The thing I find intriguing from this blog is that there is no clear winner in the category. There are many various suggestions and comments on why technology hasn’t worked. I agree with the notion that the people and the process are often overlooked and promising technologies fail. However, in my years of visiting EDs, there is one key need that is beginning to be met with technology. That is in the area of communication. Bridging the time (and effort) gap between need for information and getting that information can have a tremendous impact on an ED’s operations.

A bedside nurse in an ED can contact a physician, get lab results, and summon help in an instant in a form factor from 2 ounces (e.g. Vocera badge) to a little over 4 ounces (e.g. Ascom handset). Most ED’s I visit today are using some form of mobile communication, but haven’t look at how to lower the barriers of the physical nature of these devices (remembering phone numbers, getting dial tone, leaving a voicemail, etc…). Early versions of mobile phones mimicked a cell phone experience and although it was a step in the right direction, it still had some shortcomings. Today’s solutions are much closer to seamlessly summoning and delivering information to the caregiver without these traditional barriers.

It’s time to think out of the box and design a solution that works for you. Chances are there’s a combination of technology solutions out there that planned well can make a big difference in your overall ED workflow.