Interaction Between Nurse Informaticists and Other Specialists Discussions With responses

Posted: January 6th, 2023

Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Interaction Between Nurse Informaticists and Other Specialists

Nature offers many examples of specialization and collaboration. Ant colonies and bee hives are but two examples of nature’s sophisticated organizations. Each thrives because their members specialize by tasks, divide labor, and collaborate to ensure food, safety, and general well-being of the colony or hive.

Of course, humans don’t fare too badly in this regard either. And healthcare is a great example. As specialists in the collection, access, and application of data, nurse informaticists collaborate with specialists on a regular basis to ensure that appropriate data is available to make decisions and take actions to ensure the general well-being of patients.

In this Discussion, you will reflect on your own observations of and/or experiences with informaticist collaboration. You will also propose strategies for how these collaborative experiences might be improved.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and reflect on the evolution of nursing informatics from a science to a nursing specialty.
• Consider your experiences with nurse Informaticists or technology specialists within your healthcare organization.

By Day 3 of Week 3

Post a description of experiences or observations about how nurse informaticists and/or data or technology specialists interact with other professionals within your healthcare organization. Suggest at least one strategy on how these interactions might be improved. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain the impact you believe the continued evolution of nursing informatics as a specialty and/or the continued emergence of new technologies might have on professional interactions.

By Day 6 of Week 3

Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering one or more additional interaction strategies in support of the examples/observations shared or by offering further insight to the thoughts shared about the future of these interactions.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.

*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.

REPLY QUOTE

 

6 months ago

Jessica Ferrin 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

            The computer charting system at my hospital is highly outdated and cannot allow a complete Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) experience. Due to the performance gaps, we still have to rely on paper charting for many things. During the last two hospital-grade periods, my hospital has scored significantly lower than surrounding hospitals on specific criteria that directly result from our computer charting system. To prepare for the upcoming survey, clinical leadership at my facility met with the informatics team to discuss improving our documentation without upgrading our system. Our owners would not spend any money to upgrade.

            Having a solid informatics team at your organization is key to the success of the clinical team. Utilizing their expertise during the discussion allowed the multidisciplinary team at the table to devise a solution.  Mosier et al. (2019) discuss that clear lines of responsibility with respect for every disciplinarian’s expertise and commitment to the project’s objectives are the framework for achieving this goal. A strategy used to accomplish improved documentation was having focused tasks of each team member. The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) oversaw the group, ensuring they were on task and met the deadline goal. Clinical leaders were appointed to identify all shortcomings in the current EHR in partnership with the quality team, privy to the survey result findings. Each clinical leader appointed a bedside nurse who could speak to the workflow of the EHR and have input on what the informatics team devised. Once the CNO, clinical leaders, and quality team developed a list of items the EHR needed to incorporate for compliance, the informatics team worked on the solution. The cost of an upgrade or new charting system was higher than our owners were willing to do. Our informatics team was able to find a solution by integrating an overlay system that “talked to” our current charting system. This overlay allowed the informatics team to build flowsheets for items our current system did not have and ones we were paper charting on. Once they made the flowsheets, appointed bedside nurses could document in the test environment and speak to fluency.

            Technology advancements in healthcare have grown leaps and bounds over the last several decades. Providers and patients now can access EHR through mobile devices with the expansion of infrastructure (Ng et al., 2018). We see this first hand during the pandemic through mobile texting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tracing vaccine reactions. This is a form of short message service (SMS) available on basic and smart cellular devices (Ng et al., 2018). With mobile healthcare information technology advancements, especially during the pandemic, I believe we will see a drastic increase in telemedicine and mobile physician appointments. These advancements will lay the groundwork for mobile telemedicine well after the pandemic, and we may see this option around for years to come.

References

Mosier, S. , Roberts, W. D. & Englebright, J. (2019). A Systems-Level Method for Developing Nursing Informatics Solutions. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49 (11), 543-548.

Ng, Y. C. , Alexander, S. & Frith, K. H. (2018). Integration of Mobile Health Applications in Health Information Technology Initiatives. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 36 (5), 209-213.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 11 replies

 

6 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Thank you for getting us started in Module 2 Week 3 Jessica.  While there are a few organization left who continue with paper charts, I think it may, at some point in the future, become a standard for accreditation.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 1 reply

 

6 months ago

Jessica Ferrin 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Dr. Moyers,

I agree. I’ve been at this facility since 2006 and we have yet to experience an upgrade of any kind. Thankfully, we were just purchased (for a second time in 4 years) by a new owner who will upgrade us to EPIC January 2022. I am excited for this change, and also interested to see how some of the older physicians who rely on paper documents and flowsheets will handle this change.

