We, as a nation, are at a critical moment in regard to health information technology (HIT). HIT has become a primary part of President Obama’s health care reform plan, and there is a significant investment for HIT in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It is our responsibility to help ensure that the right technology is developed and deployed to achieve the goals of the Administration, namely increased patient safety, improved clinical outcomes, and decreased costs.

During 2006 and 2007, the American Academy of Nursing’s (www.aannet.org) Workforce Commission conducted a study, “Technology Solutions to Make Patient Care Safer and More Efficient.” The data collection engaged interdisciplinary teams of healthcare providers at 25 hospitals across the country to review their normal workflow practices with the aim of assessing how technology could improve the work environment. The study found that while the use of technology has become more common in health care, it has not been designed and adopted in a way that reaches its full potential. Much of the current information system software and many of the devices and equipment systems actually add to the complexity of work environments and take nurses away from their critical responsibility of patient observation and early intervention. The study findings support the need for technology interoperability, point of care devices and workflow analysis to address the efficiency and training issues identified by over one thousand nurses and other clinicians.

Consequently, the Academy concludes that nurses and other direct care providers must be involved in the design and testing of new and innovative applications and devices so that the technology available to the field is both user-friendly and affordable. Involving nurses as end-users in the early stages of system analysis and design can lead to better adoption of new technology, as well as identifying how current technology can be changed in order to achieve increased efficiency and greater user acceptance.

This research illuminates the importance of manufacturers developing and hospitals purchasing technologies that support the work of nurses and other direct care providers. It is not just the implementation of HIT, but rather the implementation of the right technologies that will enable health care practitioners to have more time with their patients. This, in turn, will lead to increased patient safety, improved clinical outcomes, and a reduction in costs.

With more than 35 years experience within the Nursing profession, I’ve seen it all. Today, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on health care and life in general.

- Everyday you rise and ponder… Is this the day when caring for humans will override caring for houses, money, cars and the 30 seconds of fame that appear to be an American phenomenon? What do you think? I believe it can happen.

- It’s important for each of us to consider what’s at stake with this and every election. It isn’t about age or race. It’s about moving from dreams that we have held onto for a lifetime to creating the path to make the dreams come true.

- The old saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder is never truer than when you’ve worked twenty-two hours straight and someone tells you that you look great!