By Clarice Africa | 30 July 2013 | Views: 363
Singhealth, Singapore’s largest health, group launched today a new smartphone application called “Nurses Pal” which is designed to increase the productivity and efficiency of more than 7000 nurses and trainees.
“Nurses Pal” is an application designed by nurses for nurses with localised content that is vital for diagnoses, treatment and patient education. With such comprehensive information at their fingertips, our nurses, especially new recruits will be able to deliver better and safer care,” said SingHealth Group Director of Nursing, Dr Tracy Carol Ayre.
Meanwhile, IHiS Chief Executive Officer, Dr Chong Yoke Sin, said: “IHiS is now looking at enhancing the smartphones every healthcare staff carries, so that they can become smart care tools at staff’s fingertips to help them work faster and more efficiently.”
With “Nurses Pal”, healthcare staff will have greater mobility, point-of-care tools and guides to use without having to leave a patient’s bedside.
Furthermore, the mobile app is designed with evidence-based clinical instructions and illustrations, to help nurses quickly identify patients at risk and carry out early interventions to prevent their conditions from deteriorating.
The mobile application is equipped with the following features:
Intravenous Drip Rate App
The Drip Rate Calculator app helps nurses more quickly adjust patients’ intravenous drips by simulating the sound of the correct drip flow rates using the latest mobile multimedia technology.
Nurses first enter into their smartphones data such as a patient’s fluid infusion type, volume and required time. The app then calculates and generates the sound of the correct rate of drops for the nurses to use to calibrate the patient’s drip. This saves nurses time counting drops with their stopwatches.
IHiS has also built into the app a reminder to alert nurses when drip bottles are due to be changed.
Pressure Ulcer App
The Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management app uses the Braden Scale to assess a patient’s risk of developing bedsores.
Nurses enter into their smartphones their assessment of patients’ alertness, ability to move independently, nutrition level, skin moisture and friction in daily movements. The app then calculates the Braden score and reminds the nurses of preventive actions to take, based on SingHealth’s care procedures.
For moderate risk patients, the app’s prompts include best sitting and lying positions, adjusting and changing the patient every two hours, and using barrier creams and heel protection devices. The application also has quick guides on wound management and dressings for bedsores.
Falls Prevention App
The Prevention and Management of Patient’s Fall App helps nurses calculate patients’ risk of falling using the Morse Fall Score, which is used internationally.
Nurses enter into their mobile phones patients’ fall history, secondary diagnosis, gait, mental status and need for walking aids. The app then calculates the patients’ Morse Fall Scores, and guides the nurses on their care strategies according to SingHealth’s care plans.
These could include always supervising the patient in the restroom, having two staff move the patient, and arranging for family members to be with the patient.
IHiS has developed Nurses Pal on both IOS and Android platforms, based on the most common mobile phones used by SingHealth nurses.