Nursing Management

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Trends in Nursing Informatics

Introduction

The information revolution has changed the health care system to an unbelievable extent. Integration of informatics in nursing is going beyond data processing functions such as payroll, to an important role in patient care by: interpreting ECG, entering orders, reporting results, and preventing drug interactions (by cross referencing drug compatibilities and warning the appropriate staff). Nurses are using information systems in clinical practice, administration, research and education.

History of health Informatics

Definition

Current trends and issues

General purposes

Nursing’s data needs fall into four domains:Nurse need data about client care, provider staffing, administration of care and the organization, and knowledge based research. The first three are distinct areas, whereas research interacts with all of the other three.
The four areas and the source for the data are:

Eg: outcome and variables in three domains of nursing data needs.

 

Domains

client

Provider

Administrative

Outcomes

Client satisfaction

Achieved care outcomes

Costs

Access to health care

Job enrichment

Job/work satisfaction

Physician satisfaction

Job stress

Intent to leave

Costs

Productivity

Turn over

Income

Variables

Attitudes/ beliefs

Diagnosis, gender, age

Marital status

Support systems

Satisfaction

Level of dependency

Severity of illness

Intensity of nursing care

Attitudes, beliefs

Education

Years of experience

Age

Work excitement

Agency philosophy

Priorities

Organizational structure

Climate

Policy and procedures

Conflict

Conclusion

Journal references

1. Exploring the impact of health information technology on communication and collaboration in acute care nursing

A focus group using nursing informatics experts as informants was conducted to guide development of a survey to explore the impact of health information technology on the role of nurses and interdisciplinary communication in acute care settings. Through analysis of focus group transcripts, five key themes emerged: information, communication, care coordination, interdisciplinary relationships, workflow, and practice effectiveness and efficiency. This served as the basis for development of a survey that will investigate perceptions of acute care providers across the United States regarding the impact of health information technology on the role of nurses and interdisciplinary communication in acute care settings. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of survey development including analysis of transcripts, emergence of key themes, and the processes by which the themes will be employed to inform survey development.

2. Nurses' experiences using a nursing information system: early stage of technology implementation

The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' experiences in the early stage of implementing a nursing information system. Focus groups were used to collect data at a medical centre in Taiwan. The results showed that nurses had problems with the system's content design, had insufficient training, were concerned about data security, were stressed by added work, and experienced poor interdisciplinary cooperation. To smooth this beginning stage, the author recommends involving nurses early in the system design, providing sufficient training in keyboard entry skills, redesigning workflow, and improving interdisciplinary communication.

3. The perfect role for nursing informatics: Nursing staff development

This is an opinion paper on the role of the hospital-l based nurse educator and the relevance of Informatics training for that position. The term "Nurse Educator" (NE) is used here describing a non-faculty position in a hospital or facility that deals with staff development of nurses. The standard roles for Informatics Nurses tend to be in the Information Technology (IT) department where exposure to practicing nurses is limited and decisions can be made without nursing practice input. The standard roles for the nurse staff educators tend to be involved with nursing decisions and nursing practice on various levels. This paper will discuss how having nurse educators prepared in informatics can strengthen nursing and patient care.

References

  1. Huber D. Leadership and nursing care management. ( 1 st edn). Philadelphia: W.B Saunders company; 1996.

  2. Ellis R E, Hartely C L. Managing and coordinating nursing care.( 3 rd edn). Philadelphia: Lippincott; 1995.

  3. Hannah K J, Ball M J& Edwards. Introduction to nursing informatics. Newyork: Springer- Verlag, 1994.

  4. Cashen M S, Bradley V, Farrel A, Murphy J, Schleyer R, Sensmeir J, Dykes PC. Exploring the impact of health information technology on communication and collaboration in acute care nursing. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2006; 122:575-9.

  5. Lee TT.Nurses' experiences using a nursing information system: early stage of technology implementation. Comput Inform Nurs. 2007 Sep-Oct; 25(5):294-300

  6. Van de Castle B.The perfect role for nursing informatics: Nursing staff development. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2006;122:241-3


This page was last updated on: 19/12/2020