How can nurses take advantage of technology?

Technology is changing every industry, and nursing is no exception. Nurses can use innovative technologies to serve their patients with increasing efficiency and effectiveness. This is because many healthcare technologies can assist nurses with routine procedures and reduce errors from working with several patients. Regardless of the rapid increase of nursing technologies, many nurses have not figured out how to use them to their advantage. This article will explore various ways nurses can use technology to improve process efficiency and productivity.

Streamline records administration

Far too many nurses take records administration for granted because they believe that keeping data is a distraction from the real work of nursing, which is to look after patients. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Patient records provide a trace of care processes that have been initiated and are additionally used amongst nurses for the continued management of patients. In other words, to achieve better patient outcomes, nurses must ensure that the records are accurate and complete. 

Now, you might ask how nurses do that. In the old days, nurses used paper filing systems to record patient status. Although it can work, using paper filing systems exposes nurses to data entry errors, making it even more challenging to ensure data accuracy. Thanks to the emergence of powerful technologies such as electronic health records (EHRs), nurses can provide accurate, updated, and complete information about patients at the point of care. Often, these EHRs gather all essential data to provide clinicians with a comprehensive view of patient health for better diagnosis and lifetime treatment. Continuous data gathering also allows for greater personalization of care by helping nurses address issues in a preventative manner. This way, nurses can gain a complete picture of their patient’s health needs and establish trust, which is essential in improving overall patient health.

Remote patient monitoring

Remote patient monitoring technologies have been around since the mid-2000s.  While it has not been widespread in usage, the pandemic has led many healthcare organizations to try it out, and many have stuck around. A recent report revealed that roughly 23.4 million U.S. patients took advantage of remote patient technologies in 2020. This number will only continue to grow as the same data further added that Americans would consider replacing in-person visits with remote care. Using remote patient technologies, nurses can engage in more one-on-one interactions with patients and offer them more personalized care. 

Nurses can manage patients with chronic illnesses more efficiently and safely by using remote patient monitoring to lower the number of hospital readmissions. Nurses may get quicker access to critical patient data with connected health devices for remote patient monitoring. By doing this, nurses can expedite diagnosis and enable immediate modification of treatment plans. Even better, remote patient monitoring improves patient behavior by establishing a system in which everyone is more accountable and involved with their health. When patients are involved, they are more likely to accept advice and take charge of their health, which improves nursing productivity.

Use it for career advancement

Nurses must know how to maximize the resources to provide the highest level of patient care. Since the nursing industry never runs on autopilot, nurses need to update their knowledge constantly to stay on top of trends and remain competitive in a cutthroat industry. One of the ways to do that is to take up advanced studies. Now you might argue how it is even going to work. You work multiple shifts and barely have enough time to get sufficient rest. Well, the answer is online learning. With technologies such as learning management systems and video conferencing apps, everyone can now advance their careers and earn a degree online without taking time off work. 

Moreover, online learning also provides you with increased course variety. When you have more course alternatives, you can explore several nursing specialties to find the most appealing to you. For instance, if you want to make a positive impact like the famous nurses found in history & modern times, you can simply start by enrolling in a nursing program at an academic institution such as Baylor University which offers multiple specialization tracks for you.

Choosing the right academic institution can be essential to a promising nursing career. While online nursing degrees are respectable, most employers usually look at the academic institution you earned your degree from. Is your chosen academic institution a leader in nursing education? Is it accredited by the United States Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing? By ensuring that your chosen academic institution has the necessary accreditations, you can increase career advancement opportunities and find the most suitable job for your skills and abilities rather than settling for work unrelated to your degree. 

Now you might be wondering what an online nursing degree looks like. Earning an online nursing degree will mostly require you to take on various tasks and projects. These courses will include a variety of assignments, including case study-based situations, scholarly writing, and online lectures, which you could tackle with ease when you familiarize yourself with the available technological resources for online learning. There will also likely be more proctored exams since nursing focuses on epidemiology, statistical principles, and population health. Additionally, you can participate in clinical rotations and tasks at residencies where you can apply your knowledge and abilities. In either case, taking these online nursing courses will help you stay current with medical technology and improve as a nurse.

Becoming a nurse today

The use of technology in nursing is constantly developing. By pursuing your nursing degree right away, you can stay current with trends and become more productive.

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