Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving NURS 6051 Example Solution Included
In the modern era, there are few professions that do not to some extent rely on data. Stockbrokers rely on market data to advise clients on financial matters. Meteorologists rely on weather data to forecast weather conditions, while realtors rely on data to advise on the purchase and sale of property. In these and other cases, data not only helps solve problems, but adds to the practitioner’s and the discipline’s body of knowledge
Module 1: What Is Informatics? (Weeks 1-2)
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). What is Informatics? [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Accessible player –Downloads– Download Video w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze how data collection and access can be used to derive knowledge in a healthcare setting
- Analyze the role of the nurse leader in using clinical reasoning and judgement in the formation of knowledge
- Explain the role of the nurse as a knowledge worker
- Explain concepts of nursing informatics
- Create infographics related to nursing informatics and the role of the nurse as a knowledge worker
| Due By | Assignment |
| Week 1, Days 1–2 | Read/Watch/Listen to the Learning Resources. Compose your initial Discussion post. |
| Week 1, Day 3 | Post your initial Discussion post. Begin to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 1, Days 4-5 | Review peer Discussion posts. Compose your peer Discussion responses. Continue to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 1, Day 6 | Post at least two peer Discussion responses on two different days (and not the same day as the initial post). Continue to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 1, Day 7 | Wrap up Discussion. |
| Week 2, Day 1–6 | Continue to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 2, Day 7 | Deadline to submit your Assignment. |
Learning Resources
Required Readings
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 1, “Nursing Science and the Foundation of Knowledge” (pp. 7–19)
- Chapter 2, “Introduction to Information, Information Science, and Information Systems” (pp. 21–33)
- Chapter 3, “Computer Science and the Foundation of Knowledge Model” (pp. 35–62)
Sweeney, J. (2017). Healthcare informatics. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 21(1).
Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving
In the modern era, there are few professions that do not to some extent rely on data. Stockbrokers rely on market data to advise clients on financial matters. Meteorologists rely on weather data to forecast weather conditions, while realtors rely on data to advise on the purchase and sale of property. In these and other cases, data not only helps solve problems, but adds to the practitioner’s and the discipline’s body of knowledge.
Of course, the nursing profession also relies heavily on data. The field of nursing informatics aims to make sure nurses have access to the appropriate date to solve healthcare problems, make decisions in the interest of patients, and add to knowledge.
In this Discussion, you will consider a scenario that would benefit from access to data and how such access could facilitate both problem-solving and knowledge formation.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the concepts of informatics and knowledge work as presented in the Resources.
- Consider a hypothetical scenario based on your own healthcare practice or organization that would require or benefit from the access/collection and application of data. Your scenario may involve a patient, staff, or management problem or gap.
By Day 3 of Week 1
Post a description of the focus of your scenario. Describe the data that could be used and how the data might be collected and accessed. What knowledge might be derived from that data? How would a nurse leader use clinical reasoning and judgment in the formation of knowledge from this experience?
Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving NURS 6051 Example Solution
For decades, different institutions have been acquiring information and using it to solve various problems. Small businesses, as well as large enterprises, have also been doing the same. In the healthcare sphere, nurses have been using different methods to obtain data, which is then analyzed and later used to find solutions for various problems in the sector. As McConigle and Mastrian (2017) mentioned, the nursing profession is information-intensive. Without collecting relevant data, the nursing sector would be unable to deliver quality services to patients, thereby crippling the entire healthcare realm.
Informatics Clinical Application
While working as a Clinical Nurse Coordinator, sometimes back, data collection was a vital part of my operation. On the 28-bed telemetry floor, I realized that whenever I approached the management without adequate data to support my ideas about solving various problems at the workplace, the concepts would be brushed aside.
However, the administration was always happy to listen to my thoughts on something if my presentation had adequate data to support the concepts. Therefore, no matter how good your thoughts are, they do not mean a lot unless you have gathered enough facts to support them. That is why the data collection and analysis process is vital to the nursing practice realm.
Data helps to support arguments conclusively (Sweeney, 2017). Currently, there is an idea that I am trying to put on the table that involves proving to the management that the facility needs more nurses on the telemetry floor to free-charge nurses for the numerous patient tasks that they handle during the shifts. Charge nurses ensure everything runs smoothly at a medical facility during a certain shift. They assume leadership during the hours that they are in charge.
