Evolution of Computer in Nursing

Evolution of Computer in Nursing

     How do computers help us in many ways? How did computers came in Nursing? When and where did it start?

     History tells us that computer systems underwent many modifications and revisions as it is introduced into the market with users'  demands rapidly escalating. Highlights of the evolution is discussed below.

• As early as 1960s in US, computers were introduced in the nursing profession where they are used to record data in the office, also found integrated in diagnostic and laboratory equipment. Later part of this decade that computers are connected to form networks that were used online data communication, processing billing and accounting data. 
• Later in most parts of the world, including the Philippines, nurses recognized the computer's potential in providing documentation, quality of care and the repetitive aspects of managing patient care. In the financial and administrative functions of the patient care computers were perceived as cost-saving technologies. During this decade, many computer-based management information system were developed.
• As early as 1970s in the Philippines, the use of computers in healthcare organizations dates back. Early commercial computers by RadioShack with built in spreadsheet programs were used by the Philippine Heart Center for Asia (PHCA) to manage its patient billing. In few years, its admission discharge transfer (ADT) section and then pharmacy section followed suit. By the heavily support of the government, PHCA acquired much state-of-the-art hospital equipment. With the adoption of these equipment, the hospital's care providers were incidentally immersed with different computer systems that went along with the equipment.
• In 1980s, Worldwide, the Internet revolutionized dissemination of information and communication across the globe.
• In early 1990s, nursing informatics became a specialty and many nursing professionals entered the new field mostly by accident. Healthcare information systems were transformed, data standards and vocabularies were updated, and classification schemes were formulated that could be coded for computer-based record systems.
• During this period, many mainframe-based healthcare information systems (HIS) emerged with nursing information systems as one of its subsystems. Discharge planning systems were developed and used as referrals to community health care facilities in the continuum of care.
• In 1990s computer technology became an integral part of health care. Nursing professional organizations identified initiatives that addressed IT and informatics. Policies and legislation were adopted promoting computer technology in healthcare including nursing.
• In 1992, Nursing Informatics (NI) was approved by the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a nursing specialty. The demand for NI expertise increased greatly in the workplace. The need for computer-based nursing practice standards, data standards, nursing minimum data sets and national databases emerged together with the need of unified nursing language. Nurse administrators demanded that HISs include care protocol and nurse educators continued to require use of innovative technologies for all levels and types of nursing and patient education. 
• In the latter part of 1990s, miniaturization and dramatic improvement in processing power brought computers to the bedside and all of the point-of-car e settings. Workstations and local area networks (LAN) were developed for hospital nursing units.This led to a new nursing function called telemetry allowing distant monitoring of patients. LANs were linked to wide are network (WAN) that is in turn linked to the Internet. E-mailing, text messaging, chatting, file downloading and uploading and other Internet tools helped revolutionized nursing information systems.
• In early years of 2000, the development of more rugged tablet PCs and personal digital assistant (PDAs), programs with advanced reliability and security feature, and wireless technology made it possible to automate and optimize many nursing practices on bedside or point-of-care (POC). Very reliable and accurate information and knowledge support rested on the highly standardized and secured electronic health record. Serious consideration was given to open source software that could be reprogrammed to match with different healthcare environments and be used for seamless communication. Internet has provided a real time multimedia communication that led to development of distant nursing care or telenursing.

        At present, electronic health record was used to streamline health care transactions and reduce regional or national spending on health. It is also used as powerful tool for education, research and discovery of new knowledge.