Bringing technology to the point-of-care via wall mounts and carts has revolutionized the art of caregiving. However, a flawed application of technology workstations can negatively impact the perceived care provided.
Hospitals that took the time to fully understand the workflow within their healthcare setting, surveyed the environment, and implemented technology as a part of the caregiving conversation saw patient satisfaction scores rise by 12%.*
Here are some tips to make sure you are installing technology in the right places, the right way:1. Understand the Clinician Workflow
- Is the computer being used as a shared resource or dedicated to one room/patient? Shared resources often need to be mobile, bringing in the importance of ergonomics and on-board power solutions.
- Will there be ‘down-time’ allotted to plug technology in to charge? If the product is not tethered to the wall in one room, understanding the ability to plug-in the cart to recharge or having the ability the hot-swap a battery will provide the clinicians with an uninterrupted workflow.
2. Technology workstations should be a part of the conversation
- Can the patient engage with the care plan? The triangle-of-care is vital to ensure the conversation between a patient, the clinician and the technology are seamless. If care plans are being shared with patients, tools that allow for sharing screens such as swiveling monitors help break down barriers.
- Will the patient feel comfortable conversing with the clinician? Eye-to-eye contact at the patient’s level can help relieve anxiety and improve a patient’s perception of the visit. Sit-to-stand workstations allow for clinicians to adapt to various exam rooms and patient spaces.
3. Always remember, caregiving is the number one priority
- How many touchpoints before the technology ‘fits’ the clinician? If it takes more than 5 seconds to do, it takes too long! Monitor adjustments, sit-to-stand mechanisms and accessories should be intuitive and easy to use. The quicker they can adjust their technology, the less a patient waits.
- If it were your desk, would you work at it? Although a patient floor may look different than your office, it is still a very important work space. Clinician comfort through soft wrists for longer data entry, lighted keyboards for dim environments and lightweight carts can lead to a healthier and happier nurse.
If you take the time specifying the right solution for the clinicians, it might as well be the right one the first time around! Working through these questions can help discern if you are on the right track. Altus is a manufacturer of technology workstation solutions who not only provides products meeting all of the necessary criteria, but also focuses on consulting with each department on their workflow to ensure the right solution is deployed in the right way.
Healthcare environments have a wide range of challenges and thus they have designed their workstations to enable optimized mobility, adjust-ability, and clinician well-being. Let an experienced specialist from CME guide you and help you with all of your IT solutions needs. Not only can we help choose the right products but we can also help assemble, test and install your equipment. Check out all of our IT support services.
*Effect of sitting vs. standing on perception of provider time at bedside: A pilot study' Patient Education and Counseling.
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers.
With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule.
