Informatics Systems
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Informatics Systems
Nursing informatics involves the incorporation of nursing practices, information sciences, and computer technology in the development and maintenance of medical data and systems to support the medical practice and thus improve patient care outcomes (Khajouei & Abbasi, 2017). Through technological advancements, healthcare workers are capable collecting, analyzing, and leveraging information more effectively; thus influencing the manner in which resources are managed, care is delivered, and how teams operate. It aids in the identification of potentially detrimental prescription errors and treatments, improving patient data confidentiality, and refining patient record retrieval (Khajouei & Abbasi, 2017). Moreover, this aids in the analysis of mass quantities of information collected regarding patient outcomes and care in determining the best treatment approach based on differing situations.
An excellent example is the Electronic Health Record that refers to the digital version of the patients’ paper charts; real-time patient-centered records. This system replaces the conventional paper version storage thus guarantees instant availability and security from unauthorized users (Khajouei & Abbasi, 2017). It comprises of treatments, medical histories, allergies, laboratory test results, and other health information. Additionally, it is designed to primarily share information with other healthcare providers through other EHRs to facilitate better healthcare provision.
In my department, the primary focus is on detailed documentation based on the psychiatric patients to ensure effectiveness in the flow of information in the institution. As psychiatric nurses, our essential function is to access the patient and input fundamental data i.e. physicians’ orders, mental state, vital signs, medical administration, and the appropriate nursing interventions. Additionally, we are to evaluate on whether the EHRs ensures reduced adverse events and medical errors, effective documentation and file organization, aid in the tracking of treatment procedures, and the provision of information to adequately schedule processes. This assessment will guarantee proper implementation.
Reference
Khajouei, R., & Abbasi, R. (2017). Evaluating Nurses’ Satisfaction with Two Nursing Information Systems. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 35(6), 307-314. doi: 10.1097/cin.0000000000000319