NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Sample Answer for NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper Included After Question

NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

The introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) has brought significant changes in healthcare provision. For instance, EHRs has led to reduction in healthcare costs, improved provision of quality healthcare, increased health safety, and reduction in errors. Besides, EHRs ease the process of obtaining, organizing, examination, and presentation of health data for decision making process. This paper seeks to explore various questions relating to the roles of registered nurse during EHR implementation in the organization. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Title: NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Key Information Needed in Database to Track Opportunities for Care Improvement

There are various information needed in healthcare database to track opportunities for care improvement. However, some of the key information that may be required includes the level of patient satisfaction. This information should be coupled up with patients’ feedback on the possible areas that the organization should improve to facilitate positive outcomes. This information is crucial in enabling the organization to determine the areas and manner of providing effective services to realize the diverse needs of clients (Waters, Edmondston, Yates & Gucciardi, 2016). The other important information in the database is quality of services offered to patients. The quality of care should aim at enhancing safety, recovery, cost-effective, and reduces chances of negative consequences. As such, such information should be used to inform care improvement. The other key information needed include the manner of prescription, tracking results, and referral tracking. Moreover, the process of patient appointments is also an important information that should be incorporated in the database. Since the organization should be ready to serve the patients anytime, incorporating information such as the time it takes from requisition of appointment to the actual appointment, the promptness of reminders, and canceled appointment is necessary in determining and improving how the organization responds to the patients. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Role of Informatics in Capturing this Data

The informatics plays a vital role in capturing the data by enabling a means of exchanging important healthcare data between the patients and healthcare providers to ensure positive health outcomes (Mehta & Pandit, 2018). The shared information within the interdisciplinary team ensures collaboration in healthcare provision. Further, informatics also ensures that patients are engaged in their care through joint decision-making. Moreover, informatics also plays a role in reduction of errors while utilizing the data collected by ensuring the establishment of standards of information to direct the understanding of every data category and its possible implication in healthcare. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

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Systems and Staff Needed in the Design and Implementation Process and Team

The required system in the EHR implementation process should be the ones anchored on the needs of the organization. The system should be easy to use and ensure greater flexibility in delivering health care. Besides, the system should facilitate interaction between the patients and healthcare providers. Overall, the systems adopted should be simple to use to ensure minimum possible efforts while implementing EHR and also improve the effectiveness of the system while being used. On the other hand, the needed staff in the design and implementation process includes nurses, physicians, administration, IT experts, and EHR lead team. The input of the staff is critical in the process of designing the EHR system by working collaboratively to ensure inclusion of better features in the system. In the implementation process, the staff is vital in determination of the system’s usability and its simplicity in use. Taken together, the staff is crucial in evaluation and success of the process.

Professional, Ethical, and Regulatory Standards needed in Design and Implementation of the System

The professional standards required in the design and implementation of the system include enhancement of safety of patients and positive patient outcomes. Besides, professionalism is required to ensure due procedure, accuracy, and effectiveness in collecting, documenting, storing, analysis, and reporting of data. Regarding ethical principles, the design and implementation of the system ought to ensure the security of the health data and also safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of the patients (Heart, Ben-Assuli & Shabtai, 2017). On the other side, the regulatory standards should also be taken into consideration while designing and implementing the system. The leading regulatory standards include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). These regulations are crucial in safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of the patient health records and in ensuring legal liability for failing to set standards. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

How EHR Team Would Ensure that All Order Sets Are Part of the New Record

Ensuring that all order sets become part of the new record requires a multifaceted process. The first step in the process should be to ensure the establishment of a governance system. This step requires the creation of a small support group to help in communication and decision making to ease the management, integration, and customization of the project. The governance system may include any member of the staff.  The next step is the planning stage where the hopes, objectives, and targets of all order sets are established.  Besides, all the currently available order sets are amended and included into the new system in this phase. The subsequent step is development of a guide, which involves creation of an approach that ensures stability in vital aspects of order sets such as outline, sequencing, size, evidence, and naming (Peters & Khan, 2014). The final step is the engagement stage where all the pertinent stakeholders of the order set are called to review and acclimatize with the system.

How to Communicate Changes in the Plan

The communication of changes would require the use of simple communication techniques in the organization such as organizing formal meetings with the employees to review the development, possible requirements, and potential changes to the implementation process. Other means of communicating changes include use of posters, follow ups, emails, and using the change lead team. The effective utilization of these communication techniques is crucial in creating awareness among the staff on the progress and also helping in thwarting or reduction in possibility of resisting the system by the staffs.  Importantly, the management should ensure an environment that encourages free and open communication to enable the staff a better opportunity to contribute to the design and implementation process.

