NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment

ByDaniel Rossi Updated on

NRS 450 Summary of Current Course Content Knowledge

Academic engagement through active participation in instructional activities related to the course objectives is paramount to your success in this course and future courses. Through interaction with your instructor and classmates, you will explore the course material and be provided with the best opportunity for objective and competency mastery. To begin this class, review the course objectives for each Topic, and then answer the following questions as this will help guide your instructor for course instruction.

  1. Which weekly objectives do you have prior knowledge of and to what extent?
  2. Which weekly objectives do you have no prior knowledge of?
  3. What course-related topics would you like to discuss with your instructor and classmates? What questions or concerns do you have about this course?

Class Introductions

Take a moment to explore your new classroom and introduce yourself to your fellow classmates. What are you excited about learning? What do you think will be most challenging?

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 1 DQ 1

Based on the first letter of your first name, please define the following terms per your group number. Then, discuss the relevance of each term to nursing practice.

Group 1: A-F

Informatics

Interoperability

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

Group 2: G-M

Nursing Informatics

Informatics Nurse Specialist

Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS)  

Mobile Medical Devices

Group 3: N-S

Information Exchange

Telehealth/Telemedicine

Wearable Technology

Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform Initiative (TIGER)

Group 4: T-Z

Data Analytics

Business Intelligence  

Data Visualization

Artificial Intelligence

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 1 DQ 2

Throughout the RN-BSN Program, you have discussed many different nursing theories. In Informatics, the core elements of the field stem from the Foundation of Knowledge Model, also known as the Data-Information- Knowledge-Wisdom (DIKW) Paradigm.

Select a clinical scenario from your practice and analyze it using the Foundation of Knowledge Model.  

Data: What data was collected and how?

Information: Describe the information that was obtained.

Knowledge: Explain the knowledge that you acquired in this scenario.

Wisdom: In analyzing the information obtained, what wisdom did you discover or gain? Did you need to disseminate or share this new knowledge? If yes, to whom? What feedback did you receive?

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

Benchmark – Information and Communication Technologies in Nursing

The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate the various information and communication technology tools that can be used when caring for patients, communities, and populations.

For this assignment, use two to three scholarly sources to write a 1,000-1,250-word essay. Based on your current practice, clinical experience, course materials, and review of outside resources, include the following:

Discuss the history of health information technologies and the evolution of nursing informatics.

Based on the various areas of practice discussed on the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) website, describe the one that is most relevant to day-to-day nursing practices.

Explain two to three information and communication technologies and the components used on a daily basis to provide care to patients, communities, and populations.

Describe the appropriate use of multimedia applications in health care.

Evaluate how technology impacts the way you modify the plan of care to meet the needs of your patients.

Provide two examples.

Explain the importance of nursing engagement in the planning and selection of health care technologies.

Cite a minimum of two sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the past 5

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

RN-BSN

  • Describe the various information and communication technology tools used in the care of patients, communities, and populations.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Topic 2: Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Standards for Health Information            

Objectives:

  1. Assess the role of federal agencies in setting standards and regulations for health information.
  2. Evaluate the impact of health information standards and regulations on health care delivery.
  3. Discuss the role that ethics plays in health information privacy and security

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 2 DQ 1

Assessment Description Review the scenario below.

Carol, a nurse on a busy medical-surgical unit, is precepting Henry, a nursing student. Carol opens Mr. Smith’s chart in the electronic health record (EHR) to document his assessment. She must step away from the computer to assist with an emergency with another patient. Carol asks Henry to continue charting the assessment in Mr. Smith’s chart while she is gone. Henry completes the charting for Mr. Smith and then opens the charts of other patients on the unit to see why they have been admitted.

Carol returns to the computer with Henry. Mr. Smith had requested a printout of his medications. Carol clicks print for the medication list but did not notice that Henry had opened another patient’s chart. Carol and Henry leave the computer to find the printer for Mr. Smith’s medication list.

George, another nurse on the floor, sees that the EHR is logged in and is in a hurry. He switches to his patient’s chart and documents his patient’s vital signs and administration of a medication. He does not sign the computer off but leaves to go administer the medication.

