Times, they are changing

Communication is a basic of nursing life. My trusty dictionary tells me that communication is an exchange of information--a process by which meanings are exchanged between individuals through a common system. Within the context of daily patient care, the level to which we give and receive communication, drives the decisions and actions of the care we give. We give reports, we get reports, we talk with the patient, the family, the doctors, the lab, the pharmacy, etc.

We read history and physical documents, we examine operative reports, we review progress notes. And … we document. Remember when we all wrote meticulous details of our care on a piece of paper, and that got tucked away as ‘communication’ in the patient record? Now many of us log on, looking for our password instead of looking for a pen! Now our documentation of current events and our retrieval of historic data are electronic. Much of our information is now accessed via the Web instead of a piece of paper. Is that progress? In my personal opinion … yes.

Kansas City Nursing News has been a staple of area-wide nursing communication that is quite important to thousands of nursing professionals in metropolitan Kansas City.

My husband is also an RN. We both receive copies of Kansas City Nursing News each week, which is great, so neither of us feels tempted to squirrel it away for private reading. Unlike the communication I’ve discussed above, the Kansas City Nursing News provides us a more global picture of what is happening in our profession. It is a great vehicle for keeping us informed about the activities of our peers. In the latest issues, we learned about birthing centers, plans for upcoming events and well-deserved promotions. We enjoyed the holiday wish lists of fellow nurses from many different settings. I'm looking forward to the next issue to read more about public anatomy exhibits. The Kansas City Nursing News brings us the good news of nursing. I fold each copy enlightened by what I have read and proud of my profession.

Just as the computerization of the patient record of care has enhanced our access to valuable information, I’m happy that the Kansas City Nursing News is taking that same step and enhancing its electronic edition. I’m looking forward to this new outreach for the good news of nursing. It immediately expands that basic “exchange of information between individuals" mentioned above. Is that progress? In my personal opinion ... yes.

Elaine Patton, RN, BSN, MBA, serves as chief of nursing services at Olathe Medical Center

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