Nurses' satisfaction with use of a personal digital assistants with a mobile nursing information system in China.

BACKGROUND: Personal digital assistants, technology with various functions, have been applied in international clinical practice. Great benefits in reducing medical errors and enhancing the efficiency of clinical work have been achieved, but little research has investigated nurses' satisfaction with the use of personal digital assistants. AIM: To investigate nurses' satisfaction with use of personal digital assistants, and to explore the predictors of this. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey targeting nurses who used personal digital assistants in a comprehensive tertiary hospital in Beijing. RESULTS: A total of 383 nurses were recruited in this survey in 2015. The total score of nurses' satisfaction with use of personal digital assistants was 238.91 (SD 39.25). Nurses were less satisfied with the function of documentation, compared with the function of administering medical orders. The time length of using personal digital assistants, academic degree, and different departments predicted nurses' satisfaction towards personal digital assistant use (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nurses were satisfied with the accuracy of administering medical orders and the safety of recording data. The stability of the wireless network and efficiency related to nursing work were less promising. To some extent, nurses with higher education and longer working time with personal digital assistants were more satisfied with them.

A Nursing Pain Assessment and Record Information System: Design and Application in the Oncology Department.

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional feeling accompanying existing, impending, or potential tissue damage. Valid pain assessment and standardized pain documentation are important in oncology pain management; however, they are still deficient. Thus, we developed a pain assessment and record information system for nurses in the oncology department and implemented a questionnaire survey to evaluate users' acceptance of the system. The pain assessment system focused on usability and efficiency to provide a modified workflow that was safe, less time-consuming, patient centered, enjoyable, and efficient. The pain assessment and record chart types in the system enabled greater standardization of pain assessments and records. The application of the system greatly improved the efficiency of nursing in the oncology department, guiding nurses in an accurate and comprehensive patient pain assessment and contributing significantly to further improvement in pain care standards and care decisions. Nurses and doctors surveyed reported a high degree of satisfaction with factors such as saving time and improving the capacity of pain control, suggesting that the system enhanced the quality of pain management. Through this system, we can promote pain management, improving care quality for patients.

Quality of life after I-125 seed implantation using computed tomography and three-dimensional-printed template guidance in patients with advanced malignant tumor.

BACKGROUND: I-125 seed implantation has been widely applied in the local treatment of advanced malignant tumor. It has the advantages of providing a high dose of treatment to the target sites and low dose to normal tissues. It has been mostly applied as palliative treatment for recurrences in advanced malignant tumor (except for prostate cancer), suppressing tumor development and improving the quality of life of patients. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate changes in quality of life for patients with advanced malignant tumor after receiving I-125 seed implantation using a three-dimensional (3D)-printed individualized template and computed tomography (CT) guidance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, convenience sampling was applied for patients with advanced tumors attending a tertiary hospital. The European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 was involved to assess quality of life. Patients completed the questionnaire before and 24 h after seed implantation. The questionnaire of 1 and 3 months after seed implantation was completed by telephonic follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients were included (24 males and 18 females), with an average age of 58.86 ± 14.13 years (ranged 25-91 years). The average scale score after seed implantation was higher than that of before implantation. The order was the average scale score 1 month after seed implantation >3 months after seed implantation >24 h after seed implantation. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the quality of life could be improved with I-125 seed implantation using a 3D-printed individualized template under CT guidance in patients with the advanced malignant tumor.