NURS 6401: Informatics in Nursing and Healthcare | Week 10

Think about how health care has changed and progressed throughout the years. What common and accepted practices of the past are not used today? To reflect upon this, consider the following:

• In the 1940s and 50s, lobotomies and electric shock therapy were performed as common psychiatric interventions.
• In the 1950s and 60s, most children received tonsillectomies as a routine treatment to prevent sore throats.
• Prior to the 1990s, smoking was permitted in most public areas, including hospitals.

In light of new research and better evidence, these and many other practices have been discarded or revised to improve health outcomes.

This week, you explore how technologies, such as clinical decision support (CDS) systems, provide nurses with evidence-based research faster than ever before.

Learning Objectives – NURS 6401:Week 10: Evidence-Based Research and Decision Support

Students will:

• Evaluate evidence underlying health care practices
• Analyze the use of informatics technologies to promote evidence-based practices
• Evaluate digital communications as a means to support growth as a scholar practitioner

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

Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

• Chapter 39, “Translation of Evidence Into Nursing Practice”Evidence-based practice (EBP) synthesizes nursing research with decisions and processes in the practice setting. The chapter introduces current issues and topics related to EBP, including meaningful use, the expansion of practice networks, the use of comparative effectiveness research (CER), and the emergence of electronic EBP tools.
• Chapter 40, “Improving Healthcare Quality and Patient Outcomes Through the Integration of Evidence-Based Practice and Informatics”This chapter details the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP) in health care. The chapter discusses steps in EBP, barriers and facilitators to EBP, and the roles that technology and decision support play in EBP.
• Chapter 41, “Incorporating Evidence: Use of Computer-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems for Health Professionals”In this chapter, the authors explore the use of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) in health care. The authors outline the definition and history of CDSS as well as the future of CDSS in health care.

Starmer, J. M., Pinson, C. W., & Lorenzi, N. M. (2010). Informatics and evidence-based medicine: Prescription for success. Studies in Health Technology & Informatics, 160, 656–660.

This article explains a case study of how one organization developed and implemented an informatics system to improve health care quality. The ways this organization used informatics to incorporate evidence-based practice across many aspects of care is discussed.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2012c). Evidence-based content [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.

Gail Latimer, Dr. Patricia Button, and Dr. Roy Simpson discuss how and why informatics systems can communicate evidence-based practices to increase the quality of care given to patients. The presenters highlight nurse informaticists’ role in this endeavor, as well as key quality metrics that informaticists should be aware of.

Discussion: Evidence-Based Practice

On occasion, some processes have crept into nursing and medical practice without appropriate evidence to back up their use. For example, consider tetanus shots. In the past, tetanus shots were given to patients who stepped on a rusty nail. It was assumed—at the time—that if the nail was rusty, it must have had some contact with the barnyard soil outside, which meant that it would be contaminated with bacteria. For a while this thinking made sense. As time went on, however, tetanus shots continued to be given to patients who cut themselves on rusty objects, regardless of where the rusty object had come from. And, of course, fewer and fewer people lived within close proximity to barnyards and associated contamination.

As this week’s examples highlight, not all practices that nurses engage in are tied to evidence. For this reason, clinical decision support (CDS) systems have been created. CDS systems support the decision-making tasks of nursing professionals. As the nurse inputs patient information into the CDS system, evidence-based content is provided back to the nurse. The nurse can then combine this content with their own nursing knowledge to diagnose and treat the patient. One of the most useful characteristics of CDS systems is that they are available during the point of care. No longer do nursing professionals have to consult thick research books; a great deal of information can be accessed with a few strategic clicks!.

In this Discussion, you continue to explore CDS systems. In addition, you investigate whether or not a health care practice with which you are familiar is grounded in evidence-based practice.

To prepare for Evidence-Based Practice Discussion NURS6401:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider how nurses can determine if they are using evidence-based practices in patient care.
• Select one health care practice (e.g., using alcohol swabs before giving an injection) with which you are familiar. Conduct research to determine if this practice is grounded in research.
• Consider how a clinical decision support system provides evidence-based content to its users.
• What are the benefits and challenges of using CDS systems? How can this assist nurses in providing evidence-based care to their patients?

By Day 3

Post a description of the health care practice you selected. Explain whether the evidence you found supports or opposes the practice and whether you believe this process is grounded in evidence-based practice. Next, explain how informatics technologies, such as CDS systems, can facilitate nurses moving toward evidence-based practices. Justify your response.

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:

• Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
• Offer and support an alternative perspective, using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
• Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. Evidence-Based Practice Discussion NURS6401

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION;

Informatics in Nursing and Healthcare

Introduction

Informatics nurses are part of a growing field that is changing the way healthcare is delivered. As the role of nurses evolves, they will continue to play an essential role in making sure that patients receive high-quality care. Informatics nursing professionals are skilled at developing solutions for access to information and ensuring that EHRs function optimally for all stakeholders involved with patient care.

