Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation
Assume you are a nurse manager on a unit where a new nursing documentation system is to be implemented. You want to ensure that the system will be usable and acceptable for the nurses impacted. You realize a nurse leader must be on the implementation team.
To Prepare:
Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and reflect on the scenario presented.Consider the benefits and challenges associated with involving a nurse leader on an implementation team for health information technology.
The Assignment: (2-3 pages not including the title and reference page)
In preparation of filling this role, develop a 2- to 3-page role description for a graduate-level nurse to guide his/her participation on the implementation team. The role description should be based on the SDLC stages and tasks and should clearly define how this individual will participate in and impact each of the following steps:
Planning and requirements definitionAnalysisDesign of the new systemImplementationPost-implementation supportUse APA format and include a title page and reference page.
The Role of the Graduate Nurse in Systems Development Life Cycle
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
The Role of the Graduate Nurse in Systems Development Life Cycle
Graduate-level nurses should understand that they will also be expected to assume leadership roles at some point during their careers. In this respect, they should learn in advance some of the areas in which they will be required to serve as leaders and their roles in such initiatives (Cable & Graham, 2018). The success of every change in an organization is influenced by the leadership (Giddens, 2018). An example of a change that can occur in a healthcare organization is the integration of a new nursing documentation system. Such a change should follow the systems development life cycle (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The purpose of this assignment is to describe the role of a nurse leader in the implementation of a new nursing documentation system following the SDLC.
Planning and Requirements Definition
The initial phase of the SDLC is planning and requirements definition. At this stage, the nurse leader plays a role in assessing the feasibility plan and determining the specific activities that will be accomplished for a successful change to occur (Ledlow & Stephens, 2018). The nurse leader directs the project team to select the right system model and collects ideas from experienced nurses in relation to system effectiveness (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The nurse leader also develops a plan to amalgamate the new system with the old one.
Analysis
Analysis of the new system is usually done during the second phase of the SDLC. At this stage, the role of a nurse leader is to help the team to understand how the new system will address organizational needs including what the organization requires to ensure a successful system integration (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Organizational needs analysis is highly crucial because it helps to determine organizational readiness or capacity and the economic feasibility of the proposed change.
Design of the New System
System design follows organizational analysis in the SDLC. It is at this phase when the nurse leader directs the project team to select the most appropriate system design for the organization. With the help of the nurse leader, the team develops the architectural format of the system that will address existing needs. The selection of necessary functions that will ensure effective system performance, data processing, and generation of reports is done at this point (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).
Implementation
Implementation usually follows the design and development of an appropriate system. During system implementation, the nurse leader directs the team through the construction and testing of the system. The nurse leader also plays a role in developing and implementing a training program for the users. He or she further ensures that adequately trained staff and effectively allocated roles in the organization to ensure effective performance of the new system (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).
Post-implementation Support
The final phase of SDLC is post-implementation support. During this phase, the nurse leader oversees system maintenance to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. The role of the nurse leader is to identify errors and any other issues that require upgrading (Handayani et al., 2018). Any necessary improvements are done during the post-implementation support phase.
Conclusion
Today’s graduate nurses should be prepared to perform both caring and leadership roles. In this assignment, the author has described the role of a nurse leader in the implementation of a new nursing documentation system following the SDLC. Graduate-level nurses should learn in advance some of the areas in which they will be required to serve as leaders and their roles in such initiatives.
References
Cable, S., & Graham, E. (2018). “Leading Better Care”: An evaluation of an accelerated coaching intervention for clinical nursing leadership development. Journal of Nursing Management, 26(5), 605-612.
Giddens, J. (2018). Transformational leadership: What every nursing dean should know. Journal of Professional Nursing, 34(2), 117-121.
Handayani, P. W., Hidayanto, A. N., & Budi, I. (2018). User acceptance factors of hospital information systems and related technologies: Systematic review. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 43(4), 401-426.
Ledlow, G. & Stephens, J. (2018). Leadership for health professionals: Theory, skills, and applications (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.