Samuel, a social worker from another unit, comes by to see Mr. Smith, who is his neighbor. Mr. Smith is sleeping, and the EHR is open on the computer. Samuel is curious about why Mr. Smith is in the hospital, so he starts to read the chart.

Carol and Henry are unable to find the medication list for Mr. Smith but did find a print-out of a medication list for another patient on the unit. They return to the computer to re-print the medication list where they find Samuel reviewing Mr. Smith’s chart.

Respond to the following prompts:

Evaluate the professional responsibilities for the ethical use of health care informatics technology.

Discuss the ethical challenges the nurse encountered in this scenario and the principles that were violated.

Describe how you would handle this in your own practice or describe one thing that could have been done differently.

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 2 DQ 2

Identify the basic concepts of the electronic health record (EHR), mobile health, and telehealth systems in enabling patient care. Explain the impact of health information exchange, interoperability, and integration on the EHR, mobile health, and telehealth systems to provide the best outcomes for patient care. Within your scope of practice, which of these information and communication technologies do you use and how are they used?

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

Benchmark – Health Information Standards and Regulations

The purpose of this assignment is to become familiar with health information standards and regulations.

Students will evaluate the utilization of AI chatbots in patient education for health promotion. For this assignment, complete the “Health Information Standards and Regulations” template.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

RN-BSN

8.5: Use information and communication technologies in accordance with ethical, legal, professional, and regulatory standards, and workplace policies in the delivery of care.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Topic 3: Methods and Technologies for Security, Safety, Collaboration, and Quality          

Objectives:

  1. Articulate the nurse’s role within an interprofessional team in promoting and contributing to a culture of patient safety.
  2. Describe how informatics and emerging technologies are influencing health care delivery and clinical decision-making.
  3. Evaluate how decision support tools and performance metrics can be used to monitor the quality of patient care.
  4. Assess the various communication technology tools to assist the interprofessional team in making patient care decisions.                       

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 3 DQ 1

Health care systems must take every precaution to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient information. This includes complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) regulations.

Respond to the following prompts:

Describe the processes that health care organizations can use to secure electronic information in a computer network.

Evaluate the potential impact of cyberattacks on patient privacy, clinical outcomes, and the health care organization’s financial resources.

Identify the various user authentication methods that are utilized to help protect and secure a health care organization’s network.

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 3 DQ 2

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) encourages collaboration across different disciplines to seek solutions that provide a culture of safety for patients. This collaboration must include informatics as part of the interprofessional team. Patient safety is always at the center of the design and adoption of any technology introduced in a patient care setting. Reflect on a recent patient situation and describe three

communication tools that were used to provide quality care. How did these communication tools assist the interprofessional team in making decisions for the patient? Provide one example of how technology in this situation can be improved.

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

Benchmark – Culture of Patient Safety Case Studies

The purpose of this assignment is to explore ways a culture of patient safety is created using information and communication technologies and informatic processes that deliver safe nursing care while promoting health.

Use the “Culture of Patient Safety Case Studies” template to complete this assignment.

This assignment has indirect care experience requirements. The “Indirect Care Experience Hours” form, found in the Topic 3 Resources, will be used to document the indirect care experience hours completed in Topics 3, 4 and 5. As progress is made on this and subsequent assignments, update this form indicating the date(s) each section is completed. This form will be submitted in Topic 5.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies: RN-BSN

5.2: Contribute to a culture of patient safety.

8.3: Use information and communication technologies and informatics processes to deliver safe nursing care to diverse populations in a variety of settings.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education This assignment aligns to AACN Core Competencies 2.6, 5.2, 5.1, 7.3, and 8.3

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Topic 3 – Indirect Care Experience Remediation

Assignments associated with demonstrating competency related to indirect care experience hours required to pass NRS-450 are submitted throughout the course. Individualized remediation plans are a system of support to help students improve in the areas identified as requiring improvement when performance is assessed against the learning objectives of the course.

If you earned a 76% or higher on the Topic 3 “Benchmark – Culture of Patient Safety Case Studies” assignment, you do not need to complete this assignment.

