As technological advances continue to occur in healthcare, there is an increased need for professionals who can utilize these changes to improve patient care and lower costs. One option healthcare providers have at their disposal is using technology, a field known as nursing informaticist (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). A nursing informaticist’s mission is to improve the overall patient experience. To achieve this goal, they design, develop and implement computerized systems that provide direct support for patients with improved quality of life. This essay will give information on a nursing informaticist’s role in the organization and describe how implementing such a role would truly benefit organizational goals.
Nursing Informatics and the Nurse Informaticist
Nursing informatics is the information technology utilization to improve patient care quality. It can include using information technology to support nurses in providing safe, effective, and efficient patient care (Sipes, 2019). Nurse informaticists are healthcare professionals utilizing information technology and data analysis tools to create and improve systems for healthcare delivery, including patient records, clinical decision support systems, and electronic medical records (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). They also provide technical support to physicians and nurses in their practices. The nurse informaticist role is unique because it combines clinical practice with IT experience (Sipes, 2019). Nurse informaticists’ expertise is used in nursing informatics to create solutions that improve the quality of healthcare delivery in a hospital setting.
Nurse Informaticists and Other Health Care Organizations
The experience of other healthcare organizations with nurse informaticists is that these individuals can improve patient outcomes by reducing errors to reduce healthcare costs. However, the impact of nurse informaticists on organizational outcomes is not well understood. A recent study found that adding a nurse informaticist in a hospital setting significantly improved patient satisfaction and clinical results (Bastable, 2021). Additionally, a previous study found that nurse informaticists were more effective at reducing errors than nurses without formal education or training in computer science (Davenport & Kalakota, 2019). This study also indicated that nurse informaticists had better relationships with patients, resulting in improved patient satisfaction scores after treatment.
Nurse informaticists interact with the rest of the nursing staff, who provide patient care in various settings. A nurse informaticist helps improve patient outcomes by increasing access to needed information (Deckro et al., 2021). The nurse informaticist works closely with other interdisciplinary team members, such as health information technicians. They assist in gathering data from electronic records to develop patient profiles, case managers who work closely with patients on their health plans, and pharmacists who provide prescription medications.
Impact of Full Nurse Engagement in Health Care Technology
There are many benefits to fully engaging nurses in using technology in health care. Nurses using technology can help provide better patient care and enhance the efficiency of their work lives (Sipes, 2019). It also helps improve organizational effectiveness and performance by reducing errors, increasing patient safety, improving satisfaction with care, and increasing productivity. This can be accomplished by increasing nurses’ self-reliance through education and training programs on how to use computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices within the context of their jobs. Further research should be conducted to determine if additional factors impact error rates, such as fatigue levels or lack of time due to other duties within their workday.
Nurses are uniquely positioned to provide patient-centred care; they can make informed decisions about patients’ needs and preferences. This helps ensure that the patient’s PHI is safe, secure, and appropriately protected (Bastable, 2021). It is imperative when a nurse is involved in developing new technologies or procedures. Nurses play an essential role in ensuring that patient data is managed appropriately. In addition, nurses educate other staff members on what measures should be taken to ensure the confidentiality and security of patient information.
The full engagement of nurses in health care technology improves workflow by increasing the number of hands at the patient interface, which results in less time spent on each patient interaction. The nursing staff can provide better information to patients and caregivers regarding their conditions, treatment plans, and progress (Davenport & Kalakota, 2019). This helps them understand their situation and make informed decisions about their care. It further allows nurses to make more accurate assessments of patient outcomes and better communicate with physicians about these outcomes. Organizations can increase efficiency by improving workflow and reducing errors, which translates into cost savings.
The impact of full nurse engagement in healthcare technology on costs and return on investment can be seen in the following ways. First, nurses are more likely to use technology when they see it as a tool to help improve patient outcomes rather than just another task that needs to be completed (Deckro et al., 2021). Second, nurses are less likely to misuse technology since they have been trained in its proper use and will be more familiar with it. Third, the return on investment from using technologies is higher with fully engaged nurses than when traditional staff members are undertaking tasks such as providing staffing support.
Opportunities and Challenges
Adding a nurse informaticist role will present many opportunities for nurses, the interdisciplinary team, and organizations. Nurses will utilize their expertise in patient care and nursing practice to use technology to improve patient outcomes. The challenge is that much of the research on how best to integrate technology into patient care is still being done by academics rather than nurses working in clinical settings (Deckro et al., 2021). Adding a role supporting this research and practice, people can better understand how technology can positively impact clinical outcomes. One must collaborate across disciplines to achieve these opportunities by understanding what constitutes evidence-based practice. This includes meaningful participation in research projects at the institutional level and individualized involvement in relevant research projects at the clinical level. People must also ensure that they can communicate effectively with patients. Hence, they understand how technology will help them navigate their care or access resources they may need during their stay at the hospital or clinic.
Summary of Recommendations
The first key takeaway is that having a nurse informaticist in place will help nurses access information about patient care more efficiently, leading to improved patient outcomes. The second takeaway is that a nurse informaticist allows nurses to develop expertise using technology and software tools to improve patient care. The third key takeaway is that having a nurse informaticist in place will enable nurses to coordinate care better across departments and locations, thereby improving patient outcomes. The fourth key takeaway is that having a nurse informaticist in place will improve healthcare organizations’ ability to engage with community partners, which has been shown to improve patient outcomes. Ultimately, the proposed nurse informaticist role is a critical piece of the puzzle in transforming the organization. It will help in many ways, including providing more opportunities for nurse leadership, providing care coordination services, and creating an innovative environment that allows the nurses to continue learning new techniques. The role will also help ensure that the patients receive the best care possible by providing better technological support.
Conclusion
As the world of medicine transitions toward more data-driven healthcare and more evidence-based practices, the role of nurses transforms. Understanding how this role can impact an organization’s ability to analyze and act on information effectively is critical to the adoption of new technologies throughout an organization. Therefore, understanding and accurately representing how nurse informatics affects an organization’s quality, performance, patient outcomes, and cost control is critical in successfully advocating for this position.
References
Bastable, S. B. (2021). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Davenport, T., & Kalakota, R. (2019). The potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare. Future Healthcare Journal, 6(2). Web.
Deckro, J., Phillips, T., Davis, A., Hehr, A. T., & Ochylski, S. (2021). Big data in the veterans’ health administration: a nursing informatics perspective. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 53(3), 288-295. Web.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Sipes, C. (2019). Application of nursing informatics: Competencies, skills, and decision-making. Springer Publishing Company.