The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Nursing informatics is a combination of cognitive science, computer science, information science, and nursing science. It includes the development, analysis, and evaluation of information systems augmented by technologies that support, enhance and manage patient care.

Information Technology in Health Care: The Next Consumer Revolution
Over the past 20 years, our nation has undergone a major transformation due to information technology (IT). Today, we have at our fingertips access to a variety of information and services to help us manage our relationships with the organizations that are part of our lives: banks, utilities, government offices — even entertainment companies.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

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Advancing the Role of Nursing, Optimizing Quality Clinical Care
August 3, 2016 ‐ PSQH
Today, nursing informatics is focused on optimizing processes that directly affect patient care. Informatics nurses are using data and trends to design processes that decrease the time between information availability and direct action related to patient care, enabling quicker delivery of safer care for improved outcomes.

According to HIMSS’ 2015 Impact of the Informatics Nurse Survey, more than 80% of healthcare professionals believe that informatics nurses are most valuable in implementing and optimizing clinical system processes (HIMSS, 2015). This reinforces the use of informatics nurses as subject matter experts during the implementation process and demonstrates their growth potential in the healthcare setting.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

New roles and responsibilities

As healthcare IT continues to change, with more complex and integrated systems capturing information related to the patient and the care environment, nursing informatics will have a progressively larger influence on nurses’ responsibilities. Nursing informatics creates a path for nurses to transition from traditional care delivery to analytic roles while still being involved in patient care.

Nurses who may otherwise have left the patient care workforce due to retirement or burnout are now transitioning to informatics. This is a win-win, as these nurses hold a vast amount of clinical experience that can be leveraged in informatics, directly impacting patient care and quality. As the role of nursing informatics continues to mature, nurses are helping to design new units or departments as hospitals upgrade facilities for better efficiency in patient care and technology. Nurses are also working with vendors on the design and execution of systems that are more user-friendly—for patients and providers alike—so that care becomes safer and quality rises.

Additionally, informatics nurses are providing real-time information to proactively educate, notify, and monitor patients and patient populations, improving the health and wellness of communities. Creating meaningful groups of patients based on diseases, locations, and treatments, informatics nurses can look for opportunities to increase the quality of care and better educate patients on everything from current health issues to health and wellness opportunities available to them and their families. Informatics nurses work to empower patients to manage their own health through health information literacy, patient-friendly language, personal health records, and Web- or portal-based resources.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Business intelligence and data analytics initiatives continue to grow within nursing informatics departments. Today we see an emphasis on analytics and the development of dashboards that can push relevant information directly to providers, prompting quality decision-making and patient care. With the push for population health and much greater consumer engagement, health systems are also using analytics to
proactively drive quality information to the general patient population. Systems are using tactics ranging from marketing and advertising during high-profile events, like the Super Bowl or the Grammy Awards, to roadside billboards that display a local hospital’s emergency room wait times to its patient community. Such efforts are the direct result of analytics cultivated by informatics nurses, illustrating another example of the expanded role of nursing informatics programs. These tactics use analytics to engage consumers before they need to make healthcare decisions.

The prevalence of nursing informatics

Nursing informatics is a fast-growing discipline. Twelve percent of healthcare facilities reported their organizations created their first informatics position prior to 1995, while the majority (almost 62%) initiated the position in the last 10 years (2005–2015). In 2015, 61% of organizations employed informatics professionals in leadership roles, and 20% had a chief nursing information officer within their organizations (HIMSS, 2015). However, leadership roles aren’t the only positive trend for nursing informatics. The survey also found that the longer a healthcare organization employs informatics professionals, the larger the impact and value these professionals have on clinical systems and overall patient care quality.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Until now, relatively few Americans have had the opportunity to use this kind of technology to enhance some of the most important relationships: those related to your health. Relationships with your doctors, your pharmacy, your hospital, and other organizations that make up your circle of care are now about to benefit from the next transformation in information technology: health IT.

For patients and consumers, this transformation will enhance both relationships with providers and providers’ relationships with each other. This change will place you at the center of your care.

