A smartphone-based platform is helping medical staff at an Ohio hospital reach the members of a patient's treatment team, decipher physician's orders and avoid potential care missteps, according to a mHealth News article.
Those are just three ways St. Rita's Medical Center is using the mobile communications system, which can be accessed by through employees' smartphones or provided handsets. Gone are the days of running through hallways looking for a staff member, paging doctors and checking white boards and paper charts to see who's around to help with treatment, according to the article. Caregivers can now call, text and check an electronic real-time status board to find a needed team member.
"So much of what happens in a hospital … involves communication," Jodi Pahl, St. Rita's chief nursing executive, tells mHealth News. "You need to know where this person is right now, or you need to talk to that person. This breaks down those silos and makes connections."
The center's experience mirrors the results of a recent study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. The report reveals secure messaging via smartphones between physicians, nurses and medical trainees can boost communication, enhance accountability in the clinical role and speed up daily tasks.
In addition, an in-depth examination of research literature regarding the use of text messaging as a healthcare tool indicates texting can benefit patients and boost treatment initiatives, FierceMobileHealthcare previously reported.
The system at St. Rita's Medical Center is also speeding up patient care by eliminating potential mistakes due to illegible medical notes. An analysis regarding patient orders showed that more than 80 calls per week were made to clarify orders during a three-month study, according to the mHealth News article. The medical center reported a 40 percent decrease in such calls using the new technology.
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