Riverside Smartphones Help Improve Safety and Accuracy

Riverside Healthcare is deploying smartphones to bedside nurses within the Riverside Medical Center to enhance patient care.

“The idea of hand-held devices to be used by bedside nurses was brought forward by staff at an in-house, think-tank event,” said Kathy O’Grady, Riverside’s vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer. “We recognized the advantages this type of tool could have, not only for our staff but also our patients, and are looking forward to rolling this out to our in-patient units.”

These specialized smartphones will be equipped with apps, such as EPIC Rover, to give health care team members the ability to review charts and complete documentation on the go. This helps nurses work more efficiently and helps to improve safety and accuracy, O’Grady said.

Care team members also can use these smartphones to access patient education resources to help provide more information about treatment options, such as information on a new medication.

Other applications that will be loaded onto the specialized smartphones include: Informacast – which allows Riverside employees to receive emergency alerts; Lippincott Procedures – the evidence based source of truth for nursing practice; Messaging and Phone – which allows Riverside employees to communicate with other departments and your providers during your stay at Riverside Medical Center

The secure smartphones being used by staff in the inpatient setting may resemble personal cell phones but are only for use inside Riverside Medical Center. They are not personal devices, O’Grady said.