Difference between revisions of "Nursing medication administration and workflow using computerized physician order entry"
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==Methods== | ==Methods== | ||
| − | The authors gathered their data by observing a total of 86 nurses. 50 nurses were observed on the pediatric unit and 36 nurses were observed on medical intensive care unit (MICU). The authors also conducted interviews with the nurses on four primary categories that included “system issues, variations in standards of care, workflow variability, and changes in communication practices.” <ref name="Tschannen"> | + | The authors gathered their data by observing a total of 86 nurses. 50 nurses were observed on the pediatric unit and 36 nurses were observed on medical intensive care unit (MICU). The authors also conducted interviews with the nurses on four primary categories that included “system issues, variations in standards of care, workflow variability, and changes in communication practices.” <ref name="Tschannen"> </ref> |
== Results == | == Results == | ||
Revision as of 03:53, 10 February 2015
The following is a review of the article, “Nursing medication administration and workflow using computerized physician order entry" [1] and how it addresses the impact of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in the nurse's work.
Contents
Abstract
Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems are becoming widely used in many health care settings. The authors wanted to understand the impact of CPOE on nursing workflow.
Methods
The authors gathered their data by observing a total of 86 nurses. 50 nurses were observed on the pediatric unit and 36 nurses were observed on medical intensive care unit (MICU). The authors also conducted interviews with the nurses on four primary categories that included “system issues, variations in standards of care, workflow variability, and changes in communication practices.” [1]
Results
The results of this study revealed that VCM mapping of semantic icons greatly increased the efficiency of data retrieval. Focus group recommendations were applied to the iconography. However, even though this system offered an improvement, the time it took to recover the information is still considerable, and needs to be improved to increased efficiency optimality in the medical field. It takes an average of 4-6 hours to learn the language but not all of the evaluators had the time to completely learn the language which might explain why it took more time to retrieve the information.[2] The article offers a concise background for the issue to give context for the need for improvement. As technology grows vaster, creative solutions must be created to increase interactivity. The use of ergonomic designs reveals that the ‘human’ elements are not being forgotten in design, and an eye for enjoyment of usability is being applied. This is encouraging, and the only aspect of the article that brings tangible emotionality to this discussion.
Comments
The authors did a quality job of describing the step-by-step approach of the study. For example, the preliminary step, VCM was mapped to the iconography use in DC to allow its efficient integration with the interface. How the focus groups’ insights were applied makes it clear that technology expands through the creative input and will of people. For those with the desire to know the ins and outs of the software, a full description of CISMeF-BP was given: “This catalog gathers thousands of resources described by Dublin Core meta-data and manually indexed using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)”. The authors cited other works that expand on the premises of their data, acknowledging the academic community that supports their work. A graphic figure including the semantic icons was presented, giving clarity to the abstract concepts.
The visualization of concepts in medicine is an old tool used in a new context. The use of signs and symbols has been going on for a long time and those in the medical profession chose these symbols. The use of internal organs as signifier requires extensive knowledge of the subject matter, and to the uninitiated it appears very funny. The figure used to illustrate mapping was a good tool for explaining how these symbols correspond to complex concepts. The authors explained how the focus groups came to their signifiers.
In conclusion, the article “Design and usability study of an iconic user interface to ease information retrieval of medical guidelines” is a good preparation for the challenges of information technology intermixing with the demands of the medical industry.
