Assessment 1 Instructions: Nursing Informatics in Health Care NURS-FPX4040 Example
Nursing Informatics in Healthcare
The integration of technology in healthcare is increasingly embraced. The reasons for increased incorporation include the demonstrated benefits in improving patient outcomes, improving workflow, and reducing patient and healthcare professionals’ resistance to such innovations. The latter is attributed to the incorporation of information management and patient care technologies in nursing curricula, particularly at the baccalaureate level (Reid et al., 2021).
Nursing Informatics and the Nurse Informaticist
The quest for cost-effective and high-quality patient care has resulted in greater integration of technology in healthcare. With the increased incorporation of technologies comes a new challenge: developing a unified definition of the use of technology in healthcare. Because of the lack of a consistent taxonomy, there has been consensus on definitions within healthcare informatics, with each country developing and adopting its own. All definitions, however, are heavily influenced by the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), which defines nursing informatics as a science and a practice that integrates nursing, information communication technologies (ICT), and professional knowledge to promote people’s health (Honey et al., 2022). Honey et al. (2022) state definitions from Australia, the United States, and Canada to gain a common understanding of nursing informatics across diverse geographical contexts. Nursing informatics is defined by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) in Australia as the knowledge and skills required by registered nurses to integrate nursing practice, computer and information science in data management, communication, and decision-making in nursing practice (Honey et al., 2022). In the United States, the American Nurse Association (ANA) Council of Computer Application in Nursing defines nursing informatics as a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer, and information science in the identification, collection, processing, and management of data to support nursing practice (Honey et al., 2022). According to the Canadian Organization for the Advancement of Computers in Health (COACH), nursing informatics is the use of any information technology by nurses to influence patient care (Honey et al., 2022). Nursing science, ICT, professional knowledge, and the influence on patient care are consistent themes that appear in all definitions of nursing informatics. With the global implementation of health informatics projects, the nurse informaticist’s role is expanding in various clinical settings. The need for innovative technological solutions to improve care, such as mobile applications, interactive decision aids, web-based technologies, and electronic health records (EHR), broadens the scope of nurse informaticists and gives them a more defining role. According to King et al. (2020), the primary role of a nurse informaticist is to support technological advances that improve patient care, safety, and quality. Nurse informaticists contribute to such advancements by educating staff on new yet-to-be-implemented technologies, leading quality and process improvement initiatives, and evaluating the impact of technology on care before its implementation. Their education, certification, training, and practice experience position them more appropriately in designing and implementing technological interventions and fulfilling their other scopes of practice.Nurse Informaticists and Other Healthcare Organizations
Healthcare organizations have had a variety of heartwarming experiences with nurse informaticists. In one case, Billings Clinic, a Magnet-designated non-profit health organization in Montana, northern Wyoming, and the western Dakotas, shares its experience with nurse informaticists. The Billings Clinic Cancer Center serves over 1800 patients annually and employs more than 70 registered nurses (RNs) in the cancer unit (Billings Clinic, 2018). The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) observed that the cerebellar toxicity assessment of patients receiving high-dose Cytarabine was inconsistently documented in the medical records by the nursing staff during care for patients receiving high-dose Cytarabine in the cancer unit. As a result, the CNO sought assistance from a nursing informaticist, who created a new evidence-based assessment tool. According to the CNO, the tool improved the assessment and documentation of therapy-related complications (Billings Clinic, 2018). The Billings Clinic scenario is representative of many other healthcare organizations that employ nurse informaticists. Nurse informaticists must collaborate with other care providers to achieve the goals of a nursing informatics project. In the clinical scenario described above, for example, the nurse informaticist would collaborate with other RNs, a medical oncologist, a gynecologic oncologist, a surgical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a pediatric oncologist, and a general surgeon. Furthermore, for the assessment and documentation tool to be successfully implemented, oncology nurse informaticists would collaborate with informaticists from other departments, including the pharmacy. According to the CNO, the oncology nurse informaticist follows regulatory standards in designing, building, and maintaining order sets to ensure smooth operation (Billings Clinic, 2018). The CNO also reported that the system was so efficient that laboratory and vital sign monitoring, therapies, referrals, and nursing orders were all available with a single click (Billings Clinic, 2018). This would make the job of medical oncologists or any other professional who would be reviewing the patient for treatment continuation easier.Impact of Full Nurse Engagement in Healthcare Technology
