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How Technology Can Enhance Patient Safety
Patient Safety
| Description: | The use of technology is becoming increasingly apparent as it continues to improve the delivery of patient care. The telling signs of this phenomenon are all around us. An aging population that is increasingly becoming more knowledgeable and more responsible for the cost of care is putting greater demand on the health system. The industry is scrambling to address patient safety concerns and the growing complexity of medical knowledge and its accessibility to clinicians. As needs shift from acute, episodic care to chronic care, a patient-centered approach becomes even more critical. Emerging technologies offer an unprecedented ability to provide accurate and useful medical information in a secure and private form when and where it is needed, whether by patients themselves or by the clinicians who care for them. Senior leaders are keenly aware of how technology can improve patient care and streamline routine workflows within an organization. Information technology (IT) has become a fundamental support of the clinical practice. As such, it can provide great benefit to achieving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiatives, JCAHO requirements and overall objectives of the organization. The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) focuses on key areas for improvement and understands where there are broken processes within an organization. In doing this, the CNO develops a strategy and plans for how technology can support these processes. Computerized physician order entry, medication management and clinical documentation are considered key workflows within clinical practice. For example, technology that supports the documentation of risk for falls, pain management and wound care facilitates the adoption of best practices to ensure successful outcomes. IT integrated into current nursing practices enhances the care delivery process. Senior leadership in a healthcare organization sets the IT vision, clearly communicates the direction and is able to articulate how technology enhances clinical practice to achieve outcomes in a pay-for-performance environment. |
| Expert: | Gail Latimer[264 KB], MSN, RN Chief Nursing Officer, Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services, master’s degree in nursing administration from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s degree in nursing form Pennsylvania State University |
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Topic Index
Computerized Physician Order Entry
Defining the Future State of Interoperability
Electronic Medical Records
Healthcare Industry Collaboration
Medication Management
Staffing Shortages in Healthcare
Workflow/Process Management
