2002

Electronic co-operation

Electronic co-operation

Gunn-Hilde Rotvold, sosiolog, NST Robert Myrvang, stud polit sosiologi,NST Ann-Krisitin Gossé, sykepleier, Bærum kommune Lisbeth Abelsen, sykepleier, Tromsø kommune Benedicte Neple, fysioterapeut, Bærum kommune

Electronic interaction in the nursing and caring professions

On behalf of the Directorate of Health and Social Welfare, the National Center for Telemedicine has conducted a survey of the need for electronic communication between the nursing and caring professions and external partners within the health sector.

Summary

The study shows that the nursing and caring professions have telephone contacts with other parts of the health sector on a daily basis. The need for contact varies in various areas and units. The most common partners are general practitioners, hospitals, chemists and laboratories.

The potential for making more effective use of time by exchanging electronic messages must be viewed in relation to time used on the telephone, time used on registration and documentation, and time used taking patients to and from consultations with their doctors. The time aspect must also be viewed in relation to the consequences of the introduction of electronic communication systems, e.g., changes in routines and organisation. The introduction of an electronic system may facilitate the exchange of more information than the present arrangements. Barriers within the present systems suggest as much. An electronic system will facilitate more routine exchange of information, which will increase the overall amount of documentation. If so, it may be possible to achieve qualitative gains in the form of more rapid transmission of information, which in turn will lead to quicker and better coordinated patient care.

Electronic exchange of messages can be introduced in the following areas:

Routines should be established for exchanging information by e-mail. Secure e-mail for making appointments within health networks will provide opportunities for asynchronic contact. This will also provide future opportunities for transmission of digital pictures and sound. Secure e-mail makes flexible cooperation possible. Nursing homes in particular have expressed a need for advice and supervision in the areas of psychiatry and dementia. Discharge letters must be produced electronically and incorporated on discharge in a treatment record. A "medications card" and links to electronic procedures may be a natural part of this. Standard forms for messages between the nursing and caring professions and doctors regarding routine changes in medication, test results or changes to be made as a result of test findings will reduce the time used on keeping patient records. Contact with the Medical Aids Unit reveals a great potential for improvement using electronic systems. Our findings indicate that there is a long waiting list for medical aids, which increases the need for nursing care while patients are waiting. For this reason it may also be wise to investigate whether it might be possible to introduce an electronic application form and a built-in receipt system that notifies each applicant of the progress of their application and the estimated waiting time.

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