NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Assignment

NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Nursing Informatics and Patient Safety In 2011, Mason General Hospital was named by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine as one of the “Most Wired” hospitals in the United States. What makes this particularly significant is that Mason General is a small, 25-bed, rural hospital in the state of Washington. It credits its success to nurse Eileen Ransomer, director of clinical informatics. Under her leadership, the hospital adopted such innovations as visual smart boards where real-time patient information is always available.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper According to the magazine, those hospitals designated as “Most Wired” “show better outcomes in patient satisfaction, risk-adjusted mortality rates, and other key quality measures through the use of information technology (IT)” (Mason General Hospital and Family of Clinics, 2012). Permalink: https://nursingpaperessays.com/ nurs-6051-transf…gy-essay-paper / ? Developments in information technology have enabled patients and health care providers to collaborate for quality improvement at an unprecedented level, and nurses have consistently been at the forefront of these efforts. This week you focus on the IOM report “To Err Is Human” and consider how health information technology has helped to address the issues of patient safety and quality health care. Clinical transformation: Blending people, process, and technology Together with all of the healthcare reform efforts being considered, the massive adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) nationwide is expanding the focus on reducing costs and improving quality. Many healthcare organizations are embracing the concept of clinical transformation to achieve these goals, but they still require the tools and capabilities to make data available in real time and reduce the burden on scarce resources. These are among the key findings from the HIMSS 2011 Clinical Transformation Survey.1 This is the HIMSS organization’s first industry survey to measure clinical transformation. To ensure respondents had a level foundation for their responses, the following definition was developed: NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Clinical Transformation: This involves assessing and continually improving the way patient care is delivered at all levels in a care delivery organization. It occurs when an organization rejects existing practice patterns that deliver inefficient or less effective results and embraces a common goal of patient safety, clinical outcomes and quality care through process redesign and IT implementation. By effectively blending people, processes and technology, clinical transformation occurs across facilities, departments and clinical fields of expertise. Approximately 175 respondents assessed the degree of clinical transformation within their organizations in terms of measurement, governance and leadership, organizational behavior and data access. Among the key findings: NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper * Clinical priorities: Nearly half of respondents indicated that their organization was presently focused on ensuring that a fully operational EHR is in place. * Key drivers for addressing quality metrics: While meaningful use/ARRA is the influence driving which quality metrics to address, the choices made by healthcare organizations are also driven by other federal efforts, The Joint Commission, and other quality initiatives. * Improved outcomes: Organizations aren’t only using the analysis of clinical and financial data to improve quality and efficiency of care, but to control costs and improve revenue, as well.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper * Barriers: Respondents identified the fact that data aren’t captured in discrete fields or defined consistently as key barriers to the capture and use of clinical data for quality metrics. * Clinical transformation teams: While nurses and physicians are well represented on clinical transformation teams, one-third of respondents noted that these teams were lead by a member of the executive office. * Organizational changes: As organizations are evaluating how to use IT to effectively implement clinical and quality improvement efforts, more than 80% are evaluating clinical workflow and process. * Addressing change management: Three-quarters of respondents rely on education and training to address change management issues. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper According to the survey findings, there are numerous improvements that organizations can make to enhance their ability to use clinical and financial data to improve patient outcomes. For instance, data isn’t always available in a way that facilitates easy access and reporting. Only 35% of respondents presently import data into a data warehouse, and nearly half of respondents noted that they rely on interfaces to assist with integration. Since not all data is available in an electronic fashion with discrete data elements, reviewing charts by hand is still a key means for measuring clinical quality. Having the correct resources in place to improve reporting capability is also an issue. Nearly two-thirds of respondents noted that their organization needs additional resources in order to report appropriately on quality measures.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Although there’s organizational support for clinical transformation, there are gaps and barriers to being able to accomplish goals and objectives in this area. Specifically, nearly three-quarters of respondents noted that they needed additional IT resources to report on quality measures. This was closely followed by additional staff (61%) and more money (58%). Only 4% of respondents indicated that they don’t need additional resources. In addition, two-thirds of respondents directly noted that while they had staff qualified to report on quality measures, the staff simply didn’t have the time needed to create reports. Other respondents (43%) noted that their organization’s priorities were focused elsewhere. