Trends of Documentation in Nursing Practice and Technological Advancements

Trends of Documentation in Nursing Practice and Technological Advancements

Nursing as well as other healthcare groups has evolved from the early day practice to the modern way of practice and documentation in nursing is one area where there has been evidence in drastic changes.

In the early 70’s till 80’s nursing practice documentation, though has been an area of emphasis and a seriously monitored part of nursing practice was all paper and pen documentation questioning the future of data storage and protection in the profession. Lose of patient’s data, alteration and cancellations leads to the quest for new modern and trends of documentation of nursing activities in the wards, clinics, nursing events, the administrative settings and most importantly the patients care data.

Evolution has occurred in not only the way data are being collected and documented, but also the manner of storage. With the discovering of Tele-nursing and electronic data storage system though seldom used in the developing world as a result of poor infrastructure development or provision of facilities to the health workers, nursing generally has enjoyed streams of success in the area of electronic data management and storage.

Real time availability of patient’s data from the nurse’s statistics to the physician table without in-person visitation has been a great way nurse’s benefit from electronic data system, data safety in the hands of the nursing group through proper storage is a good phase of nursing evolution and finally the reduction in the size of manual documentation system cannot be over looked as it has or is phasing out from paper folder to electronic patient folders.

Facilities which can be used in these modern way of data collection and documentation includes the computer, spread sheet, smart phones, mobile application, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and of course internet services.

However the skills needed by nurses to manage these electronic data collection and storage maybe only be limited to phone access and bare computer literacy, though there is need for nurses to improve in the ICT department in order to develop other real time data collection, storage and transfer applications.

Tele-nursing department an aspect of the International Society for Telemedicine and e-health (ISfTeH) has so many roles to play and are on course with nurses already enrolling and developing hand held devices for nursing care approach.

The need for nurses round the world to join Tele-nursing group as partnership created between ICN and (ISfTeH) which may be the center of nursing technology in future is clarion call. You can see more about Tele-nursing here.

Today we may say that manual documentation is not yet phased out in the developed world but electronic data collection and storage system is taking its effect in the developing nation. In the recent years nurses from different continents have made beneficial contribution towards the development of nursing practice in terms of technology such as the development of nursing process in hand held devices by ICNP and the Nurse telephone triage practices.

Technological touch-up in nursing has put the nursing profession, within a touching distance from  the modern nursing being envisaged, and the ability to join the trend of the most beneficial steps ICN has taken so far in the development of nursing practice worldwide to modernize the documentation practices in nursing profession where a patient’s data  will have a touch button guide to the previous nursing care received, however, a call for nurses to quickly develop the skills for operating in this circle is therefore needed.