One of the main items of focus through the hospital grade survey was medication safety. Our version of meditech does not have electronic flowsheets to document medication titration. Heparin gtt titration was a huge area of concern, and why we had the multidisciplinary group to quickly address the safety concern. While the overlay was a quick-fix work around, it was a completely separate program, and is a bit cumbersome.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Response 1

 Hello Jessica,

 Thank you for sharing. I find your post interesting because you mentioned that paper charts are still used.

Nursing informatics is an essential component of the nursing profession. Nursing informatics is expressed as the implementation of knowledge and technology to utilize decision-making to provide support and communication between health professionals (QSEN, 2021). Informatics provides the necessary skills to provide education regarding the application of technology and identify key information before providing medical care (QSEN, 2021). This discussion will focus on a brief description of a personal experience related to how nursing informatics is implemented to interact with health professionals within a healthcare organization. Then, identify strategies to increase professional outcomes to provide optimal safe patient care.

When I first started in the medical field thirteen years ago,  paper charts were being implemented in the clinical setting in the writer’s career. Eventually, there was a transition period of switching over to the Epic medical record. During the process of switching from paper charts to Epic if there was missing information within the system the paper chart could be ordered for review. How does your facility catch errors within the paper chart? Are they easily identified or do many get missed? According to an article, the writer read, identifies the paper chart as the gold standard back in 2003 (Stausberg et al., 2003). Implementation of the two records together indicated variability between the two types of records (Stausberg et al., 2003). I find it intriguing to read about how much health care documentation has changed.

An article that the writer read emphasizes that the implementation of electronic medical records can be arduous (Aguirre et al., 2019). However, the implementation of the electronic medical record can reduce the number of errors (Aguirre et al., 2019). Personally, in the writer’s experience implementation of the electronic medical records has provided the foundation of whom the patient is and has identified medication and immunization errors that have been incorrectly documented. Concise, factual, and detailed documentation provides excellent communication between healthcare providers throughout the organization through shared data.

References

Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019, September 13). Electronic health record implementation: A review of resources and Tools. Cureus. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6822893/.

Stausberg, J., Koch, D., Ingenerf, J., & Betzler, M. (2003). Comparing paper-based with electronic patient records: Lessons learned during a study on diagnosis and procedure codes. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: JAMIA. Retrieved September 15, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC212784/.

Qsen competencies. (n.d.). September 13, 2021, from https://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/#informatics

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

jennifer girgis 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Response 1.

Thank you, Jessica, for your post.

I believe I experienced what you experienced when a facility won’t spend resources updating or purchasing a new EHR system, or they’ve bought one before, but it is now outdated. The situation makes healthcare professionals waste their time, and some documentation portions are unnecessary; thus, paper documentation is still necessary. Additionally, some providers use original documentation (e.g., paper scripting) when signing and giving orders. According to Mosier et al. (2019), nursing care data have become a critical component of operation and patient care decisions that can potentially affect the performance, productivity, effectiveness, cost, efficiency, and nursing care value. Often IT support gets called to assist with the system and provide the ticket case number. Then, an actual data technology specialist would call back to solve what the immediate solution failed to do. Some nurses who are inclined with the knowledge of the system often assist other professionals who were having a hard time using EHR. Sometimes waiting for IT support can be time-consuming. If it’s simple technical concerns, others who experienced the same problem can support solving them. According to McGonigle & Mastrian (2018, p.525), nurses are masters with multi-tasking that can perform several caring functions simultaneously during a patient encounter. Nurses are caring in nature, and with the increase in technology use, thus increases the knowledge and skills necessary to be more competent when delivering quality care to patients.  

As a result of the example above, nursing facilities get scores deducted, lose their star ratings, lose funds and get fines for not complying with the state-mandated standards of nursing quality care. But I don’t blame the facility or the hospital for not getting a new EHR system. They are very costly and need a tremendous amount of workforce to be able to make it work.

 

References

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Mosier, S., Roberts, W. D., & Englebright, J. (2019). A Systems-Level Method for Developing Nursing Informatics Solutions: The Role of Executive Leadership.  JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49 ( 11 ),   543 – 548 .

