Technology’s role in patient safety
HDM teams up with experts as they discuss technology’s role in helping to deliver care environments that are safer for patients, families and care teams.
Join HDM and following list of experts as they discuss technology's role in helping to deliver care environments that are safer for patients, families and care teams.
- • Dr. Tim McDonald, Chief Patient Safety and Risk Officer, RLDatix,
- • Nicole Kerkenbush, Chief Nursing and Performance Officer, Monument Health
- • Patricia McGaffigan, IHI Vice President, Safety; and Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety President
- • Kenneth R. Deans, President and CEO, Health Sciences South Carolina
- • Mitchell Josephson, CEO, Health Data Management
The conversation focuses on the increasing need for better communication and technology in healthcare, particularly in addressing patient safety concerns. An example is open notes in patient charts which have led to a significant increase in communication, but have also burdened healthcare professionals with more work, such as clearing their inboxes. The panelists discuss the potential of technology to alleviate some of these burdens and improve patient safety.
Nicole highlights the possibility of using ambient capture of video and audio data to unburden nurses, allowing technology to document their work instead of having them manually input it. This could also be applied to fall prevention, a common issue in healthcare that has yet to be resolved. The potential of big data, EHR data, event reporting data, and culture data, combined with predictive analytics, could help predict and prevent a wide range of issues, such as medication errors.
The panelists emphasize the importance of learning from what goes well, moving upstream to predict and identify opportunities, and being mindful of the unintended consequences of technology. Virtual resource nurses could provide real-time problem-solving support, while wearables could play a significant role in monitoring and managing conditions like diabetes and cardiology.
The discussion explores the growing influence of technology in healthcare and its potential to improve patient safety and unburden healthcare professionals. The panelists stress the importance of being mindful of unintended consequences and focusing on learning from successes to drive the adoption of effective technology.