title: Implementation and evaluation of a nursing process support system for long-term care: a Taiwanese study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To (1) develop and implement a Nursing Process Support System in Chinese (NPSSC) enabling computerised documentation for nursing home residents, (2) evaluate the efficiency of NPSSC, (3) assess obstacles to the use of the NPSSC and (4) assess nurse users' satisfaction with the NPSSC.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Long-term care facilities in Taiwan have been slow to computerise resident's medical records. The development and implementation of a computerised documentation system provides a way to enhance nursing documentation in long-term care settings and can prevent hazards that result from documentation errors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quasi-experimental.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used one group pre/post-test. Five nursing homes in Taiwan were included in the study. Twenty-seven nurses used the NPSSC to computerise 396 residents' medical records. Using the NPSSC allowed nurses to enter health assessment data into the computer system, which automatically triggered appropriate nursing diagnoses. The NPSSC included geriatric nursing interventions and the use of alternative Chinese therapies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obstacles that hindered nurses' use of the NPSSC were identified and possible solutions to overcome these hindering factors were discussed. The use of the NPSSC significantly improved nursing documentation in that resident's records were organised and consistent and nurses were able to complete a comprehensive care plan within 48 hours. Nurses reported a higher satisfaction in nursing documentation after the implementation of the NPSSC than previously.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggested a pathway to develop and implement a computer-based, user-friendly nursing documentation system for nursing homes. This study may be used as a template for implementing computerised documentation worldwide. Relevance to clinical practice. Nursing home providers may consider implementing the NPSSC to replace the traditional hand-written documentation system. An effective use of in-service programs within the workplace helped ease the transition from hand-written documentation to the computer-based NPSSC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, #123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. yangkd.yeh@msa.hinet.net
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Bingchiang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jeng
authors.forename: Li-Wei
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tien-Hui
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Chiu-Yueh
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Li-Na
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shu-Li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008875:Middle Aged; D009736:Nursing Process; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan