NHS nurses fear they will not be able to give patients the best care unless the Government gives them more information and training about NHS IT developments. The call for more nurse involvement in NHS IT projects follows the recent release of a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on-line survey. Nurses remain positive about the potential of IT to improve patient care but demand to be consulted on the way future systems are designed and used.
Nurses report lack of IT involvement
Over 1,700 nurses from across the UK responded to the NHS IT development survey – one of the largest to date – which annually charts progress on key issues relating to nurses and IT.
Of those surveyed, 63% felt that without timely access to accurate and complete patient records, the care they deliver could be ineffective or even unsafe. Over two thirds of respondents said that they had little or no information about NHS IT developments. Nearly three-quarters felt they had not been adequately informed about integrated electronic health record developments within the NHS and almost a third had received no information at all.
Dr Beverly Malone, RCN general secretary, said: “Nurses will be by far the largest group of health professionals using NHS IT systems, yet they have hardly been consulted about developments. IT used in clinical areas must be safe and geared to the needs of nurses and other healthcare workers.
“The RCN is working hard to inform and involve its members in IT developments but the onus is on the Government to do more. This survey is yet another wake up call for the Government. They need to work much harder and, as a matter of urgency, to involve and explain the IT programmes to nurses.”