The inclusion of nurse informaticists in healthcare has implications for patient care, cost, workflow, and the privacy of patient’s health information. Sensmeier and Anderson (2020) and Williams (2019) assert that nursing informatics provides a platform for solving several patient problems. Technology is used in all processes, from patient triage upon hospital admission to discharge following recovery or any prompting factors. For example, a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system detects incorrect dosages, frequencies, routes, and durations of therapy in medication prescriptions (Sensmeier & Anderson, 2020; Williams, 2019). Early detection and treatment of cerebellar toxicity caused by high-dose Cytarabine therapy were critical in reducing mortality rates in the clinical scenario at Billings Clinic Cancer Center. Regarding workflow, a nurse informaticist ensures that the majority of the tasks involved in data assessment and documentation are accessible with a single click. Management of symptoms and toxicities, laboratory and vital sign monitoring, therapies, referrals, and nursing orders are all available with a single click at Billings Clinic Cancer Center (Billings Clinic, 2018). This would improve workflow because all care providers who would need to access the patients’ information for review would be able to do so easily. A nurse informaticist will also implement measures to protect patient’s health information in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and confidentiality rules. While patients’ privacy refers to the non-disclosure of their health information, confidentiality refers to the avoidance of unauthorized individuals accessing their protected health information (Bani Issa et al., 2020). Nurse informaticists assist in the implementation of patient privacy and confidentiality safeguards such as data encryption, biometrically enabled system logins and password-protected logins. In addition, nurse informaticists may assist in the installation of anti-hack software, which prevents breaches into information systems, to ensure the security of the patient’s health information (Koppel & Kuziemsky, 2019). Concerning cost implications, recent studies on healthcare systems across the U.S. show that $760 billion to $935 billion, which represents 25% of total U.S. healthcare spending, is wasted annually (Shrank et al., 2019). Nurse informaticists and other health informatics specialists help reduce costs in various ways, one of which is the prediction of health outcomes using analytics, which aids in accurate budgeting for resources required and thus prevents overspending. Additionally, health informatics drives process improvement initiatives in billing, human resource management, and marketing, lowering costs (Kruse & Beane, 2018). According to a website that analyzes health IT news in the U.S., the Mercy Hospital Network saved more than $4 million in one year by implementing a nursing analytics dashboard (Fox & Ang, 2018). The various examples provided justify the importance of a nurse informaticist to a healthcare organization, which would be used to decide whether or not to hire one.Opportunities and Challenges
As the field of health informatics expands, so does the number of healthcare professionals working in it. This presents an opportunity for health and technology enthusiasts who want to collaborate with healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, it has enabled the opportunity to work in close collaboration with other health stakeholders to identify patient needs that would require technology as a solution. However, while health informatics offers promising benefits in resolving patient problems, it also presents challenges. The flaws in the equipment, techniques, observation, and data collection tools may lead to misleading conclusions (Otokiti, 2019). Further, data artifacts may give misleading impressions or result in an inability to predict trends in specifically identified health issues. Moreover, due to the high likelihood of system breaches, health informatics interventions are increasingly needed to protect patients’ security, privacy, and confidentiality.Summary of Recommendations: Takeaways
The increased use of technology in healthcare has broadened the scope of health informatics specialists. Nurse informaticists are best suited to assist hospitals in implementing health informatics projects due to their nursing practice experience and knowledge of ICT. Their impact on improving patient care, lowering healthcare costs, improving workflow, and protecting patients’ privacy and confidentiality are critical in informing their employment in healthcare organizations. While the opportunities for improving patient care are obvious, potential challenges exist, raising concerns about upgrading measures to protect patient privacy and confidentiality in the event of a system breach. However, as multiple evidence-based studies show, the benefits nurse informaticists bring to healthcare organizations outweigh the risks, justifying their increased importance in healthcare.References
