This is actually an interesting document, published by the California HealthCare Foundation and First Consulting Group. It’s entitled: The Nursing Shortage: Can Technology Help?

It’s not brand new, but the issues discussed in this analysis still have not been addressed, remedied, or seem close to it. What this document focuses on is that aside from obviously stocking hospitals with more nurses, technology should be instituted that makes nurses more efficient, lessens their workload, and provides a safer environment for the patient. As an example, they mention one hospital that gave its nurses wireless phones, enabling them to make and receive calls anywhere on the unit, while eliminating noisy paging systems and time-consuming trips to the nurses’ station. Now how easy is that to do?

The full report can be downloaded and read for free at this website. Enjoy!