Their clinical experience ensures that other nurses in the department deliver quality care to the patients. If a nurse fails to deliver, they are supposed to report them to the management. They are also responsible for coming up with work schedules, overseeing discharges and admissions, and helping to check up on patients.
In the 28-bed telemetry floor, charge nurses are too busy to oversee their real duties, primarily because there are not enough nurses in the department. Instead of playing the oversight role, they carry out the usual nursing tasks like administering medicine and checking up on patients occasionally. On a daily basis, the number of RNs versus patients is recorded and computerized. Presently, I have data collected over the previous month.
My preliminary analysis of the data reveals that the number of patients seems to be overwhelming the nurses. Many patients are being admitted to the floor, forcing the charge nurse to leave their actual oversight duties to attend to patients. Things can easily slip out of hand in such scenarios since no one oversees the various patient care processes. I have also been collecting patient feedback during the period, based on which I have concluded that patient satisfaction is dismal whenever the charge nurse is involved in patient care.
Informatic competence helps to alter clinical decisions positively and eventually improve patient outcomes (McConigle & Mastrian, 2017). Data collected over six months will be adequate to fully convince the management of the need for a change at the facility to improve patient outcomes as well as satisfaction.
As the nursing profession evolves, technology is bound to influence patient outcomes significantly (Nagle et al., 2017). The need for EHR competence is also going to rise. EHR makes data collection and analysis easier. As a young practitioner, I plan on becoming familiar with the various technology-based methods of data collection and analysis to improve myself as a nurse and ultimately advance the nursing profession.
References
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Nagle, L. M., Sermeus, W., Junger, A., & Bloomberg, L. S. (2017). Evolving Role of the Nursing Informatics Specialist. Forecasting Informatics Competencies for Nurses in the Future of Connected Health, 212.
Sweeney, J. (2017). Healthcare informatics. On-Line Journal of Nursing Informatics, 21(1). https://search.proquest.com/indexingvolumeissuelinkhandler/2034896/On+-+Line+Journal+of+Nursing+Informatics/02017Y02Y01$23Feb+2017$3b++Vol.+21+$281$29/21/1;jsessionid=CE90CAE74C27162F08A1240D7D181354.i-0ff9edadb0c803625
Assignment: The Nurse Leader as Knowledge Worker
The term “knowledge worker” was first coined by management consultant and author Peter Drucker in his book, The Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959). Drucker defined knowledge workers as high-level workers who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal training, to develop products and services. Does this sound familiar?
Nurses are very much knowledge workers. What has changed since Drucker’s time are the ways that knowledge can be acquired. The volume of data that can now be generated and the tools used to access this data have evolved significantly in recent years and helped healthcare professionals (among many others) to assume the role of knowledge worker in new and powerful ways.
In this Assignment, you will consider the evolving role of the nurse leader and how this evolution has led nurse leaders to assume the role of knowledge worker. You will prepare a PowerPoint presentation with an infographic (graphic that visually represents information, data, or knowledge. Infographics are intended to present information quickly and clearly.) to educate others on the role of nurse as knowledge worker.
Reference: Drucker, P. (1959). The landmarks of tomorrow. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
To Prepare:
- Review the concepts of informatics as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
- Consider how knowledge may be informed by data that is collected/accessed.
The Assignment:
- Explain the concept of a knowledge worker.
- Define and explain nursing informatics and highlight the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker.
- Include one slide that visually represents the role of a nurse leader as knowledge worker.
- Your PowerPoint should Include the hypothetical scenario you originally shared in the Discussion Forum. Include your examination of the data that you could use, how the data might be accessed/collected, and what knowledge might be derived from that data. Be sure to incorporate feedback received from your colleagues’ responses.
NURS 6051 Module 2: The Role of the Informatics Specialist in Healthcare (Weeks 3-4)
Discussion: Interaction Between Nurse Informaticists and Other Specialists
Nature offers many examples of specialization and collaboration. Ant colonies and bee hives are but two examples of nature’s sophisticated organizations. Each thrives because their members specialize by tasks, divide labor, and collaborate to ensure food, safety, and general well-being of the colony or hive.
Of course, humans don’t fare too badly in this regard either. And healthcare is a great example. As specialists in the collection, access, and application of data, nurse informaticists collaborate with specialists on a regular basis to ensure that appropriate data is available to make decisions and take actions to ensure the general well-being of patients.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your own observations of and/or experiences with informaticist collaboration. You will also propose strategies for how these collaborative experiences might be improved.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the evolution of nursing informatics from a science to a nursing specialty.
