Discussion #1

One of the pillars of healthcare delivery is information. Traditionally its storage, processing, and analysis used to include manual and cumbersome processes that took time and impeded efficient care delivery. With technological advancements, however, everything changed where health information systems became a reality, and they could help better manage healthcare data. This purpose and effect are remarkable; they help optimize healthcare delivery, help in healthcare research and sway healthcare decisions and policies (Moghaddasi et al., 2017). The role of nurses in their selection and evaluation as key healthcare stakeholders. This review will explore their role in selecting and evaluating information systems in my practice and the strategies that facilitate their implementation.

The role of nurses in selecting and evaluating information systems is to collaborate in making decisions. As key players in healthcare delivery, their input in the selection process is vital given the impact the system can have on their department. Nurses play a crucial role as the bridge between physicians and patients and handle considerable information (Sharma, 2019). This fact alone constitutes a significant influence in the selection and evaluation process. The systems are also designed to facilitate interprofessional collaboration, and as key players in healthcare delivery, this buys nurses influence in the selection process. For instance, a key component in the information systems in my practice is data entry and retrieval in the Master Patient Index system. The system helps link patient records from one database to another in the facility to reduce replication and imprecise patient data. This task largely falls upon nurses, which makes our influence in the selection process vital.

As healthcare professionals, nurses have the most contact with patients, giving them a key insight into patients’ needs and the healthcare processes designed to meet them (Galehdar et al., 2021). They are thus ideally placed to evaluate the effectiveness of the systems, determine their shortcomings and offer input to their improvements. For instance, with data retrieval for care delivery or research, nurses are better placed to determine instances where a system may need improvements through experience from frequent interactions.

One of the strategies that facilitate the implementation of the systems in my practice is key stakeholder inclusion in the selection process and building a consensus. Including the parties directly involved with the systems is a key determinant in a system’s successful adoption and implementation (Serrano et al., 2020). The second is adequate research into the problem at hand to ensure that the system adopted is ideally placed to solve the said issue. In an Electronic Medical Records system, for instance, when the selected system does not support key issues like data synchronization with other systems, its implementation is bound to be subpar. Options consideration is also paramount in this regard. The third strategy is staff training. When nurses and other professionals who the systems are bound to serve had the skills and knowledge to optimally utilize the system, its implementation was successful. The final strategy is system constant evaluation and maintenance to ensure that it is up to date and conversant with changes in healthcare delivery.

Conclusion

From experience, the impact of information systems in healthcare is considerable and predicated on successful implementation. The impact is phenomenal when the right system is adopted to address the right needs. However, I find room for improvements with the systems, like making them more focused. With nursing information systems, for instance, individualizing the systems can have significant impacts on their functions and processes, which would make service delivery more efficient. This review addressed the role nurses play in selecting and adopting information systems in my work environment and the strategies that facilitated their implementation.

Discussion #2

Nurses are considered one of the largest careers in the health care system.Nurses work in medical offices schools, hospitals, and much more. They collaborate with other interdisciplinary teams to improve client safety and the client care delivery system. We work with a variety of information systems to create care plans for our clients and monitor their progress based on the care provided. We must also evaluate those care plans using critical thinking, to deliver the best care to our clients. we follow policies and protocols. As a result, we participate in the implementation and making of those policies and protocols. Furthermore, we review our client’s responses to the care received and provide our feedback. Most facilities use the feedback from their staff and their client responses to add and modify their policies and protocols using evidence base practice. From the patient’s first visit to discharging them, nurses are responsible to collect data, sharing data, and use them appropriately. In my work setting, it is my responsibility to choose the right care for my client using evidence base practice, while remaining within the facility frameworks. hence, I remain updated on the information systems and technologies.

Some of the strategies we use to facilitate the implementation of the information system can start with time management to patient care. We work proactively to provide the best care to our clients. We use different tools such as cardiac monitors, eMAR, and other medical devices to prevent errors from occurring. We have different technologies system and modalities at our access point to help us remain current. We increase our time spent with our clients; some facilities require their nurses to round every hour or less base on clients’ needs. We use teamwork to help manage our timing another to provide better services. While there are a lot of strategies to facilitate the information system, some of the barriers can prevent nurses from implementing their care plan and using their information system accordingly. The lack of nurses in the facilities is one of the barriers to delivering the proper care. The ratio of nurses to clients is increasing while time management becomes harder due to the lack of staff. Another barrier we can consider is the cost to keep the facility updated. Moreover, staff must remain informed about the newest technology system. As technology grows, the health care system grows as well. Information system becomes extremely crucial across the health care system to deliver exceptional care using evidence-based practice.