THE APPLICATION OF DATA TO PROBLEM-SOLVING
In today’s dynamic health systems, technology plays a vital role in education and nursing practice since the healthcare industry is developing immensely and fast. Generally, patient care in many healthcare organisations has become a primary focus in the development of new concepts and knowledge in healthcare technology. However, due to technological advancements, nurses are required to have informatics competency which usually assists when using information and technology to communicate, manage data, mitigate error, and support decision-making at the point of care. Also, informatics nurses must harmonise and exchange relevant clinical and technical evidence to support and coordinate safe, effective patient care as well as promising an efficient workflow towards achieving the desired care outcomes (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). Therefore, this paper aims to reflect a scenario that would benefit from access to data, as well as identify how the data could assist both in problem-solving and knowledge formation.
Case Scenario
Mr PQ is admitted to the clinic to receive a hypertension treatment by his wife. In most cases, he usually receives the medication in his home, but unfortunately, he does not tolerate the procedure well making him report that he has nausea and sweating. During the visit, his file was not retrieved easily. However, when the assessment was done, it was discovered that Mr PQ received an overdose of the drug by mistake after visiting the clinic previously. Mr PQ was then transferred to the ICU to be critically assessed so that he can be given treatment that will remove the drug. After assessing the patient, neither the doctor nor the nurse mentioned about the error that was made to Mr. PQ since the outcome was an unexpected complication. His kidney was severely damaged in spite of the treatment given to him in the ICU. As a result, the patient cannot continue to be treated with the less effective drug as scheduled.
Data that could be used
To prevent situations like this from occurring, computerised provider order entry (CPOE) is recommended. Generally, CPOE is a system that is used to assist healthcare providers to enter care orders online in it. Additionally, CPOE allocates and divides the standard features by mechanising the drug prescription process and provides a readable, accurate and standard instruction (Computerized Provider Order Entry, n.d.). CPOE is used by care providers when presenting the relevant laboratory results, warning allergies, drug-drug intervention, and experimental interventions, which assists when suggesting a proper dose as well as appropriate sequencing of medications for prescriptions. As a result, this system has shown to have a significant impact on reducing medication errors extensively, enhance efficiency as well as improve reimbursements (Kasaei, Rezaei, Tavakoli & Ehteshami, 2013).
Knowledge derived from CPOE
Considering the significance of using CPOE in reducing medical errors, knowledge derived during the process of prescribing and administering a medication involves; ordering which assists clinicians to select the appropriate medication and dosage, as well as the frequency at which it is to be delivered. Also, clinicians can understand how to prescribe the proper remedy to the patients since they can use the CPOE system in following the formulated guidelines. Similarly, clinicians can use the CPOE systems to check for drug-drug interactions and allergies, and then release the appropriate quantity of the medication in the correct form (Schiff et al., 2015). Through combination with the EHR, clinicians can use the CPOE system in the administration of the care services that are given to the patients, since the medication must be received by the correct person and supplied to the correct patient at the right time in the right dosage. Also, staff can be able to know if the patient in question already has a case manager at another hospital, hence, preventing unnecessary assignments. However, through using clinical skills such as clinical reasoning and judgment in the formation of knowledge, nurse leaders can train other nurses concerning how to handle complicated medical scenarios effectively and successfully especially when incorporating with the CPOE system (Kasaei, Rezaei, Tavakoli & Ehteshami, 2013). With clinical reasoning and judgement skills, accurate patient care can come instinctively, thus, increasing the probability of improved quality of care.
References
Computerized Provider Order Entry. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primers/primer/6/Computerized-Provider-Order-Entry
Kasaei, M., Rezaei, P., Tavakoli, N., & Ehteshami, A. (2013). The role of health information technology in reducing preventable medical errors and improving patient safety. International Journal of Health System and Disaster Management, 1(4), 195. doi:10.4103/2347-9019.130378
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Schiff, G. D., Amato, M. G., Eguale, T., Boehne, J. J., Wright, A., Koppel, R., … Seger, A. C. (2015). Computerised physician order entry-related medication errors: analysis of reported errors and vulnerability testing of current systems. BMJ Quality & Safety, 24(4), 264-271. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003555