Overcoming Obstacles To EMR Mobility

Compiled By Vicki Amendola, editor, Health IT Outcomes

To have a truly complete EMR solution, nurses and physicians must have the ability to move freely throughout their workday, without having to be tethered to a fixed workstation for EMR access. Mobile carts provide this flexibility and have become an integral part of many EMR solutions, enabling nurses and physicians to deliver and document care plans by making electronic data portable and eliminating the restrictive nature of using fixed computer stations that prevent true bedside care. In fact, a well-orchestrated mobile cart deployment can enable facilities to not only upgrade point of care computing technology and provide access to the EMR, but improve patient and clinician satisfaction by restoring a higher level of patient face-time. But let me offer a word of caution here. Get your mobile cart deployment wrong and you'll end up with a stockroom full of unused equipment, money down the drain, and an EMR that isn't being tapped to its full, meaningful potential. In this Q&A, I had the opportunity to discuss a few of the obstacles you may face on the road to mobility, and how you can overcome or avoid them.

What Obstacles Impede EMR Mobility?
Can Mobile Carts Overcome Obstacles To EMR Mobility?
What Service Considerations Should Influence A Mobile Cart Strategy?

Get the answers to these questions when you access the full article.