All Entries in the "Technology" Category
Facebook photos lead to jail time for nursing assistant
How would you respond to disturbing images or posts by an employee on Facebook? The Regency Pacific Nursing and Rehab Center in Portland, OR, did not like the pictures posted on Facebook by nursing assistant Nai Mai Chao, and fired her following a conviction of invasion of privacy. Images of elderly or disabled patients using bed pans and the contents of the bed pans, dating back to April 2011, appeared on Chao’s Facebook wall; Chao admitted to posting the photos but denied taking them. In addition to losing her job, the 26 year old nursing assistant spent eight days in jail, surrendered her nursing certificate, has been ordered to write a lengthy apology to a patient, and is forbidden from working at any job caring for children or the elderly in the next two years.
Social networking sites can be wonderful tools for nurses looking to connect with others in their profession or stay informed with the latest news about nursing. However, these sites also blur the line between one’s personal and professional lives, and people tend to forget that they are sharing pictures, information, and comments not only with their friends but also with the rest of the online world. There’s a good chance the majority of your staff participates in some form of social media, and addressing appropriate and inappropriate uses for these sites is crucial to prevent not only outrageous incidents like the one involving Chao, but also more innocent-seeming posts that still put patient privacy in jeopardy.
Talk with your nurses about privacy policies and how Facebook posts about their jobs or their patients can lead to trouble, no matter how innocuous the information may seem. Remind your nurses that although they may utilize the maximum privacy settings to prevent information or photos from spreading, their Facebook friends could still “share” content with their own networks and reach unintended audiences. Develop and enforce a social media policy that clearly states what is considered inappropriate use and outlines the consequences of violating the policy. As social media permeates all aspects of personal and professional spheres, taking these actions and being proactive about Facebook and social media use is a must for nurse leaders.
What are your policies on social media? How do you address concerns about privacy when it comes to Facebook and other sites? Leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts!
Technology and healthcare: nurses’ use of mobile devices
New technology has been steadily working its way into all aspects of daily life, and healthcare is no exception. More organizations are adopting electronic medical record systems and incorporating tablet computers into those systems. Individuals are also bringing technology into their work day, which can have positive and negative effects. Last week we posted about a nursing app that allows nurses to quickly access relevant information, a seemingly useful tool, but there have also been stories of technology distracting physicians and nurses from performing their jobs effectively and safely.
A recent poll on StrategiesforNurseManagers.com asked nurse leaders to weigh in on how often nurses use smartphones and tablet computers to perform their duties. The responses were split almost evenly between nurses who use these technologies on a daily basis (46%) and nurses who never use these technologies for work purposes (44%). Other respondents answered that nurses on their units used technology weekly (6%) or monthly (3%).
How does your organization compare? Do nurses on your unit use smartphones and tablets as part of their jobs? Does your organization have a policy in place to address the growing use of mobile devices in the healthcare setting? Leave us a comment and let us know!
Tip of the month: Guidelines for using social media as background checks
By Shelley Cohen
The Internet has proved to be a great resource to managers with the greatest challenge seeming to be finding the time to research all that is available to us. Along with medical and nursing resources, the Internet has become a social highway for individuals as well as organizations.
As the generation gap continues to grow, managers are continuously amazed to hear of personal concerns being posted to social networks such as Facebook. On one hand, some of these sites may provide an opportunity for “pre-screening” job applicants. On the other hand, we see the benefit of looking up a prospective applicant and finding out they are a source for purchasing drugs or the real reasons they were fired from their last job. A question raised on the other side of this is one of discriminatory action. What if you declined to hire a person based on a social networking site story about them and you later find out, the posting was unreliable?
Facebook posts could cost five California nurses their jobs
A few years ago, hospitals did not have to worry about patient information being posted on the internet, as social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook were not as popular as they have become today. Tri-City Medical Center in CA may be wishing for the days before computers, as five nurses’ jobs are in jeopardy and a sixth will be disciplined for allegedly posting patient information on Facebook. [more]
Virtual nurse aids with patient discharge
As medical records turn from paper to electronic only, and simulation training aids in nursing education, it is not hard to believe a virtual nurse is helping patients at the bedside with discharge information. Timothy Bickmore, a computer scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, MA designed the virtual nurse “Elizabeth” to help nurses and patients during the discharge process.