- Consider your experiences with nurse Informaticists or technology specialists within your healthcare organization.
By Day 3 of Week 3
Post a description of experiences or observations about how nurse informaticists and/or data or technology specialists interact with other professionals within your healthcare organization. Suggest at least one strategy on how these interactions might be improved. Be specific and provide examples. Then, explain the impact you believe the continued evolution of nursing informatics as a specialty and/or the continued emergence of new technologies might have on professional interactions.
By Day 6 of Week 3
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering one or more additional interaction strategies in support of the examples/observations shared or by offering further insight to the thoughts shared about the future of these interactions.
Assignment: The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies
In the Discussion for this module, you considered the interaction of nurse informaticists with other specialists to ensure successful care. How is that success determined?
Patient outcomes and the fulfillment of care goals is one of the major ways that healthcare success is measured. Measuring patient outcomes results in the generation of data that can be used to improve results. Nursing informatics can have a significant part in this process and can help to improve outcomes by improving processes, identifying at-risk patients, and enhancing efficiency.
To Prepare:
- Review the concepts of technology application as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may help fortify nursing informatics as a specialty by leading to increased impact on patient outcomes or patient care efficiencies.
The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)
In a 4- to 5-page project proposal written to the leadership of your healthcare organization, propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient-care efficiency. Your project proposal should include the following:
- Describe the project you propose.
- Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project.
- Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving and explain how this improvement would occur. Be specific and provide examples.
- Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.
- Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team.
- Use APA format and include a title page and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
Learning Resources
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 25, “The Art of Caring in Technology-Laden Environments” (pp. 525–535)
- Chapter 26, “Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge” (pp. 537–551)
The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies Example Solution
The ultimate goal of every healthcare practice is to provide the best services to the patients. These goals are gauged and reflected in the quality of the health care services. Patient care efficiency and safety are two elements of quality in healthcare. The role of healthcare technology in improving patient care efficiency, timeliness, and outcomes cannot be overemphasized (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2021).
In the medical and surgical units in healthcare delivery, bed-bound patients require timely monitoring to reduce their risks of pressure sores and venous thromboembolism. Turning of patients and change of positions are some of the nursing interventions used on bedbound patients to prevent hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI) (Pickham et al., 2018).
Regular turning every two hours in the inpatient units requires proper scheduling. Using nursing informatics can make this process easier, timely, and safe. This paper aims to describe a project proposal to utilize nursing informatics to prevent hospital-acquired pressure injuries through regular turning.
The Project
This project will employ the use of electronic health records and wearable device technology to monitor and implement their nursing plan. In an inpatient unit, different patients require different recurrent interventions to maintain their health and improve recovery. The project will require that nurses coordinate with other healthcare professionals through the institution’s electronic health record system to make decisions and plan care.
In this project, bedbound patients will be monitored remotely through the use of healthcare technologies technology. Patients who cannot ambulate or are not physically active because they are mentally or physically debilitated in the two inpatient units will be identified by the shift nurses and monitored through the electronic health records systems. The nurse will explain the role of technology to patients or their families.
Because different patients will have different schedules for turning, the technology will alert the shift nurses through the electronic health records system. The monitoring will take place at the nurse’s station. The patient will have a sensor technology that will be connected to the EHR through the institution’s local area network (LAN). During that shift, the nursing staff will then implement the two-hourly turning plans after the alert reminder by the system.
Stakeholders
This project will involve various stakeholders involved in direct and indirect patient care. The project will require input from the charge nurses of the two units. The charge nurses will offer the necessary leadership strategies to ensure their shift nurses work as a team to achieve patient care goals. The nurse informaticist will be needed for the success of the project’s technological and care delivery aspects.
The informaticist will ensure the planning for compatibility and usability of the system are given priority for efficiency of use. This project will also impact the patients and their families as they are the immediate recipients of care in the institution. Their feedback and participation will be crucial determinants of the project’s success and the care delivered.
The institution’s procurement officers and accountants will also be impacted because of the need for their services during the purchase and implementation of the technologies. This project will also impact physicians and surgeons because they will be required to prescribe turning and ambulation for these patients and follow them up.
