The nursing practice relies on information and communication technologies that receive inputs from the nurses as well as all of the patient care technologies. Computers, handheld devices, monitors, and other health care technologies are essential tools for nurses (McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G,2017 p 534). Healthcare is making pivotal changes when it comes to the application of technology in improving the efficiency and quality of patient care provided by professionals. Nurse informaticists and technology specialists are among the backbone and primary cornerstones of our health care system in this fast-changing milieu of technological advancements.

My years of clinical experience has allowed me to witness the advancements in the application of technology in all healthcare settings. At many facilities that I have been employed at, I have had the opportunity to work with nurses referred to as a resource nurse, nurse liaisons, or nurse specialist. These are nurses I can directly ask questions regarding any situation that I am unfamiliar with. At one hospital during an EPIC conversion, the resource nurse was someone to whom I frequently referred my questions regarding the changes that were being applied to the documentation system. The informatics competency helps nurses use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making at the point of care (Glassman,2017). During this EPIC conversion, the resource nurse also asked my colleagues and I several questions regarding how the team could better improve the documenting systems. I gave her examples of where documentation seemed to be repetitive, and where the information could be contradicted if not read appropriately.

During this EPIC conversion, I noticed one way that the integration of the new computer system could’ve ran more efficiently was when nurses on the unit tried to scan the lab specimens and receive results. A different barcode other than what was used to identify patients was needed for the data to transmit. However, with three barcodes on one label, it was often confusing, and time-consuming trying to figure out which one was the correct barcode. It wasn’t until my colleagues and I brought this data to the team, we were then educated on how to properly identify the correct barcode to safely transmit the data to EPIC. Nursing informatics has evolved beyond the definition of data management. The specialty integrates nursing science with information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice ( Sipes, C,2016). With effective communication and teamwork, the nurses on the floor were able to safely integrate the new system and improve the quality and efficiency of care for the patients.

Reference:

Glassman, K. S. (2017). Using data in nursing practice. American Nurse Today, 45-47. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ant11-Data-1030.pdf

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Sipes, C. (2016). Project Management: Essential Skill of Nurse Informaticists. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 225, 252–256.

response

The hospital I work at also uses Epic. In fact, I was there when we transitioned to Epic and was as super user. I took an extra class to learn more about Epic to become a super user and when my colleagues needed assistance with the system I would help them. Yuan, Bradley, & Nembhard (2015) were able to find that units who had super users had staff be more proactive and significantly greater improvements in clinicians proficiency. That is awesome that you and your colleagues were able to offer insight and the Epic support staff was able to modify the barcode issue. This is why I am a firm believer that when these systems are being created, having a nurse in the process and nursing insight is helpful. Epic used project managers to implement the electronic medical records at the hospital I work at. “Project management is one of the largest but least understood essentials of the nursing informatics knowledge and skill set” (Sipes, 2016). At that time, I was able to meet a project manager who was actually a nurse and had a degree in nursing informatics. It is great to see that nurse’s input is being valued in items like software’s being built for our occupations.

References

Yuan, C.T., Bradley, E. H., & Nembhard, I. M. (2015). A mixed methods study of how clinician ‘super users’ influence others during the implementation of electronic health records. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 15, 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-015-0154-6

Sipes, C. (2016). Project Management: Essential Skill of Nurse Informaticists. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 225, 252–256.

Sample 2

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society defines nursing informatics (NI) as “a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice”. Its impact on today’s nursing practice is far-reaching and still expanding.

Technology plays a vital role in nursing management, clinical practice, and their respective fields of education. When one considers the case of pulse oximetry, (before its widespread use), nurses relied on subtle changes in mental status and skin color to detect early changes in oxygen saturation and they used arterial blood gasses to confirm their suspicions. Currently, pulse oximetry allows nurses to identify decreased oxygenation before clinical symptoms manifest physically, providing for a more prompt and timely diagnosis and treatment of the underlying causes (Powell-Cope, 2008). Additionally, nurse informaticists and data technology specialists support nurses, consumers, patients, the interprofessional healthcare team, and other stakeholders in their decision-making in all roles and settings to achieve desired outcomes. Informaticists interpret and process this information for all aspects of the clinical system, (as well as) the development of standards and database structures to facilitate clinical care, education, administration, and research (Darvish et al, 2014).

Nurse managers can improve the efficacy of informatics and technology through improved interactions with nurse informaticists and technology professionals through promoting informatic tools as an integral practice component. Encouraging a culture that supports the collection and analysis of clinical data, ongoing team training, skill-building and the implementation of new technology infrastructures improve patient outcomes and interprofessional collaboration.

The continued evolution of nursing informatics increases efficiency, promotes safety, and streamlines tasks through the use of new technologies such as smart pumps, bar-code medication administration systems, electronic health records (EHRs), wearables, and smart phones (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018). Through the utilization of EHRs, results, data, and interprofessional communications are shared in real-time and may be available across the organization and accessible to the patient through the online portal. Obtaining information and results clearly and obviously improves workflow and patient care. In order for the nursing profession to continue to evolve, knowledge must be generated, disseminated, and assimilated through a multifaceted collaborative approach through nursing practice and ongoing communication with informatic specialists.

Darvish, A., Bahramnezhad, F., Keyhanian, S., & Navidhamidi, M. (2014, June 25). The role of nursing informatics on promoting quality of health care and the need for appropriate education. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825491/.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Powell-Cope, G. (2008). Patient Care Technology and Safety. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2686/.

Sipes, C. Project Management: Essential Skill of Nurse Informaticists . Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, (225), 252–256. https://doi.org/https://eds-a-ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=bc386789-fe0b-4887-9b3d-9677bfd3fcd2%40sdc-v-sessmgr03