A Touch of Tech

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A profession that advocates care for those in need, nursing has always been a rewarding and inspiring job to many. But don't take our word for it. Hear it from our SCH nurses in this three-part series Nurses' Day series!

First an engineer, then a staff nurse at SKCH – Lim See Han's journey in nursing started when he decided to pursue a more meaningful career.

Although his previous job as a validation engineer in the pharmaceutical sector was still related to the healthcare industry, See Han felt that he could do more to make a difference in others' lives by directly caring for those in need.

See Han saw the vast opportunities in a nursing career, especially as technology began to make its way to help nurses manage patients with increasing efficiency. Taking the leap of faith with support from his loved ones (his wife used to be a nurse!), See Han made the career switch and never looked back since. 

Improving Patient Care
If See Han were to describe what he enjoys about nursing in three words, it would be 'improving patient care', an ongoing and continuous process which requires embracing technology and innovation.

Even as a nursing student, he found the profession adopting technology to study through e-learning courses instead of lugging around thick books. Apart from being free from backaches, studying online also came with other advantages such as encouraging independent learning, having a varied resource of studying materials, and anytime-anywhere exchanges with his schoolmates.

His experience with nursing technology continued with the paperless work processes in SCH.

One fine example is the Electro Cardio Gram (ECG) where patients' heart rate information is now being stored in computers, replacing the former hand written form which was less confidential and required a lot of physical storage space.

 "When I joined the SCH family after graduating, I saw how technology eases up our tasks in healthcare and being executed well with the 3Hs approach – head, hand and heart," shared See Han.

Head being the understanding of technical knowledge, hand referring to being hands on with various machines and heart meaning having empathy for patients.

And when the pandemic left many elderly patients lonely and bored in the wards, technology came to the rescue in the form of 'temi' robots which kept them entertained with Youtube videos and songs.

"Being engaged with even a simple activity has helped our patients to be active and less anxious about their health condition. There is no doubt that technology is an important tool in improving patient experience and care!" said See Han.

The Human Touch
Anyone who has been in the nursing field for a period of time will tell you that a lot has improved since technology came into the picture.

But See Han emphasised that despite the advancement of technology in the healthcare sector, they must not forget the human aspect of caring for their patients.

"Technology may help us to be more productive but the human touch and personal care are still key as we nurse our patients to recovery," shared See Han.