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Tae Kim 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Jessica, thank you for sharing your post with us. As you noted, informatics in a healthcare environment needs healthcare professionals to guide the development of systems. The IT professionals may know how to build the hardware and write the code but they need somebody to provide the guidance as to what is needed. Nurse leaders should acquire the necessary knowledge, through on-the-job training (OJT) and other courses to be able to play a major role in decision making in developing informatics. Nurse executives are needed to develop not only a clear structure, timeline, and goals but also provide insight into the product development. The knowledge that nurse executives can provide developers can then be applied to subsequent applications (Mosier et al, 2019, p. 547). 

There are gaps in what a nursing leader needs to know about informatics which may impact their ability to coordinate with IT professionals. New grads who should be exposed to the latest technologies as part of their curriculum could help their leaders. Many nurses, however, coming out of nursing schools do not have the necessary informatics competencies due to insufficient informatics education. Nursing organizations such as the American Nursing Association (ANA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) have argued that nursing graduates must be able to demonstrate informatics competencies. But neither national nursing governing organizations nor accrediting bodies actually mandate how informatics be taught. Some programs offer stand-alone courses while others integrate informatics throughout their curriculum while others offer neither. Therefore, informatics preparedness is uneven among recent nursing school graduates (Pordeli, 2018, p. 6). 

References 

Mosier, S., Roberts, W. D., & Englebright, J. (2019). A systems-level method for developing nursing informatics solutions: The role of executive leadership. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(11), 543-548. 

Pordeli, L. (2018, November).  Informatics competency-based assessment: Evaluations and determination of nursing informatics competency gaps among practicing nurse informaticists.  On-Line Journal of Nursing Informatics, 22(3). 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Tina Alino 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Hello Jessica,

I agree with you that, “having a solid informatics team at your organization is key to the success of the clinical team.” According to research, it is easier to make mistakes in paper charts or have unreadable notes on them, which can be harder to catch and rectify. It is also easier to make mistakes or have illisible notes on paper charts. Even if these things don’t exist, paper charting is difficult due to the lack of storage capacity alone (Hedge, 2021). Although the hospital where I work at do not use paper chart any more, they still need to update their electronic software to better communicate between healthcare, patients and family members. Patient engagement is a critical component of encouraging patients to take ownership of their own care, but various obstacles stand in the way. Health informatics can help professionals overcome these obstacles by improving the patient experience and increasing engagement (University of Illinois Chicago, 2020).

As the globe changes, so do the healthcare system. Almost everything is now computerized, and it is critical that the healthcare system adapts as well. It is critical that our nurses understand how to work with the electronic changes that we see in the healthcare system; being able to cooperate with the informatics department at our workplace will help with this. Health informatics can assist nurses in accurately documenting patient care, reducing medical errors, lowering medical costs, and improving care coordination. Nurses who have been taught in this technology and how to best integrate data into their workflow are typically more productive and able to give better care than they have been in the past (Electronic Health Reporter, 2016).

 

Electronic Health Reporter. (2016, November 14). How nurses are using health informatics to improve patient care. Healthcare IT News and Editorials. https://electronichealthreporter.com/nurses-using-health-informatics-improve-patient-care/

Hedge, L. (2021, July 6). The pros and cons of paper medical records (according to doctors who use them). https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/pros-cons-paper-charts/

University of Illinois Chicago. (2020, July 14). The role of health informatics in increasing patient engagement. https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/the-role-of-health-informatics-in-increasing-patient-engagement/

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Ivo Ngosong 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Jessica, that said, I agree with you that having a robust informatics group at your organization is critical to ensuring the success of the clinical group’s goals. According to the University of Illinois at Chicago, the impact of wellness informatics on nursing practice has been studied and documented. The substance of medical services is changing as a result of advances in information technology. As technology advances, medical services associations and suppliers will be able to collect, analyze, and influence information in a more effective manner. This will have an impact on the way treatment is delivered, assets are managed, and organizations go about their daily business (Mosier et al, 2019). The nursing profession is rapidly evolving in order to keep abreast of new developments and challenges in the medical care industry. The fact that attendants are direct parental figures places them on the cutting edge of patient concern, and as a result, they often experience the effects of changes in prescribed procedures more rapidly than other medical care professionals. It was stated by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society that, as a result of electronic diagramming, medical caregivers may get information more quickly and efficiently, allowing them to focus on the day-to-day job process (Milligan, & Volpi, 2017).

