System development and implementation
As the documentation system is being developed and implemented to enhance patient care safety, technology is a critical part while the involvement of a nursing leader is paramount. Systems development and implementation is a complicated process that requires proper coordination of activities and resources to promote the anticipated outcomes. Over the years, the high level of failure and encountering unexpected impacted have highlighted the need to involve the right team in systems development. A role description for a nurse leader with respect to the implementation of the nursing documentation system to guide the individual in participation throughout the implementation process is presented below.
Planning and Requirements Definition
This is the phase in which the system development procedure begins. The planning phase is important as it determines the necessity of a new system in achieving the set organizational objectives. Thus, the responsibility of the nursing leader is to recognize the scope of the existing issue and whether the system is an appropriate solution. Also, the nursing leader must participate in assessing the needed resources, time, benefits, and possible challenges. The planning phase is the most important as it lays a foundation for the entire implementation process, but it requires the application of knowledge and skillfulness (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). As a nursing leader, the main challenge involves encouraging the tea members to actively participate in developing a strategic plan for the proposed systems. Even though change is irresistible in this era of technology development and the growing need for efficiency, it is undoubtedly that some nurses are likely to resist on the ground that the systems will affect their workflow. The nursing leader will be subjected, therefore, to the burden of creating awareness with respect to the benefits of the system towards improving care and its necessity in the organization. In other words, all the stakeholders, such as patients, nurses, and other professionals, must be considered before initialize the implementation process (Vogelsmeier & Scott-Cawiezell, 2009). Also, by highlighting the needed resources, the leader will be helping in building the infrastructure that supports services and system development.
Analysis
The analysis phase is where the development team will be working on establishing the need for change within the documentation sector. The need for change must be derived from a real issue. For the longest time, nursing documentation has been rather conventional, which affects efficiency while presenting major safety-related issue due to poor services (Vogelsmeier & Scott-Cawiezell, 2009). In the event of the issue, system development as the possible solution must be analyzed about its general fitness towards the ultimate objectives of improving patient care quality and safety. Thus, the responsibility of the nursing leader is to determine the needs of the organizations, strategies for meeting them, allocating responsibility to the team members, and assorting the timeline required to complete the task. The main challenge lies in establishing the individual’s competence and knowledge in different roles. Based on the complexity of the informatics systems tasks must be allocated based on competence to avoid failure. Also, coordination of activities and organization are the roles that leaders must play in enhancing the potential of success for the entire system.
Design of the New System
In this phase, a detailed description of the necessary features, operations, and specifications to fulfill the functional needs of the system is done (Vogelsmeier & Scott-Cawiezell, 2009). It is during the phase that the nursing leader collaborates with the team to consider the structure and process of the system that seeks to ensure that the objectives of the system are accomplished. The networking capabilities must be established, such as examining the effectiveness of the existing informatics system and its suitability in supporting the development of the entire system. An effective nursing leader must, therefore, facilitate consistent communication to build trust and promote dialogue among the members to facilitate efficiency in solving the problem at large. Input borrowing from the team encourages active participation and minimizes resistance (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).
Implementation
The phase involves the real installation of the developed system. It is at this point where the production of the system is initiated. While the stage can be particularly risky, the nursing leader must empower the engagement of the members while promoting open communication towards the success of the process (Hamer & Cipriano, 2013). Nursing leaders heavily influence the successful implementation of technology systems in the healthcare setting as they are involved in creating shared visions and fostering a collaborative environment and trust towards solving the real issues.
Post-Implementation Support
Monitoring and assessing the development of the system is important in detecting problems early and solving them before them affecting the system severely. There is a need for the nursing leader in supporting the team by acting as a source of inspiration and offering help when needed to support the process (Hamer & Cipriano, 2013). The challenge lies in the practical examination of its process as open communication, and the ability to build trust is required.