Measures and Steps to Evaluate the Success of EHR Implementation from Staff, Setting and Patient’s Perspective

There are several ways to evaluate the success of the EHR implementation process. Overall, the success can be evaluated through the manner of adopting the change process, reduction in errors, high level of staff satisfaction with the system, improvement in the efficiency of network and infrastructure, and the overall culture (Nordan et al., 2018). On the other hand, the steps that can be used to evaluate the success of EHR implementation include planning, determination of the return on investment, examining the efficiency of the system, and reviewing the quality of care after the implementation. Moreover, success can also be evaluated by determination of profitability of the EHR system by performing cost-benefit analysis. Other techniques of evaluating the success includes determination of satisfaction levels of patients and the healthcare providers using surveys.

Leadership Skills and Theories to Facilitate Collaboration with the Interprofessional Team and Provide Evidence-Based, Patient-Centered Care

The EHR implementation process requires various leadership skills to succeed. The skills include effective communication. Communication is key in any change process because it helps in keeping the stakeholders informed about the progress of implementation process. Besides, it ensures that stakeholders give their inputs freely and also voice their concerns about the EHR implementation process. The other leadership skill is technical aptitude to help in understanding the technical nature of the process and systems used in the implementation process. The project management leadership skills are also necessary to help the leader in evaluation of different deliverables. The leader should also have problem-solving skills to help in addressing controversies that may arise during the implementation process. Essentially, the designing and implementation of EHR systems involve employees with diverse understanding, knowledge, perspectives, and experience. This diversity increases the chances of controversies, which can only be addressed by a leader with exceptional problem solving skills.

On the other hand, the most appropriate leadership theories in this context include transformational leadership style. According to Mittal & Dhar (2015), this leadership style emphasizes on collaborative effort by the employees to realize a common objective. It motivates the stakeholders to take active part in ensuring the success of the project. Transformative leaders ensure success by inspiring their subjects to be creative in their endeavors.

NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper Conclusion

The implementation of an EHR system comprises several stages. The involvement of various stakeholders is particularly important as they will impact various facets of the process. Importantly, the facilitation of interprofessional collaboration through leadership theories is fundamental to the success of such a project.

NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper References

Heart, T., Ben-Assuli, O., & Shabtai, I. (2017). A review of PHR, EMR and EHR integration: A more personalized healthcare and public health policy. Health Policy and Technology, 6(1), 20-25.

Mehta, N., & Pandit, A. (2018). Concurrence of big data analytics and healthcare: A systematic review. International journal of medical informatics, 114, 57-65.

Mittal, S., & Dhar, R. L. (2015). Transformational leadership and employee creativity. Management Decision.

Nordan, L., Blanchfield, L., Niazi, S., Sattar, J., Coakes, C. E., Uitti, R., & Spaulding, A. (2018). Implementing electronic patient-reported outcomes measurements: challenges and success factors. BMJ quality & safety, 27(10), 852-856.

Peters, S. G., & Khan, M. A. (2014). Electronic health records: current and future use. Journal of comparative effectiveness research, 3(5), 515-522.

Waters, S., Edmondston, S. J., Yates, P. J., & Gucciardi, D. F. (2016). Identification of factors influencing patient satisfaction with orthopaedic outpatient clinic consultation: a qualitative study. Manual therapy, 25, 48-55.

NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Description:

One way informatics can be especially valuable is in capturing data to inspire improvements and quality change in practice. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) collects data related to adverse events and safety concerns. If you are working within a practice setting to implement a new electronic health record (EHR) system, this is just one of the many considerations your team would need to plan for during the rollout process.

In a paper of 1,500-1,750 words, discuss the following:

1. Consider an opportunity for tracking care improvement. What key information would be needed in the database? Example: Time lapse from medication order documented in the EHR to delivery of medication to the patient for the cardiology service.

Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

An electronic health record (EHR) integrates a patient’s multiple electronic medical records, physician-generated and patient-generated personal health records. It has been widely adopted in healthcare organizations since it helps providers and facilities have all the information they need at the point of care (Baus et al., 2018). In addition, the EHR has been associated with multiple benefits, including reducing medical errors and redundant paperwork and supporting physicians’ reimbursement. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an opportunity for care improvement and how the EHR can be used to track the improvement.

