Make the Technology Work for You

Happy April! 

I went on a trip recently and the day before I left I had a thought, "what if my luggage does not make it to the destination?" I have that thought every trip but this time I started to think about how to be prepared for such an event. 

I thought of the Apple AirTags that I had seen in videos on the internet. I am an Apple user and appreciate the integration of the devices. With the 'Find My....' app, you can identify where all of your devices are (as long as they are synced with the app). 

So, while I did not purchase the AirTag in time for the trip, (thankfully my bag made it with me :) ), I did purchase one as soon as I returned home. 

I linked it up to the Find My... app and it is now part of the suite of products I have organized. 

So, how does this relate to healthcare and informatics? 

Well, in this instance I had the problem I was looking to solve where I could have more data and information about where my luggage might be in the event it did not make it on the plane. I had seen a video of this use case on social media months ago and with the identified workflow challenge I did not have a solution for, I realized how I could make that technology work for me. 

In nursing and healthcare, we have so many data and information needs. All of the actions taken as nurses and healthcare professionals are driven by data and information. Yet, we do not always have what we need when we need it in the optimal way to access and enter it. 

This is where you can play a continued role in considering what you need from a data and information perspective and how to use the data and information. 

These often translate into what are often called requirements for the technology. From there, the technology can (ideally) be leveraged to meet the workflow needs. 

You are likely finding ways to integrate technology into your own daily workflows (in the same way that I described the Air Tag). While you may not be able to select the technologies used in the health center, you can advocate for what would be helpful to more effectively use the data and information. 

If you have any helpful tips, please do let us know. 

Have a lovely start to the week, 

Tiffany

**This is not a sponsored ad for the AirTag**