NURS 6051 The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies
Nursing informatics plays a critical role in the transformation of healthcare today, especially through efficient delivery of patient care. Informatics combines nursing science with multiple fields like information science and technology to enhance patient care outcomes. Through the use of electronic health records, clinical decision support systems and other health information technologies, nursing informatics supports the nursing practices and improves patient outcomes (Feldman et al., 2018). The role of nursing informatics in the transformation of health care is to ensure that nurses and other providers utilize the best possible tools so that patients get effective and efficient care (Farokhzadian et al., 2020). The purpose of this paper is to describe a proposed informatics project for the organization aimed at improving patient experience, workforce efficiency, and result in more positive cases of patient outcomes.
Proposed Informatics Project
Knowledge and awareness about the effects of nursing informatics on efficient and effective service delivery is essential to ascertaining quality patient outcomes. Nursing informatics is one way of enhancing patient care efficiency and improvement of the overall care delivery and processes within a healthcare organization or setting. The proposed nursing informatics project in this case is having an integrated system that focuses on educating and training all nurses on informatics. The project will focus on different components of nursing informatics and associated technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), and clinical decision support system (CDSS) among others (Huter et al., 2020). Nurses should be equipped with advanced levels of informatics competency so as to implement evidence-based patient-centered care. Not all nurses are vast and conversant with advanced nursing informatics. Therefore, creating educational learning programs through an integrated program is essential as it will assist them have better ways of using health information technologies (HIT) to enhance efficiencies in patient care and eventually improve their outcomes.
The integrated training program will ensure that nurses have sufficient knowledge in nursing informatics and associated technologies like wearable devices and artificial intelligence (Feldman et al., 2018). Through the training and implementation of the integrated system, the facility will handle and coordinate different healthcare aspects like patient data, training of new nurses, allocation of resources, help in decision-making process and develop performance reports where necessary to improve healthcare management. Through nursing informatics system, nurses will manage patient better and reduce errors and never events.
Stakeholders Impacted by the Project
Projects influence and impact diverse stakeholders based on the roles that they play in organizations. Stakeholders are both internal and external. While the project is mainly targeted at the internal stakeholders, it also affects the external ones like patients and their families since its focus is to enhance efficiency and effective provision of care to patients. Healthcare projects’ stakeholders usually comprise of the project sponsor, the project manager, the project team, healthcare professionals like nurses and physicians, patients, regulatory bodies and government, and suppliers and vendors as third-parties.
In this case, the stakeholders in the project will include the project sponsor, the project manager and the team as they will have both direct and indirect involvement in the initiative’s initiation, development, implementation and coordination (Schwalbe et al., 2018). Nurses will be the primary target for this training and will impacted as the main users and beneficiaries to improve patient care outcomes. Physicians and other providers will also be affected because they work with nurses. Patients are also stakeholders since the initiative is aimed at increasing efficiency and effectiveness of care provision to attain quality patient outcomes, especially dealing with reducing the incidents of adverse events like medication errors that affect patient outcomes by increasing the cost of care.
The regulatory agencies and government will ensure that any project implementation adheres to healthcare regulations and does not cause harm to both patients and their care providers. Besides, the project should protect the interests of nurses in the selected setting (McGonigle et al., 2022). The third parties like the system suppliers and vendors will design and develop the program and its components based on organizational needs and resources before the implementation to ensure that it meets set goals.
Patient Outcomes or Patient Care Efficiencies
The implementation of this integrated nursing informatics system through effective training of nurses and enhancing their knowledge on different components of health information technologies (HIT) will have significant effects on their efficiency and processes leading to better patient outcomes in diverse ways. For instance, equipping nurses with informatics knowledge allows them to identify, define, and communicate data, wisdom and information required in the provision of patient care. The project will achieve both patient outcomes and care efficiencies in different ways (Jouparinejad et al., 2020). Firstly, it will help nurses to get accurate and quality medical reports that will assist in devising the best approaches to treatment processes. Secondly, it will enhance coordinated care among clinicians which will ultimately boost patients’ overall conditions and improve their recovery and eventually better outcomes. Informatics advocate efficiency in clinical processes and procedures to reduce unnecessary tests due to better interoperability (Lee et al., 2019). Therefore, patients will not incur unexpected and unnecessary cost burden because of improved processes and efficiency in making decisions among the providers.
The improvement will happen through assisting nurses align their practices with care and the clinical flows aimed at improving a patient’s overall health. Informatics will focus on improving the nurses’ knowledge so that they incorporate the best practices that help in maximization of patient care outcomes. Nurses should always design and evaluate clinical review of the workflow and devise novel treatment and diagnostic plans to attain the best outcomes. The initiative will also improve clinical protocols, policies and procedures that will integrate nursing informatics with patient outcomes (Karp et al., 2019). The training will enable nurses to choose and test different medical equipment and connected medical devices to get accurate quantity of patient data and information. Through the initiative, nurses will have comprehensive understanding of components that build a better informatics system, interpret data, develop new treatment plans, and deliver care that is intended to improve patient outcomes and efficiency.
