Hospitals across the United States are evolving to include new technology in an effort to improve efficiency, increase safety, decrease facility costs and offer medical professionals improved integration. More and more travel nurses and travel therapists are using electronic devices in their daily lives.
Electronic medical records are one of the primary changes hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities have adopted. A travel nurse can instantly record a patient's plan of treatment or check his or her medical history with a mobile computer. Medication-dispensing machines that require a travel nurse or travel therapist to highlight a patient's name, enter a code in a computer, scan the medication and scan the patient's armband add additional safety measures, according to Healthcare Traveler.
"Humans, I think, are the best in providing care, but having another set of electronic eyes, so to speak, in evaluating rhythms and watching patients' cardiac response to exercise and such is always a good thing," Elizabeth Schneider, RN, MSN, associate dean of allied health for Keiser University, told Healthcare Traveler. "There is never enough safety when it comes to dealing with people's lives."
A Radio Frequency Detection System is another key technical device now being included in hospitals across the nation. The device is designed to prevent surgical items from remaining inside patients following a surgery. According to NothingLeftBehind.org, there are approximately 1,500 to 2,000 retained surgical item cases annually in the United States, which can lead to further medical complications for a patient.
Many hospitals are investing in the detection system, increasing the chances that a travel nurse may come across it in her work.
"The RF Surgical Detection System is a critical safety net that enhances surgical staff confidence in a setting where quick and efficient decision-making is mandated," H.S. Ajrawat, M.D., Chairman, Department of Surgery, Prince George’s Hospital Center. "Our mission is to achieve zero mistakes, and this easy-to-operate technology can help patients avoid unnecessary complications when a surgical sponge is inadvertently left behind."
A travel nurse or travel therapist may need to spend some time studying manuals as she encounters new devices. These new technologies are becoming increasingly standard practice, and medical professionals could increase their value by learning how to use them properly, sooner rather than later.