Patient Outcomes and Care Efficiencies
Efficiency in any process is a measurable outcome. The nurses’ input and the output of the care are essential elements of the efficiency of the care delivery. The cost and time spent in providing the care should be commensurate with the cost and time incurred by the patient during this care process. This project will reduce the time spent on physical monitoring of patients requiring two-hour turning (Pickham et al., 2018; Pickham et al., 2018).
The project will personalize the time for the patient’s two-hourly turning and center the schedule around the patient’s needs. Therefore, the project will enhance patient-centered care by avoiding the generalization of nursing plans for all patients in the unit. The alerts from this new system of planning will reduce the risks of medical errors by ensuring that the patient receives nursing care in time without fail.
This new clinical decision support system will minimize errors due to omission because, at the same time, the nurse will be performing the two-hour turning, they will also have the opportunity to check physically on the patient through physical examination. The sensor technology will be able to alert the system on extra findings such as vital signs.
Required Technology
The project will require two technological systems interconnected through the institution’s networks and alert system. Sensory technology will be enabled through a wearable device that will detect lateral and vertical motion of the patient’s body and monitor the duration of inactivity (Renganathan et al., 2019). Duration of inactivity exceeding two hours will be provided an alert to the nurse at the station for prompt action.
By monitoring the patient self turns and nurses turning, this technology will reduce the time the patient spends in inactivity (Schutt et al., 2018). The electronic health records will ensure that the patient data and records of interventions, inclusion physical turning, are available efficiently to every nurse attending to these patients at any time of the day.
Therefore, computer systems will have constant connectivity, and a network will be required to implement this project. The entire clinical decision support system (CDSS) will require portable computers and tablets for easier access anywhere in the unit.
Project Team
The project team will consist of a project manager, the two charge nurses in the medical and surgical units, the institution’s procurement officer, and the nurse manager. The project manager will be a nurse informaticist who will coordinate all project activities. The charge nurses will offer collaborative communication between nurses and other team members and provide timely feedback on the progress and usability of the system.
The procurement officer will be involved in the financial planning and purchase of additional technology to support the EHR. The nurse manager will offer the administrative support and approval of the institution’s administration before implementing the project and oversee that the legal aspects of the project are maintained.
Conclusion
The care of bedbound patients will be made better through this new system of alert system and monitoring. This project aims at improving patient care outcomes and efficiency through a clinical decision support system. The CDSS will include sensory technology using a wearable device and connected to the EHR that will provide a time alert for two-hourly turning for each bedbound patient. The technology will reduce the time spent monitoring these patients and improve monitoring efficiency. The project team will consist of a nurse informaticist as the project manager, charge nurses, and nurse manager.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2021, October). Quality and patient safety resources. Ahrq.Gov. https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/resources/index.html
Pickham, D., Berte, N., Pihulic, M., Valdez, A., Mayer, B., & Desai, M. (2018). Effect of a wearable patient sensor on care delivery for preventing pressure injuries in acutely ill adults: A pragmatic randomized clinical trial (LS-HAPI study). International Journal of Nursing Studies, 80, 12–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.12.012
Renganathan, B. S., Nagaiyan, S., Preejith, S. P., Gopal, S., Mitra, S., & Sivaprakasam, M. (2019). Effectiveness of a continuous patient position monitoring system in improving hospital turn protocol compliance in an ICU: A multiphase multisite study in India. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 20(4), 309–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/1751143718804682
Schutt, S. C., Tarver, C., & Pezzani, M. (2018). Pilot study: Assessing the effect of continual position monitoring technology on compliance with patient turning protocols. Nursing Open, 5(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.105
Sharp, C. A., Schulz Moore, J. S., & McLaws, M.-L. (2019). Two-hourly repositioning for prevention of pressure ulcers in the elderly: Patient safety or elder abuse? Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 16(1), 17–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-018-9892-3
NURS 6051 Module 3: Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) (Week 5)
Discussion: Big Data Risks and Rewards
When you wake in the morning, you may reach for your cell phone to reply to a few texts or email messages that you missed overnight. On your drive to work, you may stop to refuel your car. Upon your arrival, you might swipe a key card at the door to gain entrance to the facility. And before finally reaching your workstation, you may stop by the cafeteria to purchase a coffee.
From the moment you wake, you are in fact a data-generation machine. Each use of your phone, every transaction you make using a debit or credit card, even your entrance to your place of work, creates data. It begs the question: How much data do you generate each day? Many studies have been conducted on this, and the numbers are staggering: Estimates suggest that nearly 1 million bytes of data are generated every second for every person on earth.
