The role of nursing is complex, underappreciated, and not very well understood outside of nursing. However, the demands of this role can be overwhelming, with extended hours, complex tasks, non-stop work, and constant multitasking. In recent years, technology has emerged as a powerful ally in empowering nurses, offering tools and solutions to streamline workflows and boost engagement. This blog post delves into the new technologies that are transforming nursing patient care.

Benefits of Technology in Nursing

In recent years, the development and adoption of nursing technology has accelerated across the health care industry. Nursing technology benefits both providers and patients in several important ways, including the following:

• Better communication among care teams
• Routine task automation
• Streamlined patient record access

Given the important and potentially lifesaving benefits of technology in nursing, it’s no surprise that 99% of US-based providers view digital transformation as a vital part of the future of medicine. For this reason, leaders and organizations are prioritizing the use of digital technology in health care.

New Technology in Nursing

How will technology change nursing in the future, and which digital tools will likely have the greatest impact on the nursing profession? To answer these questions, let us take a closer look at the ways technological innovations continue to improve nursing and patient care.

Artificial Intelligence

In healthcare, AI is invaluable for helping patients make clinical decisions or take action concerning a diagnosis or treatment plan. AI uses information technology to automate the conversion of data into knowledge that helps guide the patient to the next steps.

New AI technology in nursing can offer much-needed clinical decision support. This technology trend helps nurses sort high volumes of patient data and understand new information. Its use helps registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians avoid “information fatigue” – another reason that AI is expected to become an integral part of nursing in years to come. The advantages of nurses using AI in clinical decision-making include:

• Quickly analyzing large volumes of data
• Accurately identifying at-risk patients
• Identifying and advocating to improve care gaps

AI applications in nursing include the following:

• Identification of disease presence in asymptomatic patients
• Fall risk prediction and precaution implementation
• Guided decision trees to prevent infection from catheterization

Nurses will play an essential role in AI technology integration in hospitals and clinics. They can help find new opportunities to automate existing processes to gain more time to spend with patients.

Predictive Analytics

One new technology in nursing that holds great promise for improved patient outcomes is predictive analytics. With help from AI, predictive analytics considers data from past patients to suggest a course of treatment with the best possible outcome.

Beyond treatment plans, predictive analytics allows health care professionals to analyze patient data quickly, which saves valuable time and improves patient outcomes. For example, AI may detect the need for a blood test quicker than a human could, which could lead to faster test collection and ultimately quicker results.

This information allows the care team to work with unprecedented flexibility. They can adapt to their patient’s needs quickly, using the data to switch medications or change the dosage, if needed, to further improve the patient’s condition.

Predictive analytics can also help providers determine a patient’s risk level for developing other chronic conditions, such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes. This information then informs a course of treatment best suited to the patient.

Clinical Mobility

The term clinical mobility refers to the use of handheld digital devices like tablets and smartphones by health care professionals. Such devices offer greater mobility allowing them to create a new, convenient point of care based on the location of each patient or family member.

Clinical mobility devices allow nurses to do their jobs more effectively, sharing real-time patient data with their care team, which can save lives. Clinical mobility benefits providers and patients in several ways, including the following:

• Higher quality patient care
• Better informed clinicians
• More efficient workflows

By adding new clinical mobility technology to nursing, providers can streamline once arduous processes, sharing information quickly and effectively with their entire care team and a patient’s family.

Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) tracks patient health outside the clinical setting, using technology to transmit patient health data between patients and providers in real time. RPM is an important new technology in nursing because it allows patients to participate in their care from their homes, offering psychosocial benefits and allowing nurses to stay abreast of any changes in their patients’ health.

Some of the most commonly used RPM devices are:

• Digital blood pressure monitors
• Continuous glucose monitors
• Pulse oximeters
• Heart monitors
• Pedometers

RPM has many benefits for the nursing profession, including the following:

• Greater peace of mind for patients and their families
• Fewer unnecessary office visits, saving providers and patients time and money
• More individualized patient interactions based on up-to-the-minute data
• Timely interventions that can prevent relapses or hospitalizations
• Better patient feedback and personalized care for chronic conditions

With the cost of RPM devices dropping as they become smarter and more accurate, these devices are expected to become more commonplace in health care settings and even find their way into patients’ homes.

A Promising Road Ahead

Technology will transform nursing, equipping nurses with the tools and resources they need to deliver high-quality care in an increasingly complex healthcare environment. Innovative technologies are revolutionizing every aspect of nursing practice, from electronic health records and mobile applications to telehealth platforms and virtual reality training.

By embracing these technologies, healthcare organizations can empower nurses to work more efficiently, engage with patients more effectively, and ultimately positively impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities. The key to successful technology adoption is having nurses involved up front in designing and developing technologies to ensure that they solve a real problem instead of just becoming another solution looking for a problem.

Smart Technology Solutions for Medical Practices

Working with an experienced IT firm is the smart choice for medical practices and healthcare providers. PointSolve is the known and trusted source for comprehensive Managed IT. It is our honor, and our passion, to serve the medical community through an all-inclusive and streamlined approach to technology. By partnering with us, you can leverage our expertise to steer the complexities of healthcare IT with confidence.

Our team of IT professionals are trained in the particular security requirements and compliance standards that the medical industry must hold itself to. We aim to ensure compliance, while saving your office time, money and stress.

We believe your time and effort is better spent caring for your patients while we handle all aspects of your technology infrastructure. Let us help you create a seamless and secure IT environment that supports your mission to deliver exceptional patient care. Ready to take the next step? Contact PointSolve today to learn how we can support your medical practice with our comprehensive IT solutions.