Nursing Informatics in Health Care

Nurse informatics (NI) is a specialty which entails blending and integrating nursing, computer and information sciences to manage and transfer information and attain insights using data in nursing. The history of health information management indicates that professional organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) started recognizing the significance of nursing informatics as a specialty in 1992 (Ye, 2020). Nurses who integrate the specialty into their regular practice become nurse informaticists. By employing a nurse informaticist, an institution can benefit from the skills, knowledge and expertise that such specialized health care provider bring on board that include increased staff morale and patient satisfaction as a result of improved safety and quality care provision. As such, this paper presents a proposal on the need to hire nurse informaticist to the chief nursing officer and the human resource (HR) manager at the institution.

Nurse Informatics and the Nurse Informaticist

Nursing informatics entails the incorporation of information sciences and computer sciences into nursing with the aim of developing and maintaining data and systems that support the nursing practice and assists in enhancing patient outcomes. Different health care technologies have emerged due to nursing informatics that include the deployment and use of electronic health records (EHRs) and the computerized provider order entry (CPOE) (Ye, 2020). Nursing informatics empowers healthcare practitioner to attain patient-centered care and promote health of individuals, families and communities Collins et al., 2017). The implication is that nursing informatics allows health care providers to make better and effective care decisions focused on enhancing patient care and management in different settings.  

Nurse informaticists are medical practitioners who combine their skills in nursing with the deployment of informatics to create systems that can lead to improved patient care and quality outcomes. by using data collected from different medical systems, nurse informaticists can analyze trends, implement changing systems and monitor any errors in a system (Kleib & Nagle, 2018). Nurse informaticists have different roles and responsibilities that they undertake in their line of duty like managing projects, analyzing clinical data, writing policies and monitoring either success or failure of any technological applications in their systems as well as performance of different health car models or interventions that are technologically-dependent.

Nurse informaticists also design systems technology, analyze and assess technology needs of an organization, test system’s technology before their introduction and their implementation. Nurse informaticists also train the staff on the effective use of new technology, troubleshooting and escalation of issues as needed in a healthcare setting. Nurse informaticists also assist in health care organization’s transition from one technology system to another apart from evaluating the overall success of such implementation. Nurse informaticists are also responsible for ensuring that the health care organization meets legal requirements on technology through acts like Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Nurse Informaticists and Other Health Care Organizations

Nurse informatcists have the capability to impact the health of patients and health care organizations in different ways because of the benefits that they provide to these entities. These benefits include enhanced patient safety and integrity of patient data through effective implementation of medical devices’ initiatives. Nurse informaticists are at the frontline in assisting healthcare organization digitize their manual processes and procedures which leads to saving costs in terms of time and financial resources for these entities.

Nurses informatics also help organizations to enhance their practice as they promote effective ways of information sharing and protection. Through this intervention, health care organizations attain success from implementing evidence-based practice interventions for better and quality patient outcomes. Nurse informaticists continue to help healthcare establishments to enhance patient satisfaction (Collins et al., 2017). For instance, through the implementation of electronic health records system and electronic medical records in such organizations, nurse informaticists have enabled patients to enhance access to their health data and history as well as recommendations which ensures that they improve overall patient outcomes.

Accordingly, health informaticists like nurses are at the center of interdisciplinary collaborations in healthcare organizations. Continued specialization in health care has necessitated increased need for specialized care provision and thus the need for specialists like nurse informaticists when handling major medical issues that require interdisciplinary collaborations (Ye, 2020). The rise in specialists leads to an emerging and more need for better coordination among them to ascertain best quality care to patients. Nurse informaticists promote interdisciplinary collaborations by developing technological solutions that address the coordination matters across inter-professional teams. Nurse informaticists also promote interdisciplinary collaboration through effective leadership practices and followership in various situations as they emerge.

Effects of Nurse Engagement in Healthcare Technology

The full engagement of nurse informatics staff using healthcare technology can improve patient care by enhancing communication and help ease the workflow. For instance, physicians and nurses need to communicate with each other to solve patient issues that require multiple input from a multidisciplinary team for successful resolution. With novel communication technologies, inter-professional staff separated by physical location and time must depend on a host of new applications to share information about patients as opposed to face-to-face conversations. Such technologies improve patient participation in healthcare process and empowers them to take active roles to enhance their health. Patients can access information and interact more easily with their care providers which improves their chances of attaining better outcomes (Kleib & Nagle, 2018). Nurse informaticists assist in the coordination of essential information that leads to better outcomes. 

There is also a guarantee in the protection of health information of a patient through use of technology because of effective documentation that leads to improved workflow in the healthcare provision process. A critical aspect of the workflow efficiency is a projected reduction in medical errors. Health informatics allow organizations and providers to avoid medical errors because they have sufficient data and can make effective decisions

Opportunities and Challenges

By collaborating, the interdisciplinary team can enhance quality care through having discussions on certain needs of each department and seeking the nurse informaticists help to facilitate a process that works for all involved personnel in the facility. Opportunities available based on the role of informatics nurse implementation include better and consistent communication within departments and the facility as well as others, streamlined processes that will enhance workflow and lead to better patients’ outcomes and possibility of enhanced reimbursement (Ye, 2020).

Conversely, challenges may include nurses experiencing frustrations with the new organizational changes since many individuals in organizations fear change. In this case, the implementation of new technologies that they are not familiar with may require more education and deployment of an effective change model for effective roll out.

Summary of Recommendations

Nurse informaticist plays an essential role in any healthcare organization, especially with the increasing reforms and use of medical and health technology. Any organization that seeks to offer high quality care to its patients need to embrace informatics and have nurse informaticists. These health care providers use technology to enhance accuracy, efficiency and confidentiality while protecting patient information (Kleib & Nagle, 2018). The use of nurse informatics is associated with a reduction in adverse events, improved work environment and quality outcomes, reduced length of hospital stays, especially for the aged and critically ill or those with chronic conditions. Technology is a significant part of healthcare and a nurse informaticist is required to ensure that the organization uses all it possess to provide quality care to patients.

Conclusion

An effective and efficient healthcare organization offers exceptional care, focuses on prevention of medical errors and maintains a better and protected patient information database that allows it to maintain better relationships with staff, technology and super users. The implication is that no such entity exists without rollout of costly programs tailored to attain better goals. Having nurse informaticists is the cost-efficient and effective measure to tackle these concerns due to their expertise and nursing knowledge. Therefore, the facility should implement the proposal and employ nurse informaticists.

References

Collins, S., Yen, P. Y., Phillips, A., & Kennedy, M. K. (2017). Nursing informatics competency

assessment for the nurse leader: The Delphi study. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(4), 212-218. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000467.

Kleib, M., & Nagle, L. (2018). Factors associated with Canadian nurses’ informatics

competency. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 36(8), 406-415. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000000434.

Ye, J. (2020). The role of health technology and informatics in a global public health emergency:

practices and implications from the COVID-19 pandemic. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(7), e19866. doi:10.2196/19866

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.

Proposal Format

The chief nursing officer (CNO) and human resources (HR) manager have asked you to include the following headings in your proposal and to be sure to address the bullets following each heading:

Nursing Informatics and the Nurse Informaticist

What is nursing informatics?

What is the role of the nurse informaticist?

Nurse Informaticists and Other Health Care Organizations

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?

Impact of Full Nurse Engagement in Health Care Technology

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?

Opportunities and Challenges

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?

Summary of Recommendations

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.

Scoring Guide

Nursing Informatics in Health Care Scoring Guide

CriteriaNon-performanceBasicProficientDistinguishedDefine 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.