As the volume of data increases, information professionals have looked for ways to use big data—large, complex sets of data that require specialized approaches to use effectively. Big data has the potential for significant rewards—and significant risks—to healthcare. In this Discussion, you will consider these risks and rewards.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the web article Big Data Means Big Potential, Challenges for Nurse Execs.
- Reflect on your own experience with complex health information access and management and consider potential challenges and risks you may have experienced or observed.
By Day 3 of Week 5
Post a description of at least one potential benefit of using big data as part of a clinical system and explain why. Then, describe at least one potential challenge or risk of using big data as part of a clinical system and explain why. Propose at least one strategy you have experienced, observed, or researched that may effectively mitigate the challenges or risks of using big data you described. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days by offering one or more additional mitigation strategies or further insight into your colleagues’ assessment of big data opportunities and risks.
Learning Resources
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 22, “Data Mining as a Research Tool” (pp. 477-493)
- Chapter 24, “Bioinformatics, Biomedical Informatics, and Computational Biology” (pp. 537-551)
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Health Informatics and Population Health: Analyzing Data for Clinical Success [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
NURS 6051 Module 4: Technologies Supporting Applied Practice and Optimal Patient Outcomes (Weeks 6-8)
Discussion: Healthcare Information Technology Trends
Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment.
But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
- Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information.
- Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
By Day 3 of Week 6
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described.
Then, describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described.
Next, explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why. Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering additional/alternative ideas regarding opportunities and risks related to the observations shared.
Assignment: Literature Review: The Use of Clinical Systems to Improve Outcomes and Efficiencies
New technology—and the application of existing technology—only appears in healthcare settings after careful and significant research. The stakes are high, and new clinical systems need to offer evidence of positive impact on outcomes or efficiencies.
Nurse informaticists and healthcare leaders formulate clinical system strategies. As these strategies are often based on technology trends, informaticists and others have then benefited from consulting existing research to inform their thinking.
In this Assignment, you will review existing research focused on the application of clinical systems. After reviewing, you will summarize your findings.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources and reflect on the impact of clinical systems on outcomes and efficiencies within the context of nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
- Conduct a search for recent (within the last 5 years) research focused on the application of clinical systems. The research should provide evidence to support the use of one type of clinical system to improve outcomes and/or efficiencies, such as “the use of personal health records or portals to support patients newly diagnosed with diabetes.”
- Identify and select 4 peer-reviewed research articles from your research.
- For information about annotated bibliographies, visit https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies
The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)
In a 4- to 5-page paper, synthesize the peer-reviewed research you reviewed. Format your Assignment as an Annotated Bibliography. Be sure to address the following:
- Identify the 4 peer-reviewed research articles you reviewed, citing each in APA format.
- Include an introduction explaining the purpose of the paper.
- Summarize each study, explaining the improvement to outcomes, efficiencies, and lessons learned from the application of the clinical system each peer-reviewed article described. Be specific and provide examples.
- In your conclusion, synthesize the findings from the 4 peer-reviewed research articles.
- Use APA format and include a title page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
Learning Resources
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 14, “The Electronic Health Record and Clinical Informatics” (pp. 267–287)
- Chapter 15, “Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes” (pp. 293–317)
- Chapter 16, “Patient Engagement and Connected Health” (pp. 323–338)
- Chapter 17, “Using Informatics to Promote Community/Population Health” (pp. 341–355)
- Chapter 18, “Telenursing and Remote Access Telehealth” (pp. 359–388)
Dykes, P. C., Rozenblum, R., Dalal, A., Massaro, A., Chang, F., Clements, M., Collins, S. …Bates, D. W. (2017). Prospective evaluation of a multifaceted intervention to improve outcomes in intensive care: The Promoting Respect and Ongoing Safety Through Patient Engagement Communication and Technology Study. Critical Care Medicine, 45(8), e806–e813. doi:10.1097/CCM.0000000000002449
HealthIT.gov. (2018c). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from
https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr
Rao-Gupta, S., Kruger, D. Leak, L. D., Tieman, L. A., & Manworren, R. C. B. (2018). Leveraging interactive patient care technology to Improve pain management engagement. Pain Management Nursing, 19(3), 212–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2017.11.002
Skiba, D. (2017). Evaluation tools to appraise social media and mobile applications. Informatics, 4(3), 32–40. https://doaj.org/article/01d0b14596e4496d92ef16177ed2c5a1?
