Speaking for the nurses and carers

IT has been used in aged care for decades. And with good reason - paper files are archaic, time consuming and dangerous. So why is implementing documentation management systems in aged care facilities typically such a headache?

According to Dianne Bayliss (RN and Nurse Educator at Questek) it's got a lot to do with management a) misunderstanding the computer literacy and needs of their care staff and b) rushing for immediate ROI on costly IT outlays.

The user adoption issue

A common carer response is simply to avoid all the stress and embarrassment that comes with learning something new. And that's understandable. Many are in their 50's and 60's, don't speak perfect English, feel they're too busy to learn new programs, don't have a computer at home, are accustomed to paper-based systems...the list goes on.

So even though studies show they're generally positive about IT in aged care, there is considerable trepidation when it's introduced to their own workplace.

Big initial outlay. No follow-up spend.

In light of the above, clearly it's unrealistic to cut corners on equipment spend and to not employ more staff during the transitional period, or at least to provide on the job education, support and encouragement.

Read the full story, together with Dianne's insights and solutions in January's IT:informer.