Students who fail to complete the Topic 3 “Benchmark – Culture of Patient Safety Case Studies” assignment with a score of 76% or higher will be required to complete a remediation plan with their faculty and submit the plan in addition to the necessary remediation activities by the end of Topic 5. Students who must remediate and fail to do so will not receive a passing grade in the course.

To receive a passing grade in the NRS-450 course, students must complete all deliverables associated with indirect care experience hours and successfully complete remediation (if necessary).

Please note: The completion of remediation demonstrates competency related to indirect care experience hours; however, completion of remediation will not change your grade for the Topic 3 “Benchmark – Culture of Patient Safety Case Studies” assignment.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

You are required to submit this assignment to Lopes Write. A link to the Lopes Write technical support articles is located in Course Resources if you need assistance.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Topic 4: Nursing Informatics for Clinical Decision-Making and Promotion of Health Equity                                            

Objectives:

  1. Explain how a clinical decision-making tool supports health equity and information literacy in an organization.
  2. Evaluate clinical decision support system functionality and related clinical workflows in health care organizations.
  3. Assess how clinical decision-making using clinical decision support (CDS) tools can enhance the promotion of health equity.                                                                            

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 4 DQ 1

Describe the impact of policies on population outcomes, including social justice and health equity. Select one policy that addresses the population outcomes, social justice, or health equity and suggest a communication platform for sharing the information with stakeholders.

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education This assignment aligns to AACN Core Competency 3.4

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 4 DQ 2

Explain the role of communication technology in enhancing clinical information flows. Name three contemporary communication technologies used in acute care facilities. How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning changing the functionality of these platforms?

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

Benchmark – Clinical Decision-Making Tools and Health Equity

The purpose of this assignment is to examine Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) to determine their application in addressing health equity. Develop a presentation outlining task force goals and relevant information for implementing a CDSS system to improve equity of care and promote health for all patients.

This assignment has indirect care experience requirements. The “Indirect Care Experience Hours” form, found in the Topic 3 Resources, will be used to document the indirect care experience hours completed in Topics 3, 4 and 5. As progress is made on this and subsequent assignments, update this form indicating the date(s) each section is completed. This form will be submitted in Topic 5. In your role as a nurse informaticist, you have been asked by the Chief Informatics Officer (CIO) to evaluate several clinical decision-making tools to be used by your organization’s stakeholders. The selected Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) will be used to analyze the current state of health equity and information literacy in your organization.

Your first step is to create a task force of stakeholders to participate in the CDSS selection process. Prepare a 10-12 slide PowerPoint presentation for the first task force meeting to include these agenda items:

Reason for the Project: Explain the organizational need, reason for the project, rationale for implementing a clinical decision-making tool in your organization. Discuss how CDSS can improve health equity and information literacy in your organization.

Task Force Selection: Explain why you have been selected to lead this project. In your speaker notes, explain the role of each stakeholder and why they were selected to serve on this task force.

Research: Conduct research and identify one popular CDSS system used in the health care industry, include a description of the CDSS system.

Basic Concepts of Systems: Review the information and communication technologies (in the electronic health record, mobile health, and telehealth systems). Select one communication technology and discuss how a clinical decision-making tool can be incorporated to improve health equity in patient care.

Crucial Functionality: Describe the crucial functions of the selected CDSS. Explain why it is essential to the clinical workflow. Explain the impact of the CDSS on health information exchange, interoperability, and integration of health care.

Task Force Communication: Describe how communication technologies support documentation of care and communication among providers and patients at all system levels. Discuss how communication technology will be used to communicate with the task force members during the project.

Refer to the resource, “Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations,” located in the Student Success Center, for additional guidance on completing this assignment in the appropriate style.

The title slide and reference slide are not included in the slide count. Include speaker notes below each content-related slide that represent what would be said if giving the presentation in person. Expand upon the information included in the slide and do not simply restate it. Please ensure the speaker notes include a minimum of 50-75 words.

Cite a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years, appropriate for the assignment criteria, and relevant to nursing practice.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

RN-BSN

  • Use information and communication technology to gather data, create information, and generate knowledge.

