Effects of a computerized decision support system on care planning for pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes: an intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing documentation is essential for facilitating the flow of information to guarantee continuity, quality and safety in care. High-quality nursing documentation is frequently lacking; the implementation of computerized decision support systems is expected to improve clinical practice and nursing documentation. AIM: The present study aimed at investigate the effects of a computerized decision support system and an educational program as intervention strategies for improved nursing documentation practice on pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: An intervention study with two intervention groups and one control group was used. Fifteen nursing homes in southern Norway were included. A convenience sample of electronic healthcare records from 46 units was included. Inclusion criteria were records with presence of pressure ulcers and/or malnutrition. The residents were assessed before and after an intervention of a computerized decision support system in the electronic healthcare records. Data were collected through a review of 150 records before (2007) and 141 records after the intervention (2009). METHODS: The nurses in intervention group 1 were offered educational sessions and were trained to use the computerized decision support system, which they used for eight months in 2008 and 2009. The nurses in intervention group 2 were offered the same educational program but did not use the computerized decision support system. The nurses in the control group were not subject to any intervention. The resident records were examined for the completeness and comprehensiveness of the documentation of pressure ulcers and malnutrition with three data collection forms and the data were analyzed with non-parametric statistics. RESULTS: The implementation of the computerized decision support system and the educational program resulted in a more complete and comprehensive documentation of pressure ulcer- and malnutrition-related nursing assessments and nursing interventions. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that the computerized decision support system and an educational program as implementation strategies had a positive influence on nursing documentation practice.

Experiences of Nursing Personnel Using PDAs in Home Health Care Services in Norwegian Municipalities.

Although nursing personnel have used personal digital assistants (PDAs) to support home health care services for the past ten years, little is known about their experiences. This study was conducted to examine experiences of nursing personnel using a specialized home health care computer software application called Gerica. In addition, this research analyzed how well this application aligned with the workflow of the nursing personnel in their daily care of patients. The evaluation methods included user observations and learnability testing. Nursing personnel from two different municipalities were observed while performing real tasks in natural settings. This study shows that the nursing personnel were satisfied with the PDA user interface and the Gerica software; however, they identified areas for improvement. For example, the nursing personnel were concerned about trusting the reliability of the PDA in order to eliminate the need for handwritten documentation. Solutions to meet these shortcomings for nursing managers and vendors are discussed.