The purpose of this reflection paper is to demonstrate a self-assessment of skills, knowledge, and integration ability to meet the requirements of the BSN Essential. This Essential considers the application and understanding of liberal education for nurses (Essential 1) and basic leadership skills used for quality care and patient safety (Essential 2) (The essentials of baccalaureate education, 2011). The other two Essentials important for assessing the acquired competencies are the understanding of healthcare policy and regulatory environments (Essential 5) and competence in clinical prevention and population health. This paper will use examples from scholarly literature and individual practice to support the assertions regarding the use of CIS systems to document interventions related to achieving results important to nurses.
Use of CIS Systems in the Context of Essentials 1 and 2
The use of CIS systems is an integral part of the medical practice of intensive care nurses. According to scientists, these systems help nurses unify the data of assessments of patients’ health, even though about 1,700 analyses of one patient’s condition can be performed during the day (Clinical Information System, 2021). A considerable amount of data, which otherwise would have to be processed manually by ICU nurses using flowcharts, is automatically loaded into EHRS forms specially developed by CIS. Nurses use this information to monitor the patients’ condition and plan future interventions.
As part of my student nursing practice, I had the opportunity to participate as a volunteer in the ICU department of the city hospital. This experience allowed me to deepen my understanding of the CIS systems’ importance for patient safety and quality of care. In particular, I have observed nurses’ interaction in this complex environment, which requires the utmost attention to the slightest changes in the patient’s condition. I learned from the leadership and communication models that senior nurses have used to develop intervention plans. I was pleasantly surprised by the nurses’ smooth interaction and the high level of organization in their work.
Use of CIS Systems in the Context of Essentials 5 and 7
Noteworthy, today, not all hospitals have EHRS and CIS systems. As a rule, this is due to a lack of funding or a lack of understanding of these systems’ importance for the adequate functioning of a medical institution, especially intensive care units. In particular, Zhang et al. (2021) note that CIS systems are a critical component in prescribing medication and planning cataract surgery. Or et al. (2018) also emphasize that CIS systems are the only tool that allows effective interventions. Despite the high cost of the CIS systems, they have a high potential to cure patients, lowering patient costs. Therefore, part of a nurse’s moral duty is advocacy for the implementation of such effective practices and delivering the necessary information to decision-makers.
Interestingly, the ICU nurse has direct responsibilities related to caring for patients who are in serious condition and has to communicate with the families of patients, supporting them morally, and educating them about safety measures or a healthy lifestyle. The CIS systems are beneficial for assessing various health factors using genetics and for conducting a health history. During the coronavirus, the nurses from the department where I worked as a volunteer widely used their clinical judgment in the emergency of pandemics. The ICU atmosphere was rather tense, but the team of nurses did their best to save patients’ lives.
Thanks to this practice, I understood the need for integrating the knowledge and methods of a broad range of disciplines to inform decision-making and having tolerance for the world and its effect on the healthcare system, which are the 7 and 8 principles of Essential 1. I also got an opportunity to learn the approaches to leadership and communication skills to implement patient safety in interprofessional teams and understand the medical institutions’ complexity as huge organizational systems, which are 2 and 3 principles of Essential 2. Moreover, I did my best to understand how health care organizations are organized and financed and learned to articulate the issues concerning healthcare delivery to decision-makers through a nursing perspective, which are principles 2 and 10 of Essential 5. Finally, I paid much attention to learn from how the professional nurses assessed predictive factors, conducted health history to develop the intervention plan, and worked in emergencies, which are principles 1, 2, and 9 from Essential 7.
Conclusion
Thus, my volunteering experience became a good basis for enhancing my nursing practice knowledge and developing practical skills. Regarding BSN Essential, I improved my understanding and participated in the team that demonstrated the most nursing principles. These were 1, 2, and 9 principles from Essential 7; 2, and 10 principles from Essential 5; 2, 3 principles from Essential 2; 7 and 8 principles from Essential 1. This practice helped me gain a comprehensive understanding of the ICU department’s work and the importance of using the CIS systems for patient safety and care quality.
References
The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. (2011). Web.
Clinical Information System. (2021). Web.
Or, C. K., Liu, K., & Wang, H. (2018). A socio-technical analysis of barriers to implementing a clinical information system in a nursing home. Research on Emerging Perspectives on Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics, 45(3), 425-437.
Zhang, F., Yan, X., & Li, J. (2021). Embedded web server for hospital and clinical nursing analysis of cataract anti-inflammatory drugs. Microprocessors and Microsystems, 81(5), 19-36.