                                                               References:

Milligan, R. J., & Volpi, K. C. (2017). ED Registration Processes Can Trigger Litigation Against Hospital: Registrars’ involvement in clinical decisions is a legal land mine. Hospital Access Management, 36(2), 19–20.

Mosier, S., Roberts, W. D. & Englebright, J. (2019). A Systems-Level Method for Developing Nursing Informatics Solutions. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49 (11), 543-548. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000815.

University of Illinois Chicago retrieved from https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/category/articles/

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Federica Clay 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Jessica,

            It is true that today’s ever-changing health system needs upgrades of our medical record systems and documentation. I also agree with the SMS option for healthcare staff to communicate with one another more easily during the day. Ng et al. (2018) state “health information technology projects based on SMS can accommodate both basic and smartphone users in the evolving field of Health applications, tapping the nonsmartphone’s simplicity to deliver primary healthcare information that may be more effective for users who are less tech-savvy.” This means that even those who are not very familiar with smartphones or today’s technology can use this communication option easily.

            Your fellow colleagues also displayed teamwork when the CNO, clinical leaders, quality team, and even a bedside staff nurse to discuss and speak on the current EHR productibility. This displayed their skills for project management as nursing informaticists described by Sipes (2016) which included the following: “development/implementation of work plans, design/development of systems, function as lead/project manager in all phases of the systems life cycle, and development and implementation of all organizational documents required as a project manager to successfully manage a project.” I agree and believe that the future looks bright in years to come when thinking about technology and healthcare.

 

Resources

Ng, Y. C., Alexander, S., & Frith, K. H. (2018). Integration of mobile health applications in health information technology initiatives: expanding opportunities for nurse participation in population health. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 36(5), 209-213.

Sipes, C. (2016). Project Management: Essential skill of nurse informaticists. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 225, 252–256.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Adam Hundley 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

​Response 2 

Jessica, 

Thank you for your post. I cannot believe in 2021 it is still relevant. I recently had an “in-between” job as a charge nurse. I was being trained by another charge and the discrepancies between what she was training and what the nurses were actually charting were astounding. There was no standard or uniformity which led me to think about chart auditing. I did not stay long enough to find out, but it has to be a very inefficient and subjective process. I would like to know if it is even being done at all. EMRs and electronic charting using informatics is definitely the way of the future, heck, how about the present? Especially when it has been proven that informatics is improving nursing procedures and care (Mosier et al., 2019). I am honestly surprised it is even legal to have paper charting these days. Nurses are expected to have informatics competencies that improve safety for patients (Sipes, 2016). It still baffles me what aspects of hospitals are strictly governed and which are not.  

  

References 

Mosier, S., Roberts, W. D., & Englebright, J. (2019). A Systems-Level Method for Developing Nursing Informatics Solutions: The Role of Executive Leadership. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(11), 543-548. 

Sipes, C. (2016). Project management: Essential skill of nurse informaticists. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 225, 252-256. 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Alexis Liggett 

RE: Discussion – Week 3 Peer Response 1

COLLAPSE

Jessica,

            Great post! I relate to your topic in more ways than one. The charting system my hospital uses is extremely outdated.  I have worked at different hospitals throughout this organization in the last 5 years and the charting system has been the exact same.  It has never been updated or changed in any way.  Due to the lack of advancement in technology, physicians are still using verbal and written orders often to avoid the torturous charting system we have.  Informatics and technology are so important in healthcare, and I think that is forgotten due to overall cost of technology advancements.

            The face of healthcare is evolving due to informatics. Informatics is currently having a significant impact on nursing practice.  Nursing, and the healthcare profession, is constantly changing and adapting to the continuous technological advancements (University of Illinois Chicago, 2020). But what if technology stopped advancing? Informatics not only help the nurse to do their job, but they also allow the nurse the tools to provide the best treatment possible for their patients.  “Nurses use and encourage various types of tech for treating patients, cataloging patient information, and maintain positive health outcomes even after patients leave a healthcare facility” (Maryville University, n.d.).