8.4: Use information and communication technology to support documentation of care and communication among providers, patients, and all system levels.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Topic 5: Informatics Tools for Continuing Education and Professional Development                    

Objectives:

  1. Evaluate tools for continuing education and professional development.
  2. Develop a plan addressing the educational needs of staff using innovative tools.
  3. Discuss the value of lifelong learning in the field of health informatics.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 5 DQ 1

Summarize how professional nursing organizations are using technology to improve networking capabilities for nurses. Describe two emerging technologies that are changing the way nurses access continuing education and professional development opportunities. How can nurses use technology to advocate for their patients and the nursing profession?

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment Topic 5 DQ 2

Describe how lifelong learning helps nurses stay up-to-date on the latest medical advances and best practices. Explain how emerging fields, such as health informatics, improve patient safety and nursing competency. What are some challenges that nurses face in lifelong learning, and how can these challenges be overcome?

Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.

Indirect Care Experience Hours

The purpose of this assignment is to document and submit the completed “Indirect Care Experience Hours” form related to the assignments in Topic 3, Topic 4, and Topic 5. The completion of these assignments meets the requirements for clinical competencies as defined by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Complete and submit the “Indirect Care Experiences Hours” form to document your indirect care experience hours.

In order to receive a passing grade in the course, students are required to have met the required number of indirect care experience hours.

Informatics Education Plan

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a professional development plan using innovative education tools to help educate staff on relevant care topics to promote patient wellbeing.

This assignment has indirect care experience requirements. The “Indirect Care Experience Hours” form, found in the Topic 3 Resources, will be used to document the indirect care experience hours completed in Topics 3, 4 and 5. As progress is made on this and subsequent assignments, update this form indicating the date(s) each section is completed. This form will be submitted in Topic 5.

Read the scenario below and then complete Part 1 and Part 2 of the assignment.

Scenario

You are the Chief Informatics Officer (CIO) for a large health system, which includes 11 acute care locations and 25 clinics. As part of your role, which is described in greater detail in the attached “Role of the Chief Informatics Officer” document, you are charged with overseeing the continuing education and professional development using the latest technological advancements. Your current suite of educational tools is outdated based on the recent innovation sparked by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Your informatics team needs to update the following list of continuing education offerings. Currently, these courses are presented during a live PowerPoint presentation quarterly. However, this year, your goal is to improve the educational experience using the latest innovative technology to address one of the following topics:

Case management basics  Cultural competency

Emergency response  Wound care

Legal and ethical issues in health care informatics

Informatic tools to support communication and dissemination (i.e., disease outbreaks, support epidemiology, health disaster planning)

Informatic tools to support evidence-based practice (EBP)

Strategies for enhancing patient-centered care with technology  Data mining to discover patterns and establish relationships

Part 1: Slide Presentation

Create an education plan addressing one of the outcome measure topics utilizing an innovative technology tool from the provided list. Your education plan should include:

Initial assessment: Explain how the selected topic impacts patient outcomes.

Learning objectives: What are your objectives for the education plan? The objectives need to be specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant to patient outcomes.

Instructional methods: What methods would be most appropriate for you to use? Which tool(s) from the attached “Tool List for Education Plan” document, would you implement in your education plan? Justify your answer.

Resources and Support: What resources are available to help you? What resources will you need to be successful in your education plan?

Timeline: What is the timeline to implement the education plan?

Recruitment, communication, and contingency Plan: How will you recruit students for your educational sessions? How will you communicate your educational sessions? What are some options if unexpected events or challenges occur?

Evaluation: How will you assess if the education plan was successful?

Part 2: Video Recording

For Part 2 of this assignment, create a video resource for nursing educators at the facility. Using the presentation created in Part 1, record a 3-5-minute video to present the education plan and tools that will be used to educate staff. Include the link to your video in the speaker notes on your title/introductory slide.

You will be assessed on the following:

Content knowledge

Presentation skills, including body language, eye contact, evidence of preparation, clear articulation, and adherence to the 5-minute time limit

Record your video using a free GCU approved tool of your choice, such as Loom, Zoom, or PowerPoint. For additional support creating video presentations, refer to Course Material Support page located in the Student Success Center, which is lined in Course Materials. A resource on using Loom to record a video presentation is listed in the Course Materials as well.

