What interesting times we live in!
Published: 07 September 2010
The new Government hardly had their feet under the front benches before they outlined their plans for a complete shake-up of the NHS in England. It is too early to say what the implications will be for eHealth, but this is something the IN Forum will be watching closely, says Forum Chair Alison Wallis.
Whatever the outcome, we can only hope that nursing information needs will not be lost and that the new emphasis on outcomes rather than targets includes nursing-sensitive outcomes.
In this modern climate of savings, efficiency and effectiveness where targets and outcomes are measured and integrated patient records are common, it could be easy to lose sight of the softer, less tangible aspects of nursing – of what distinguishes a nurse’s input to patient care from a physiotherapist’s or a doctor’s.
‘Visible, valid and valued’
Anyone who has used an electronic patient record - which is not designed by or for nurses - may be familiar with the frustration of not being able to describe patient problems or outcomes in recognisable nursing terms.
If nurses cannot articulate the nursing element of care, we will not be able to evidence the difference our care makes to patient outcomes or to demonstrate the value of our extensive education and skills to our employers.
The IN Forum is committed to supporting nurses in developing the awareness and knowledge required to be involved in eHealth developments in order to ensure that our input to patient care is visible, valid and valued.
Here’s how you can get involved!
The RCN eHealth Programme and the IN Forum work hard to achieve the aim of getting eHealth embedded into nursing practice and this is supported by RCN guidance leaflets around various eHealth topics. The IN Forum Steering Committee are currently working on a new topic regarding the use of structured data and terminology in electronic nursing records. If you would like to contribute by proof reading or expert validation, email Alison.Wallis@nhs.net
Have you ever used the telephone at work to give advice or support to a patient? Most, if not all, of us should be able to answer "yes", but have we ever thought of the consequences of the call? Did you handle it correctly? Did you use the correct language and tone to get your message across? If the patient was upset, did you manage to reassure and comfort them without being able to touch them? Did you read their non-verbal signs correctly just by listening to their voice?
These and other questions or concerns are raised by John Sweeney in his article, It’s good to talk, and telephone nursing is now the focus of a thread on the RCN IN Forum Discussion Zone. Here is your chance to air your thoughts about this unexplored area of nursing so log on and let us know how you are dealing with it.
Independent sector challenges
Working in the independent sector is another sphere of nursing which does not tend to get much publicity and, as Mobola Oyeleke describes in her article, it can leave nurses feeling professionally isolated and remote. Do other nurses working in non-NHS areas feel the same? Email the Editor Alison Wallis - Alison.Wallis@nhs.net if you would like to comment on Mobola’s experience - or why not start a thread in the Discussion Zone!
Finally, the RCN eHealth Programme members are keen to ascertain nurses’ views and experiences of eHealth through an online survey
Make sure you contribute to the survey and encourage your colleagues to do the same so that we can identify the impact of eHealth on nursing - the concerns and degree of preparedness of staff as well as any success stories of eHealth benefits you can share.