NURS 6051 Module 5: The Nurse Leader and the System Development Life Cycle (Weeks 9-10)
Discussion: The Inclusion of Nurses in the Systems Development Life Cycle
In the media introduction to this module, it was suggested that you as a nurse have an important role in the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). With a focus on patient care and outcomes, nurses may not always see themselves as contributors to the development of new systems. However, as you may have observed in your own experience, exclusion of nurse contributions when implementing systems can have dire consequences.
In this Discussion, you will consider the role you might play in systems development and the ramifications of not being an active participant in systems development.
To Prepare:
- Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on your own healthcare organization and consider any steps your healthcare organization goes through when purchasing and implementing a new health information technology system.
- Consider what a nurse might contribute to decisions made at each stage of the SDLC when planning for new health information technology.
By Day 3 of Week 9
Post a description of what you believe to be the consequences of a healthcare organization not involving nurses in each stage of the SDLC when purchasing and implementing a new health information technology system. Provide specific examples of potential issues at each stage of the SDLC and explain how the inclusion of nurses may help address these issues.
Then, explain whether you had any input in the selection and planning of new health information technology systems in your nursing practice or healthcare organization and explain potential impacts of being included or not in the decision-making process. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 9
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, by offering additional thoughts regarding the examples shared, SDLC-related issues, and ideas on how the inclusion of nurses might have impacted the example described by your colleagues.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation
Assume you are a nurse manager on a unit where a new nursing documentation system is to be implemented. You want to ensure that the system will be usable and acceptable for the nurses impacted. You realize a nurse leader must be on the implementation team.
To Prepare:
- Review the steps of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and reflect on the scenario presented.
- Consider the benefits and challenges associated with involving a nurse leader on an implementation team for health information technology.
The Assignment: (2-3 pages not including the title and reference page)
In preparation of filling this role, develop a 2- to 3-page role description for a graduate-level nurse to guide his/her participation on the implementation team. The role description should be based on the SDLC stages and tasks and should clearly define how this individual will participate in and impact each of the following steps:
- Planning and requirements definition
- Analysis
- Design of the new system
- Implementation
- Post-implementation support
- Use APA format and include a title page and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
Learning Resources
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 9, “Systems Development Life Cycle: Nursing Informatics and Organizational Decision Making” (pp. 175–187)
- Chapter 12, “Electronic Security” (pp. 229–242)
- Chapter 13, “Workflow and Beyond Meaningful Use” (pp. 245–261)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.a). Health IT evaluation toolkit and evaluation measures quick reference guide. Retrieved September 27, 2018, from
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.b). Workflow assessment for health IT toolkit. https://healthit.ahrq.gov/health-it-tools-and-resources/evaluation-resources/workflow-assessment-health-it-toolkit
Louis, I. (2011, August 17). Systems development life cycle (SDLC) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtpyjPrpyX8
NURS 6051 Module 6: Policy and Regulation Supporting Informatics and Technology Integration (Week 11)
Assignment: Policy/Regulation Fact Sheet
As a professional nurse, you are expected to apply your expertise to patient care. On occasion, you will also be expected to share that expertise.
With evolving technology and continuous changes to regulations designed to keep up these changes, there is usually a need to share information and expertise to inform colleagues, leadership, patients, and other stakeholders.
In this Assignment, you will study a recent nursing informatics-related healthcare policy, and you will share the relevant details via a fact sheet designed to inform and educate.
To Prepare:
- Review the Resources on healthcare policy and regulatory/legislative topics related to health and nursing informatics.
- Consider the role of the nurse informaticist in relation to a healthcare organization’s compliance with various policies and regulations, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
- Research and select one health or nursing informatics policy (within the past 5 years) or regulation for further study.
The Assignment: (1 page not including the title and reference page)
Create a 1-page fact sheet that your healthcare organization could hypothetically use to explain the health or nursing informatics policy/regulation you selected. Your fact sheet should address the following:
- Briefly and generally explain the policy or regulation you selected.
- Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on system implementation.
- Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow.
- Highlight organizational policies and procedures that are/will be in place at your healthcare organization to address the policy or regulation you selected. Be specific.
- Use APA format and include a title page, in-text citations, and reference page.
- Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.