Title slide and reference slide are not included in the slide count. Include speaker notes below each content- related slide that represent what would be said if giving the presentation in person. Expand upon the information included in the slide and do not simply restate it. Please ensure the speaker notes include a minimum of 50-75 words.

Refer to the resource, “Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations,” located in the Student Success Center, for additional guidance on completing this assignment in the appropriate style.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment

In this GCU NRS-450 Nursing Informatics Course, the focus is on the methods and technologies used to acquire, process, and analyze patient data, emphasizing information and communication technologies that support the documentation of care and effective communication among health team members at all system levels. Essentially, this course provides students with an understanding of the importance of professional and ethical standards pertaining to the regulation and security of health information.

Nursing Informatics in Health Care Example Paper

McGonigle and Mastrian (2021) define nursing informatics as the nursing subspecialty that enables nurses to master data, information, know-how, and wisdom through subspecialties that combine nursing science with information and computer science (p.56). Information technology has changed nursing care and transformed healthcare practice by assisting care delivery, supplementing decision-making, and predicting future trends in care using data. Technology’s potential to improve patient safety and quality of care is enormous (Schoenbaum & Carroll, 2020). 

However, technology keeps advancing, and better methods are being incorporated into practice. However, these technologies still require human interaction and human input to influence patient care. This proposal describes the role of a nurse informaticist, especially in an interdisciplinary team, explains the impact of full nurse engagement in technology, and finally suggests opportunities and predicts challenges that including a nurse informaticist in an interdisciplinary team creates.

Nursing Informatics and the Nurse Informaticist

Recent developments in healthcare, including the COVID-19 pandemic, opened our eyes to the need to harness the potential of technology in making healthcare efficient and meeting the needs of many patients remotely. Before this, the National League for Nursing, through their new vision, had urged nursing education programs to teach and prepare them for practice in the era of healthcare technologies (McBride & Tietze, 2022). However, the workload from clinician care needs and care efficiency needs can overwhelm the individual nurses, thus the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Nurse informaticists are specialists trained with scientific and artistic knowledge and skills in utilizing data science to influence care through communication, decision-making, and daily monitoring workflow in healthcare systems. Their role is crucial in an interdisciplinary team approach to care because they enable the interdisciplinary teams to work efficiently. Nurse informaticists can influence policymaking and implementation, technical capacity, and patient outcomes.

Nurse informaticists have played an essential role in selecting and implementing appropriate technologies to meet patient care needs in various hospitals. Enhancing technology usability by matching user needs and vendor software features is another way nurse informaticists have ensured that organizations get worth for their expenditures on technologies and that patients have received safe care by using appropriate, safe, and high-yield technologies.

Nurse Informaticists and Other Health Care Organizations

Various institutions have implemented the informaticist role in the clinical and administrative care hierarchies. Nurse informaticists support other nurses, healthcare professionals, patients, and other stakeholders by enabling information structures, processes, and technologies. According to McBride and Tietze (2022), nurse informaticists have improved patient safety and reduced care-associated costs (P.10). The achievements of these outcomes have been possible through safe medication administration systems using technology, predicting patient care changes through the prediction of patterns of previous outcomes, and easy documentation, retrieval and access of patient records.

Nursing Education for the Healthcare Informatics (NEHI) developed a model in 2013 through which nurse informaticists interact with other providers and care processes to achieve desired outcomes. According to the NEHI model, nurse informaticists influence public policy formation and the healthcare delivery environment by improving point-of-care technology, patient safety and care quality, and data management (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). Therefore, these nurses bridge the clinical and technological care delivery to meet efficiency and safety needs. Nurse informaticists in an interdisciplinary team initiate communication and champion communication technologies to facilitate team activities.

Informaticists also ensure that the team gets access to a high-quality electronic source of health information that would influence evidence-based decision-making. More importantly, they safeguard the security and privacy of patients’ protected health information (PHI) (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). Nurse informaticists ensure that members of the interdisciplinary team use technologies and patient information in a well-coordinated manner so that interruptions and distractions do not breach care continuity and give more room for medical and medication errors. Nurse informaticists ensure that uniform technology use empowers members to maintain patient safety and meaningful use by developing protocols and procedures for using these technologies.

