Mobile technologies show potential to revolutionize nursing

Wireless and mobile technologies are taking away much of the drudgery and wasted time that leads so many nurses to burnout, according to a story in Advance for Nurses, based on the findings of a December 2008 California HealthCare Foundation Report.

According to the story, the typical hospital-based nurse spends 58 minutes a day just walking to nursing stations to answer the phone. There's an obvious solution to that problem, but if you integrate paging into a wireless headset or smart ID badge, you can make nurses even more efficient and shorten response time to critical patient alerts, while also cutting down on some of the noise pollution from overhead paging.

Real-time location systems, enabled by RFID technology, are saving nurses time, too, by making it easy to track down medical equipment and other staff. Wireless patient monitors help nurses keep a close eye on elderly patients to prevent falls. And, on the cutting edge, hospitals are extending staff efficiency by deploying robots to dispense bar-coded medications, deliver meals and collect lab specimens.

For more details about how technology might revolutionize nursing:
- read the Advance for Nurses story
- download the the California HealthCare Foundation report