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Inside best practice: Nurses save time and prevent frustration with addition of new computer carts

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, December 1, 2009

When the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) moved to a new facility in July 2007, it saw an opportunity to improve nurse satisfaction by upgrading the computer process nurses used at the bedside. The Aurora-based hospital first received ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® (MRP) designation in 2002 and was redesignated in 2006.

In the old facility, nurses in med-surg areas had carts assigned to them, which they had to roll from patient room to patient room as they made their rounds so they could use the computer on the cart as they administered medication and documented at the bedside.

The carts were a huge frustration for nurses, says Kathy Smith, MS, PMC, RN, nursing informatics supervisor and former MRP project director at UCH. The carts were difficult to roll on the carpet in the hallways when moving from one patient room to another, and if the cart encountered a bump, it often logged nurses off the computer, so they had to start again when they reached the patient room. The computers also had batteries, which made the carts heavy to maneuver and frequently needed to be recharged, and nurses found the batteries often died at inopportune moments.

Source: This excerpt is from the December issue of HCPro's Advisor to the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®. Don't have a subscription? Take a look at the benefits of becoming a member of HCPro's Resource Center for the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®.

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