Impact of Full Nurse Engagement in Health Care Technology

Patient Care

Engaging nurses in healthcare technology impacts patient care, workflow, and costs. Evidence-based practice is the current nursing care paradigm shift. Practice guidelines and decision-making require clinical evidence to improve patient safety and quality of care. Fully engaging nurses in health care technology will enable them to stay abreast of the current practice guidelines and information for decision-making. Healthcare technologies will enable nurses to access evidence-based information from online databases and also enable them to analyze future outcomes of practice using current and past data and information. Therefore, patient care outcomes result from safe and current evidence-based practices. 

Protected Health Information

Protected health information (PHI) can be used to identify patients; inappropriate handling of this information can lead to a breach of patient privacy, confidentiality, and data security. As aforementioned, nurse informaticists enable communication between interdisciplinary team members to ensure successful care coordination. However, coordination requires collecting and sharing patient information that includes PHI. 

Nurse informaticists ensure that this information is protected by implementing access controls such as ensuring secure communication in the team and regularly assessing and emulating system communication methods to ensure that PHI privacy and security are not breached (Lindley et al., 2020). In-service staff session updates ensure that nursing staff and other healthcare professionals’ knowledge and information skills are up-to-date with PHI privacy rules and guidelines (Park & Jeong, 2021). This increases professionalism that increases awareness levels.

Workflow

Nurse engagement in healthcare technology improves workflow by enhancing care flexibility, improving care efficiency, and facilitating collaboration. Nurses can deliver care remotely to their patients by using technology. Additionally, they can deliver care in a shorter time when they use technology to care interventions and prevent errors. Finally, nurses’ full engagement in technology enables them to collaborate with other care professionals through effective communication.

Costs and Return on Investment

As aforementioned, fully engaging nurses in healthcare technology improves car efficiency. Efficiency improvement reduces the work input required to achieve care outcomes. However, the costs of the initial implementation strategies will increase due to the costs of purchasing these technologies and training nurses on how to use them. When used efficiently and successfully, technologies could improve patient safety, costs, and quality outcomes. 

Opportunities and Challenges

Adding a nurse informaticist’s role would improve care efficiency by improving technology uptake and use among team members. This technology would enhance interdisciplinary collaboration to improve workflow and team outcomes, such as work efficiencies. Therefore, adding a nurse informaticist role would generally improve care delivery in the interdisciplinary approach. However, adding a nurse informaticist role would change the workflow in the healthcare organization because they would take up some roles of current work. 

Role overlap can lead to conflicts that would deter successful collaboration. Therefore, team planning and nursing leadership would be required to ensure successful collaboration in the team. Team communication and regular monitoring of team outcomes would improve collaboration. Team decision-making could ensure that every member owns the outcomes of the team activities. 

Summary of Recommendations

This proposal has analyzed the benefits and shortcomings of adding a nurse informaticist role into the organization’s workforce structure. These are the four key takeaways from the proposal about the nurse informaticist role. Nursing informatics is a field that combines nursing science with information and computer science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. 

The role of the nurse informaticist is to support the use of technology in nursing practice and facilitate the integration of technology into the daily work of nurses and other healthcare providers. Fully engaging nurses in health care technology can positively impact patient care, including improved patient outcomes, reduced errors, and increased patient satisfaction. Adding a nurse informaticist role to an interdisciplinary team can bring both opportunities and challenges, including initial costs, changes to workflow, and resistance to change. 

However, with careful planning and support, these challenges can be overcome, and the use of technology can ultimately lead to improved patient care and better patient outcomes. Nurse informaticists can play a crucial role in improving the usability and effectiveness of healthcare technology by matching user needs and vendor software features and by influencing the selection and implementation of appropriate technologies. This can ensure that this organization gets value for its investments in technology and that patients receive safe, high-quality care.

NRS 450 Nursing Informatics Assignment References

Lindley, L. C., Svynarenko, R., & Profant, T. L. (2020). Data infrastructure for sensitive data: Nursing’s role in the development of a secure research enclave. Computers, Informatics, Nursing: CIN, 38(9), 427–430. https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000677

McBride, S., & Tietze, M. (2022). Nursing informatics for the advanced practice nurse: Patient safety, quality, outcomes, and interprofessionalism. Springer Publishing.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.

