NURS 6401: Informatics in Nursing and Healthcare | Week 3

Technology has indeed taken a place next to war, death, divorce, and taxes as a prime cause of bone-shuddering anxiety.

—John Seymour

The above quote speaks to the initial hesitation that many experience when using new technologies. Becoming accustomed to a new system takes time, planning, and communication. To better facilitate the implementation of new technologies, nurse informaticists can employ a variety of theories and conceptual frameworks. These theories and frameworks can increase the efficiency of implementations, while also decreasing the uneasiness felt by end users.

This week focuses on theories and conceptual frameworks relevant to change management and the implementation of informatics systems.

Learning Objectives – NURS 6401: Week 3: Nursing Theory Translation Into Practice Essay

Students will:

• Analyze theories and conceptual frameworks pertinent to nursing informatics initiatives
• Evaluate applications of theories or conceptual frameworks to informatics initiatives

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Adams, R., Tranfield, D., & Denyer, D. (2011). How can toast be radical? Perceptions of innovations in healthcare. International Journal of Clinical Leadership, 17(1), 37–48.

This article examines four case studies that present successful innovations in the NHS. The authors propose a descriptive framework of innovation attributes to convey the perceptions of health care innovators.

Doran, D. M., Haynes, R. B., Kushniruk, A., Straus, S., Grimshaw, J., Hall, L. M., & … Jedras, D. (2010). Supporting evidence-based practice for nurses through information technologies. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 7(1), 4–15.

The authors of this article discuss the practicality and usability of mobile technologies. In addition, they detail how mobile technologies can help to provide evidence-based practice and ultimately benefit the work of nurse informaticists.

Rahimi, B., Timpka, T., Vimarlund, V., Uppugunduri, S., & Svensson, M. (2009). Organization-wide adoption of computerized provider order entry systems: A study based on diffusion of innovations theory. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 9(1), 52.

The effectiveness of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system implementation is examined in this article. The attitudes, reactions, and thoughts of nurses and physicians involved in the implementation are also discussed.

@Current. (2012). Jean Watson’s philosophy of nursing. Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Watson.html

Access this website to explore one prominent philosophy of nursing, Watson’s philosophy of caring.

Connelly, M. (n.d.). Kurt Lewin change management model. Retrieved from http://www.change-management-coach.com/kurt_lewin.html

Kurt Lewin’s change theory consists of a three stages: unfreeze, change, and freeze. Access this website to learn more about each phase.

Lewin, K. (2011). Change theory. Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/change_theory.html

This website provides a brief overview of the concepts and stages of Lewin’s change theory.

Required Media- NURS 6401: Week 3: Theories and Conceptual Frameworks Essays

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012i). Theories and conceptual frameworks [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

In this week’s media presentation, Gail Latimer, Dr. Patricia Button, and Dr. Roy Simpson discuss the importance of using theories and frameworks to guide informatics initiatives. In addition, Dr. Simpson provides an overview of two frameworks he commonly uses in his position, Moore’s Law and the Integrated Research Operational (IRO) model, as well as two well-known theories, Roger’s diffusion of innovation and Watson’s theory of caring.

Discussion: Nursing Theory Translation Into Practice Essay

When water is in a solid state, particles are packed in a rigid pattern, conforming to the shape of its container. As the water turns into a liquid, the particles regain their fluidity, moving as the other particles around them begin to shift. Kurt Lewin’s change theory is much like the changing state of water. Applying this theory, Lewin describes workplaces as being frozen in their procedures. In this state, it is impossible for change to occur successfully because people are “frozen.” Informaticists must recognize this rigid culture and begin to implement strategies that will unfreeze the opinions and procedures of the setting. According to Lewin, only then will staff begin to accept new processes over old ones.

This process of moving from “freezing” to “unfreezing” can be a turbulent one. In fact, many nurses have equated this to “working in slush.” By applying theories and frameworks developed by Lewin and others, nurse informaticists can better facilitate informatics implementations. In this Discussion, you explore how theories and conceptual frameworks can be applied to informatics implementations.

To prepare:

• Review this week’s media presentation, Theories and Conceptual Frameworks, and consider how a nurse informaticist can use theories to guide informatics initiatives. What are the benefits of using theories?
• Review the article “Organization-Wide Adoption of Computerized Provider Order Entry Systems: A Study Based on Diffusion of Innovations Theory” in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory impacted the adoption of the informatics system.
• Conduct research in the Walden Library to locate a peer-reviewed article that (1) focuses on implementing a new informatics project or procedure and (2) discusses how a theory was used to guide this implementation.
• Consider alternative theories that might also be applicable to that specific implementation.

By Day 3

Post the APA citation for your article and a brief summary that includes the setting of the implementation, what was being implemented, the need for the implementation, and the titles of the staff who spearheaded the project (if provided). Identify the theory that drove the implementation, and explain how this theory was translated into practice by the planning team. Finally, suggest alternative theories that could have been used and support your response with references to the research literature.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

• Provide insight into how two similar implementations differed in execution and/or theory.
• Share an insight about how your own health care organization implemented a new informatics initiative, and the theories that were explicitly or implicitly used.
• Contrast how health care settings used the same theory differently to drive an implementation. NURS 6401: Week 3: Nursing Theory Translation Into Practice Essay.

