Technology and Nursing - Research Paper Example

Technology and Nursing- Computer Charting There is no denying the fact that the usage of computer systems is becoming ubiquitous in the area of healthcare and nursing. In the healthcare the manual charting of the patient data and information was not only time consuming and laborious, but was open to a range of flaws and constraints. In the recent times, many hospitals and healthcare institutions have evinced a trend towards the exploitation of technology and computer systems for patient charting.

Computer charting happens to be a useful technological development in the area of nursing which has obliterated the need for manual documentation by nurses, which has predominantly been replaced by computerized documentation. It goes without saying that the trend towards computer charting has facilitated the healthcare with multiple advantages and has made the work of nurses relatively easy and more accurate (Aktan, Tracey & Bareford, 2011). One distinct advantage of computer charting is that it has made the process of nursing documentation quiet hassle free (Aktan, Tracey & Bareford, 2011).

Computer charting allows for more accurate and complete nursing documentation, thereby minimizing the scope for errors, misinterpretations or misunderstandings. Computer charting has totally obliterated the scope for any redundancies in the nursing documentation. The technological provision for computer charting has automated the collection and reuse of the patient data, setting aside the laborious and less accurate manual processes (Aktan, Tracey & Bareford, 2011). Besides, computer charting not only allows for the sharing of the patient data across platforms and departments in a healthcare institution, but also allows for a timely and accurate analysis of patient data (Hakes & Whittington, 2008).

The other big advantage of this technology is that it has facilitated compliance with the state and federal legal requirements and statutes in the nursing profession. Being digital in its scope and relying on computer software, electronic charting makes it feasible to assure consistency with the state and federal legal statutes and requirements (Waneka & Spetz, 2010). Computer charting with its provision for the collection and sharing of data across multiple platforms has indeed given a flip to the technology of nursing informatics (Waneka & Spetz, 2010).

The other thing is that computer charting has really revolutionized the healthcare with the doctors and specialists being able to access the patient’s paperless charts, no matter in whichever part of the world the patients are admitted. On the one side the provision of computer charting curtails the paper work, allows for accurate and legible patient records and facilitates the sharing of data, and on the other side, computer charting makes the job of nursing more organized (Hakes & Whittington, 2008).

Thereby it requires much less overtime. This influx of technology in the arena of healthcare also makes the patients and their family members feel more confident. Also, some costly and state of the art computer charting systems like Omnicel and Pixis could also help the nurses in giving medication to patients and some of them even have the capability to digitally chart the medication in the computer memory as it is dispensed (Waneka & Spetz, 2010). However, the thing that needs to be understood is that it would be wrong to assume that computer