Park, H.-K., & Jeong, Y.-W. (2021). Impact of nursing professionalism on the perception of patient privacy protection in nursing students: Mediating effect of nursing informatics competency. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 9(10), 1364. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101364

Schoenbaum, A. E., & Carroll, W. M. (2020, September 30). Nursing Informatics Key Role in Defining Clinical Workflow, Increasing Efficiency and Improving Quality. HIMSS. https://www.himss.org/resources/nursing-informatics-key-role-defining-clinical-workflow-increasing-efficiency-and

Nursing Informatics in Healthcare Example

The healthcare technology field is considerably dynamic, and technological advancement has made it change at a very high speed. Healthcare institutions continue to adapt healthcare technology from administrative and clinical information systems to promote healthcare service delivery, improve patient safety and outcomes, and reduce costs. Consequently, the need for healthcare informatics skills and knowledge in these institutions has increased. This proposal justifies the need for introducing a nurse informaticist role in the organization. The proposal will entail an exploration of nursing informatics, the nurse informaticist, the impact of full nurse engagement in healthcare technology, and the opportunities and challenges to the nurses and the Interprofessional team with the introduction of the new role.

Nursing Informatics and the Nurse Informaticist

According to the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) (n.d.), nursing informatics is the science and practice specialty that combines computer, nursing and information technology sciences to enhance the management and communication of information, knowledge, and data in nursing practice. Nursing informatics is a subset of healthcare informatics as a field that integrates healthcare and information technology, which is specific to integrating information technology into nursing practice. The nursing informatics field mainly assists healthcare institutions in applying healthcare technology by bridging the technical and clinical perspectives gap to maintain patient safety and improve care.

The nurse informaticist is a specialist that works with the healthcare institution’s stakeholders across the care continuum to link nursing science and information technology. The specialist not only works with the nurses and the Information Technology specialists but also collaborates with other healthcare providers in the interprofessional team to promote patient safety and care outcomes while applying healthcare technology at the bedside and organizational levels. Strudwick et al. (2019) note that the nurse informaticist must have robust technical and nursing skills, alongside data analysis, leadership, project management and interpersonal skills to play the specialty role effectively.          

Nursing Informaticists and Other Healthcare Organizations

Many healthcare organizations have adopted the nurse informaticist role following the advancement of healthcare technology and the increased need for nursing informatics expertise. These healthcare organizations enjoy the benefits of having this active role since it is easier for them to adapt new healthcare technology applications, devices and systems, implement related policies and analyze and manage healthcare data to inform practice. In addition, organizations with nurse informaticists have improved patient safety and care outcomes since the nurse informaticist’s main aim is to ensure patient safety while using healthcare technology. The organizations also have easier management processes and structures since the nurse informaticist works with the administrators to implement and use administrative information systems.

Nurse Informaticists interact with the rest of the nursing staff and other interprofessional team members by working with them daily. They collaborate with nursing staff to gain and develop feedback on using healthcare technology at the bedside level. The feedback is used to improve healthcare technology, thus improving the quality of patient care. According to Vos et al. (2020), nurse informaticists collaborate with physicians, pharmacists and other medical specialists in the interprofessional team to ensure that healthcare technology, such as electronic health records, are used appropriately to ensure optimum patient care quality. For example, the nurse informaticist works with the doctors to ensure that electronic patient files are accurate, thus avoiding related mistakes such as patient misidentification, which would negatively impact patient care quality. Effective collaboration of the nurse informaticist with other nursing staff and medical specialists in the interprofessional team is facilitated by constant communication, openness, and respect for each specialist’s contribution to the team.  

Impact of Full Nurse Engagement in Healthcare Technology

Full engagement of nurses in healthcare technology begins with introducing the role of a nursing informaticist in the organization. The engagement positively impacts patient care by providing a platform whereby nurses can give feedback on the healthcare technology used in patient care at the bedside level. The feedback helps improve these technological applications, systems, and devices, thus providing potential for better patient care. HIMSS (n.d.) notes that nurses can utilize EHR, online portal systems, and patient monitoring devices through nursing informatics to facilitate care services, thus improving overall patient care.

