Creating a More Just and Merciful World
Digital-First Strategies For Nursing
Digital technology has given nurses the power to work efficiently and communicate effectively.
However, the transition from traditional service models to digital-first health care is not easy. It is made less complicated by collaboration, communication and strong leadership.
Improving the Patient & Provider Experience
Nurses today rely on technology that has emerged in the past few decades. These technologies mainly cover the areas of recordkeeping, appointments and care coordination. Some of the technological advancements that are improving nursing and the patient experience include wearable devices and smartphones, telemedicine and virtual care, and electronic medical records.
Improving both the patient and provider experience has become a top priority for health organizations. Digital transformation is viewed as a path to these improvements. New technologies not only support enhanced patient outcomes, but also help nurses with their daily processes, saving time and preventing errors along the way.
Benefits of Digital-First Nursing
The main benefits of digital-first health care for the nursing profession include:
- Analytics: Data provides a tremendous amount of value to health care, including demographic, financial and clinical information. Analytics can be descriptive, predictive and prescriptive. It can help nurses make decisions, get accurate information at the right time and provide quality patient care.
- Connectivity: Connected health care, through apps and monitoring devices, has become critical for managing people with disabilities, chronic illnesses and mobility impairments. It enables many patients to be at home and resume control of their lives while still being fully engaged with their doctors and nurses. Remote patient monitoring has been found to offer many advantages, including lower readmission rates and shorter hospital stays.
- Teamwork: Digital tools offer coordinated, team-based and holistic health care. Each of a patient’s care providers and specialists can collaborate, creating a seamless patient experience. Nurses can work with multiple providers on a healthcare team to develop a personalized plan to manage a patient’s care.
Transforming the Health Care Journey
Health care organizations seeking to improve patient experience have turned to digital-first strategies. Many believe they can create strong relationships in the same, if not better, manner than they could in the traditional health care journey. For example, telehealth can complement the provider-patient relationship through ongoing communication to patients who can be in the comfort of their home or even their workplace.
Furthermore, the patient journey can be digital throughout. Patients today often start their health care journey by using digital tools to find a doctor, check symptoms and schedule appointments. They conclude the journey using technology for post-care follow-up and billing. Thus, digital-first strategies must focus on the end-to-end experience that patients have.
Backed by technology, health care providers can also provide quality care by leveraging data through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Data is not only being used to treat patients’ existing conditions, but to also prevent and prepare for possible conditions they might have in the future. Technology is helping providers and patients act earlier in the health care journey.
Digital technologies continue to reshape health care and the way nurses work. Nurses have the opportunity to influence and take active roles in the digital landscapes at their organizations. Their participation can help ensure enhanced patient-caregiver experiences and better health outcomes.
Keep Current on Emerging Technology in NursingTechnological advancements are having a profound effect on health care. Nurses stand at the forefront of new and emerging trends and need to stay knowledgeable on innovations to provide exceptional care. Prepare for your future as a nurse by pursuing a nursing degree from Carlow University. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program offers the education nurses need to navigate in an ever-changing health care industry.