible errors that could occur. Device such as smartphones and tablets may give them instant access to dosage information that's essential for the safe administration of medicine to patients in need.
While it may seem very normal for you to enjoy the convenience of a mobile device to aid you as a nurse, this is actually very new to healthcare. And it’s clear that the benefits of this technology are going to continue to improve our ability to offer speedy, accurate care for patients. The future is calling, and it’s on a mobile device.
1http://www.minoritynurse.com/article/charts-are-going-mobile
2http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Columns/Nursing-Informatics/Mobile-Technology-Nursing-Education-Practice.aspx
3http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Columns/Nursing-Informatics/Mobile-Technology-Nursing-Education-Practice.aspx /