ADDITIONAL INFO 

Nursing Theory Translation Into Practice

Introduction

Nursing theory is an essential part of nursing education. It teaches us how to think, communicate and care for patients. Nurses are constantly learning new ideas about the profession and the ways in which they can improve their practice. However, sometimes it can be challenging to translate these concepts into practice because you don’t always have time or resources to implement them exactly as they’re written in textbooks! This article will give some examples of caring in practice so that you can use them as templates when trying to apply these theories at home or work with patients who need extra attention from their nurses

Examples of caring in practice

• Listen to the patient.

• Provide comfort measures and enable self-efficacy.

• Share knowledge and information, encourage and promote patient participation in care.

• Assist the therapeutic process by listening actively, empathically and reflectively

1. Providing comfort measures

Comfort measures can be physical, psychological and spiritual.

Comfort measures are important for patients and their families. They help to reduce anxiety in both the patient and family members by providing respite from pain or discomfort, reducing stress levels and giving reassurance that the person is being cared for properly. Some examples of physical comfort measures include:

• Massage

• Bathing (if possible)

2. Enabling self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is the belief that you can perform a task or achieve an outcome. It’s a feeling of control over your activities, and it can help you to take action in situations where there is no immediate solution available.

Nursing theories are crucial to nursing practice because they provide insights into how best to manage patients’ health needs. However, clinicians must also be able to translate theory into practice when providing care for their patients; this requires understanding some aspects of nursing theory such as enabling self-efficacy (EE) and maintaining self-efficacy (MS).

3. Sharing knowledge and information

Nurses are often in a position of authority, so it is important for them to use this as a way to build trust with their patients. Nurses can share knowledge and information by asking questions about their patients’ health or providing education on topics such as nutrition or exercise regimes.

Nurses also have access to medical databases which can be used for research purposes. These databases include patient records, drug prescriptions and alcohol intake among others. If you’re not sure what you need from your nurse then ask!

4. Encouraging and promoting patient participation

Encouraging and promoting patient participation is part of the therapeutic process. It helps patients become active participants in their own care, which is important for healing.

Patient participation also helps nurses to understand patients’ needs and concerns better: it gives them an opportunity to ask questions about what is happening, provides an opportunity for patients to provide information about their lives, allows nurses to learn more about thier patients’ experiences with illness or injury etc…

5. Assisting the therapeutic process

In order to help the therapeutic process, nurses can assist patients in developing their goals and expectations. Nurses can also assist patients in becoming more independent by teaching them how to use their own resources effectively. Nurses can also help patients improve their health by providing education about nutrition, exercise and smoking cessation programs. Finally, nurses can help improve quality of life for people who have chronic diseases or disabilities through such things as pain management techniques, physical therapy services (such as massage) and even mobility aides if necessary

6. Listening actively, empathically and reflectively

Listening actively, empathically and reflectively

It is important to listen actively. A good listener is one who listens attentively and with empathy. They are able to understand what the other person is saying and can respond appropriately by asking questions or providing suggestions on how they can solve the problem. The ability to listen reflectively means that you will be able to consider another’s point of view before making any decisions yourself; this allows both parties involved in a discussion process more time together than otherwise would have been possible had one party decided alone without consulting others first (Watson & Paley 2011). Good listeners are hard-to-find due mainly because most people prefer not being interrupted during conversations or debates – especially if those interruptions come from someone else! But when we do find ourselves having these kinds of conversations again tomorrow morning here at work then I hope our next session goes much smoother than last week did!”

7. Acknowledging and validating patients’ experiences, emotions and thoughts

Listening is an important part of nursing. Listening to patients’ concerns and fears, listening to their concerns about their illness and treatment, and listening to the emotional ups and downs that accompany all changes in health are essential parts of providing quality care.

When you listen with empathy, you validate the patient’s experience of their illness or disease—and by extension acknowledge its impact on them as a person. When you listen with compassion for what someone might be going through (whether it’s physical pain or emotional distress), it helps build trust between yourself and your patient so that they feel comfortable sharing information with you that may not be readily available from others within this context (e.g., family members).

There are many ways to show patients that you care about them

• Listening to patients and their needs.

• Offering support and encouragement.

• Providing emotional support.

• Being supportive of their decisions, even if you disagree with them (or don’t agree with the decision). In this way, you can show patients that you respect their autonomy and independence in making decisions for themselves; this will help build trust between the two of you!

• Being a good role model: If nursing theory says one thing but your actions say something different, how can a patient trust what they’re seeing? It’s important to be honest about your feelings when things aren’t going well—even if it means disappointing someone else or making yourself feel bad about things happening around them (this may happen anyway). You should also be open about asking questions when things seem unclear—this gives everyone involved opportunities for growth!

Conclusion

What we have discussed here is only a small selection of the ways that nurses can provide care in practice. The way you choose to show your patients that you care about them will depend on what is most comfortable and appropriate for each situation, but we hope this article has given you some ideas to get started with.