ABSTRACT
Several years ago, the author participated as a consultant in a device needs assessment for point-of-care documentation devices for Big Healthcare System (BHS). Clinicians' consultant team was engaged because of an unsatisfactory response from an employee to a member of the facility’s board of directors. The project was initiated, and Regional Community Hospital (RCH) built a team of invested, skilled, and knowledgeable clinical and information technology staff. However, the device selection team was scheduled to meet weekly, as opposed to the concentrated “all hands on deck” efforts experienced at BHS. Thus, from the project design stage, the process was changed to be longer in duration at RCH than clinicians' process of 8 weeks at BHS. The methodical process approach created a new challenge to clinicians' credibility, especially among the nursing staff. Because significant aspects of point-of-care device selection require participation from frontline nursing staff, clinicians engaged the nursing staff early in the selection approval process.