Opportunity for Tracking Care Improvement

Patient falls are a common patient safety concern in the inpatient unit. They are related to adverse events that worsen patient outcomes, prolong hospitalization, and reduce patient satisfaction with care. The hospital’s fall rate in the past year was 6.3 per 1,000 patient days, and about 40% of these falls resulted in significant injuries. According to Moskowitz et al. (2020), the EHR can be used to assess patients’ risk for falls and identify those at high risk of falls, guiding appropriate fall-preventive measures. An EHR Fall-risk assessment tool will be ideal in helping providers assess and identify patients at risk of falls in the inpatient units and thus take measures to mitigate falls.

Key information required in the EHR database to track patients’ risk for falls includes a patient’s age, gender, and disease conditions or physical dysfunctions associated with a high risk of falls, like, gait and balance difficulties, muscle weakness, poor vision, and postural hypotension. In addition, chronic diseases associated with falls will be included in the database, like stroke, osteoporosis, cognitive impairment, dementia, and epilepsy (Ye et al., 2020). Moreover, a patient’s current medications will be needed in the EHR database, especially those used to treat diabetes, mental disorders, cardiovascular conditions, and NSAIDs, since they are established to have a strong relationship with increased fall risk.

2. Describe the role informatics plays in the ability to capture this data. What type of project management strategies and methodologies can be implemented to support informatics initiatives to help improve quality within the clinical practice?
3. Discuss which systems and staff members would need to be involved in the design and implementation process. What is the role of the advanced registered nurse in promoting evidence-based practice and leading quality and performance improvement initiatives within this setting?

4. Outline strategies for implementing the new EHR proposal. Consider communication changes, transitioning to the new EHR, and managing resources (human, fiscal, and health care resources).
5. Discuss what professional, ethical, and regulatory standards must be incorporated into the design and implementation of the system.
6. Describe the measures and steps you would take to evaluate the success of the EHR implementation from a staff, setting, and patient perspective to measure effectiveness and ensure continuous quality improvement in practice?
7. Explain what leadership skills and theories would be needed to facilitate collaboration with the interprofessional team and provide evidence-based, patient-centered care?

You are required to cite five to 10 sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.

Complete the “APA Writing Checklist” to ensure that your paper adheres to APA style and formatting criteria and general guidelines for academic writing. Include the completed checklist as an appendix at the end of your paper. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Course Materials if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

MBA-MSN; MSN-Nursing Education; MSN Acute Care Nurse Practitioner-Adult-Gerontology; MSN Family Nurse Practitioner; MSN-Health Informatics; MSN-Health Care Quality and Patient Safety; MSN-Leadership in Health Care Systems; MSN-Public Health Nursing

2.3: Develop leadership skills to collaborate on interprofessional teams in the provision of evidence-based, patient-centered care.

5.2: Apply professional, ethical, and regulatory standards of practice in the provision of safe, effective health care. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Topic 8 DQ 1

Description:

Open and clear communication is critical for the effective functioning of the interprofessional team and the delivery of safe patient care. Discuss the way communication technologies can enhance coordination of care by interprofessional teams. Be sure to discuss a specific communication technology in your response.

Communication technology is now allowing us to respond to one another in real time. When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred communication was key to helping to spread information about the virus. How it spread and the effects on his body. It was key to helping hospitals coordinate with one another especially as places like New York City became hard hit and hospital systems collapsed. Communication in real time help other areas and other hospitals learn what was being done well and what wasn’t being done well for them to incorporate mechanisms to help keep the hospitals afloat and from collapsing. The technologies that we are using today such as cell phones and e-mail have allowed physicians and other health care workers to communicate rapidly versus what we were using decades ago such as beepers or pagers calling via landlines or fax machines. The technology today allows us to communicate even with the public via social media to help educate the population on what’s going on in regards to public health matters and ways for people to protect themselves. “having more access to more interactive technologies, patient-provider communication no longer has to be face-to-face. Instead, in some situations a patient no longer has to be physically present in a physician or a nurse’s office to get information or treatment” (Tian, 2021). COVID-19 pandemic help give rise to telemedicine a former technology that allows patients to communicate with doctors and other healthcare professionals online instead of in person. Nowhere was this more valuable than in the mental health sector where patient seeking mental health services were able to connect with mental health specialists this also allowed mental health specialists to see in number of patients in this certain time frame versus when they had to see them in person allowing them to reach more people and people in different areas of the country.