Although it will take years for health care to realize all these improvements and fully address any pitfalls, the first changes in this transformation are already underway. At the same time, numerous technology tools are becoming available to improve health for you, your family, and your community.

Most consumers will first encounter the benefits of health IT through an electronic health record, or EHR, at their doctor’s office or at a hospital.

Benefits of Health IT for You and Your Family
On a basic level, an EHR provides a digitized version of the “paper chart” you often see doctors, nurses, and others using. But when an EHR is connected to all of your health care providers (and often, to you as a patient), it can offer so much more.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

EHRs reduce your paperwork. The clipboard and new patient questionnaire may remain a feature of your doctor’s office for some time to come. But as more information gets added to your EHR, your doctor and hospital will have more of that data available as soon as you arrive. This means fewer and shorter forms for you to complete, reducing the health care “hassle factor.”
EHRs get your information accurately into the hands of people who need it. Even if you have relatively simple health care needs, coordinating information among care providers can be a daunting task, and one that can lead to medical mistakes if done incorrectly. When all of your providers can share your health information via EHRs, each of them has access to more accurate and up-to-date information about your care. That enables your providers to make the best possible decisions, particularly in a crisis.
EHRs help your doctors coordinate your care and protect your safety. Suppose you see three specialists in addition to your primary care physician. Each of them may prescribe different drugs, and sometimes, these drugs may interact in harmful ways. EHRs can warn your care providers if they try to prescribe a drug that could cause that kind of interaction. An EHR may also alert one of your doctors if another doctor has already prescribed a drug that did not work out for you, saving you from the risks and costs of taking ineffective medication.
EHRs reduce unnecessary tests and procedures. Have you ever had to repeat medical tests ordered by one doctor because the results weren’t readily available to another doctor? Those tests may have been uncomfortable and inconvenient or have posed some risk, and they also cost money. Repeating tests—whether a $20 blood test or a $2,000 MRI – results in higher costs to you in the form of bigger bills and increased insurance premiums. With EHRs, all of your care providers can have access to all your test results and records at once, reducing the potential for unnecessary repeat tests.
EHRs give you direct access to your health records. In the United States, you already have a Federally guaranteed right to see your health records, identify wrong and missing information, and make additions or corrections as needed. Some health care providers with EHR systems give their patients direct access to their health information online in ways that help preserve privacy and security. This access enables you to keep better track of your care, and in some cases, answer your questions immediately rather than waiting hours or days for a returned phone call. This access may also allow you to communicate directly and securely with your health care provider.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

For patients and consumers, this transformation will enhance both relationships with providers and providers’ relationships with each other. This change will place you at the center of your care.

Most consumers will first encounter the benefits of health IT through an electronic health record, or EHR, at their doctor’s office or at a hospital.

The general public believes that technology will improve health care efficiency, quality, safety, and cost. However, few people consider that these same technologies may also introduce errors and adverse events.1 Given that nearly 5,000 types of medical devices are used by millions of health care providers around the world, device-related problems are inevitable.2 While technology holds much promise, the benefits of a specific technology may not be realized due to four common pitfalls: (1) poor technology design that does not adhere to human factors and ergonomic principles,3 (2) poor technology interface with the patient or environment,3 (3) inadequate plan for implementing a new technology into practice, and (4) inadequate maintenance plan.4

Patient care technology has become increasingly complex, transforming the way nursing care is conceptualized and delivered. Before extensive application of technology, nurses relied heavily on their senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing to monitor patient status and to detect changes. Over time, the nurses’ unaided senses were replaced with technology designed to detect physical changes in patient conditions.5 Consider the case of pulse oxymetry. Before its widespread use, nurses relied on subtle changes in mental status and skin color to detect early changes in oxygen saturation, and they used arterial blood gasses to confirm their suspicions. Now pulse oxymetry allows nurses to identify decreased oxygenation before clinical symptoms appear, and thus more promptly diagnose and treat underlying causes.

