SBIR-STTR Award

Nursing documentation, in its present form, is a major factor in nurses' dissatisfaction because it is time consuming and takes nurses away from the bedside. Therefore, the aim of this feasibility study is to design a system configuration and output formatter using a voice recognition system to enable nurses to quickly record patient data at the time nursing care is given. This system will increase the accuracy and completeness of nursing documentation, can be used in any hospital record-keeping system, and will provide new opportunities for utilization of nursing documentation. In addition, once developed the system can be applied to other user groups. Nurses and engineers, coordinated by a core team, will collaborate to develop and test the technical design, clinical application, and hospital implementation through technical, clinical, and administrative task forces and design teams. The feasibility study will provide design data necessary for producing a prototype for use in coronary care units in acute care hospitals.

Anticipated Results:
The potential for commercial application of this system is high because it will:(1) permit nurses to record patient data at the bedside,(2) save nurses' time,(3) not depend on nurses' recall,(4) be adaptable to any hospital computer system,(5) be capable of collecting data for other purposes,(6) facilitate the dissemination of pertinent information, and(7) have an alert function that flags and collects critical information for easy and immediate recognition.National Center For Nursing Research (NCNR)

The objective for this project is to design a voice recognition computer system for nursing documentation. The specific aim for this Phase II proposal is to develop and test a prototype for a generic "stand alone" bedside voice recognition computer nursing documentation system for coronary care. The system will be designed to: accommodate future enhancements, construct a module to act as a data base for future module development, and provide management interface environment between design engineers and clinical users. Methodology includes: development of the user specifications, institutional specifications, technical specifications, environment assessment and system component testing, and a series of risk management mechanisms for on-going system evaluation. Three beta sites will participate in the project. Aspects of commercial application include: customization to user specifications, non-sequential menu access, built in correction mechanisms and help functions, screen designs and output in easily readable form, and reduction of user training time due to the simplicity of the system.

Thesaurus Terms:
automated medical record system, computer program /software, design /development, voice computer, computer system design /evaluation, coronary intensive care, information system, nursing care