Bani Issa, W., Al Akour, I., Ibrahim, A., Almarzouqi, A., Abbas, S., Hisham, F., & Griffiths, J. (2020). Privacy, confidentiality, security, and patient safety concerns about electronic health records. International Nursing Review, 67(2), 218–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12585 Billings Clinic. (2018). Billings Clinic: Cancer Center 2018 annual report. Billingsclinic.com. https://www.billingsclinic.com/app/files/public/8c09bf04-0e03-40b1-8ac8-b1cc520fd9f9/Cancer-Ctr-Report-3-2019.pdf Fox, A., & Ang, A. (2018, March 26). How Mercy Hospital Network saved $4.3 million with nursing analytics dashboard. Healthcare IT News. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/how-mercy-hospital-network-saved-43-million-nursing-analytics-dashboard Honey, M., Ronquillo, C., & Lee, T. T. (2022). Nurses and midwives in the digital age: Selected papers, posters and panels from the 15th International Congress in Nursing Informatics. IOS Press. https://books.google.at/books?id=0tluEAAAQBAJ King, B. D., Riemann, L. A., & Brant, J. M. (2020). Oncology nurse informaticists: An evolving role to support nursing practice. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 24(3), 324–327. https://doi.org/10.1188/20.CJON.324-327 Koppel, R., & Kuziemsky, C. (2019). Healthcare data are remarkably vulnerable to hacking: Connected healthcare delivery increases the risks. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 257, 218–222. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30741199 Kruse, C. S., & Beane, A. (2018). Health information technology continues to show positive effect on medical outcomes: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(2), e41. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.8793 Otokiti, A. (2019). Using informatics to improve healthcare quality. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 32(2), 425–430. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-03-2018-0062 Reid, L., Maeder, A., Button, D., Breaden, K., & Brommeyer, M. (2021). Defining nursing informatics: A narrative review. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 284, 108–112. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI210680 Sensmeier, J., & Anderson, C. (2020). Tracking the impact of nursing informatics. Nursing Management, 51(9), 50–53. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000694880.86685.c1 Shrank, W. H., Rogstad, T. L., & Parekh, N. (2019). Waste in the US health care system: Estimated costs and potential for savings: Estimated costs and potential for savings. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 322(15), 1501–1509. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.1s3978 Williams, A. (2019). Nursing informaticians address Patient Safety to improve usability of Health Information technologies. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 257, 501–507. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30741247NURS-FPX4040 Assessment 1 Instructions: Nursing Informatics in Health Care
- Write a 4-5 page evidence-based proposal to support the need for a nurse informaticist in an organization who would focus on improving health care outcomes.
Introduction
As you begin to prepare this assessment, you are encouraged to complete the Team Perspectives of the Nurse Informaticist activity. Completion of this will help you succeed with the assessment as you explore the nurse informaticist’s role from the different perspectives of the health care team. Completing activities is also a way to demonstrate engagement. Nurses at the baccalaureate level in all practice areas are involved in nursing informatics through interaction with information management and patient care technologies. Nurses must not only demonstrate knowledge of and skills in health information and patient care technologies, but also how to use these tools at the bedside and organizational levels. Moreover, nurses need to recognize how information gathered from various health information sources can impact decision making at the national and state regulatory levels.Scenario
For this assessment, assume you are a nurse attending a meeting of your state’s nurses association. A nurse informaticist conducted a presentation on her role and its impact on positive patient and organizational outcomes in her workplace. You realize that your organization is undergoing many technological changes. You believe this type of role could provide many benefits to your organization. You decide to pursue proposing a nurse informaticist role in your organization. You speak to your chief nursing officer (CNO) and human resources (HR) manager, who ask you to prepare a 4–5 page evidence-based proposal to support the new role. In this way, they can make an informed decision as to whether the addition of such a role could justify the return on investment (ROI). They need your proposal before an upcoming fiscal meeting.​ This is not an essay, but instead, it is a proposal to create a new Nurse Informaticist position. One important part of this assessment is the justification of the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization and references from relevant and timely scholarly or professional resources to support the justification for creating this nurse informaticist position. The term justify means to show or prove that the nurse informaticist position brings value to the organization. This justification must include evidence from the literature to support that this position will provide a return on investment for the organization.Preparation
To successfully prepare for this assessment, you will need to complete these preparatory activities:- Review assessment resources and activities.
- Conduct independent research on the nursing knowledge and skills necessary to interact with health information and patient care technology.
- Focus your research on current resources available through peer-reviewed articles, professional websites, government websites, professional blogs, wikis, job boards, and so on.
- Consult the BSN Program Library Research Guide for help in identifying scholarly and authoritative sources.
- Interview peers in your network who are considered information technology experts.
- Ask them about how information technology advances are impacting patient care at the bedside, at the organizational level, and beyond.
