A New Way To Document Care

July 1, 2008

Three skilled nursing facilities in Southwest New York this summer will implement a wireless, hands-free communications system in hopes of improving the quality of care for more than 400 chronically ill patients.

Using the AccuNurse technology of Pittsburgh-based Vocollect Healthcare Systems Inc., nurses and nurse assistants will wear a headset to receive patient instructions and verbally document care immediately after it is given. That care can range from administering medications and other medical services to cleaning up after lunch or helping a patient dress or go to the toilet.

Speech recognition software will convert the dictation into text reports that will be transmitted to billing and clinical information systems. Nurses and aides will document care on their way to their next assignment, freeing at least 30 minutes a day of manual documentation at the end of their shift, administrators expect.

The organization believes the technology, which includes data analytics software, will help the nursing homes increase the quality of care in many ways, says David Smeltzer, executive director of Heritage Ministries Management Co. in Jamestown, which provides administrative and information technology services to the three facilities.

For example, “If a resident doesn’t have a bowel movement for three days, a nurse must be notified,” Smeltzer explains. “But that information is manually recorded and nurses have to check the book. Now, the data will automatically be collected and appropriate nurses will be alerted to exceptions.”

Even documentation of how much of a meal residents ate can be analyzed to spot recent changes in their eating habits, which could signal a change in health status.

The communications system also supports silent paging of staff members, giving residents a quieter environment. And if a patient falls and a nurse or aide needs assistance, they can use the system to page others without leaving the patient to get help.

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

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