Reference:

Tian, Y. (2021). New Technologies and Nursing Communication: Literature Review and Future Directions. Nursing Communication, 1 (8). Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/nursingcommunication/vol1/ iss1/8

Topic 8 DQ 2

Description:

Virtual care and telehealth technologies have the capability to greatly expand access to quality health care. Discuss some benefits and drawbacks of virtual care/telehealth, particularly related to the collaboration and coordination of care and the role of the advanced registered nurse.

Topic 8: Interprofessionalism and Interrelationships in Informatics and Information Systems

Description

Objectives:

1. Analyze the role of the advanced registered nurse in promoting evidence-based practice and leading quality and performance improvement initiatives.
2. Analyze quality standards and performance measures related to the use of informatics for continuous quality improvement in practice settings.
3. Discuss project management strategies and methodologies for implementing health care informatics initiatives that improve quality within clinical practice.

Study Materials

Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge

Description:

Read Chapters 16 and 20 in Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge.

Health IT

Description:

Explore the HealthIT.gov website.

Artificial Intelligence Research: The Utility and Design of a Relational Database System

Description:

Read “Artificial Intelligence Research: The Utility and Design of a Relational Database System,” by Diling, from
Advances in Radiation Oncology (2020).

Application of Project Management Tools and Techniques to Support Nursing Intervention Research
Description:

Read “Application of Project Management Tools and Techniques to Support Nursing Intervention Research,” by Rew, Cauvin, Cengiz, Pretorius, and Johnson, from Nursing Outlook (2020).

How Data Can Save Lives: Informatics for Health 2017

Description:

Read “How Data Can Save Lives: Informatics for Health 2017,” by Cookson, from BMC Series Blog (2017), located on the BioMed Central website.

Electronic Health Record (EHR) System Testing Plan

Description:

Read “Electronic Health Record (EHR) System Testing Plan,” located on the HealthIT.gov website.

EHR Testing: Specifics and Best Practices

Description:

Read “EHR Testing: Specifics and Best Practices,” by Mikhailau (2019), located on the Health IT Outcomes website.

Health IT Standards

Description:

Read “Health IT Standards,” located on the HealthIT.gov website.

Perspectives of Healthcare Practitioners: An Exploration of Interprofessional Communication Using Electronic Medical Records

Description:

Read “Perspectives of Healthcare Practitioners: An Exploration of Interprofessional Communication Using Electronic Medical Records,” by Bardach, Real, and Bardach, from Journal of Interprofessional Care (2017).

Best Practices for Health Informatician Involvement in Interprofessional Health Care Teams

Description:

Read “Best Practices for Health Informatician Involvement in Interprofessional Health Care Teams,” by Holden, Binkheder, Patel, and Viernes, from Applied Clinical Informatics (2018).

Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Nursing Care: Results of an Overview of Systematic Reviews
Description:

Read “Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Nursing Care: Results of an Overview of Systematic Reviews,” by Rouleau et al., from Journal of Medical Internet Research(2017).

Top 10 Telehealth Benefits and Challenges Concerning Hospitals

Description:

Read “Top 10 Telehealth Benefits and Challenges Concerning Hospitals,” from Delabano (2020), located on the Access website.

Perspectives of Nurses Toward Telehealth Efficacy and Quality of Health Care: Pilot Study

Description:

Read “Perspectives of Nurses Toward Telehealth Efficacy and Quality of Health Care: Pilot Study,” by Bashir and Bastola, from JMIR Medical Informatics (2018).

Topic 3 DQ 1

How have you seen or experienced organizational change within an organization? Did it go well or not? Was there any correlation in how the organizations used stakeholders or change models?

Re: Topic 3 DQ 1
At the level of charge nurse, organizational change is often experienced as a bystander. The change is apparent; however, the stakeholders and model are a mystery. Being bought by a large organization and going from a nonprofit to a for-profit acute care hospital was a rough transition. From the viewpoint of the nursing staff, most of the change was not favorable. There was the loss of ancillary staff, changes to inferior supplies, gaps in leadership, and highly drawn-out contract negations resulting in significant delays in step and other raises. If you asked the nursing staff know how the change went, they would probably say, “not good, but we made it through.” If you asked the major stakeholders who influenced the change plan, their answer would be different because it was a success. Five years later and it is business as usual with talks of a new hospital on the horizon.
All the hospitals in the area are now for-profit facilities. This is a trend in the United States, hospitals are consolidating at an accelerating rate, and healthcare costs continue to rise (Findlay, 2018). From 2013 to 2017, nearly 1 in 5 hospitals were acquired or merged with another hospital (Findlay, 2018). In most cases, mergers are necessary for the survival of the hospital. To keep up with advancing technology, modern data management, and top clinical talent, merging with large corporations is the only option (Findlay, 2018).
Nevertheless, at what cost to the communities these hospitals serve. You would think community services would suffer; however, a recent study showed only slightly higher spending in charity care for nonprofit facilities and showed higher charity care spending in for-profit hospitals with 300 beds or more (Garber, 2020). The same study showed that the most significant deviation in charity care spending was from state to state and had little bearing on whether the facilities were nonprofit or for-profit (Garber, 2020). Major organizational change is complex, and some areas of nursing suffer; however, the more significant picture points to the necessity to survive.