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper The role of clinical informatics, including nurse informatics, continues to be a much valued and necessary position in today’s healthcare organization because these experts are essential to the success of quality initiatives, participating in the executive clinical team that analyzes clinical data. Survey results indicate that these human resources are necessary to ensure that clinical transformation efforts benefit from appropriate access to clinical data that is derived from the EHR. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper The recently published IOM report on The Future of Nursing asserts the U.S. healthcare system has the opportunity to transform itself, and envisions nurses as active leaders in this transformation.2 Nurses have already taken a leadership role in embracing technology as a necessary tool to innovate the delivery of healthcare. The report recommends that nurses take on leadership roles to improve safety and efficiency, bring evidence for decision making to the point of care, and empower patients to be involved partners. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Also recognizing the vital leadership role of nurses in providing quality patient care, the HIMSS Board of Directors approved a position statement this summer describing how to transform nursing practice through technology and informatics.3 Leaders from the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Community, representing over 2,900 members who not only serve the nursing profession, but also, the broader healthcare industry and HIMSS membership at large, developed the following position statement. Position Statement: Nurses are key leaders in developing the infrastructure for effective and efficient health information technology that transforms the delivery of care. Nurse informatics play a crucial role in advocating both for patients and fellow nurses who are often the key stakeholders and recipients of these evolving solutions. Nursing informatics professionals are the liaisons to successful interactions with technology in healthcare. As clinicians who focus on transforming information into knowledge, nurse informatics cultivate a new time and place of care through their facilitation efforts to integrate technology with patient care. Technology will continue to be a fundamental enabler of future care delivery models and nursing informatics leaders will be essential to transforming nursing practice through technology. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper In addition to the need for knowledgeable and available leaders, nearly all survey respondents (87%) indicated that their organization leverages technology to standardize and automate practices, such as the format of a discharge summary, to enable additional focus on new quality initiatives. Survey respondents were also asked if they were leveraging data from diverse information sources to measure quality. Approximately half of respondents (53%) noted that they’ve created interfaces to support integration. A third (35%) noted that their organization imports all data into a repository-warehouse. Only 12% reported that the tools they use are fully integrated into their EHR. 55% reported that these tools are partially integrated, and 13% reported that these tools aren’t automated with organizational EHRs. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper One organizational leader in this area, Catholic Health East (CHE), has launched a massive, multi-year initiative to move forward with the development and implementation of a system-wide evidence-based care/clinical transformation initiative.4 This new delivery model, the ACT (Advancing Clinical Transformation) initiative, was developed in 2008 and introduced throughout CHE in early 2009. The initiative is focused on ensuring excellence in quality and patient safety outcomes-every person, every place, every time. Evidence-based care has been established throughout CHE using core measures, technology assessments, standardized documentation, order sets and computerized provider order entry. CHE will also leverage existing information systems and introduce new system capabilities and industry standard clinical terminology to provide patients with their personal health information and exchange key clinical information with authorized entities and public health agencies.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper New Nursing Technologies and Trends Nursing technology has transformed the way nurses work and continues to evolve, along with the roles that nurses play in today’s health care arena. According to various studies and surveys, technology in the nursing world has increased patient satisfaction and overall outcomes, reduced clinical errors and decreased the amount of paperwork that nurses were once required to perform. The outlook for new technology in nursing remains robust, as new devices, computers and robots aim to transform the future of health care. The following technologies are just a few that have made headlines recently as they ease and streamline each nurse’s workload to help them focus on what matters most–their patients.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Point-of-Care Technology Accessing patient records, X-rays, medication information and even obtaining a second opinion from another health care professional, can all be done directly from the bedside thanks to new advances in point-of-care technology. Utilizing a wireless network and computer, nurses in many hospitals can now access and receive a wide array of information right from the patient’s room. Computer and software companies are working to further advance point-of-care technology to include wireless and mobile applications that will enable nurses to have the information they need directly at their fingertips.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Electronic Health Records Electronic Health Records (EHR) have been a hot topic lately as policymakers work towards establishing a Nationwide Healthcare Information Network (NHIN) that would standardize EHRs. Although paperless health records have been utilized for years, a new Harvard research study showed that fewer than 1 in 5 nurses are using EHRs, although computerized documentation was linked to nursing excellence and better patient outcomes. As more hospitals began to implement EHRs, experts predict that there will likely be fewer medical errors, an increase in quality care and satisfaction, and an overall increase in accuracy.