Introduction
Nursing informatics is a new field that is empowering more caregivers to deliver evidence-based patient care. Medical practitioners and nurses should possess appropriate competencies in order to support their patients. Modern technologies are transforming various healthcare processes and procedures (Bizer, Boncz, Brodie, & Erling, 2011). The targeted behavior for this exercise is promoting the use of evidence-based care plans to address the needs of different patients. The nurses in the organization will be able to acquire new care plans that can improve every medical process. The ultimate goal is to deliver quality medical support and care to more clients.
Target Audience
The proposed nursing informatics will avail efficient care plans to different workers thus producing desirable health promotion models. The idea will ensure more nurses and health practitioners have access to different care plans that can be used to support the diverse needs of patients (Chin & Sakuda, 2012). The proposed technology will target my colleagues in the healthcare organization. Such practitioners will acquire new disease management plans and treatment regimes. As well, the Chief Nursing Administrator (CNA) will use the program to mentor every follower in order to produce quality results. The other workers will also benefit from the proposed technology thus improving the efficiency and quality of nursing care.
Technological Educational Program
The current wave of technological development is encouraging health organizations to focus on new behaviors that can deliver quality patient care (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Many healthcare institutions have implemented technological education programs to promote desirable healthy behaviors. Such behaviors make it easier for caregivers and nurses to focus on positive practices that can support more patients (Bizer et al., 2011).
John Hopkins Hospital has been a pacesetter in the area of health informatics. The hospital’s Technology Innovation Center (TIC) focuses on the best practices that can deliver quality care (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). The TIC team has come up with different software applications. Such apps ensure more stakeholders have access to quality care plans and treatment procedures. The workers are equipped with different apps that deliver instant healthcare plans. Such plans should be identified whenever providing quality care to different patients at the hospital. Studies have indicated that the use of the technology has improved the quality of care by 67 percent (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015).
McGonigle and Mastrian (2015) observed that over 52 percent of American health institutions were embracing the use of different health informatics. The study also indicated that many healthcare practitioners were using mobile devices to access information for improving healthcare services. Experts have indicated that 48 percent of caregivers use various apps to access evidence-based ideas and nursing content. The number of practitioners using different technological applications and devices is expected to increase in the next five years. A recent study has also indicated “that 26 percent of healthcare professionals embrace the use of telehealth-concierge services” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015, p. 43).
Hospitals and clinics that implement the use of informatics have recorded positive health outcomes. The level of communication between practitioners and clients has also increased significantly (Bizer et al., 2011). The use of evidence-based treatment processes has the potential to improve the standard of medical support. Experts encourage more facilities to embrace the use of health informatics in order to achieve these goals. These ideas should therefore be embraced by different stakeholders such as Nurse Managers (NMs), policymakers, caregivers, Health Leaders (HLs), and medical institutions. These stakeholders will identify the most desirable technologies and eventually support the health needs of every community.
Technology and Health Promotion: Diffusion of Innovations Theory
The “Diffusion of Innovation Theory explains how health informatics have continued to gain momentum thus diffusing through the wider area of medical practice” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015, p. 72). The theory shows clearly modern technologies continue to deliver new opportunities to caregivers and encourage them to focus on the specific challenges affecting their patients. The health outcomes of the patients are supported using evidence-based concepts. The use of technology is therefore critical towards achieving various health goals. This fact explains why “the terminology of meaningful use has emerged in order to crew new opportunities for health promotion” (Thede, 2012, p. 6). The Diffusion of Innovation Theory also explains why the field of medical informatics will become more meaningful and dictate the future of global health policy
Healthcare providers can use modern informatics to create new opportunities for health promotion (Bizer et al., 2011). Health informatics, therefore, presents new options and evidence-based ideas that can be used to improve the quality of care delivered to different patients. Technology presents evidence-based concepts and resources that make it easier for caregivers to offer efficient care. Health technologies have the potential to improve the level of coordination.