Findlay, S. (2018, July 19). Can a Community Hospital Stick to its Mission When it Goes For-Profit? Retrieved from npr.org: http://npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/canacommunityhospitalsticktoitsmissionwhenitgoesforprofit

Garber, J. (2020, October 1). Nonprofit and for-profit hospitals provide similar levels of charity care, study finds. Retrieved from Lown Institute: https//lowninstitute.org/nonprofitandfor-profithospitalsprovidesimilarlevelsofcharitycare,studyfinds

Topic 3 DQ 2

You have been selected to serve on a community outreach committee within your state’s nursing organization. The committee includes registered nurses of different specialties. At your first meeting, it becomes evident that not everyone is in agreement with a recent position statement about the role of spiritual care, with some members arguing they will no longer support the committee if the position statement is not revised or reversed. As a nurse leader, how could you draw from change theory to address these concerns and encourage collaboration on the committee?

Re: Topic 3 DQ 2
Being a leaders comes with many challenges. Sometimes these challenges will call for creative solutions to bring multiple parties to the table with a solution that will work for everyone. In healthcare, the common goal is serve the needs of the patients and the public’s health needs. In the scenario presented, the nurse leader will have to start of by reminding everyone involved in the committee what the common goal is of the committee and who they are serving (the public). Disagreements and the unwillingness to comprise can overcloud judgments and decisions. “When teams are faced with adversity, the tendency can be to pass blame and begin to question the system, management or leadership. Challenges require every member to remain committed to the ultimate goal, which in the case of health care is patient care” (Bosch & Mansell, 2015)

Lewin’s change theory provides a blueprint on resolving conflicts among groups who have differences of opinion. Lewin’s Change Theory discusses three major components: driving forces, restraining forces and equilibrium. “Driving forces are those that push in a direction that causes change to occur, restraining forces are those forces that counter the driving forces and Equilibrium is a state of being where driving forces equal restraining forces, and no change occurs” (Nursing Theory, n.d.). When dealing with conflict among groups of individuals with different visions, I would draw from the equilibrium force. The obvious reason would be due to the fact that in this states, parties can be brought to the table with each of their ideas presented and from their choose from each side what closely matches the vision and purpose of the committee and ultimately the public. This will allow the leader to pull all parties in the same direction with the ideas that the each party has the closely aligns with the end goal.

NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper References:

Bosch, B., & Mansell, H. (2015). Interprofessional collaboration in health care: Lessons to be learned from competitive sports. Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC, 148(4), 176–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/1715163515588106

Nursing Theory. (n.d.). Lewin’s Change Theory. Retrieved from: https://nursing-theory.org/theories-and-models/lewin-change-theory.php

Re: Topic 3 DQ 2

Almost all aspects of our daily life will change at some point or another. There are times when change is accepted with open arms, and other times change is met with resistance. Meeting resistance within an organization or committee is expected when members have originated from different specialties. There are certain models in place that ease the resistance when change is necessary.

As a nurse leader to this community outreach committee, I would use the Eight Steps of Change Process to the best of my abilities to, “combine lesions from traditional theories of change with those of complexity science” (DeNisco & Baker, 2016, p. 111). First, it is important to make sense of the resistance and figure out what exactly some members want revised. A Change team must then be created because “the best change outcomes involve the ideas and expertise of many people” (DeNisco & Baker, 2016, p. 112). Representation from all committee members would be carefully considered. The team then develops a shared vision, and the forces of change are considered. Data and information can be analyzed to assist in this process. Next, a work plan for change implementation would be used. These plans may need to remain flexible or consider multiple actions for one or more objectives (DeNisco & Baker, 2016). The changes need to then be implemented and then evaluated. Time needs to be taken into consideration when these two steps are completed because effective change happens over time. When the needs have been met, refreezing or incorporating the changes into the culture occurs. It is important to take the ideas of all committee members into consideration to ensure effective collaboration with one another. Collaboration from all helps the nurse leader enact changes in the most successful of ways. NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

