Information Management for Nurses - Essay Example

Information management for Nurses Introduction Nursing informatics is the utilization of information technologies by nurses in theirwork place. Nurses use information technology when attending to patients and giving healthcare facilities. Moreover, people use it as a learning research when undertaking nursing as career. In the health organization, nurses are information managers since they play a big role in conveying information between the patient or the client and the health organization. In order to achieve these roles, nurses in the medical practice, management, study, and learning are mainly using information systems that aid them to fulfill these responsibilities. Health informatics can also be described as the way a health practitioner familiarizes himself or herself with use of technology in response to information, methodologies and data organization process when offering health services. Impact of informatics on nursing Informatics allows nurses to offer more professional and effectual care to their patients. In health institutions, nurses form the largest population of healthcare professionals (Aiken, Sochalski & Lake, 1997). They normally use information when giving health care services. Nursing practice and quality of patient health care have improved as a result of the introduction of informatics. Currently, hospitals and other healthcare organizations are employing informatics nurse specialists and consultants to assist in the planning and execution of information systems (Koch & Kralik, 2006). Nurses playing informatics roles are providing solutions to information technology solutions and medical procedures that will aim at international provision of proper health care to patients (Ballard, 2006). Health service institutions, society, and governments in the civilized nations are determined deliver safe, intellectual, cheap, faultless, and opportune healthcare services. Moreover it is expected that there will be enhanced effectiveness, quality and clients’ vigorous involvement in the health care process. Informatics entails technology use in empowering citizens about the effective management of their health and wellness especially chronic diseases like diabetes and ageing (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). Currently, nursing is focused on the use of information technology (IT). This acts as the fundamental way that effectively supports the nurses in their work setting (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards 2010). IT is of significant importance, in that it enhances proper utilization of the available resources. There is reduction in time spent in the care and filing of patient’s records which results to an increase in the time taken when caring for clients. Organized admittance of information and facts results to safe and excellent care. Nurses are equipped with appropriate tools for data organization, provision of facts, and effective understanding (Ballard, 2006). The arrival of the Clinical Information Systems (CIS), especially the electronic records and Clinical Decisions Support (CDS) appliances allow all nurses to develop the nursing profession in various stages. IT systems facilitate the collection of distinct and proven data (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards 2010). They also indicate the work experience and spontaneous facts about the nurses which were previously recorded on paper. Furthermore, the relations accounts, culture, setting and societal issues, past incidents, views from patients and families, as well as the potential for creating a lifetime innovative appreciation and care among people are shown (Ballard, 2006). CIS is escalating its impact on nursing practice. Nursing as a profession is growing, with the increasing chances for full study of computerized clinical settings. There is no apparent proof demonstrating that the CIS has essentially enhanced nursing efficacy (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). Research has shown that bedside workstation and central stations desktops yield a 24% decrease in the amount of time that the nurses use in making the records. However, basing on the survey done on nurses’ opinion and attitude toward CISs, it was found out that nurses feel that there is an improvement in record keeping, but also use a lot of time in the computation tasks (Mcgonigle, & Mastrian, 2012). In 2005, Health Information Society carried out a survey on nurses. The survey showed that several nurses alleged that the CIS enhanced the safety of the patient by 86%, it enhanced interdisciplinary relationship by 69 %, and self-determining resolution making by 72 %. The findings are a clear indicator of the fact that the clinical environment is becoming more functional and sophisticated due to the introduction of the CIS which is also advancing. Research on the full appreciation of the scope of the present and future effect of CISs on nursing is underway (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). CISs have enabled nurses to acquire and use innovative facts, for instance the data standards being used in nursing. The states are working together with the International Classification of Nursing Practice, where the plans for nurses to make the language of nursing practice homogenous are underway. Basing on the CISs, the efforts are very vital since the ability to comprise reliable classifications that reveal the performance of nurses has been made possible (Garde, Knaup, Hovenga & Heard, 2007). Homogeneous language interconnects the profession and health care deliverance systems including the ability to collect information, code, recover, and examine the effect of nursing on patients. It is possible to clearly express the assistance and effect of nursing care when the CIS output is analyzed (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards 2010). There is appreciation of the clinical results basing on the environment in which the care is done, especially the accessibility to human and substance assets to sustain the delivery of care to the patients. When clinical output are standardized into CISs, there is understanding in terms of the practice and studies that enhance and give better information administration and strategic decision making procedures. Although noteworthy development has been done in this area it is still in its early stages (Hoy, Hardiker, McNicholl, 2009). CIS leads the incorporation of decision sustenance tools. CDS tools have advanced the accessible reference textbook and print resource materials, which include strategies and procedures. In the field of clinical computing, the ability to connect diverse sources of information and give a clinical report with instantaneous procedure and support has already acquired benefits of safe care and better clinical results (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards 2010). CDS are tools that offer clinical officers, employees and patients, information intellect at suitable times, to improve health and healthcare. The CDS that are readily accessible for nursing practice are easy to handle and in early improvement stages. Characteristically, the CDS entail tools like; automated alerts and reminders (like outstanding medication, allergic patients, and abnormal potassium level), clinical procedures (such as best practice for prevention of skin breakdown), online information retrieval (like CINAH, information on drugs), clinical classification and management structure, and online admittance to organizational rules and measures. These tools are bound to expansion so that they can