The use of health informatics creates new working environments characterized by positive health behaviors. It empowers more caregivers and nurses in order to support the changing needs of every patient. Technological advancements in health present new avenues for improving environmental and social interventions. Technological applications make it possible for nurses to acquire evidence-based ideas that can deliver timely care to more populations. Technology and health informatics should therefore “be treated as enablers that have the potential to increase control and improve health outcomes” (Butler, 2014, p. 8).
Target Population and Barriers to Technological Problems
Many hospitals have managed to achieve their potentials through the continued use of health informatics. The proposed health informatics strategy, therefore, targets healthcare providers, HLs, and NMs. As well, patients and other staff members will be required to embrace the use of the technology (Thede, 2012). By so doing, these stakeholders will be able to follow specific disease management plans. They will also acquire timely information that can be used to improve the quality of health care. Medical practitioners will also get timely ideas and care plans that can support the needs of different patients. Individuals in the community can also use the technology to manage specific terminal conditions. The use of multi-disciplinary teams will also be embraced in an attempt to produce desirable health results (Butler, 2014). Studies indicate that institutions and communities that have embraced similar informatics have achieved quality health results (Thede, 2012).
Some barriers make it impossible for communities and health facilities to embrace the use of health informatics. Modern technological programs require workforces that are technologically-savvy (Butler, 2014). Many nursing environments lack technologically-competent persons. That being the case, institutions should incur more expenses to train such professionals. As well, the technology is cost-intensive thus limiting the options for many healthcare institutions. The constant change associated with modern health informatics also makes the idea less sustainable. Health organizations should therefore outline the best strategies in order to deal with these barriers.
Implementing the Technological Program
The proposed technological program focuses on the provision of handheld devices that can ensure more caregivers have access to computer-generated nursing care plans (Hoffman & Podgurski, 2011). The nurses and practitioners will always consult different apps in order to understand various care plans. Such plans will be used to deliver quality support to different patients in the healthcare facility. Healthcare leaders will also use the technological program to guide their nurses. Patients will also be allowed to use such applications in order to develop personalized disease management plans (Hoffman & Podgurski, 2011). Members of the community will be sensitized about the technological program. More people will be ready to promote the best health practices and care plans.
In order to achieve quality results, different stakeholders will be educated using a powerful campaign. The individuals will also be equipped with appropriate handheld devices. The institution will be encouraged to provide such devices and computers in every unit. Such resources will ensure more stakeholders are engaged throughout the implementation process. The process will also be costly. However, the institution will be requested to purchase more computers and handheld tablets in order to empower its workers. This technological program will eventually reduce most of the costs associated with re-hospitalization and medical errors (Chin & Sakuda, 2012). The approach will result in cost savings for the hospital. This means that the proposed technology will be effective, efficient, and equitable.
Evaluating the Health Promotion Program
The proposed program will be monitored throughout the implementation process. A competent coordinator will be hired to ensure the program supports the needs of different workers. As well, a supervisor will be identified to focus on the effectiveness of the program. The supervisor will gather information from different patients and caregivers to make the program successful (Hoffman & Podgurski, 2011). The coordinator will liaise with the organization in order to promote adequate practices that can add value to the targeted patients.
Reference List
Bizer, C., Boncz, P., Brodie, M., & Erling, O. (2011). The Meaningful Use of Big Data: Four Perspectives: Four Perspectives. SIGMOD Record, 40(4), 56-60.
Butler, B. (2014). Meaningful Use and Corrections: Unknown Opportunities. Community Oriented Correctional Health Services, 1(1), 1-15.
Chin, B., & Sakuda, C. (2012). Transforming and Improving Health Care through Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology. Hawaii Journal of Medicine and Public Health, 71(4), 50-55.
Hoffman, S., & Podgurski, A. (2011). Meaningful Use and Certification of Health Information Technology: What about Safety? Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, 1(1), 77-80.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2015). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Thede, L. (2012). Informatics: Where Is It. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1). 1-21.