Nursing Informatics - Essay Example

Nursing Informatics Telehealth Increasing prevalence of diseases and conditions, with particular emphasis on chronic disease care, has given importance to Telehealth as a possible solution to this problem. The role played by Telehealth in the diagnosis and healthcare management of patients pertains to the exchange of information between the patient and healthcare professionals involved in the healthcare management of the patient. Simple examples include monitoring of blood pressure and blood glucose levels of patients in their homes.

Telehealth, through its provision of self-monitoring tools can exert influence on patient awareness and understanding of their health conditions, which in turn encourages enhanced self-management of health problems experienced by the patient. Professional support comes into the picture, when the Telehealth monitoring tools indicate a problem. This scenario of Telehealth raises the possibility of Telehealth offering enhanced quality and patient-centered care for patients, with the added benefits of efficient employment of healthcare resources, and reduction of the costs involved in providing the required care for patients (Steventon et al, 1).

Drivers for Telehealth Pervasion of information technology and communication tools into the healthcare services, with an impact on the way nursing care services are provided to patients is advancing rapidly. The drivers for this change in health care services stems from several factors. These drivers are the changing demographics of rise in proportion of the elderly among the general population; shortages of nurses and healthcare workers; increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and conditions; better educated customers of healthcare services; and the need for control on the escalating healthcare services related costs (Kinsella & Albright, 320).

Influence on Nursing Practice In a world where tools of different technologies rule the roost, nursing practice is bound to be influenced by innovative technologies like Telehealth, as they make themselves present in the healthcare environment. Telehealth is bound to transform the manner in which nursing care is provided. Transformation in nursing practice can take many forms. Telehealth can be used as a tool to reduce repetitive and mundane nursing care tasks, ease regulatory work, and give greater access to resources, which contributes to greater efficiency in nursing care and enhances patient safety.

The use of Telehealth for process transformation in eliminating unnecessary tasks reduces waste of time, with the time saved, reducing the stress on nurses and increasing the efficiency of nursing care. Smart wireless monitoring devices which are integrated to nurse call systems or electronic records provide the twin benefits of time saving for nurses and timely alerts for prompt attention. Smart wireless communication devices make it possible for required clinical knowledge and other information on hand at the point at which service is provided.

Enhanced communication systems through Telehealth allow messages and requests to be prioritized for immediate responses to patient needs and also the requirements of other care providers. Thus, put in a nutshell, Telehealth holds out the promise of increased efficiency and quality of nursing care, enhanced patient safety, and reduced stress on the nursing work force (Cipriano, 289). Online Health Information Source Medscape.com is an online health information resource that I recommend. The reason for recommending this online health information source is because it offers authentic health information through academically recognized journal articles.

In addition, it also provides reliable and current news on the developments in the field of health. Works CitedCipriano F. Pamela. “The Future of Nursing and Health IT: The Quality Elixir.” Nursing Economics 29.5 (2012): 286-289. Kinsella Audrey & Albright Kathleen. “Telenursing and Remote Access Health”. Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge, Second Edition. Eds. Dee McGonigle & Kathleen Garver Mastrian. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2012. 317-349. Steventon Adam, Bardsley Martin, Billings John, Dixon Jennifer, Doll Helen, Hirani Sashi, Cartwright Martin, Rixon Lorna, Knapp Martin, Henderson Catherine, Rogers Anne, Fitzpatrick Ray, Hendy Jane & Newman Stanton.

“Effect of Telehealth on Use of Secondary Care and Mortality: Findings from the Whole System Demonstrator Cluster Randomized Study.” British Medical Journal. 2012. 29 June 2012. .