The hospital has recently implemented computer charting. The computerization of nursing practice:

Question

a. enhances and increases the time spent on documentation.
b. makes patient data immediately available to the health care team.
c. makes retrieval of data more difficult but safer.
d. is enhanced by limiting the use of point-of-care technology.

Answer 1

ANS: B
Patient data collected by a nurse and recorded electronically are immediately available to all members of the health care team. The computerization of nursing practice data enables capture, storage, retrieval, organization, processing, and analysis of information. The information can be used to make a diagnosis, plan for care, provide nursing decision support, enhance documentation, and identify nursing care trends and costs. Systems that support data collection at the point of care can directly enhance patient care by decreasing the time spent on documentation, reducing the potential for errors, and supporting improved assessment and data communication. Computers, tablets, or pocket devices used at the bedside for documentation are examples of point-of-care technology.