entail the embedded appliances (Chute, 2000). Informatics has resulted in the development of information in nursing. Nurses have constantly relied on the technical appreciation of human character in health and sickness, the esthetic opinion of major human practices, an individual appreciation of the exceptional personality, and the ability to make selection in tangible circumstances concerning specific moral conclusion (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). In nursing practice that CIS supports, nurses have the right of entry verifications and information originating from the large combination of clinical facts entailing nursing intercession and consequential results. Empirical proofs offer practice, procedures, and commands to guarantee that finest clinical resolutions and events are done concurrently (Aiken, Sochalski & Lake, 1997). A nurse for instance may evaluate a stroke client for symptoms of breakdown of the skin, photographs and credentials for previous lacerations, and submit them to CIS. The nurse will get an alternative appraisal; give excellent care to the client and to make consultations on how to handle the wounds with the management specialist on wounds. Continuing clinical results, treatment, and reaction are logged and combined with related cases. This will lead to availability of information linked to nursing and care of the affected body system (Ball, 2011). The informational essentials of CISs can also be conducted in such a way that they can contain particular information concerning a person’s multicultural practice and values. Reflect on the condition where a patient is for example, concerned about her approved dietetic conduct and articulates a favorite for a feminine care giver. When a query is given to the CIS for the patient’s narration and social cultural setting, the nurse will get enlightened about the patient’s spiritual and cultural setting. This information will be noted and saved in computer memory for future use (Melynk & Fineout-Overholt, 2005). In future, the systems will be designed to offer admittance to typical ethical practices and online admittance to specialists in the area of ethical analysis to direct clinical relations and making of judgment. In all connections with the CIS, nurses will be able increase their repositories of information regarding their day by day clinical challenges and questions. The constant development and combination of information concerning patients and people, their individual, cultural, mental, and clinical arrangement, personal experiences, and the direction acquired from others, improve the giving of modified intellectual care (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). CIS will create nursing comprehension. Comprehension of Nursing is concurrent with the rules and dealings that link the fundamentals that explain the issues of apprehension in nursing. It also involves regulations that the nurses apply when combining the facts to formulate clinical nursing judgments (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). According to research, knowledge facilitates resolution making and guides one in making innovative findings. One can thus have a future thought about the conception of nursing knowledge as the invention of fresh laws and relations that will carry on the progression of the practice. New technologies have facilitated the collection of versatile data. This has been achieved through the use of technologies like digital imaging (photography which maintains wound management) (Koch & Kralik, 2006). Currently, some clinical reports, like images have improved the appraisal, observation and treatment of diseases and the preservation of wellness. In addition to the employment of computer keyboards, input applications are being incorporated with CISs to collect information on biometrics ( for example, facial identification security), sound and video recording ( for example interviews with patients and comments, analytical dealings, ultrasound), voice to written files ( for example, voice identification for records), medical device ( for example, infusion pumps, ventilators, hemodynamic monitors), Bar code technologies ( for example, medication management, and Tele-homecare examination for management of diabetes and other persistent diseases), among others (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). The appliances will facilitate various data inputs that will be transposed, aggregated, scrutinized, and displayed. This will give information and observation of clinical conditions which are presently impossible in a world which the hard copy records are dominant. Use of information technologies in the collection and dispensation of appropriate clinical information, relations can be recognized and be regarded as official innovative knowledge. This revolution procedure is at the heart of creating new nursing strategies at a high speed (Hannah, Ball, & Edwards, 2010). Advancement in CIS will transform nurses into initiators of knowledge through design entrench in appliance knowledge and interpretation of issues in their central functionality (Koch & Kralik, 2006). The achievement of the functionality will be through state and global embracing of homogeneous nursing language. The ability for instance, to have admittance to structures that combine similar data essentials and information gathered from various clinical circumstances and give a likelihood approximation of results for persons of a particular age. This includes the precise analysis of health conditions, prescription profile, signs, and interventions. A meta-analysis technique to clinical research will aim at joining huge clinical data collected from all the care location, showing the collective contributions of health specialists and results for persons, relations, and populations (Mcgonigle, & Mastrian, 2012). Conclusion Nurses must be involved in the design of CIS tools that allow the admittance to and the production of nursing information. The prospect design of the CIS should include the implementation of standards for clinical data. CISs are being used as standards for nursing records. Healthcare IT resolution is constantly developing. Informatics allows nurses to offer more professional and effectual care to their patients. References Aiken, LH, Sochalski, J & Lake, ET 1997. ‘Studying outcomes of organizational change in health services’. Medical Care supplement. vol.6, 18. Ballard, E 2006, ‘Exploration of nurses information environment’. Nursing Research. vol .13. no. 4, 52-65. Chute, C 2000, ‘Clinical Classification and Terminology’. Journal of Medical Informatics Association. vol.7. no.3, 298-303. Garde, S, Knaup, P, Hovenga, E & Heard, S 2007, ‘Towards semantic interoperability for electronic health records’, Methods of Informatic Medicine. vol. 46. no.3, 332-43. Hoy, D, Hardiker, N, McNicholl, IT 2009, ‘Collaborative development of clinical templates as a national resource’, International Journal of Medical Informatics. vol.78, 95-100. Koch, T.& Kralik, D 2006. Participatory Action Research in Health Care. Oxford UK, Blackwell Publishing. Melynk, BM & Fineout-Overholt, E, 2005, Evidence -Based Practice in Nursing and Health Care A Guide to Best Practice. Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. Hannah J, Ball, M J, & Edwards, MJA 2010, K, Introduction to nursing informatics. New York, Springer. Ball, M J 2011. Nursing informatics where technology and caring meet. London, Springer. Mcgonigle, D, & Mastrian, KG 2012. Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Burlington, MA, Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More