Required Technologies
The initiative will require the use of a host of health information technologies and even equipment that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI). These will include electronic health records (EHRs) that helps nurses document information of the care provided to patients for storage and ease of retrieval, portable monitors for nurses to monitor patients’ condition remotely, and smart beds which are critical in tracking several aspects of patients’ weight, movement and vitals. The initiative will also include the use of wearable devices and mobile applications (Moore et al., 2020). These technologies help track and monitor patients with chronic conditions and other aspects like heart disease, respiration, exercise and physical activity among other aspects. Nurses will learn more about these technologies and how they facilitate informatics and provision of patient care in healthcare settings. Program will also entail having nurses learn more about the integration of equipment like automate IV pumps and protocols to reduce any adverse events like patient falls (McGonigle et al., 2022). The implication is that these technologies will all be required for nurses to attain a comprehensive perspective of informatics and its importance in care delivery and patient outcomes.
Project Team by Roles
The project team is part of the stakeholders responsible for the planning and implementation of this proposed program. The team will comprise of the project sponsor whose task will be to offer support for the successful implementation of the initiative, including removal of barriers. The health information systems manager will assume this role. The nursing informatics manager in the facility will be charged with the role of project manager for the initiative. The main duty is to oversee, direct, and deliver the project deliverables by end of the implementation. Healthcare project teams have medical experts to ascertain that the project delivers results that are consistent with the health practices and norms that do not harm patients.
The project entails equipping nurses with sufficient informatics knowledge and components that make informatics working (Feldman et al., 2018). Therefore, the nurse informaticist will be a critical member of the team. The informatics nurses will offer input and provide feedback based on the organizational needs. The informatics nurse will ensure that all nurses understand the different aspects of the project and relate to their work duties and responsibilities related to the provision of better patient care in the long-term. The nurse leader as part of the project team will be charged with the duty of identifying change champions who will ensure that they advocate increased participation in the initiative to develop better systems to meet patient care needs (Lee et al., 2019). The quality assurance manager will also be part of the project team to ensure that the training and the entire initiative meet quality standards, legal and ethical requirements.
Conclusion
Nursing informatics is critical in improving patient outcomes and efficiencies in hospitals. Nurse informaticists as critical change agents work collaboratively with other stakeholders to enhance efficiency and care delivery by developing knowledge and information appropriate for nurses to improve their understanding and application of informatics to improve patient care delivery. As such, the proposed project will improve efficiency, promote better patient outcomes, and enable nurses to work collaboratively with other providers to implement interventions that lead to better care and prevent occurrence adverse events.
References
Farokhzadian, J., Khajouei, R., Hasman, A., & Ahmadian, L. (2020). Nurses’ experiences and
viewpoints about the benefits of adopting information technology in health care: a qualitative study in Iran. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 20(1), 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01260-5
Feldman, S. S., Buchalter, S., & Hayes, L. W. (2018). Health information technology in
healthcare quality and patient safety: literature review. JMIR medical informatics, 6(2), e10264. DOI: 10.2196/10264
Huter, K., Krick, T., Domhoff, D., Seibert, K., Wolf-Ostermann, K., & Rothgang, H. (2020).
Effectiveness of digital technologies to support nursing care: results of a scoping review. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 1905-1926. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S286193
Jouparinejad, S., Foroughameri, G., Khajouei, R., & Farokhzadian, J. (2020). Improving the
informatics competency of critical care nurses: results of an interventional study in the southeast of Iran. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01244-5
Karp, E. L., Freeman, R., Simpson, K. N., & Simpson, A. N. (2019). Changes in efficiency and
quality of nursing electronic health record documentation after implementation of an admission patient history essential data set. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 37(5), 260-265. DOI: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000000516
Lee, T. Y., Sun, G. T., Kou, L. T., & Yeh, M. L. (2019). The use of information technology to
enhance patient safety and nursing efficiency. Technology and Health Care, 25(5), 917-928. DOI:10.3233/THC-170848
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge
(5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Moore, E. C., Tolley, C. L., Bates, D. W., & Slight, S. P. (2020). A systematic review of the
impact of health information technology on nurses’ time. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(5), 798-807. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocz231
Schwalbe, K., & Furlong, D. (2018). Healthcare project management (2nd ed.). Schwalbe
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The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies
In the Discussion for this module, you considered the interaction of nurse informaticists with other specialists to ensure successful care. How is that success determined?
Patient outcomes and the fulfillment of care goals is one of the major ways that healthcare success is measured. Measuring patient outcomes results in the generation of data that can be used to improve results. Nursing informatics can have a significant part in this process and can help to improve outcomes by improving processes, identifying at-risk patients, and enhancing efficiency.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To Prepare:
- Review the concepts of technology application as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may help fortify nursing informatics as a specialty by leading to increased impact on patient outcomes or patient care efficiencies.
The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)
In a 4- to 5-page project proposal written to the leadership of your healthcare organization, propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient-care efficiency. Your project proposal should include the following:
- Describe the project you propose.
- Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project.
- Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving and explain how this improvement would occur. Be specific and provide examples.
- Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.
- Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team.
- Use APA format and include a title page and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
By Day 7 of Week 4
Submit your completed Project Proposal.
submission information
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- To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK4Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
- Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
- Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
Rubric
NURS_5051_Module02_Week04_Assignment_Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome In a 4- to 5-page project proposal written to the leadership of your healthcare organization, propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient care efficiency. Your project proposal should include the following:· Describe the project you propose.· Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project. |
|
25 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome · Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving.· Explain how this improvement would occur. Be specific and provide examples. Use sufficient supporting evidence in your response. |
|
25 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome · Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.· Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team. |
|
25 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Resources |
|
10 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization:Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. |
|
5 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards:Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation |
|
5 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Written Expression and Formatting – APA:The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. |
|
5 pts | ||||
| Total Points: 100 | ||||||