According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School, emotional support and mitigation of fear and anxiety while closely involving family and friends are the basic principles of successful patient-centered care. Using existing technologies such as Vocera Care Experience technology in hospitals can streamline the whole process of nursing. With Covid-19 mandating a strict social distancing protocol, a number of nursing care services have opted for technologically-enabled services to reach out and help patients. But patient-centered care is not simply about the technology itself; it is about how nurses can use the technology to provide the compassionate and kind care that patients want from a nurse.
Technology is of great assistance in all kinds of care settings to enhance patient-centered care. Video chat, for example, enables nurse-patient face-to-face communication through their mobile devices. Also, with the introduction of data analytics into healthcare, nursing care can use the data to better educate and help patients. Latest technological devices have helped nurses to provide their patients with better care with faster diagnosis, more accurate treatments, and improved hands-on patient care. Technological advancements have also helped bring down the burden of paperwork and allowed nurses to engage more time with patients. This has made them more effective as far as direct patient care responsibilities are concerned.
Technologies such as ConstantCare e-Vitals are used to better respond to the patient’s needs and also alert the nurses about worrisome alterations in a patient’s vitals. The Coronavirus pandemic has brought telehealth care into the mainstream. Now nurses can educate and inform patients via a phone call or a video call. Both nurses and patients have willingly embraced this change. More framework has to be structured, but surely the doors to technology have opened within nursing care. Technology will bring equality to healthcare by improving accessibility.