References

Maryville University. (n.d.). Future of Technology in Nursing: How Tech Will Continue Improving Patient Care. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://online.maryville.edu/blog/technology-in-nursing/

University of Illinois Chicago. (2020). The impact of health informatics on nursing practice. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/the-impact-of-health-informatics-on-nursing-practice/

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Mercy Ambe Mbu 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Hi Jessica,

I agree with you that technology has grown dramatically in the past several decades, and having a good informatics team to support the interprofessional team is crucial for its transition. In our practice, we can use our mobile computer stations or use phones called Mobile Heartbeat (MHB). These phones are adapted to carry the EHR app and maintain confidentiality. They are can only function within the secured wifi of the institution. It facilitates communication with the team in the unit, but it gives access to all other providers in different specialties of the institution. We no longer have to go to the phonebook to look for numbers during patient transfer between units. Type in the department, and the list of contacts for that unit shows up, and those on duty are listed as signed-in. The use of technology enhances the transition of care, making it faster and more efficient, resulting in improved patient safety and care. (Krick et al., 2019). Patient information is readily available as these devices can be carried anywhere within the institution, allowing one to look up patient information without running to a computer.

Considering how vital technology is in carrying the EHR, the interprofessional team must collaborate with the informaticists who create, maintain, and ensure their smooth operations (Laureate education, 2018). Transitioning from paper to EHR has been a great experience for me. Despite the challenges of using these technologies, knowing that there are reliable and available experts upon which we can rely makes the transition less cumbersome.

References

Krick, T., Huter, K., Domhoff, D., Schmidt, A., Rothgang, H., & Wolf-Ostermann, K. (2019). Digital Technology and Nursing Care: A Scoping Review on Acceptance, Effectiveness and Efficiency Studies of Informal and Formal Care Technologies. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), N.PAG. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4238-3

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). The Nurse Informaticist [Video file]. Author.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Class:

Welcome to Module 2 week 3 discussion thread.

Don’t forget to submit your main post by 11:59 pm MT Wednesday, and respond to two posts on two more dates during the week.  Make sure to post three separate days (dates) out of the week. If you don’t know how to see the date of your post, hover over the time stamp and the date and time will appear.  Remember, post on three different dates out of the week—regardless of your individual time zone.

Also, make sure to include at least three references in your main post and at least two references in each participation post.

Dr. Moyers

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 8 replies (2 unread)

 

6 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

 

            Nursing informatics is an essential component of the nursing profession. Nursing informatics is expressed as the implementation of knowledge and technology to understand error and knowledge, utilize decision-making to provide support, and communicate between health professionals (QSEN, 2021). Informatics provides the necessary skills to provide education regarding the application of technology and identify key information before providing medical care (QSEN, 2021). This discussion will focus on a brief description of a personal experience related to how nursing informatics is implemented to interact with health professionals within a healthcare organization. Then, identify strategies to increase professional outcomes to provide optimal safe patient care.

Experience/Observation 

            Nursing Informatics was deciphered through studying three variables (Davis et al., 2014). These variables include informatics skills, computer skills, and informatics knowledge (Davis et al., 2014). There are a variety of examples of how nursing informatics is implemented across the healthcare setting. As a clinical triage nurse, the electronic medical record is relied heavily upon to collect significant patient information to formulate a plan of care. Although, clinical and hospital triage are similar in a variety of ways. Clinical triage focuses on past documentation to form the best plan for the patient. For instance, like a triage nurse, calls come into a pool, and the patient’s either need to be called or the patient can send a message through an application called mychart. Patients were also called into the clinic to speak with a triage nurse about current symptoms. Each call in the pool is researched through the electronic medication record to identify if the patient’s health history, current medications, past visits with providers, and if the patient has had similar symptoms previously. Mhealth Fairview implements electronic medical records referred to Epic. Another example of why electronic medical records are beneficial is related to error prevention. An article that the writer read emphasizes that the implementation of electronic medical records can be arduous (Aguirre et al., 2019). However, the implementation of the electronic medical record can reduce the number of errors (Aguirre et al., 2019). Personally, in the writer’s experience implementation of the electronic medical records has provided the foundation of whom the patient is and has identified medication and immunization errors that have been incorrectly documented. Concise, factual, and detailed documentation provides excellent communication between healthcare providers throughout the organization through shared data.

Strategies

            Creating strategies are crucial to utilize the electronic medical record within a healthcare organization. For instance, creating workflows within a team setting can reduce duplication of care and improve patient outcomes (What are the key steps of the electronic health record (EHR) implementation planning phase, 2019). Secondly, identifying and understanding how data is imputed into the electronic medical record can assist with providing accurate information that can be communicated throughout the healthcare organization (What are the key steps of the electronic health record (EHR) the implementation planning phase, 2019). Lastly, providing accurate and detailed documentation can assist another healthcare provider with what is currently going on with the patient.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, an electronic medical record is an essential tool that can be implemented to communicate with other health professionals within an organization. The data within the patient’s chart can provide background information that can be pertinent to the current plan of care. Informatics practicality aims to provide essential information throughout a healthcare organization to provide optimal safe patient care.

