According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, there are currently about 2 million full-time registered nurses in the country who need to provide adequate patient care. By 2020, this demand is expected to increase to 2.8 million, when it is estimated that there will be a shortage of 1 million nurses. Therefore, this supports the need for investment in nursing professional education, but it also highlights the importance of strengthening care through innovative technical means.

A care plan is a means by which a nurse continuously evaluates, diagnoses, implements, and evaluates a patient's overall care and progress. In the past, the documentation of the care plan took time, but with the advent of computerized data systems, the process has been streamlined to provide greater efficiency for nurses. This efficiency alleviates some of the pain of nursing shortages, but as these systems become more creative, there is a wider range of potential areas.

In a study that officially interviewed 20 nurses, various questions were raised about the benefits of using a computerized care planning system. In addition to streamlining the expected response to care, nurses have added several benefits. These benefits include a memory reference to patient details, a learning tool for patient care, and tools to easily modify the content of the care plan. With the development of IT solutions, these responses highlight the creative potential of a care plan.

The information contained in the care plan typically relates to the expected care that the nurse will provide to the patient, particularly the identified patient problem, and a guide to assessing and evaluating the success of the care. In other words, the care plan exists in the middle of the care process between the initial assessment and the final outcome. Given its central role in patient care, it is clear that computer care programs offer tremendous potential in many areas, not just improving care efficiency.

For example, an increase in the ratio of patient to care not only reduces the amount of time each nurse has, but also increases the overall amount of information that the nurse must remember. The computer care plan allows this information to be fully stored. If creative technological developments allow for mobile and smooth access to these data, the quality of patient care will improve.

In addition, most quality patient care depends on preventive measures. Care plans include educational tools that educate patients about preventive measures that can lead to better long-term health outcomes. Developing and adopting a method of automating these educational tools through computerization can save nurses time, but it can be more comprehensive and thorough. The interactive tool even allows the patient to receive and understand the care plan documentation for the content.

In the past, changes in care plans were more difficult to track. Changes may be noticed, but the changed document may be ambiguous or located in other areas of the plan. This hinders the continuity between nurses in different shifts or in different patient care areas. A computerized solution can improve the continuity of information throughout the patient's care experience. This will include information from the hospital to the care facility or even the outpatient center.

The care plan provides a wealth of information about patient care, which can also serve as a guide to ensuring optimal patient care. As the demand for nurses continues to grow, they must be assisted in accurately maintaining care plans. Computerized solutions address this need by increasing the efficiency of document and care plan creation. In addition, technical solutions provide a way to improve the quality of care by making information accessible and by providing preventive education tools for patients and nurses. These aspects make these creative solutions more attractive as healthcare resources continue to shrink in healthcare needs.

references:

Anderson, Beth. [2007] Care plan: Is it worth it or not? Taken from http://agedcareact.wordpress.com on June 10, 2008.

Edmonds, Linda. [1982] Computer-aided care. Volume 82 [7]: 1076-79.

Li Tianting. [year 2006]. The perception of the nursing staff on the literature experience in the computer care planning system. Journal of Clinical Nursing. Volume 15: 1376-82.

Develop a care plan was originally published on Spring