While at a Xerox demo day at PARC last week, we saw a system that keeps track of both nurses and the medications that have been ordered for their patients. The core of the system relies on a small digital tag that the nurse wears, which recognizes her when she enters a patient’s room. The patient’s information immediately appears on an in-room display along with any specific data that needs attention. For example, if the patient has a particular indicator like blood pressure that needs closer monitoring, that data is immediately highlighted on the display (usually presented in graph form).
Furthermore, the digital tag allows the nurse to be tracked on the Charge Nurse Overview, showing where the nurse is at all times. Finally, the nurse also has a handheld display that shows her the readiness and location of medications that have been ordered for her patient, so that she does not have to be constantly checking in the pharmacy.
From Xerox:
Delivering real-time data that matters most to clinicians when and where they need it.
Digital Nurse Assistant (DNA) is a new electronic medical record extender developed by the Xerox Healthcare Provider Solutions group in conjunction with PARC. Using IT technology, the DNA helps make hospital healthcare systems more efficient and effective by automating many tasks that nurses currently handle by hand. By delivering real-time data that matters most to clinicians when and where they need it, the DNA reduces much of the manual busywork that currently wastes as much as 30 percent of a nurse’s time every day.
For example, as physicians update orders, medications arrive on a unit and new patients are admitted, nurses must re-prioritize their tasks accordingly. Increasing the cognitive load on a nurse often increases the risk of error. Now imagine the nurse with a tablet that automatically receives these updates and re-prioritizes the work according to criticality and policy. The nurse also can save time and steps by adjusting settings for notification when an expected new order or medication arrives.
Link: Xerox Innovation Group…
