Overview

Write 3-5 pages in which you discuss how a current information system used in the delivery of patient care contributes to improved patient outcomes.

In using information system technology, nurses are able to track and measure data to improve patient outcomes.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

•Competency 1: Describe the importance of effective scholarship and evidence-based information to advance the profession of nursing. ?Describe how an information system used in nursing contributes to evidence-based nursing practices.

•Competency 2: Identify strategies and best practices for using informatics in nursing and health care. ?Describe how a nurse researcher uses information technology to define patient safety within the context of outcomes.

•Competency 3: Explain the use of information management tools and technologies to monitor and improve health care delivery and patient outcomes. ?Describe how nurse leaders and nurse informaticists use technology and evidence-based practice to contribute to improved patient outcomes.

•Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is consistent with the expectations of a nursing professional. ?Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Context

Continued rapid changes in information technology reflect significant progress in health care delivery and the practice of nursing. The use of patient monitoring devices, robotics, electronic medical records, data management resources, and ready access to current science are a few examples of how technology is used in providing care to patients across multiple settings.

How technology will continue to interface with nursing care, research, and future practice is significant to advancing the profession and maintaining high quality of care standards and delivery.

The following search terms relate to nursing informatics and evidence-based practice. Keeping an eye on them will help the nurse informatics practitioner stay up to date about current trends and applications of technology:

•Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs.
•The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
•Office for Civil Rights - A Healthcare Provider's Guide to the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
•Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA).
•Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

Consider the following questions from the point of view of a specific organization:

•Technologies used for direct care: ?How are data used to improve patient outcomes?

?How does technology contribute to safety and quality of care in this setting?

•Technologies used for data management: ?How are data tracked, monitored, stored, or trended in your data management system?

?How is technology used for data archiving and retrieval?

•Reliability and safeguards: ?How do you know your data are reliable?

?What types of safeguards are in place to protect patient data?

•Research: ?How are data extracted and used for research endeavors in your organization?

?What are examples of how nurses at the bedside are involved in technology design and testing in your organization? In other organizations? How might you do it differently?

•Technology and professional development: ?What are the challenges for successful implementation of new technologies in health care environment and nursing practices-in general? Specific to your organization?

?If you had the power to improve the way technology is used in your organization, what you would like to see changed or enhanced?

Suggested Resources

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:

•Cashin, A., & Cook, R. (Eds.). (2010). Evidence-based practice in nursing informatics: Concepts and applications. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
•Gerrish, K., & Lacey, A. (2013). Research process in nursing (6th ed.). Somerset, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
•Al-Rawajfah, O. M., Aloush, S., & Hewitt, J. B. (2014). Use of electronic health-related datasets in nursing and health-related research. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 37(7), 952-983.
•Campbell, R. J. (2013). Defining health informatics. Journal of AHIMA, 84(2), 28-30, 32.
•Dalrymple, P. W. (2011). Data, information, knowledge: The emerging field of health informatics. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 37(5), 41-44.
•Dunn, S. L., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Dekoekkoek, T., Jadack, R., & Scott, L. D. (2015). Secondary data analysis as an efficient and effective approach to nursing research. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 37(10), 1295-1307.
•McBride, S., Delaney, J., &Tietze, M. (2012). Health information technology and nursing. American Journal of Nursing, 112(8), 36-42.
•Murphy, J. (2010). Nursing and technology: A love/hate relationship. Nursing Economics, 28(6), 405-408.
•Samuels, J. G., Mcgrath, R. J., Fetzer, S. J., Mittal, P., &Bourgoine, D. (2015). Using the electronic health record in nursing research: Challenges and opportunities. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 37(10), 1284-1294.
•Schwartz, A. (2012). Helping drive health care's fast-moving technology train. Science of Caring, 24(1), 14-20.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

•Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/index.html
•CMS.gov. (2015, October 29). Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/index.html?redirect=%2Fehrincentiveprograms
•Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/
•HHS.gov. (2005). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA). Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/psa/regulation/statute/
•U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. (n.d.). A Health Care Provider's Guide to the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Communicating With a Patient's Family, Friends, or Others Involved in the Patient's Care. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/provider_ffg.pdf
•HHS.gov. (2015). Health information privacy: HIPAA. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

Additional Books

You may wish to purchase the following books from your preferred bookseller. These scholarly texts are great resources for now and in the future:

•McGonigle, D., &Mastrian, K. G. (2015). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
•Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
•Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Assessment Instructions

Write an essay in which you analyze an information system for its effectiveness in improving patient care.

Preparation

Select an example of a current information system used in the delivery of patient care. Note: Ideally, select a system from your workplace to examine. If you are not currently working, select a system from an organization close to where you live. This technology should be used for data management designed to improve patient care.

Familiarize yourself with the technology. Do some personal research to gain a deeper understanding about the technology. Visit the Web site of the company who markets the technology to familiarize with how the company positions the technology in the market. Read articles online and in the library related to your chosen system. Remember to take notes to keep track of what you discover. Examine the following aspects of the technology:

1.How is the information system designed to contribute to safety and quality in the care of patients?

2.What types of data are tracked, monitored, stored, and trended in the system?

3.How well does it accomplish what it is designed to do in your chosen real-world setting?

4.How is this information system used to support research? If it is not currently being used to support research, how could it be used in the future?

5.What types of opportunities are available for nurses, in any scope of practice, that gives them the chance to participate in the design and testing of this system?

6.How might the technology be enhanced so it better meets the needs of the professionals currently using the system?

Compare what you learn with how your chosen technology is being used in the workplace. Think about your own workplace and consider speaking with other professionals who currently use the system.

Directions

Write an essay in which you discuss what you have learned about how your chosen information system is used in the delivery of patient care and how it contributes (or does not contribute) to improved patient care. Include the following categories:

•Describe your chosen information system and its intended role in improving patient care.

•Explain why you chose to examine this particular system.

•Capture in 1 or 2 sentences the main point of what you learned and your personal opinion of this system based on what you learned.

•Support your main point with subpoints that include examples and supporting evidence that address each of the six points listed above under the Preparation heading. Be sure to cite expert opinions and evidence where appropriate.

•Include a concluding statement. Offer ideas, concepts, or activities that nurses, in any scope of practice, might want to consider that could improve how they could use this system to improve patient care.

Additional Requirements

•Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.

•APA formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. Include the following: ?Title page.

?Running head (a short title that appears on every page).
?Title on the first page of text.
?Level 1 headings for paper sections.
?In-text parenthetical citations and a reference list.

•Number of resources: Cite a minimum of four peer-reviewed resources.

•Length: Submit 3-5 typed, double-spaced pages.

•Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.