NUR 514 Benchmark Assignment Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper Reference

Denisco, S.M., Baker, A.M. (2016). Advanced practice nursing: essential knowledge for the profession. Burlington, MA. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Re: Topic 8 DQ 1

My hospital recently switched over to a new communication system called Vocera. It is like a walkie-talkie and you push the button and say the name or group that you want to speak to and I can connects you. For example, if you needed to contact speech therapy but do not know who is working that day, you simply say call speech therapy and it connects you to someone who is working. It is an improvement over telephones because we spent so much time trying to find the phone number of the person we need to call. But at the same time there are some flaws, sometimes the Vocera doesn’t understand the name that you are saying. Quick communication in real time can help improve continuity of care for patients. “Technology provides nurses with a new set of tools to enable and improve the nurse–patient relationship” (Dewsbury, 2019). The implementation of the Vocera decreased wasted time and allow for more time its patient care or expediting their care. McGonigle and Mastrian discuss a safety culture and how it relates to keeping patients safe (2017). This kind of technology is helpful in providing safety for staff as well. If staff are in positions where they are unable to reach call lights or even staff emergency buttons they simply press a button and call for help. There is no need to fumble with a phone especially the old brick size telephones we used to have. Vocera provides very limited hands on feature which can be useful when your hands need to be else where to provide safety for yourself or your patient.

Dewsbury, G. (2019). Use of information and communication technology in nursing services. British Journal of Community Nursing, 24(12), 604–607. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2019.24.12.604
McGonigle, D., Mastrian, K. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN-13:9781284121247

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Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• Student paper example
• Citing Sources
• The Writing Center is a great resource

 

Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Electronic health records refer to the digital storage of patient data and ensure that such data is only available to the authorized personnel and there is no unauthorized access to such data. The implementation of the electronic health records in medical facilities is an ever improving phenomenon that ensures that patients have access to quality medical care. Some of the primary advantages of the electronic health records include ease of access to medical histories of the patient, which can then point out the allergies and the possible reaction to medication that the patient has recorded. Benchmarking on the functionality of the electronic health recorded by the medical administrators and nursing informatics managers is crucial in the determination of how they would design their system (Mandel, Kreda, Mandl, Kohane & Ramoni, 2016). The firewalls needed for prevention of cyber security issues and integration of informatics to capture, analyze and interpret the medical information is an important cog of the EHR system. This paper details out the role of advanced registered nurse during the benchmark, review, and leadership skills that he or she needs to exude when implementing the electronic health records.

Key Information in the Database

The electronic health record plays a key role in the improvement of care to patients. The key information that one can derive from the system is essential in enabling a clinician to track the opportunities for care improvement. The key information that the electronic health records (EHR) provide is on the medical history of the clients. Such can be a basis upon which the clinicians make decisions on the evidence based practices that would be appropriate to the improvement of patient outcomes. Data from the EHR can be analyzed by the clinicians to determine the prevalence of a given medical condition in a locality and track the type of medication that is often issued to such patients. The response of such patients to the regular medication can facilitate decision making on the ideal type of treatment or evidence based practice that can be issued to the patient. Furthermore, information on the life threatening allergies that the patient could be having is also existent and such can provide an opportunity for care improvement.

Role of Informatics

Informatics is critical in the capability of an organization to capture the data needed for care improvement within the medical facilities. Informatics facilitates the process through which nurses and other medical staff capture the needed data within the EHR. Informatics ensures that there is proper management of data stored within the system and the interpretation of the medical histories of the patients, thus, ease of communicating the care processes needed within the facilities.  Informatics also facilitates the ideal organization of patient data to ensure that the medical history of the patients is matched with their needs. Health informatics often examines the relationship between different medicines and dosages that are issued to a patient and further recommend the interactions of the various medications can be deemed as being dangerous or if there is a likely reaction owing to allergies. Therefore, data on allergies and drug relationships are realized through informatics.

Systems and Implementation System

The health information systems and the health informatics nurses need to be involved in the design process. The health information system bears the data of the patients and the improvement or nature of data that ought to be captured. Health information systems also facilitate determination of the security features that would need to be integrated in the system and the safety features that would need to be integrated within the system (Goldstein, Navar, Pencina, & Ioannidis, 2017). The informatics nurse specialists would provide the necessary expertise that would be crucial in the designing of the system and ensuring that the system captures the data that would be needed within it (Birkhead, Klompas, & Shah, 2015). Other medical professionals such as laboratory technologists, physicians, psychiatrists and the general nurses would need to be included in the team and issue their input on how the system would function better.

