title: [Exploring nurse, usage effectiveness of mobile nursing station].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A mobile nursing station is an innovative cart that integrates a wireless network, information technology devices, and online charts. In addition to improving clinical work and workflow efficiencies, data is integrated among different information systems and hardware devices to promote patient safety.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the effectiveness of mobile nursing cart use. We compared different distributions of nursing activity working samples to evaluate the nursing information systems in terms of interface usability and usage outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were two parts of this study. Part one used work sampling to collect nursing activity data necessary to compare a unit that used a mobile nursing cart (mobile group, n = 18) with another that did not (traditional group, n = 14). Part two applied a nursing information system interface usability questionnaire to survey the mobile unit with nurses who had used a mobile nursing station (including those who had worked in this unit as floating nurses) (n = 30) in order to explore interface usability and effectiveness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that using the mobile nursing station information system increased time spent on direct patient care and decreased time spent on indirect patient care and documentation. Results further indicated that participants rated interface usability as high and evaluated usage effectiveness positively. Comments made in the open-ended question section raised several points of concern, including problems / inadequacies related to hardware devices, Internet speed, and printing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that using mobile nursing station can improve nursing activity distributions and that nurses hold generally positive attitudes toward mobile nursing station interface usability and usage effectiveness. The authors thus encourage the continued implementation of mobile nursing stations and related studies to further enhance clinical nursing care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, En Chu Kong Hospital, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Fang-Mei
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ting-Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008490:Medical Informatics; D009726:Nurses; D063187:Nursing Stations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: interface usability; mobile nursing station; observation; questionnaire survey; work sampling