Chilton Memorial Hospital in New Jersey has begun using computers on wheels to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
The COWs program is the first part of the hospital's $6 million effort to transition to electronic health records over the next three years, according to Patrick Gavin, the hospital's chief operating officer. The hospital's nurses by the end of this month will have access to 80 COWs, and the hospital plans by June to have 120 COWs.
The COWs can be transported to a patient's bedside. The system stores patient data, such as vital signs and physicians' orders, and later it will hold X-rays and other diagnostic tests, according to officials.
Nurses use the system to scan medication bar codes and patients' identification bracelets before administering drugs to ensure that patients receive the correct medication and dose. The computer will alert nurses if there is an error, the Star-Ledger reports (Alloway, Newark Star-Ledger, 1/18).