Elizabeth is a computer-animated character created from combining the facial expressions and gestures of doctors and nurses Bickmore taped. With the help of an animator, Bickmore was able to create all the animation segments the nurse delivers which Elizabeth will mimic when interacting with a patient. [more]
Sim Man 3G becoming more common in nursing education
Many facilities across the nation are investing in state-of-the art technology that allows students and staff members to gain real life experience without the fear of killing a patient.
The high-tech mannequin, Sim Man 3G, costs roughly $27,000, but can cost up to $60,000 with additional accessories and programs available for download onto the mannequin. Even though many facilities have been forced to cut back on their programs and spending, the price of Sim Man 3G has not deterred facilities from purchasing the state-of-the are technology. [more]
Apple’s iTouch and iPhones connect nurses in Florida hospital
On any given day at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System in Florida, the overhead page was going off every three minutes. And when a patient is in pain and trying to recover, that can be an issue.
So Sarasota Memorial brought peace and quiet—along with improved healthcare—to its hospital by supplying Apple’s iTouch to its nurses.
With help from Voalte, a startup developing point-of-care communications company that uses mobile technology, Sarasota began a 60-day pilot program in June where 25 iPod Touches were given to nurses on one specific floor with the goal of reducing the amount of noise and inefficiency involved in paging.
The iTouches reduced the number of pages in eight hours from 172 to 38, while the devices received an average of 4,000 messages a day—along with positive comments from the patients on the floor. [more]
Announcing Patient Safety Monitor!
Have you ever needed to look up a hospital regulation in a neighboring state and not known where to look? Or have you needed to double check your state’s current regulation on patient identification, and had no time to go searching for the information? Well look no further!
HCPro launched its newest product earlier this week: Patient Safety Monitor, an online resource for your patient safety needs. The main feature is the Crosswalk, which organizes many patient safety-related regulations by what is required by The Joint Commission, CMS, and all 50 states. The product also features the monthly newsletter Briefings on Patient Safety, a tools library, access to our popular “Patient Safety Talk” listserv, and weekly news alert.
The Patient Safety Monitor blog is actually a part of the larger Patient Safety Monitor product, and you’ll now notice a link back to the home page in the “links” section in the righthand column of the blog. If you’re already a subscriber of Briefings on Patient Safety, you now have access to Patient Safety Monitor as part of your subscription.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Patient Safety Monitor, be sure to check out the demo. You can also sign up for a free 7-day trial.
Interactive Web site helps determine when flu symptoms are serious and when to seek help
Trying to decide whether that cough and on and off fever is something you should go see your doctor about? Debating to wait in the crowded Emergency Room for hours to see if you have swine flu? Well, what if you could determine the severity of your symptoms and whether a visit to the doctor is necessary, without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.
Microsoft has launched an interactive Web site; H1N1 Response Center, that will help determine just that. Using an assessment tool licensed by Emory University, the Web site aims to help consumers’ determine whether or not their symptoms are consistent with the H1N1 virus and if they should seek medical help. [more]
2.0 Web technology integrates a nursing program near you
As the terms “podcasts”, “wikis”, and “blogs” fill the vocabulary of nurses, physicians, students, and hospitals nationwide, more and more facilities are finding ways to integrate these new technology tools into the everyday hustle and bustle of the healthcare world.
In a recent study published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association, 53% of nursing schools and 45% percent of medical schools are now using Web 2.0 tools in their curricula. Also, 58% of nursing schools and 50% of medical schools intend to include Web 2.0 tools in the curricula within the next year. Web 2.0 is a term defining the second generation of Web development that allows users to do more with Web sites. Rather than just passively retrieving information, Web 2.0 technology allows users to own and exercise control over the data.
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