As you plan, develop, implement and evaluate your nursing practicum project, reflect on how this project and your graduate education have prepared you to meet the growing needs of healthcare and the diverse populations we serve.
This week you will address Essential V: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies.
o Recognizes that the masters-prepared nurse uses patient-care technologies
to deliver and enhance care and uses communication technologies to
integrate and coordinate care.
400 words 2 resources
Rationale
Informatics and healthcare technologies encompass five broad areas:
Use of patient care and other technologies to deliver and enhance care;
Communication technologies to integrate and coordinate care;
Data management to analyze and improve outcomes of care;
Health information management for evidence-based care and health education;
and
Facilitation and use of electronic health records to improve patient care.
Knowledge and skills in each of these four broad areas is essential for all mastersprepared
nurses. The extent and focus of each will vary depending upon the nurses role,
setting, and practice focus.
Knowledge and skills in information and healthcare technology are critical to the delivery
of quality patient care in a variety of settings (IOM, 2003a). The use of technologies to
deliver, enhance, and document care is changing rapidly. In addition, information
technology systems, including decision-support systems, are essential to gathering
evidence to impact practice. Improvement in cost effectiveness and safety depend on
evidence-based practice, outcomes research, interprofessional care coordination, and
electronic health records, all of which involve information management and technology
(McNeil et al., 2006). As nursing and healthcare practices evolve to better meet patient
needs, the application of these technologies will change as well.
As the use of technology expands, the masters-prepared nurse must have the knowledge
and skills to use current technologies to deliver and coordinate care across multiple
settings, analyze point of care outcomes, and communicate with individuals and groups,
including the media, policymakers, other healthcare professionals, and the public.
Integral to these skills is an attitude of openness to innovation and continual learning, as
information systems and care technologies are constantly changing, including their use at
the point of care.
Graduates of masters-level nursing programs will have competence to determine the
appropriate use of technologies and integrate current and emerging technologies into
ones practice and the practice of others to enhance care outcomes. In addition, the
masters-prepared nurse will be able to educate other health professionals, staff, patients,
and caregivers using current technologies and about the principles related to the safe and
effective use of care and information technologies.
Graduates ethically manage data, information, knowledge, and technology to
communicate effectively with healthcare team, patients, and caregivers to integrate safe
and effective care within and across settings. Masters-prepared nurses use research and
clinical evidence to inform practice decisions.
Masters-degree graduates are prepared to gather, document, and analyze outcome data
that serve as a foundation for decision making and the implementation of interventions or
strategies to improve care outcomes. The masters-prepared nurse uses statistical and
epidemiological principles to synthesize these data, information, and knowledge to
evaluate and achieve optimal health outcomes.
The usefulness of electronic health records and other health information management
systems to evaluate care outcomes is improved by standardized terminologies. Integration
of standardized terminologies in information systems supports day-to-day nursing
practice and also the capacity to enhance interprofessional communication and generate
standardized data to continuously evaluate and improve practice (American Nurses
Association, 2008). Masters-prepared nurses use information and communication
technologies to provide guidance and oversight for the development and implementation
of health education programs, evidence-based policies, and point-of-care practices by
members of the interdisciplinary care team.
Health information is growing exponentially. Health literacy is a powerful tool in health
promotion, disease prevention, management of chronic illnesses, and quality of lifeall of
which are hallmarks of excellence in nursing practice. Masters-prepared nurses serve as
information managers, patient advocates, and educators by assisting others(including
patients, students, caregivers and healthcare professionals) in accessing, understanding,
evaluating, and applying health-related information. The masters-prepared nurse designs
and implements education programs for cohorts of patients or other healthcare providers
using information and communication technologies.
The masters-degree program prepares the graduate to:
1. Analyze current and emerging technologies to support safe practice environments,
and to optimize patient safety, cost-effectiveness, and health outcomes.
2. Evaluate outcome data using current communication technologies, information
systems, and statistical principles to develop strategies to reduce risks and improve
health outcomes.
3. Promote policies that incorporate ethical principles and standards for the use of health
and information technologies.
4. Provide oversight and guidance in the integration of technologies to document patient
care and improve patient outcomes.
5. Use information and communication technologies, resources, and principles of
learning to teach patients and others.
6. Use current and emerging technologies in the care environment to support lifelong
learning for self and others.
Sample Content
Use of technology, information management systems, and standardized
terminology
Use of standardized terminologies to document and analyze nursing care
outcomes
Bio-health informatics
Regulatory requirements for electronic data monitoring systems
Ethical and legal issues related to the use of information technology, including
copyright, privacy, and confidentiality issues
Retrieval information systems, including access, evaluation of data, and
application of relevant data to patient care
Statistical principles and analyses of outcome data
Online review and resources for evidence-based practice
Use and implementation of technology for virtual care delivery and monitoring
Electronic health record, including policies related to the implementation of and
use to impact care outcomes
Complementary roles of the masters-prepared nursing and information
technology professionals, including nurse informaticist and quality officer
Use of technology to analyze data sets and their use to evaluate patient care
outcomes
Effective use of educational/instructional technology
Point-of-care information systems and decision support systems