Common Uses of Healthcare Information Technology
Health IT has been used sporadically for decades in the form of electronic medical records (EMRs), which are digital versions of patient charts and medical histories from a single provider. In 2014, the federal government disbursed more than $19 billion in incentives for hospitals to use EMRs. Since then, the number of providers using EMRs skyrocketed.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

As of 2016 (the most recent data), more than 95 percent of all eligible hospitals have demonstrated “meaningful use of certified health IT,” the HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) said.

In addition to EMRs, health IT is commonly used in other areas of healthcare:

Electronic health records (EHR)
EHRs have a similar function to EMRs but EHRs refer to records kept on the patient’s overall health from a multitude of providers. The ONC said EHRs “go beyond standard clinical data collected in the provider’s office and are inclusive of a broader view on a patient’s care.”

Patient portals
Patient portals allow patients to access their EMRs, EHRs and other pertinent information such as lab results, immunization records, prescription records and information about recent medical visits. Some portals also allow patients to download information and request new prescriptions or prescription refills.

E-prescribing
Electronic prescribing, or e-prescribing, allows providers to use electronic tools to write and submit prescriptions. When used in conjunction with EMRs and EHRs, providers can better determine the best prescriptions for treatments. One study linked e-prescriptions to better health outcomes in diabetic patients.

Patient scheduling
Patient scheduling is considered an essential step in providing care, but studies show effective scheduling is lacking. A 2016 survey by the AHRQ found 10 percent of adults said they frequently have difficulties getting timely appointments with providers.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

DNPs and Healthcare Leaders Using Health Information Technology
While nursing leaders are increasingly using health IT in clinical practice, a lot remains to be accomplished. Barriers that include capital costs, inadequate staff training and unfamiliarity of the benefits of health IT have hindered progress in some areas, the AHRQ said. To increase the use of IT for quality improvements, the AHRQ made the following recommendations:

Share samples of exemplary use of health IT to inspire staff
Develop and refine high-functioning IT tools
Empower staff with the knowledge, guidance and tools to maximize the use of IT
Expand the availability of financial incentives for IT use.
Healthcare leaders say DNP-prepared nurses can take on advanced roles in IT through a DNP curriculum that examines and evaluates the importance of technology in nursing leadership. In 2012, Jason T. Shuffitt, DNP FNP-BC, recommended that DNP education programs develop “innovative and creative ways of integrating healthcare informatics throughout the curriculum.” His recommendations resonate today.

“These clinicians are on the front line of care delivery and must have not only the knowledge and skills necessary to provide competent and quality clinical care but also the ability to manage care effectively in an information-centric and ever evolving complex healthcare system,” he said in the Online Journal of Nursing Informatics.

APRNs considering advancing their careers with a DNP degree have an opportunity to utilize a DNP curriculum that includes coursework in healthcare information systems, leadership and safety initiatives. Duquesne University’s online DNP program allows APRNs to delve into health IT and other topics for a well-rounded education.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Nursing informatics plays a huge role in patient safety
A reader submitted a question about using her experience with electronic health records, her clinical practice and her background in risk management to develop a niche focusing on EHRs and the legal issues therein to improve patient safety.

My simple response is, “Go for it!”

EHRs are here to stay, and concern about patient safety will always be an issue for healthcare providers. Analyzing EHRs’ role in patient safety is necessary in today’s healthcare arena, and the investigation has already begun, as illustrated in the article, “Health Information Technology, Patient Safety and Professional Nursing Care Documentation in Acute Care Settings”.

Nurses working in nursing informatics are thriving in healthcare. Two major roles seem to have emerged in the arena — the clinician who utilizes health information technology and the specialist who creates, facilitates, tests and implements new information technology. Both are essential roles.

According to the American Nurses Association, some of the major functional areas for specialists in nursing informatics include implementing EHRs, designing and training others in the use of EHRs, serving as consultants, developing policies within their respective institutions, and analyzing and managing outcomes. These roles can be seen in many healthcare settings, including acute care, long-term care and in physician and APRN offices. One of the greatest contributions made to patient safety by these nurses is in the documentation of the care in the EHR. Electronic documentation allows nurse informatics clinicians to access information quickly and to utilize that information to improve patient safety.

