You don't need to be a 'techy'

While you were working, have you ever wondered if there was a better way of
doing something? You are probably right. Technology can facilitate a new
way of providing patient care. The use of technology in healthcare is
called electronic healthcare or eHealth.

Learning what technology is available, how to use and the benefits to
patient care can be overwhelming. At times you may feel it's easier to
continue with the current ways of doing things. I agree it probably is
easier. Speaking up for a change requires time spent learning about
eHealth, leadership and courage. The personal growth and reward in watching
the change unfold make it all worth it in the end.

Take it from me; you don't need to be an expert in all things "techy". You
just need to have a passion for learning, and providing exemplary patient
care. Before I got involved in eHealth I had been a nurse for eight
months, and didn't have much experience in nursing or eHealth.

So you might be wondering; where should I begin? Taking the RNAO eHealth
workshop and volunteering in projects helped me build the skills and
knowledge I would later need. I encourage you to take advantage of the
Registered Nurses Associations online courses, workshops, toolkits, and peer
mentors. Many of these resources are free and provide you with the knowledge
and leaderships skills to integrate eHealth technology in your practice. I
hope you're up for the challenge!

http://www.rnao.org/Page.asp?PageID=924&ContentID=3156

(The first ten people to register for the online eHealth and Every Nurse
course get a $50.00 gift certificate for an RNAO course. )

Skip the cart and move to iPads: Telemedicine in Long Term Care

        I have been starting to think about how to make telehealth more accessible to nurses on units in long term care. Integrating telehealth into long term care to improve access to specialist consultation has many benefits as seen in the RAVEN study currently being conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. To access telehealth services, special telehealth carts are wheeled into each room. Or, each room has a Telehealth unit installed. Either situation the unit is expensive, and requires a large capital investment. Accessibility questions, such as what units should the carts be placed on, how many carts are need must be determined to know the capital investment required. However, since Telemedicine is a new frontier for long term care there is unease with investing too much in the technology. Under utilization with a large capital investment is a very valid concern. The training costs are high as well. Specialized training is required on the carts, and due to the large turnover of staff in long term care facilities keeping up with the training requirements is also a challenge.
    I was thinking how can we minimize the capital investment for long term care and make telehealth more accessible for nurses?  MD's are moving to Ipads for charting and to do telemedicine consultation. What would it look like if  we moved away from the carts for nurses and have them initiate telemedicine consultations with iPads? At a Health 2.0 event in Pittsburgh this week on Aging, Mildred Morrison from the Area Agency on Aging discussed that we need to make technology invisible, and integrated it into every day life.  That way it doesn't seem as scary and foreign.   The carts are intimidating, and only a select few "champions" or specialized "Telemedicine Coordinators" often are the ones to operate and use Telemedicine carts. Most RN's have iphones in their pockets and are comfortable using the technology. By using iPads to initiate telemedicine calls it becomes the new age pager for nurses. The remote telemedicine specialist team now becomes an extension of their in house care team.
     Of course you will say, but how can they hold the iPad and help examine their client? How can they zoom in and see a wound? I'm sure there is a place and time for the telemedicine carts.  However, if people are accessing specialists in their own homes using smart phones,  let's put this easy to use, widely available technology into the hands of nurses.