The availability of mobile computing solutions like computer and medication carts is dramatically changing the face of healthcare by streamlining workflow and clinical record keeping leading to improved patient care and safety. Yet the role of mobile computing in many hospitals and health systems today is being re-evaluated as healthcare leaders such as directors of IT and nursing assess an expanding range of options.

This movement has been prompted in part by the realization that as technology itself evolves, so must internal selection and implementation strategies. The maturation of available products and the recognition that different devices are needed to meet varying demands across the enterprise are two trends in particular that are prompting technology leaders to consider adopting alternative approaches when choosing mobile computing solutions.

Sophisticated Tastes

When mobile computing was introduced a number of years ago, healthcare leaders were quick to embrace cart-based technology. They could easily see how “computers on wheels” might increase nursing efficiency and productivity. In addition, the availability of clinical information at the point of care was clearly beneficial to the patient. As facilities selected their first mobile solutions, they often gathered a sampling of vendor products in a large conference room and invited nurses to take a “test drive.”

Decision-makers subsequently chose a solution based on units their nurses found easiest to handle. After using these early solutions for a time, however, both nursing and IT staff became more discriminating. They discovered features they liked, and noted areas where the technology fell short of expectations. Users began to identify both “nice to have” and “need to have” features.

Suppliers responded by developing mobile computing solutions that were lighter, easier to move and more capable of withstanding the demands of the healthcare environment. As the market continues to mature and available products become more advanced, healthcare IT professionals in particular have begun to look beyond the rudimentary functionality of computer and medication carts. Second- and third-time buyers, for instance, may be assessing more than mobility and ergonomics.

These purchase decision-makers may be considering additional factors such as vendor support, extended warranties, long-term service and maintenance options. Because they rely so heavily on technology, healthcare facilities cannot afford to experience the effects of prolonged down time. These organizations increasingly are seeking vendors that offer scheduled maintenance for troubleshooting and minimizing problems, in addition to more responsive service when necessary.

Likewise, some have begun to critically assess the extent to which various mobile computing solutions address common pain points. For instance, are they easy to implement, set up and service? How well do they integrate with existing healthcare IT infrastructure? Do they feature a reliable, long-lasting power supply? Are they equipped to provide an electronic advisory to notify users when batteries need to be recharged? Can the power supply be easily changed when needed?

These factors can simplify the demands on IT and nursing staff, reduce aggravation, and ensure that these mobile computing solutions function seamlessly within the healthcare environment.

Right Tool, Right Job

Many IT professionals are critically examining the deployments of mobile computing devices throughout their facilities and identifying the tasks nurses utilize the technology to accomplish. Decision makers also are becoming more aware of the complexity of nursing duties and are grappling with the best way to support nurses’ needs across the enterprise. Medication administration, providing patient education and clinical documentation are but a few examples from the list of common tasks assigned to nurses, each presenting its own set of challenges.

In the past, leadership may have assumed that a single type of mobile workstation would meet all care-giving requirements. However, as healthcare facilities introduced other technologies (such as bar code scanning, for instance) they also began investigating whether a one-size-fits-all approach was the most effective. Perhaps a hand-held device would be more appropriate for certain processes, such as recording the administration of medications and fluids, and the tracking of supplies.

A larger mobile computer, on the other hand, may be best suited for documenting patient history and other detailed information shortly after inpatient admission. The facility may even need a variety of options for these data-dense point-of-care computing processes. In a critical care unit, for example, a wall-mounted computer may work best, considering the intensity of patient care and limited availability of floor space. On a medical-surgical floor, nurses may prefer simply to use a secure medication cart with a tablet PC, rather than use both a med cart and a full-sized computer cart.

A Mobile Computing Plan

Healthcare IT professionals and nursing leadership have begun to view the selection of mobile computing solutions more strategically than in the past. They are evaluating the needs of specific floors, units and departments, to ensure that they are able to support and simplify the full range of nursing responsibilities. The result is, nurses get the tools that are best suited to specific tasks.

Not only does this make caregivers’ jobs easier, and increase productivity, it also may improve staff satisfaction — an important consideration during this period of nursing shortages when retention and recruitment is key. Likewise, a customized mobile computing plan can help ensure that nurses will actually use the technology available to them. This can increase patient safety as well, and provides the facility with an electronic paper trail documenting that processes and procedures were followed, in the event of litigation.

For example, many healthcare facilities are setting high targets (greater than 95 percent in some instances) for use of bar code scanning with medication administration. With the policies of a mobile computing plan in place, however, a facility assumes liability to ensure they are followed. If a patient suffers a negative outcome and the technology was not used appropriately, the organization may be exposed to unnecessary liability risk.

As all of these factors continue to coalesce, healthcare IT professionals are rethinking their approach to mobile computing solutions. Rather than relying upon a single device, they are investigating the benefits of adopting a best-of-breed strategy. The overarching goal is to implement mobile computing solutions that provide the functionality and ease-of-use required by the nursing staff, and to ensure that these systems likewise support and advance their overall technology plan.

Taking this approach toward supplying clinicians with tools that streamline their workflows and that increase user satisfaction will place healthcare leaders in a better position to improve the integration and acceptance of technology into the patient care process. By improving the efficiency of point-of-care processes, patient safety will be improved, liability risk reduced, and those responsible for ensuring that patients receive the highest quality of care will be free to turn their attention toward setting further strategic goals.