References

Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019, September 13). Electronic health record implementation: A review of resources and Tools. Cureus. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6822893/.

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. Global journal of health science. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825491/.

Qsen competencies. (n.d.). September 13, 2021, from https://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/#informatics.

What are the key steps of the electronic health record (EHR) implementation planning phase? HealthIT.gov. (2019, May 2). Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-are-key-steps-electronic-health-record-ehr-implementation-planning-phase.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 7 replies (2 unread)

 

6 months ago

Jessica Ferrin 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Kirsi,

            I agree with Aguirre et al., (2019) in regard to the arduous implementation of electronic health records (EHR). As I explained in my initial post, my facility has gone through several buy outs with no change in EHR. Thankfully with our newly acquired ownership, we will be upgrading and changing EHR January, 2022. Discussing your experience as a triage nurse, you mentioned triage relies heavily on past documentation to devise a treatment plan. Koprivnik et al., (2020) states poor documentation causes medication errors with medication reconciliation being a factor. What safety checks does your facility have in place to ensure recalled documentation is accurate?

            I would love for my hospital to be able to implement a clinical pharmacist or pharmacy technician in the emergency department to ensure medication reconciliation is done accurately. McGonigle and Mastrian (2017) describes this as interprofessional collaboration further stating that the EHR expedites the communication among healthcare professionals. Great post!

References

Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019, September        13). Electronic health record implementation: A review of resources and Tools. Cureus.             https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6822893/.

Koprivnik, S., Albiñana-Pérez, M. S., López-Sandomingo, L., Taboada-López, R. J., &            Rodríguez-Penín, I. (2020). Improving patient safety through a pharmacist-led         medication reconciliation programme in nursing homes for the elderly in         Spain. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 42(2), 805–812.

            https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1007/s11096-020-00968-8

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

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 1 reply

 

6 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Hi Jessica,

Thank you for your response. As a clinical triage nurse, it is essential to collect as much information as you can. To ensure proper and accurate data we have protocols in place that correlate with the patient’s symptoms or a triage book is used to create a care plan. For example, a patient calls in with abdominal pain. I can either enter the symptom into the chief complaint in the Epic medical record or I can look at a triage book under abdominal pain. Then, there are a specific set of questions that need to be asked to the patient to help decide how severe their symptoms are. Asking the right questions can guide nurses to decipher if the patient should be seen in the emergency room, urgent care, clinic, or home care to treat or help symptoms improve. Sometimes, the triage notes need to be reviewed by providers and then the doctors determine the plan of care. Essentially, as a triage nurse, it is critical to listen and document as much as the patient’s story as possible, then follow a protocol with specific questions to guide the patient and create a care plan. By following protocols and providing detailed information allows triage nurses to practice safe patient care.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Thank you Kirisi.  Do you have IT or nurse informatics specialist in your facility?   If so, how do you, and clinical staff, work with them?

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 1 reply

 

6 months ago

Kirsi Hoselton 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Dr.Moyers,

In the clinical setting, we do not have a nurse informatics specialist. We do, however, have an IT specialist. However, our IT specialists are not on site. We either have to email them to come to our location or call them. Depending on the issue IT can walk us through any issues we may have and if that does not work they will send someone out to our site.

 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Kene Fall 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Hello Kirsi, Thank you for your response. I do agree with you “Nursing informatics is an essential component of the nursing profession.” Information technology plays a critical role in the healthcare industry. Through various electronic platforms and methods, nurses can collect and transmit patient data (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Nursing informatics is a process utilized by nurses to improve their work efficiency and quality of service. 

You also mentioned that electronic medical records are relied on to collect vital information about patients to formulate a care plan. In the hospital where I currently work, the Registration team enforces EPIC’s care everywhere to a patient during registration to the facility faster access on patient’s records.  Utilizing EPIC’s care everywhere will enable access to vital information about patients outside the hospital, which will improve the efficiency of the emergency department. This benefit can also help lower the overall cost of providing care (Jordan E. et al., 2017). 