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Electronic Lift Systems, Smart Beds and Computerized Staff Schedules Many of the health care technologies we see today have been put in place to make a nurse’s everyday routine safer and more efficient. Electronic lift systems operated by remote control and other wireless technologies have greatly reduced injury and stress for both patients and nurses. Smart beds and computerized staff scheduling systems have also improved general nursing efficiency. Smart beds, such as those developed by Hill-Rom, work in conjunction with other point-of-care technology to obtain and analyze patient information such as weight, temperature and head and neck elevation. New staff scheduling systems improve efficiency by enabling nurses to set up coverage and even schedule their shifts remotely.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Patient and Staff Identification Systems Patient and staff identifiers in the hospital setting have become increasingly important in light of patient mix-ups and unauthorized people entering a facility or accessing patient records. Bar codes, wristbands and radio frequency identification (RFID), all work to track and identify patients in an effort to reduce errors while also keeping the hospital population safe. New palm vein technology, eye scans and microchips have also been introduced as a way to identify both patients and healthcare professionals, and to cut down on unauthorized access to patient files. As new technologies continue to emerge, nurses’ roles will continue to evolve, with each advance, bringing a safer and healthier future for both nurses and the patients in their care.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Technology in Nursing The technology involved in nursing today would likely surprise even the most devoted gadget freak. Nurses must increasingly master a host of complex technologies, from “smart” medical devices to tablet PCs. “There’s no way to get around it,” says Carol Bickford, PhD, RN, BC, a senior policy fellow in the department of nursing practice and policy at the American Nurses Association. “You need to know the tools, and new ones are coming in right and left.” Nursing Tech Types The technology nurses encounter on the job falls into two broad categories — clinical and other information systems, and smart medical devices, often with integrated computer chips and screens. Specific technologies include:NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Clinical Information Systems: These systems bring together an organization’s patient records, lab results, pharmaceutical data, medical research resources and other information, providing nurses and other caregivers with integrated, PC-based tools to help them input and retrieve information. Electronic Health Records: Patient records in this format provide instant access to a patient’s medical history, improve communication between caregivers and offer flags and alerts to prevent conflicts over prescriptions and tests. Drug Retrieval-and-Delivery Systems: These utilize several technologies, including bar codes and automated dispensing machines, to ensure patients receive the correct medications and dosages. Tablet Computers, Wall-Mounted PCs and Mobile Carts: These computer-based tools allow nurses to enter and retrieve information housed in a facility’s information system without leaving the bedside. The systems can operate wireless and connect to databases containing care guidelines and other clinical resources.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Medical Devices: Devices such as infusion delivery systems and ventilators often have “brains built into them,” says Joyce Ramsey-Coleman, vice president of nursing and patient-care services at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. These electronic brains assist nurses by flagging problems and helping to avoid errors. Personal Digital Assistants: PDAs with add-on software can help nurses research conditions and check medication doses. Furthermore, wireless tech integrates information from disparate sources and delivers data faster, so nurses don’t need to be tied to a specific workstation to get the necessary information. Boon and Burden While nurses acknowledge the advantages of using technology, they also say training is sometimes inadequate, IT systems occasionally force them to rethink how they do their jobs, and technological snafus can impede their work.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper But without a doubt, the introduction of new technologies may bring considerable changes to nurses’ day-to-day work. Consider the experience of Texas’s Baylor Medical Center at Achievable after touch-screen computers were installed in the emergency department. The system has helped improve efficiency and patient care in a number of ways, says Mike Beaning, RN, the emergency department’s day supervisor. With the system in place: Nurses don’t have to find a doctor to get a patient’s chart. Charts are easier to read, minimizing potential errors. Lab results are available in real time. Various departments communicate better. “Because of the time that is saved by using this system, it gives the nurses more time for more personalized care,” Behning says. But new technologies don’t always result in more time for patients. Bar-code scanning, Bickford notes, can serve as part of a check-and-balance system for catching errors, but the bar-code systems aren’t always convenient and can take up nurses’ time. The same goes for automated medication systems, which may be designed more for the convenience of the pharmacy than for use during nurses’ daily duties, she says. “Many times the technologies are imposed on nurses,” Bickford explains. “There has not been thoughtful consideration about the work processes or the business processes.”NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Bickford expresses concern about losing the “sounds and touch” of nursing when dealing with screens and nursing equipment. While technology can improve patient care, she acknowledges that “sometimes it’s burdensome.” TECHNOLOGIES THAT CHANGED NURSING FOREVER Anyone who has been in the nursing field for an extended period of time will tell you that a lot has changed. In fact, the twentieth century brought – literally – a technological “invasion” to nursing. According to Kaplan Nursing, from small advances, like digital thermometers, to sophisticated strides, like laser surgery, health care as a whole has been on quite a roller coaster – and nurses have been along for the ride.