Additionally, the nurse informaticist and other interdisciplinary team members are expected to manage patients’ protected health information by safeguarding privacy, security and confidentiality. According to Chen et al. (2019), managing patients’ protected information is the responsibility of every interdisciplinary team member, who are expected to maintain the set policies and safeguards of the institution. The interdisciplinary team and the nurse informaticist can use evidence-based practices to manage patients’ protected health information, including technical, physical, and administrative safeguards (Chen et al., 2019).

Technical safeguards include installing antitheft software, firewalls, and encryption of patient information. The physical safeguards include protecting the specific physical setting where technology stores the information, using access control locks and alarms. Administrative safeguards include developing institutional policies regarding the protection of patient information. Other practices include using strong passwords, biometric identification, and login out of computers to prevent unauthorized access to patient information (Healthit.gov, n.d.).

Nurse engagement in technology reduces the cost of care and increases the return on investment for the organization. The HIMSS (n.d.) notes that nurse informaticists have a deep understanding of medical economics. The understanding helps the nurse informaticist to advise the organizational administrators and stakeholders on the healthcare technology they should invest in to maximize return on investments and, at the same time, reduce the cost of care. In addition, engaging nurses in healthcare technology enables them to design processes that make workflow more efficient.

Opportunities and Challenges

Adding the new nurse informaticist role in the institution will have different challenges and opportunities for nurses and the interprofessional team. The opportunities include having technical assistance provided by the nurse informaticist to the nurses and the interprofessional team at any time needed since the nurse informaticist has technical experience in healthcare technology. Additionally, the adoption and application of new healthcare technology will be made easier due to the prior training and guidance offered by the nurse informaticist.

However, their introduction of the nurse informaticist role may bring different challenges to the interprofessional team. According to Peltonen et al. (2019), the nurse informaticist may bring power and authority issues within the team, thus leading to a loss of respect among team members. For instance, the nurses and the nurse informaticist may have role, power, or expertise conflicts, posing a major challenge to the functionality of the interprofessional team. Differences in the understanding of different issues in nursing or technology may also complicate the interaction of the nurse informaticist and the interprofessional team.

Summary of Recommendations

Introducing the nurse informaticist role in the organization will benefit patient care quality, return on investments, workflow, and managing patients’ protected health information by increasing the efficiency of care services (Chen et al., 2019; Strudwick et al., 2019). The nurse informaticist will also play a major role in linking information technology knowledge and nursing practice. In addition, the new role will enhance nurses’ engagement in healthcare technology, positively impacting patient care and organizational performance. The nurse informaticist will also collaborate with nurses and the other members of the interdisciplinary team to promote care efficiency. Therefore, it is vital to introduce the nurse informaticist’s role in the organization.  

References

Chen, Y., Ding, S., Xu, Z., Zheng, H., & Yang, S. (2019). Blockchain-based medical records secure storage and medical service framework. Journal of Medical Systems, 43, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-1121-4

Peltonen, L. M., Nibber, R., Lewis, A., Block, L., Pruinelli, L., Topaz, M., Perezmitre, E. L., & Ronquillo, C. (2019). Emerging Professionals’ Observations of Opportunities and Challenges in Nursing Informatics. Nursing leadership (Toronto, Ont.), 32(2), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.12927/cjnl.2019.25965

Strudwick, G., Nagle, L., Kassam, I., Pahwa, M., & Sequeira, L. (2019). Informatics Competencies for Nurse Leaders: A Scoping Review. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(6), 323–330. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000760

The Health Information and Management Systems Society. (n.d.) What is Nursing Informatics? Accessed 12th June 2023 from https://www.himss.org/resources/what-nursing-informatics

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (Healthit.gov). (n.d.). Guide to Privacy and Security of Health Information. Accessed 12th June 2023 https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/privacy/onc_privacy_and_security_chapter4_v1_022112.pdf  

Vos, J. F., Boonstra, A., Kooistra, A., Seelen, M., & van Offenbeek, M. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05542-6