Professional, Ethical and Regulatory Standards

The regulatory standards are premised on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) regulations. The regulation establishes that where the medical records of patients are stored electronically, there is need to install safety features that would ensure that such data is not compromised and only the authorized personnel have access to such data (Colorafi & Bailey, 2016). The major ethical standards that are to be considered include confidentiality of the patient information and patient consent. The patient will need to be informed that their data is to be stored electronically and issue consent before such exercise is carried out. Additionally, only the authorized personnel would need to see the extent of patient data that has been approved for the purpose of offering care to such patient. However, the patient data should not be shared to a third and unauthorized party (Rajkomar et al., 2018). Professionally, the nursing informatics manager is in charge of the system and ensures that at no point is the system compromised. The health informatics manager also issues training to the other staff who are to use the system in the course of their work.

Communication of the Changes and Transition Plan

The information on the transition from the existent health information system to the electronic health record needs to be communicated through an official memo and direct staff e-mails. The information needs to bear the timeline for the transition, staff scheduled for training, and the dates and the overall objectives of the new project. Official communication would further enable the staff to plan for the change that they would go through in the work processes and issue feedback on how such improvement could be realized within the medical facility.

Evaluation of Success of the EHR Implementation

The success of the EHR is anchored on the evaluation process. Evaluation would ensure that there is feedback got by the nursing managers, which would then lead to the improvement of the system. The staff would need to issue quarterly reports to the informatics managers on the suitability of the system to their work and the improvements that would need to be made. The patient would also need to be issued with exit questionnaires after three month timelines where they would issue feedback on the EHR and how the system addresses the core ethical issues of confidentiality and consent (Miotto, Li, Kidd, & Dudley, 2016). Feedback is ideal in the receipt of information on the adjustments that would be needed in the system.

Leadership Skills and Theories

Teamwork is a leadership skill that is essential in facilitating collaboration with the interprofessional team. Teamwork would ensure that there is adequate input which each staff has on how the system could be made effective and receiving feedback on the functionality of the system. Leadership is also essential in the provision of patient-centered care and integration of evidence-based care for the nursing professionals.  The transformation leadership theory is critical for consideration for the advanced nursing manager to consider. The theory establishes that the leader and the follower need to motivate each other and work towards the implementation of common goals within the organization (Casey, Schwartz, Stewart & Adler, 2016). The theory is suitable for the content of the electronic health record implementation since it will facilitate the building of a team by the nursing manager and the additional staff including subjects to work towards designing and utilization of an effective system.

Conclusion

Informatics is a key component of the electronic health records. It facilitates the capturing or patient data, medical history, previous conditions and medical issues. It also captures information such as drug reaction and allergies that the patient could have suffered. Therefore, it is a critical component for the advanced registered nurse to consider during procurement, implementation, utilization and review of the electronic health records. However, there is need to provide team leadership and ensure that all the personnel in the medical facility are taken through training on the usability of the system and their role in the functionality of the system. Regular evaluation needs to be sought from personnel and patients through questionnaires, issued on a regular three month interval, to determine its efficacy and adjustments that need to be made to the system. Importantly, the regulatory standards outlined through HIPAA are a key consideration for the nursing informatics managers to integrate from the design to the operationalization process of the system. The ethical considerations of consent and confidentiality also need to be integrated in the system.

Effective communication is the foundation of successful teamwork. Interprofessional teams are highly essential in healthcare because they enable the coordination of care to support the needs of a patient and promote good health outcomes and overall welfare and well-being. To enable effective communication among members of the interprofessional teams. Various healthcare technological devices are used to support effective communication in healthcare to support the delivery of safe care. One such tool is the electronic health record. Apart from collecting and storing patient information, the electronic health record is a communication tool that enables providers to disseminate and share data about a patient for easier coordination by allowing unlimited access to information (Vos et al., 2020). The electronic health record is favored for enhancing provider interaction as they share critical information and make diagnosis and treatment decisions regarding a patient. The interaction helps in reducing errors and duplication of tests, which enhances patient safety and care effectiveness.

The electronic health record support coordination of care activities between health practitioners and pharmacists to enable a seamless and error-free process of prescribing to eliminate adverse events associated with drug reactions and interactions (Ibrahim et al., 2022). For example, the electronic record has an e-prescribing software that enables providers to send prescriptions to the pharmacy. Using the electronic system reduces errors because of the elimination of the need to write down the prescription, which is associated with errors, misinterpretation of drugs, and unreadable handwriting (Wolfe et al., 2018). With e-prescribing and electronic health records, providers can confirm potential drug interactions while prescribing as coordinated by the EHR and subsequently avoid making such fatal mistakes. The ability to coordinate efficient and accurate information during prescribing contributes to patient safety.

