Lippincott Procedures Australia

From technology and communication issues to time constraints and clinical care variance, nurses throughout the nation expressed numerous challenges that make it difficult to get the necessary information needed in the moment, while acquiring new skills to deliver the level of care quality they know their patients require and deserve.

A study by the Australian Nursing Federation indicated that nurses recognise the benefits to adopting more information technology in the workplace. However, they are frequently frustrated by limitations to access the information, along with not always having the most current software versions available and/or the lack training to use it. Overall, the level of use of information technology and information management systems nationwide is generally low and confidence in use is even lower among those nurses who are actual users (Australian Nursing Federation, 2007).

Colin Lott, Emergency Care Registered Nurse at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital in Sydney pointed out, “Technology is advancing at a very fast rate—and so is knowledge—so therefore techniques are improved.” The trick is to make sure that knowledge and those techniques get into the hands of everyone who works with patients. Yet many nurses’ biggest challenge is sharing knowledge that they know is current, backed by research, and easy to access.

It is known that widespread variation exists in the way that evidence-based information is applied to clinical practice in the Australian health system. Evidence shows gaps that exist between what is known, through evidence and research, and what actually happens in practice. There is a delay in getting the latest evidence into practice. The reasons for these gaps are numerous and complex, but to improve the translation of knowledge into practice, interventions to solve this issue must focus on a systems approach and not on an individual clinician approach (Kennedy, Leathley & Hughes, 2010).

The inability to share new techniques or skills and knowledge efficiently perpetuates care variability, a huge challenge expressed by many of the nurses interviewed. “Between hospitals, there can be a great deal of variance in care,” said Lott. Studies have shown that standardising procedures, guidelines and technologies across institutions, and within a single institution, can increase clinical efficiency, improve outcomes, and reduce cost and waste. However, as Judith-Anne Kleinschmidt, RN, Toowoomba Hospital, South Toowoomba, Queensland adds, “I’ve worked in various places in Australia, and every hospital has a different procedure. Each hospital has someone doing policies and procedures, when a lot of them can just be standarised nationally. It’s crazy.”

This dual problem of information-sharing and care consistency in Australia may be hampered by what some nurses indicate as an overall lack of technological sophistication within many facilities. “When I first started, all our resources were printed hard copy, and they were out of date,” said Francis Brogan, RN, Nursing Research Intern at Sydney Children’s Hospital Network. Lott then added, “We’re still very reliant on the old printed copy of a particular procedure — if we’re talking right down to the bedside level.” And it’s not just the lack of online procedures and information that hinders access. As Edwards said, “Nurses on the floor find it very challenging to access [mandated policies and procedures] on a day-to-day basis.”

As healthcare professionals everywhere agree, nurses interviewed pointed to their busy schedules and sheer lack of time to manage all their patient care and documentation activities efficiently. “There’s more and more pressure on nurses to do a lot of seeking information and improving their skills themselves on their own time rather than work time,” said Lott. Further, Nurses don’t have the time to canvass what’s out there as far as evidence is concerned, so we need a one-stop shop, something that can compile the evidence, give a good summary of the best and most relevant evidence-based practices out there,” said Edwards. Staff nurses aren’t the only ones squeezed for time. Hospitals do not have the resources or the time to develop new procedures and update existing procedures on a regular basis. This means that their nursing staff may not have access to the latest and best available evidence to inform their practice and clinical care.

The Lippincott Solutions suite can ensure that healthcare institutions across Australia enable:

• Consistent care throughout their organisation
• Well-informed clinical decision-making right at the bedside
• Easy online access and seamless technology integration
• Time and cost savings