MENLO PARK, CA – Nurses are concerned that stringent IT security policies designed to protect patient health information may be impeding productivity at the point of care, according to a recent survey of IT adoption among U.S. nurses.

Nurses interviewed in the nationwide survey by market research firm Spyglass Consulting Group reported logging in and out of healthcare IT systems upwards of 80 times per day, significantly slowing clinical workflow.

The survey, entitled Healthcare Without Bounds: Point of Care Computing for Nursing, involved more than 100 in-depth telephone interviews with nurses working in acute care and ambulatory environments.

Spyglass conducted the survey to better determine how point of care computing can be used to enhance patient safety, reduce the risk of medical errors and streamline nursing productivity. The nurses interviewed were representative of a broad range of nursing specialties and institution sizes.   

In addition to concerns about the effects of IT security on productivity, nurses surveyed also revealed that patient information is often not accessible across the continuum of care.