This fact sheet answers questions you may have about the use of computers and other computer technology by nurses.
How do nurses use computers in their daily work?
Nurses use computers to:
- Record on the electronic health record your personal health-care story, the treatments they carry out for you, and your response and progress toward your health care goal for monitoring and for ready access by other team members.
• Obtain information about your past and ongoing treatments and medications and the results to ensure the best care is provided.
• Review data about your current and past health situation and plan of care on the electronic health record, which helps them monitor your recovery process over time.
• Access clinical knowledge such as drug information, nursing assessments, articles and nursing best practice guidelines and resources to better understand your health situation and plan of care.
- Nurses use computers similar to those that you use at home or at work. They use software programs specifically designed to support the work of nurses and other health-care team members.
• Nurses may also use a small hand held computer known as Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs. PDAs are very similar to the Blackberry or iPhone that you or your family and friends may use at home or work.