I
FOR CNA/NNOC
Part I
Introduction
Health information technology (HIT) is widely celebrated as a universal healthcare fix.
Promoters say it will contain costs, improve quality, and modernize medical care. But such
promises are the public relations messages of the HIT and healthcare industries. Is HIT
really the panacea to cure our healthcare crisis, or are there consequences that aren't being
discussed? RNs have good reason to be wary.
Patient care processes in some hospitals have already been transformed by HIT, and many other
hospitals will be adopting it in the next few years. Among other types, hospitals are adopting
• electronic medical records,
• clinical decision support systems,
• e-prescribing,
• medication dispensing,
• radio frequency identification and tracking,
• medical credit scoring,
• telemedicine, and
• robots.
Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are one widespread technology that affects
patient care directly. Of the 5,139 U.S. hospitals reporting (almost all hospitals not run by the
federal government), 67.6% have adopted fully automated CDSS and 8% have either begun
the installation process or have contracted to do so. A revolution is well underway. It will
soon reach RNs and patients in every hospital.
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