Nurse acceptance of a computerized arrhythmia monitoring system.
Implementation of a sophisticated computerized arrhythmia monitoring system in our institution initially met with negative attitudes from the critical care nurses in the ICCU and IMCU. This negative response can be attributed to several factors: (1) reliability of a computer monitoring system, (2) requirement of extensive education and training in the operational aspects of the system, and (3) time-consuming interface to the system. The nurses' responsibility to direct patient care did not allow enough time to properly adjust program parameters and react to the system. However, the comparative study performed by Zencka and colleagues overwhelmingly supported the effectiveness of the use of this system in the clinical setting. The introduction of the Arrhythmia Monitoring Technician obviated these problems. The technicians are responsible for the total operation of the monitoring system. Interface to the system occurs on two levels: (1) technician interface to the system by the adjustment of parameters and the verification of detected abnormalities and (2) technician interface to the nurses by notification of detected arrhythmias via remote transmission. In a recent survey, a majority of the nurses in the ICCU and IMCU indicated their positive support of the effectiveness of this computerized arrhythmia monitoring system. Critical care nurses in our institution consider computerized arrhythmia monitoring an essential component in the provision of quality patient care.
D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003201:Computers; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D000078329:Workforce