Paper: Impact of a Computerized Intensive Care Information System on the Quality of Nursing Care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (19th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice)

Thursday, 10 July 2008: 8:50 AM

Yosefa Gabay , Neonatal Intensive Care, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel

Hana Kerzman, RN, PhD , Nursing Division, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel

Sharon Aizer , Neonatal Intensive Care, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel

Klodin Eden, RN, BA , Neonatal Intensive care, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel

Maya Siman Tov , Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Ramat Gan, Israel

Learning Objective 1: Evaluate the impact of an ICIS system on the time invested in clinical documentation, the quality of nursing clinical reports.

Learning Objective 2: Evaluate parental satisfaction with hospitalization and quality of counseling given upon the infant's admission, during hospitalization and discharge from the NICU

Computerized Intensive Care Information Systems (ICIS) are referred as patient data management systems or clinical information systems. No research to date has investigated the impact of an ICIS in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Objective: To investigate the impact of an ICIS on the time invested in documentation, the quality of nursing reports, parental satisfaction, quality of counseling and the level of parental knowledge regarding infant care.

Methods: Intervention research design following an introduction of an ICIS in the NICU. Data on the quality of nursing reports was collected regarding identification of the families' special needs. The quality of counseling was examined by questionnaire related to parental satisfaction and level of knowledge upon the infant's discharge. Measuring the time required for provision of standard care during the shifts was performed. The population included infants requiring ventilation but considered stable from a medical perspective. Parents of infants with birth defects and with problems unrelated to their premature birth were excluded. Collection of the data was conducted in two stages: 3 months prior to installment of the ICIS, 6 months after installment of the ICIS.

Results: A significant improvement was observed in the quality of the nursing reports regarding unit routine and the neonatal environment, documentation of consultations with the attending physician, the family's visits and counseling. A significant difference was found between the two stages regarding parental satisfaction with counseling upon the infant's admission and discharge. A significant difference was found in the amount of time required for provision of standard care in the transfer ward (p<0.01), but not in the NICU.

Introduction of an ICIS in a NICU decreased the time spent documenting treatment, and those made it possible for nurses to devote time to improve the quality of counseling and nursing reports. Parental satisfaction increased as a result.

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