Several organizations have published definitions of nursing informatics. The definitions all have similar elements combining patient care (nursing) and computer-based technology. While people and organizations may not have agreed on a common phrasing, the following definitions agree in spirit.

The Nursing Informatics: Special Interest Group of International Medical Informatics Association defines nursing informatics as “the integration of nursing, its information and information management with information processing and communication technology, to support the health of people worldwide.”

The American Nurses Association Web site states: “Nursing informatics combines nursing science with computer science together with information processing theory and technology.”The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

In October 2001, the American Nurses Association published this definition: “Nursing Informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information and knowledge in nursing practice. Nursing informatics facilitates the integration of data, information and knowledge to support patients, nurses and other providers in their decision-making in all roles and settings. This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes, and information technology.”

What Does a Nurse Informaticist Do?

Much like nursing, nursing informatics has applications in the areas of clinical information, education, and administration. The most successful information technology implementations take advantage of the user-perspective. Users play a critical role in every phase from the needs assessment through the post-implementation review. Frequently, one challenge for information technology projects is gaining the involvement and support of the end-users. In the case of clinical systems, those end-users are clinicians–nurses and physicians. With the time of caregivers at a precious premium, it is not easy to balance the time requirements of the project with the demands of their “day job.” But without clinician input to the requirements, the design, and the deployment, the technology implementation project stands a good chance of failing.

Nursing informatics can help vendors design better technology solutions and healthcare organizations select and implement solutions that will help nurses as well as have the potential to improve patient care. If you were to survey the vendors of electronic health record systems, you would find that each has hired nurses to provide input, assist in the sales and help with the project implementation of their solutions. You will find nurses in the technology departments of health care organizations. And, where there is a technology implementation project, there are consultants. Consulting firms are no exception; they too are hiring nurses with nursing informatics interest and/or training.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

How Can This Help in the “Real World”?

In September 2003, Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) published the results of the 2003 HIMSS Patient Safety Survey sponsored by the Information Solutions division of McKesson Corporation. The results indicate that in most organizations, nurses are represented on the patient safety committee (95 percent).

The study further demonstrates “the fact that nearly all of the respondents reported that technology can address at least one patient safety issue at their facility, only 41 percent of the respondents reported that a representative from the information technology department sits on the formal patient safety committee.”

If organizations are not going to place information technology staff at the patient safety table, a nurse with information technology knowledge could play a vital role on the committee as well as the successful selection and implementation of technology tools to help improve patient safety.

According to the survey, the two technologies most likely to improve patient safety are bar codes for medication administration (80 percent) and computerized provider order entry (76 percent). Computerized provider (or physician) order entry (CPOE) as part of an advanced clinical information solution “can help health care organizations address important strategic concerns that will deliver improved patient care while impacting the bottom line.” These technologies can contribute to the reduction of the potential of medical errors as well as duplication of efforts.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

– See more at: https://www.americanmobile.com/nursezone/nursing-news/nursing-informatics-improving-patient-safety-with-technology.aspx#sthash.Ciczekr3.dpuf

The healthcare information revolution is upon us. Clinicians have more access than ever to electronic health records, diagnostics, and treatment plans. Clinical communication and collaboration platforms are making it easier to manage healthcare workflows, improve coordination, and enhance patient outcomes. Systems integration and data access mean that information and analysis are more vital than ever.

The secret to using this data to provide better care comes down to nursing informatics — integrating nursing science with other areas to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom to provide better care.

As the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society says, “The informatics nurse is part of the delivery of care, the building of knowledge, skills, and experience in the use of information technology. They often lead clinical informatics committee meetings that have a major influence for nurses in assisting them to coordinate all the multifaceted technology activities in regards to patient care, documentation, and safety.”The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Let’s dig into exactly how nursing informatics achieves that.

Aligning Nursing Best Practice with Clinical Workflows and Care Nursing informatics is focussed on the best ways to achieve good patient outcomes — it is about applying the overall process and best practice to maximize patient care wherever possible. As a result, nurse informaticists are often involved in process design, clinical workflow reviews, and new diagnostics and treatment plans. They take into account the various options for providing care and use objective facts and analysis to determine the actions that will lead to the most patient-centered, value-based care.

