Earlier this year, Orlando Health launched a pilot program at a series of its hospitals using Epic Rover, a mobile application to aid patient care and improve workflow efficiency for nurses. The project distributed 220 iPhone 13s to the nurses with the app installed, giving them handheld access to patient information, the ability to document medication administration and collaborate with a patient’s care team using a secure chat feature. The app also enables nurses to facilitate lab collections, input a doctor’s orders and record a patient’s vitals.

The app connects to hospitals’ patient information and health record systems. The technology was created by Wisconsin-based Epic Systems, one of the largest providers of health information technology.

Hospitals in the trial run are: Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, Orlando Health — Health Central Hospital, Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital, Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital, Orlando Health South Lake Hospital and Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital.

The app is the newest tech effort to make nurses’ work more efficient, helping them move through their days more easily, say hospital officials. "With the enormous number of patient care tasks required during a shift, nurses must have tools that are easy to use and improve their performance, alleviating the burden of documentation that can hinder daily progress," says Kim Malinowski, senior director of Nursing Informatics at Orlando Health.

The app is expected to go live in all of Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s nursing units within the next 18 months.