Reference:

 

 

Jordan Everson, Keith E Kocher, Julia Adler-Milstein, Health information exchange associated with improved emergency department care through faster accessing of patient information from outside organizations, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Volume 24, Issue e1, April 2017, Pages e103–e110, https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocw116

 

 

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

 

 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Ivo Ngosong 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

Kirsi,

I took part in your discussion since you presented some excellent ideas. I agree with you that using an electronic healthcare record (HER) may reduce the number of errors (Aguirre et al., 2019). Nursing informatics has enabled attendants to provide patients with more thorough and effective promotion. According to Mosier, Roberts, and Englebright, nursing informatics is being used to further enhance nursing authority (2019). As a result, nursing leaders are now relying on informatics to develop solutions for bettering nursing practices. This, I acknowledge, has been seen in medical services throughout the country, particularly during the epidemic. Because of the use of EHR and nursing informatics throughout the pandemic, case management, assessments, orders, and excellent patient consideration were easy and attainable.  In addition, informatics and data innovation specialists have worked to ensure that patient information is kept safe from damage, as well as to integrate COVID-19 data into current electronic chartings.

                                                                        References

Mosier, S., Roberts, W. D., & Englebright, J. (2019). A Systems-Level Method For Developing

Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019, September 13). Electronic health record implementation: A review of resources and Tools. Cureus. Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6822893/.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Amy Birkenstamm 

RE: Discussion – Week 3

COLLAPSE

 

6 months ago

Miguel Rodrigo Estrera 

RE: Discussion – Week 3 – Initial Post

COLLAPSE

 

The Role of the Informatics Specialist in Healthcare

 

Experiences or Observations on how nurse informaticists and other healthcare professionals interact

I currently work as a case manager in an Emergency Department Hospital. Our Department is currently working on getting certified to become Geriatric Emergency Department. The standard emergency care approach may not be sufficient to meet the complicated care needs of older persons, who frequently appear to the emergency department with various comorbidities, geriatric syndromes, and social determinants of health, complicating diagnosis and therapy. Over the last decade, geriatric emergency departments (GEDs) have evolved to address these problems and improve emergency care to the elderly persons (Shadyab, Castillo, Chan, & Tolia, 2021). We now have a committee that involves a Geriatric nurse, Social worker, Case Manager, Social Worker, Emergency Medicine Director, and Informatics Nurse. The committee works together to aggregate data and develops scoring models on classifying our geriatric population better and providing better health outcomes.

 

Strategy on how to improve interactions

Collaboration between professionals are essential in nursing practice; eliminating healthcare delivery silos is critical for maintaining safe, high-quality treatment. Nurse leaders can significantly impact by advocating for and demonstrating interprofessional collaboration and committing to a partnership and technology-based culture (Troseth, 2017). Some of the strategies that can be used to improve interactions are; implementing a process for each team member to define their own scope of practice; providing education support for team learning with integrated tools and processes; Teams must be brought together to discuss, learn, and develop new ways of practicing together (Troseth, 2017).

 

 

Impact of the continued evolution of nursing informatics

Advances in healthcare delivery technology keep the healthcare industry constantly in motion. Development in healthcare, which has doubled every century until 1900, is now estimated to double every 18 months. And the pace is getting faster. The Nursing Informatics Specialists will be part of a dynamic healthcare delivery system that incorporates several data aggregators, real-time knowledge development, and advanced computing tools (Nagle, Sermeus, Junger, & Bloomberg, 2017).

 

References

Nagle, L., Sermeus, W., Junger, A., & Bloomberg, L. (2017). Evolving Role of the Nursing Informatics Specialist. Studies in health technology and informatics , 232, 212-221. doi:doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-738-2-212

Shadyab, A., Castillo, E., Chan, T., & Tolia, V. (2021, August). Developing and Implementing a Geriatric Emergency Department (GED): Overview and Characteristics of GED Visits. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 61(2), 131-139. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2021.02.036

Troseth, M. (2017, August). Interprofessional collaboration through technology. Nursing Management, 48(8), 15-17. doi:DOI: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000521583.55623.C0

 

 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 5 replies (1 unread)

 

6 months ago

Robin Moyers WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER

RE: Discussion – Week 3 – Initial Post

COLLAPSE

Thank you Miguel.  Do you have IT or nurse informatics specialist in your facility?   If so, how do you, and clinical staff, work with them? 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

Hide 1 reply

 

6 months ago

Miguel Rodrigo Estrera 

RE: Discussion – Week 3 – Initial Post

COLLAPSE

Hello Dr. Moyers,

Thank you for responding to my response. We do have Nurse Informatics specialists in our facility, and We interact with them frequently via Performance improvement or Quality assurance committees. They usually are involved in Data collection and analysis to ensure we capture the information needed. Additionally, the informatics nurse may collaborate with other informatics professionals in our healthcare organization or organizations to benefit the nursing profession, the community, or the informatics community. Collaborative and collegial behavior also encompasses knowledge sharing and mentoring. When the components work together, they add value to our patients, community, and colleagues (Tyler, 2018).