Informatics nurses use computer skills and advanced medical knowledge to improve patient care.

Informatics nurses use computer skills and advanced medical knowledge to improve patient care. They work in teams with other health professionals, such as physicians and nurses.

Informatics nurses are responsible for helping computers understand how people’s bodies work by using input data from patients’ charts or other records. After the information is collected, it is stored on a computer and analyzed so that better treatments can be prescribed for individual patients.

Nursing informatics is about the intersection of technology and medicine.

Nursing informatics is about the intersection of technology and medicine. It’s a growing field, especially in nursing education. Informatics helps us gather, analyze and communicate information as it relates to patient care.

As an informatician, you will:

• Work with nurses to develop evidence-based practice guidelines for improving patient outcomes

• Provide technical assistance on technology such as electronic health records (EHRs) or telehealth systems.

There are various nursing informatics roles, ranging from data research, management, and sustainability.

You might be a nurse informaticist if you:

• Are interested in developing new methods to improve the functioning of electronic health records (EHRs).

• Focus on improving access to information for patients and healthcare professionals.

Are interested in developing new methods to improve the functioning of electronic health records (EHRs). Focus on improving access to information for patients and healthcare professionals.

Healthcare informatics is about using technology to accomplish better medical results for patients.

Healthcare informatics is about using technology to accomplish better medical results for patients. Informatics can be used in any healthcare field, including nursing and medicine. It also extends past the traditional scope of information technology (IT) into areas such as healthcare management, clinical research and public health epidemiology.

The terms “healthcare” and “informatics” are often used interchangeably by many people today because they both refer to information science; however, there are some important differences between these two disciplines that must be considered when working with each other:

Technology has changed the way patients receive healthcare.

Informatics has changed the way patients receive healthcare. While technology has made it possible to provide remote care, it’s also made it possible to provide more efficient and accurate care. For example, information on a patient can be accessed from anywhere in the world and then analyzed by a doctor or nurse as needed. This means that clinicians can find out if their patient is taking his medication properly or if he has any allergies before prescribing new medications.

Technology has also made it possible for nurses and other healthcare professionals who work in hospitals or other facilities where they don’t have direct contact with patients (but still need access)

Nursing informaticists focus on improving access to information for patients and healthcare professionals.

Nurse informaticists are health care professionals who use their knowledge of technology, as well as their understanding of medicine, to meet the needs of patients. Nurse informatics is a field that focuses on how to use information technologies in order to accomplish better medical results for patients.

Nursing informatics involves using computers and other electronic systems for healthcare delivery.

Healthcare informatics professionals play a vital role in ensuring that information systems are reliable and safe.

Healthcare informatics professionals play a vital role in ensuring that information systems are reliable and safe. Informatics nurses are able to develop new methods to improve the functioning of electronic health records (EHRs), which is essential for improving patient care and reducing costs. Specialized nursing roles such as clinical nurse leader and certified nurse midwife require advanced education, so it’s important for them to have access to this type of educational content.

Informatics nurses are able to develop new methods to improve the functioning of electronic health records (EHRs).

Nurses are able to develop new methods to improve the functioning of electronic health records (EHRs). Nurses in informatics roles use their knowledge of technology and medicine to meet the needs of patients. There are various nursing informatics roles, ranging from data research, management, and sustainability.

Informatics nurses often work with other professionals such as doctors or therapists to help them understand how best to access information from EHRs so that they can provide better care for patients

Specialized nursing roles such as clinical nurse leader and certified nurse midwife require advanced education, such as an MSN or DNP degree.

Specialized nursing roles such as clinical nurse leader and certified nurse midwife require advanced education, such as an MSN or DNP degree. The two-year nurse practitioner program is a great start to your career path, but if you’re interested in pursuing an advanced degree, consider enrolling in one of these programs:

• Advanced Practice Nurse Education Consortium (APNE)

• American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Committee on Professional Issues and Activities (COPE)

Nurse informaticists use their knowledge of technology and medicine to meet the needs of patients

Nurse informaticists use their knowledge of technology and medicine to meet the needs of patients. Nurse informatics is about the intersection of technology, medicine, and nursing. Nurse informaticists focus on improving access to information for patients and healthcare professionals.

Nurse informatics is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses both traditional medical knowledge (e.g., anatomy) as well as new technologies like computers or smartphones that can be used by nurses in their work day-to-day at home or on the job site

Conclusion

Informatics nurses can also support other healthcare professionals by providing them with the latest technology and knowledge. They use their expertise to make sure that patients receive quality care while staying safe from infection or other health issues.