TITLE:
Unlicensed Personnel’s Experience of Digital Signing for Medication Administration in Municipal Healthcare
AUTHORS:
Pennbrant Sandra, Karlsson Christina, Karlsson Margareta
KEYWORDS:
Digital Signing, eHealth, Municipal Healthcare, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Unlicensed Personnel, Welfare Technology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.10 No.12,
December
10,
2020
ABSTRACT: Aim: To describe unlicensed personnel’s experience of digital signing lists via a smartphone application for the distribution of medication in municipal healthcare in Western Sweden. Design: A qualitative and quantitative design was used. Methods: The study included 48 unlicensed personnel, 28 of whom answered an open-ended questionnaire, while an additional 20 volunteered for individual interviews. The material was analysed by qualitative content analysis. Results: The results indicate that digital signing lists via a smartphone application are feasible, and efficient and facilitate the work. However, some aspects negatively affected the sense of security, meetings with patients and quality of care, such as an insufficient internet signal in some rural areas, difficulty remembering the password, as well as the change of focus from patient to smartphone. To improve quality of care and the meeting with the patient, it is crucial that the technology works and that unlicensed personnel develop technical skills.