John Cox reports:
A new study finds that more than two-thirds of nurses are using their personal smartphones for clinical communications. Yet 95% of nurses in the sample say hospital IT departments don’t support that use for fear of security risks.
The report, “Healthcare without Bounds: Point of Care Computing for Nursing 2012,” by Spyglass Consulting Group, points to the collision of healthcare information demands on nurses, and the limits of mobile and wireless technology, at the point of care — typically the patient’s bedside. Nurses in the survey decry the lack of IT support; and IT staff are frustrated by the unsanctioned and often explicitly banned use of personal devices for clinical communications.
Read more on Network World.
This is really cause for concern on so many levels. If available and IT-sanctioned technology is not meeting the needs of nurses, their needs must be addressed. But a cowboy approach of ignoring policies on tech and security is not a solution. Using smartphones puts patient data at risk, particularly as we’ve seen so many apps that are not truly secure nor privacy-protective.
The issue that “meaningful use” requirements are adding a burden to nursing care that does not translate into more efficient or better quality nursing also needs to be addressed, but it’s related if the nurses are under pressure to enter more data yet don’t have technology that facilitates productivity and compliance.