- What is nursing informatics?
- What is the role of the nurse informaticist?
- What is the experience of other health care organizations with nurse informaticists?
- How do these nurse informaticists interact with the rest of the nursing staff and the interdisciplinary team?
- How does fully engaging nurses in health care technology impact:
- Patient care?
- Protected health information (security, privacy, and confidentiality)?
- In this section, you will explain evidence-based strategies that the nurse informaticist and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information, particularly privacy, security, and confidentiality. Evidence-based means that they are supported by evidence from scholarly sources.
- Workflow?
- Costs and return on investment?
- What are the opportunities and challenges for nurses and the interdisciplinary team with the addition of a nurse informaticist role?
- How can the interdisciplinary team collaborate to improve quality care outcomes through technology?
- What are 3–4 key takeaways from your proposal about the recommended nurse informaticist role that you want the CNO and the HR manager to remember?
- This is the section where the justification for the implementation of the nursing informaticist role is addressed. Remember to include evidence from the literature to support your recommendation.
Additional Requirements
- Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- Submission length: 4–5 double-spaced pages, in addition to title and references pages.
- Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.
- Citations and References: Cite a minimum of three current scholarly and/or authoritative sources to support your ideas. In addition, cite a minimum of one current professional blog or website to support your central ideas. Current means no more than five years old.
- APA formatting: Be sure to follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references. For an APA refresher, consult the Evidence and APA page on Campus.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:- Competency 1: Describe nurses’ and the interdisciplinary team’s role in informatics with a focus on electronic health information and patient care technology to support decision making.
- Define nursing informatics and the role of the nurse informaticist.
- Explain how the nurse collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, including technologists, to improve the quality of patient care.
- Justify the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization.
- Competency 2: Implement evidence-based strategies to effectively manage protected health information.
- Explain evidence-based strategies that the nurse and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information (privacy, security, and confidentiality).
- Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication to facilitate use of health information and patient care technologies.
- Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references.
- Create a clear, well-organized, and professional proposal that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Nursing Informatics in Health Care Scoring Guide
| Criteria | Non-performance | Basic | Proficient | Distinguished |
| Define nursing informatics and the role of the nurse informaticist. | Does not define nursing informatics and the role of the nurse informaticist. | Defines nursing informatics and the role of the nurse informaticist, but the description lacks detail or is missing important information. | Defines nursing informatics and the role of the nurse informaticist. | Defines nursing informatics and the role of the nurse informaticist. References current data, evidence, or standards to support and refine definition. |
| Explain how the nurse informaticist collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, including technologists, to improve the quality of patient care. | Does not explain how the nurse informaticist collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, including technologists, to improve the quality of patient care. | Identifies but does not explain how the nurse informaticist collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, including technologists, to improve the quality of patient care. | Explains how the nurse informaticist collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, including technologists, to improve the quality of patient care. | Explains how the nurse informaticist collaborates with the interdisciplinary team, including technologists, to improve the quality of patient care. Makes explicit reference to scholarly or professional resources to support explanation. |
| Justify the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization. | Does not justify the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization. | Proposes but does not justify the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization. | Justifies the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization. | Justifies the need for a nurse informaticist in a health care organization and references relevant and timely scholarly or professional resources to support the justification. |
| Explain evidence-based strategies that the nurse informaticist and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information (privacy, security, and confidentiality). | Does not explain evidence-based strategies that the nurse informaticist and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information (privacy, security, and confidentiality). | Describes but does not explain evidence-based strategies that the nurse informaticist and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information (privacy, security, and confidentiality). | Explains evidence-based strategies that the nurse informaticist and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information (privacy, security, and confidentiality). | Explains evidence-based strategies that the nurse informaticist and interdisciplinary team can use to effectively manage patients’ protected health information (privacy, security, and confidentiality), with reference to specific data, evidence, or standards to support the explanation. |
| Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. | Does not follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. | Partially follows APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. | Follows APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. | Follows APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references with flawless precision and accuracy. |
| Create a clear, well-organized, and professional proposal that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Does not create a clear, well-organized, and professional proposal that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Creates a proposal that lacks clarity and/or has errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Creates a clear, well-organized, and professional proposal that is generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. | Creates a clear, comprehensive, well-organized, and professional proposal that is error-free in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. |