In the health care sector, performance improvement is focused on methodologies that improve patient care and outcomes. The objective of PI is to continuously improve the overall quality of care provided (Dawson, 2019). I am also fortunate to be part of some of these committees, such as our Emergency Room patient flow improvement program. We frequently gather to discuss and develop ways to improve patient flow and reduce ER overcrowding. 

 

References

Dawson, A. (2019, March). A Practical Guide to Performance Improvement: Beginning the Process. AORN Journal, 109(3), 318-324. doi:DOI:10.1002/aorn.12614

Tyler, D. (2018). A Day in the Life of a Nurse Informaticist: Collaboration and Collegiality. Journal of Informatics in Nursing, 4(2), 30-32. Retrieved from https://www-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/2126783024/fulltextPDF/471476D1BD104D25PQ/1?accountid=14872

 

 

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Marisa Buffa 

RE: Discussion – Week 3 – Initial Post

COLLAPSE

Hi Miguel,

 

Information technology has been shown to benefit older adults in many ways. As older adults are obtaining access to smart devices and becoming more comfortable with technology, Emergency Medical Record (EMR) systems such as EPIC are educating patients through MyChart portals (Lyons et al., 2019). This allows patients to view their lab and radiology results, as well as provider notes and discharge paperwork on smart devices while waiting in the Emergency Department and then again at home. EPIC also allows different specialist to access the system and communicate with the patient, thereby providing comprehensive care. This is a great way for nurse informaticist to become involved. Beyond having input in designing the EMR, the nurse informaticist provides education to patients on accessing data, communicating with providers, and understanding the information at their fingertips (Menkiena, 2021). Nurse informaticists can also communication this information to the interdisciplinary team thus improving quality of care.

 

References

Lyons, J. P., Watson, K., & Massacci, A. (2019, August 8). The evolution of Elderly TELEHEALTH and Health Informatics. IntechOpen. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/68526.

Menkiena, C. (2021, June 23). A nurse Informaticist: 3 Essential Responsibilities. Health Catalyst. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://www.healthcatalyst.com/insights/nurse-informaticist-3-essential-responsibilities/.

REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR

 

6 months ago

Tanaka Ruzvidzo 

RE: Discussion – Week 3 – Initial Post

COLLAPSE

 

6 months ago

Alexis Liggett 

RE: Discussion – Week 3 Peer Response 2

COLLAPSE

Miguel,

            Great post! The elderly population is such an underserved population, so it’s nice to see that your facility is working to become a certified Geriatric Emergency Department. For most elderly patients, a trip to the emergency room is mortifying. “Long waits, uncomfortable beds, germ-filled surroundings, and a loud hectic pace can exact a toll on people who are often hobbled by multiple health issues and whose immune systems may be compromised” (Wolff, 2019).

Each year, the number of elderly adults visiting the emergency department rises. In 2014-2017, there were 43 emergency department visits out of every 100 persons aged 60 and older.  As the patient’s age increased, so did the frequency of their visits to the emergency department.   For instance, of the patients aged 60-69 years old, 34 out of every 100 visited the emergency department. Once the patients reached 90 and older, 86 out of every 100 persons visited the emergency department (Ashman et al., 2020).

            By the year 2060, there are expected to be 65 million Americans over 65 years old. This has already placed tension on the existing healthcare organization.  Geriatric patients have a shortage of geriatricians, lack home health aides, and have inadequate healthcare coverage for long-term care. With these challenges in mind, we need to develop a new advanced technology to support geriatric health (University of Illinois Chicago, 2020).

References

Ashman J. J., Schappert, S. M., & Santo, L. S. (2020). Emergency Department Visits Among Adults Aged 60 and Over: United States, 2014-2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db367.htm

University of Illinois Chicago. (2020). The Role of Health Informatics and Technology in Improving Older Adults’ Health. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://healthinformatics.uic.edu/blog/health-informatics-improving-older-adults-health/

Wolff, J. (2019). Hospitals Remake Emergency Rooms for Older Patients. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2019/geriatric-emergency-rooms.html