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Medical advancements and information technologies of the twentieth century have not only changed the face of the nursing – they have become part of the intricate fabric of the field. But what are the technologies responsible for this monumental transformation? One nursing professional – and author of a site called The Nurse Lady- offers these 19 technologies that changed nursing forever. 1. Electronic IV monitors There was a time when IVs had to be administered with a nurse’s constant attention to ensure a steady flow. Manual IVs were highly sensitive to a patient’s movement and the flow of the IV could be sped up or slowed to a crawl by a subtle movement. To prevent this, nurses had to directly administer an IV from beginning to start. With the advent of IV pump infusion and electronic monitoring, nurses are freed up to initiate an IV and allow a machine to monitor and regulate the process. If there is an error, the system tries to correct it, and otherwise contacts the nurse via remote monitoring.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 2. The Sphygmomanometer The sphygmomanometer is simply a fancy term for electronic blood pressure cuffs that also measure heart beat rate automatically. Gone are the days when a nurse had to measure blood pressure manually. According to one nurse, this is the technological change that makes the biggest daily difference. 3. Information management As computer technologies become the primary means of managing patient information, nurses have had to adapt their record-keeping practices and increase their computer skills. Nursing informatics is a specialty that has emerged, combining IT skills and nursing science.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 4. The portable defibrillator Manual CPR can only do so much and for the longest time this was the only method available to many nurses for reviving someone’s heart. Now, even school nurses stand a fighting chance to save the life of a person whose heart has failed. The few minutes after heart failure are critical, and the portable defibrillator allows for immediate resuscitation action. Sturdy, portable IT devices Tablet computers and mobile wireless computer stations are now a standard part of the day-to-day methods of delivering care to patients. Charts are updated continuously, in real time, providing nurses with immediate access to essential patient information. 6. Readily accessible base of information Wireless Internet connections quickly make reference materials available. This can prove very helpful for diagnosis, especially when using a resource like Web MD.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 7. The sonogram/ultrasound Ultrasound devices provide nurses working with pregnant patients the ability to see inside the womb. Ultrasound has been nothing short of revolutionary in the field of Women’s Health and pregnancy, allowing nurses and doctors to noninvasive identify the health of the baby throughout pregnancy. Now, with the advent of 4-D ultrasound, unprecedented detail is available for diagnosing fetal well-being. In addition to pregnancy monitoring, sonogram technology also offers many other new diagnostic advances such as the ability to easily identify cancer tumors in the bladder, and to tell whether the liver is enlarged. 8. Local wireless telephone networks These systems significantly reduce communication delays. Not only is this type of communication technology being utilized between nursing staff, but also between patients and staff, changing the dynamics of the relationship between patients and their nurses. 9. Hands-free communication devices Hands-free devices such as Vocera’s Call Badge provide the ultimate in communication while a nurse is engaged in active patient care or associated tasks.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 10. Communications options It is not uncommon for patients and nurses (and doctors) to communicate via e-mail or even web cam; a practice that is becoming common for parents of children in neo-natal intensive care units. 11. Patient remote monitoring In addition to high-tech and ultra-sensitive vital signs monitoring equipment, web cams and other technologies make the close monitoring of multiple patients much easier, changing how environments are staffed and operated. 12. RFID technologies RFID-enabled devices make monitoring hospital assets easier, ranging from drugs and equipment to records and patients. They also enhance safety and security with less effort and lower long-term cost. NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 13. Compact, portable medical devices Combined with portable IT and communication equipment, these small, high-tech types of devices allow well-equipped nurses to take their skills on the road. They can travel to patients’ homes and treat conditions that once had to be treated on an in-patient basis. Neo-natal nursing advancements New, more affordable portable devices for the care of tinier and more health-compromised babies. 15. Drug management technologies High-tech systems of medication retrieval and delivery, such as bar coding and verification, have greatly reduced the potential for dangerous error. Infusion equipment advances have made the delivery of slow-administer drugs much easier, with computerized machines able to control dosages and rates. 16. Configurable nursing environments Configurable work spaces increases efficiency and safety, reduces stress, and prevents accidents and injuries. 17. Learning technologies The availability of individual and off-site learning opportunities and degree programs, via specialized software and online classes, allows for more rapid career advancement.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 18. Video conferencing The ability to interact with nursing professionals throughout the world, through such means as video conferencing, offers advantages and opportunities like never before, both in terms of the further development of the nursing profession and the continued improvement in patient care outcomes. 