Edmund RE: Discussion - Week 2
COLLAPSE
Week 2 N6051 Main post.
Analyze the key Functional areas of Nursing Informatics
The healthcare system of today is fast changing with the growth and development in technology.
Technology plays a vital role in analyzing, saving, communication, educatio...
Analyze the key Functional areas of Nursing Informatics
The healthcare system of today is fast changing with the growth and development in technology.
Technology plays a vital role in analyzing, saving, communication, education and enhancing the quality of
care delivered to patients. Nursing informatics is huge and therefore has been divided into several
different branches. The “status quo” use of paper documentation is fast disappearing and 21st-century
nurses are expected to be computer literate. According to Linda (2015), nursing informatics is “the
specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information management and analytical sciences
to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing
practice”. Therefore, nursing informatics was created to support nurses to improve the quality of care
and to fully integrate the entire healthcare system to achieve desired outcomes.
A key role I played in my previous organization was information management. I actively participated in
monitoring sensitive patient information, storage, retrieving, and delivery of information to the
appropriate destinations. I was able to accomplish my role because I participated in planning, structure,
assessing and processing, evaluating and reporting of information or findings in a timely manner to
achieve specific objectives. The 21st-century nurses according to the TIGER initiative (2009), need
computer skills that fit their role. Three major areas are identified, basic computer competencies,
information literacy competencies, and information management competencies. The role I play today in
my organization requires me to have knowledge in basic computer competencies.
The TIGER initiative also recommends the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) for all nurses. I can
perform all the skills in module 1 of the ECDL which include concepts of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT), using the Computer and Managing Files, word processing, spreadsheets, using
databases, presentation, web browsing, and communication. My organization requires all nurses to have
these basic computer skills as preliminary for hiring. There are training classes for these skills to help
nurses improve the quality of care in my organization. Nurses are expected to have learned these skills
prior to being hired. For information literacy competencies, I can identify information needed for a
specific purpose, locate it and apply it correctly too. For information management competencies, I can
collect, and process data that can be used to improve patient safety and quality of care. According to
laureate (2012d), nurses must be willing to embrace learning and be challenged to learn something new.
Nursing informatics is a new culture that all nurses must embrace because it is efficient.
How information technology skills can improve nursing practice and my personal role in my organization
,Information technology skills can improve nursing care in many ways. It saves time because information
can easily be retrieved without spending too much time going over paper charts. It makes locating and
collaboration with other nurses and healthcare experts easier. Updated charts are within reach for
nurses. This system helps to improve patients’ safety by reducing medical errors and prevents
unauthorized people from accessing patient information like was the case on paper charts. Accuracy in
documentation, safety, and efficiency are all improved. Information technology also allows nurses to
spend more time on direct care. Information technology can improve my role in my organization by
giving me quick access to patient information, being able to communicate and exchange ideas with the
interdisciplinary team as well as using evidence-based practice retrieved. According to Wakefield (2008)
in the quality chasm series, the most significant barrier to improving patient safety identified in "To Err Is
Human" is a “lack of awareness of the extent to which errors occur daily in all health care settings and
organizations. Information technology helps to reduced or identify possible errors. This can greatly assist
me to perform my role in my organization.
References
Linda, H. (2015). American Nurses Association Releases New Scope and Standards of Nursing
Informatics Practice. AACN Advanced Critical Care, (2), 93.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012d). Health information technology competencies.
Baltimore, MD: Author.
The TIGER initiative (2009) Informatics competencies for every practice nurse;
Recommendation from the TIGER collaborative. Retrieved from:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150323183938/http://thetigerinitiative.org/docs/TigerReport_Informati
csCompetencies_001.pdf
Wakefield, M. K (2008). The Quality chasm series: implications for nursing in R.G Hughes(Ed),
Patient safety and Quality. An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses (Vol. 1, pp47-66). Rockville, MD: US
Department of Health and human Services: Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/NBK2677/
Discussion post 1
Hello Edmund,
, I enjoyed your post and agree with how technology development can assist in nurses’ patient care in the
health care system. There is already the importance of nurses entering the work field to be computer
literate or basic knowledge to increase their skills in the work field. Providing adequate education,
knowledge, and innovation for nurses to use once they enter the work place is vital as technology will
continue to be a fundamental part of nursing informatics and delivery care models of the next decade
(Risling, 2017). Completing research, like IMIA NISIG Student Group in 2015 through an
international survey for build on the next step as a country as well as healthcare organizations in
nursing informatics (Ronquillo, 2016)., Continuing research and identifying needs will be crucial
to advance nursing informatics research, practice, education, collaboration, and visibility in the health
care system. (Ronquillo, 2016).
Nursing educators will be expected to prepare students teaching with and about interventions about
technology to improve patient care outcomes (Risling, 2017). Expansions in nursing informatics that
could be expected and yet unimained in healthcare technology innovations in the next ten years could
be astounding. For example, nurses could potentially expect to have wearable devices for nursing
practice and assessment tools for patient care (Risling, 2017). Nurses could expect to have to analyze
data such as heart rate, blood pressure, or other interventions provided by technological advances in
healthcare; quickly and accurately analyzing the information, while communicating the information to
physicians for more efficient patient treatment.
References
Risling, T. t. (2017). Educating the nurses of 2025: Technology
trends of the next decade. Nurse Education In Practice, 2289-
92. doi:10.1016/j.nepr.2016.12.007
Ronquillo, C. (2016). Advancing Nursing Informatics in the Next 5-10 Years: What Are the Next Steps?.
Studies In Health Technology And Informatics, 225715-717.
Hayes, G (2012). Nursing Informatics Competencies: Implications
for Safe and Effective Practice. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=2806&context=honors_theses
Lee, A. (2014). The role of informatics in nursing. Ovid Technologies, 12(4), 55. DOI:
10.1097/01.NME.0000450294.60987.00
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller PossibleA. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.39. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
