OneSign® “Tap N Go” is a new system for logging in and out of Island Health computer workstations that was recently rolled out at West Coast General Hospital (WCGH) and Cowichan District Hospital (CDH) as part of their IHealth clinical documentation activations. It is also in use at NRGH in the emergency room and lab, and on the 5th and 6th floors.
Tap N Go is a convenient way to unlock and lock your computer or workstation using your Proximity Access Card (prox card).
“I like that multiple people can use a single computer with minimal delay in logging in or out,” said CDH RN Leah O’Neill, noting she thinks the new system saves her some time in a typical day.
Time-saving technology
Once enrolled,employees using the new log-in system need to re-type their password only once every four hours during their shift, saving time and possible frustration from having to log on to a computer every time they use one.
This time-saving technology was installed as part of both hospitals’ shift to using electronic clinical documentation, and one of the ways of supporting staff as they learn and adapt to a new way of working.
To tap into a regular workstation, employees tap their prox card on an external card reader, or on the top-left side of the screen on a workstation on wheels (WoW). To end their session, users tap their prox card in the same spot.
Dr. Ryan Gallagher, a physician and IHealth Physician Lead at CDH, said he has appreciated using the new system and has heard positive feedback from his colleagues. Several have told him they find the value in Tap N Go when they have to move around workstations in their day.
“Generally speaking, people find it valuable… they are able to better use the computer they want to, more efficiently, and it speeds up rounding in the mornings for them,” he said. “I do think it really helps with patient care and the ease of physicians moving through the hospital.”
Employees also have the option of logging into a workstation the way they’ve always done – typing in their username and password. That’s the choice of RN Erica Sharp, who said she’s only used it once since it rolled out at CDH. “I find it just as easy to type in my password.”
Heather McGlashen, an RN in the post-anaesthesia care unit at CDH, thinks the new system saves time in a typical day. “I love it, it’s quick and easy.”
IHealth’s devices team are gathering more feedback from WCGH and CDH employees on their use of OneSign Tap N Go in a brief survey. Feedback will be used to inform plans for bringing the new system to more Island Health facilities.