19. The blogosphere Medical technologies have brought changes to the process of life and death and the role of the nurse. The Internet allows nurses to share their experiences and feelings. As technology transforms the profession, nurses adapt and change as well. The big question is: What will the rest of the twenty-first century bring? What Technology Do Registered Nurses Use? Modern nursing care has been called a mixture of high tech and high touch, a way to describe the traditional nurturing and compassion of a nurse in combination with the advanced health care technology of the 21st century. Technology, such as computers and monitoring equipment, is used in nearly every aspect of nursing. Many of the applications nurses use are wireless.Today’s nurses must not only know how to care for patients, but how to use technology safely and appropriately in their day-to-day work.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Computers Computer technology is one of the most common applications used in nursing. Nurses use computers to schedule staff, for timekeeping, to order medications or supplies, and for research and email. In some organizations, nurses use computers for all patient care documentation, using systems called electronic health records or electronic medical records – EHRs and EMRs. A nurse who uses an EMR may document medication dosages, administration, dressing changes and other treatments in the computer, rather than on paper. Monitors Monitoring systems are technological devices that allow a nurse to obtain patient information. These devices include fetal monitors, which can show the heart rate of a baby still in the uterus; heart monitors that display the electrical rhythm and pattern of a patient’s heart; and vital sign machines that automatically take the patient’s blood pressure, pulse and respiration. Other monitoring systems measure pressure inside the heart or brain or the amount of oxygen in a patient’s blood. Systems built into the hospital bed report a patient’s weight or movement during sleep.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Intravenous Devices Hospital patients often have intravenous lines that are threaded through technological devices that control the flow and sound an alarm if the line becomes kinked or plugged. Other alarms warn the nurse if the IV bag or bottle is getting empty. Some machines can even switch back and forth from a a primary IV solution to a separate IV antibiotic solution without human intervention. A patient in an intensive care unit may be attached to several IV monitors at once. Medication Administration Safety in medication administration dictates the use of bar-coding and scanners in many hospitals. In the past, human vigilance was the only protection against medication errors. Now medications come prepackaged with a bar code that the nurse scans prior to administration. Patient armbands are also bar-coded, and the patient’s band is scanned as well. The system will sound an alert if the patient is allergic to a medication or if the nurse selects the wrong medication or patient.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper Important Technological Advancements for Nurses Looking back over the past few years, many people would have never been able to understand how significantly technology would affect the way we work, live, and play. The healthcare industry has been one area that technology has helped. Patient care has been drastically improved by these advances, as have the nurses and doctors who use new measures. The job of a nurse today looks nothing like it did 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. ORDER HERE RN’s and Nurse Practitioners have changed the way they administer patient care. They are able to increase their workflow all while limiting their human errors. In return, it makes their job safer, and it is also less challenging on their bodies. Over the years, there have been seven major enhancements that have changed the nursing field Today, these advancements are being used at top hospitals and health care facilities across the world. These practices have made nursing a better profession to be a part of.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 1. Enhanced Communication When nurses received pagers back in the 1980-1990’s, they were able to increase patient care. Fast forward nearly 20 years and each nurse carries a cell phone with the ability to order a pizza and medicine all at the same time. Most hospitals have advanced communication systems. Use smart phones and apps, nurses can receive text messages and receive alarms from their patients through their phones. Forget those old-fashioned pagers. The entire nursing staff is more in touch with their patients and with each other. It’s efficiency at its finest and the nursing staff of today wouldn’t know how to do it any other way. 2. Electronic Records Piles of endless paperwork consumed the nursing staff for decades. Physical paper charts and faxing medical records is pretty much a thing of the past. Hospitals and medical care centers have switched to electronic records. This allows everyone in the hospital to access the patient’s information with the touch of a button. A nurse can quickly see what medications the patient is taking and which ones they are allergic too. They can look up test results and see all sorts of other data. Doctors can put notes that the nurse needs to see about the patient’s needs. Even things like religious preference can be recorded. It’s one way that nurses are connecting with their patients without hours of paperwork.NURS 6051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper 3. GPS tracking Hospital efficiency has been increased through GPS tracking. Tagging and tracking medical equipment is much easier than it was before. Radio frequency identifications tags help nurses find the nearest blood pressure machine or another piece of equipment. It sounds like a simple matter, but being able to centrally monitor equipment has increased bed management and patient care incredibly. 4. Enhanced Diagnostic Devices Most of the technological advancements are to help doctors, nurses, and the patients. Take for instance diagnostic exams. These can now be perf

RECOMMENDED: NURS 5051 – Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology Essay Paper