Improving Clinical Policies, Protocols, Processes, and Procedures Data is the lifeblood of nursing informatics. That data and information can be used to measure the success of the various protocols, processes, and procedures used in a healthcare organization. A nurse informaticist will measure and analyze how specific parts of the organization are performing, with a focus on the resulting patient outcomes.

They can then make changes to specific parts of the process to streamline activities, avoid bottlenecks, and improve care. Informaticists will see what the results are and continue making changes to enhance every part of the clinical care process.

Providing Training and Learning Based on Objective Data One of the most valuable ways a nursing informaticist can enhance patient outcomes is through providing training to clinical staff. They can use data to identify endemic issues in a healthcare organization and consult on the best way to resolve these problems. These learnings can be integrated with onboarding new staff, ongoing in-house training, or external education and certification. Nursing informaticists can help to create highly-targeted educational programs to deal with specific gaps between ability and provider expectations.

Selecting and Testing New Medical Devices Connected IoT medical devices can provide vast amounts of health data on patients. Nursing informaticists are ideally positioned to understand the true value of that data and provide recommendations on how it can be recorded, accessed, and used. Involving informaticists in the selection of medical devices will ensure you have additional criteria for understanding how device data can inform diagnostics, treatment plans, and ultimately patient outcomes.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Reducing Medical Errors and Costs Nursing informaticists can reduce the chance of medical errors in a healthcare organization, together with associated costs. A combination of staff training, process improvement, and best practice will enhance the quality of care and limit patient risks. There are four main areas that drive medical errors:

Communication doesn’t take place when it should
Incorrect or incomplete information is communicated
Information is shared with the wrong recipient or third party
The message lacks critical facts or is unclear, meaning it isn’t understood correctly
Informaticists can look at how your organization communicates and collaborates around patient information. They can audit individual cases, identify gaps, and provide recommendations for avoiding errors in the future. In 2015, an analysis discovered medical errors cost healthcare providers $1.7 billion, over a five year period.

While technology has the potential to improve care, it is not without risks. Technology has been described as both part of the problem and part of the solution for safer health care, and some observers warned of the introduction of yet-to-be errors after the adoption of new technologies.6 For example, nurses and other health care providers can be so focused on data from monitors that they fail to detect potentially important subtle changes in clinical status. Problems may emerge based on the sheer volume of new devices, the complexity of the devices, the poor interface between multiple technologies at the bedside, and the haphazard introduction of new devices at the bedside. Despite the billions of dollars spent each year on an ever-increasing array of medical devices and equipment, the nursing profession has paid little attention to the implementation of technology and its integration with other aspects of the health care environment.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Patient care technologies of interest to nurses range from relatively simple devices, such as catheters and syringes, to highly complex devices, such as barcode medication administration systems and electronic health records.7 Technology can be broadly defined to include clinical protocols and other “paper” based tools, but for the purpose of this chapter, we will focus more on equipment and devices that nurses are likely to encounter in delivering direct care to patients. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a conceptual model for technologies that nurses are likely to encounter and to delineate strategies for promoting their effective and safe use.

In practice, students have an opportunity to observe, apply, analyze, and practice processes and skills relevant to nursing informatics. The Nursing Informatics concentration stresses the development of leadership in nursing.

Career opportunities for graduates with this specialty are numerous. Informatics nurses are involved in practice, education, research, administration, and consultation and can work in public, private, or corporate settings.

There are three different options in Nursing Informatics; a major: a minor, and Post-Professional certificate. All may be completed on a full or part-time basis.The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

Informatics Online

Building on the strength and reputation of its graduate programs, the School of Nursing is offering a MSN with the Nursing Informatics area of concentration online.

The interactive online classroom, led by University of Pittsburgh faculty, provides opportunities for active learning, discussion, problem solving, debating, critical thinking, research, networking, and community building. The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

The Importance Of Nursing Informatics In Patient Safety In The Operating Room Essay Paper

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