This project addresses the needs of registered nurses to prepare and monitor meaningful interdisciplinary care plans for residents of long-term care facilities. The use of voice-activated word processors in a nursing home will be assessed for their ability to (1) improve the quality of care plans and nurses' progress notes, (2) enhance utilization of scarce nursing resources, and (3) enhance nurses' professional development. Phase I research will address the feasibility of applying the technology to the documentation process and include assessment of the existing documentation process in a special unit of a nursing home, the range of data requirements, and reactions of professional nurses in the unit to voice- activated computer systems. Results of Phase I efforts will drive Phase II development, demonstration, and evaluation of the system.
