The Use of Technology for Patient and Client Management

Non-clinical technology is available and valuable as a tool for us in health care. Electronic health records allow us to document care and store diagnostics for accessibility from local WOWs or outside locations and handheld devices. Systems allow providers to access information form home or office. Scheduling is done easily electronically; also may done by the patients themselves. E-scripts are sent directly to pharmacies upon patient’s discharge, to lower the incidence of prescription fraud and medication errors; prescriptions are also filled faster for the patients. There are various systems that a nurse or provider must become familiar within a facility that are non-clinical, Pixies for medications, Vocera for communications, electronic dictations devices, all are advancements to save time and increase efficiencies. While providing direct care, there are also diagnostic technology systems at our disposal; some diagnostics can be carried out from a remote location such as “Nighthawk TeleRadiology” with x-rays, CTs,and other imaging studies being read in other countries and results faxed or phoned to stateside facilities. Telemonitors analyze, record, and interpret a patient’s heart rhythm whereas an AED takes it a step farther and recommends care. Defibrillators and insulin pumps continuously analyze and treat. Online patient management allows us to document, retrieve, and store data and information in our systems and access it from various locations. This network enables doctors and patients to keep up with all of the data that a person accumulates in his medical history and maintains it in a manageable, accessible medium. There are many systems available, Epic, Medi-Tech, Last Word, MSM, Open Vue, Open Vista, EMD, Star Clinical,etc. In addition to documenting and storing information, other systems are CDSS, to assist a clinician in a plan of care. Remote patient monitoring is big business, from