References

Ibrahim, A. A., Ahmad, Z., Ismail, R., Ariffin, A. H., & Ismail, A. (2022). The role of electronic medical records in improving health care quality: A quasi-experimental study. Medicine, 101(30). p e29627 doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029627.

Vos, J., Boonstra, A., & Kooistra, A. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Serv Res , 20, 676. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05542-6.

Wolfe, L., Chisolm, M., & Bohsali, F. (2018). Clinically Excellent Use of the Electronic Health Record: Review. JMIR Hum Factors. , 5(4):e10426. https://doi: 10.2196/10426.

Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

The current health practice has evolved in multiple dimensions, including better clinical systems, increased access, and more emphasis on patient-centered care. As these developments occur, technology has been instrumental in evolving critical patient care dimensions. As a result, nursing informaticists and other healthcare practitioners should embrace innovation and guide their organizations in tracking care improvement opportunities and intervening appropriately. For innovation to succeed, healthcare facilities should have the appropriate culture and resources to support and facilitate change (Sharplin et al., 2019). Advanced practice nurses should also play their role as change leaders effectively. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an opportunity for care improvement and the necessary considerations for implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) system.

An Opportunity for Tracking Care Improvement and Database Information

When visiting healthcare facilities, patients always look forward to a comprehensive analysis of their conditions. However, such care can only be achieved if the facilities have efficient and up-to-date EHR systems and other tools for clinical decision support. Effective EHR systems improve care efficiency and reduce inconveniences occasioned by medical errors (Kehsta & Odeh, 2021). A suitable opportunity for tracking care improvement is a system’s task completion rate. In everyday practice, systems’ inefficiencies hamper care outcomes by causing treatment delays or failing to facilitate quick information sharing between providers. An upgrade of the system’s operating system can produce better results in such instances. The other option is implementing a new EHR system to capture patient data easily, enable quick analysis, and ensure that practitioners can share crucial data in real time.

A database contains essential health information to guide practitioners in decision-making. In clinical settings, a database should allow clinicians to store information in a way that can be accessed and managed easily. Appropriate data updates should also be done conveniently. Key information in the database should be primarily about patients. Such information includes patients’ demographics, problems, and current medications (CMS.gov, 2023). The other crucial information relevant to clinicians and patients includes progress notes and time spent during the care process. Further analysis of the time spent during the care process can indicate whether the new EHR system requires improvements.

Role of Informatics in Data Capturing and Project Management Strategies

Informatics is at the center of healthcare evolution and plays an instrumental role in promoting data-driven care. According to Estiri et al. (2018), informatics allows clinicians to capture information rapidly to facilitate quick decision-making. Through informatics, patient information can also be captured in multiple formats, although organizations must have highly interoperable systems to use such data effectively. The implication is that the clinical setting embracing informatics would benefit from quick information capturing, further improving collation, analysis, storage, and retrieval.

Implementing system changes typifies engaging in a project designed to improve patient outcomes. Essential project management strategies and methodologies include teamwork, planning, design, and implementation. Teamwork is crucial in improving quality in clinical practice since it allows people to share perspectives and address a common issue creatively. Regarding system changes, Aguirre et al. (2019) underlined that EHR implementation could be challenging hence the need for effective planning to minimize errors. The planning phase is broad since it entails assessing the selection criteria of teams and intended system performance, including interoperability and confidentiality. Concerning design, maximum consideration of the infrastructure is crucial to ensure clinicians are provided with a robust system and tools to transform practice (Estiri et al., 2018). Implementation denotes putting the system into use. In the current context, it should be implemented after successful piloting and when users can use it comfortably and effectively.

Systems, Staff Members, and the Role of the Advanced Registered Nurse

System implementation should be a collaborative task. Such an approach is crucial since diverse leaders and healthcare teams have different skills and competencies, which are essential in informed decision-making. In clinical practice, shared perspectives improve decision-making since information can be analyzed and critiqued (Roodbeen et al., 2021). Systems necessary in the design and implementation process include communication and health information technology (IT) systems. Communication systems are crucial for enabling healthy interaction between team members, while IT systems are valuable for data collection, analysis, and other related functions. Staff members include the organization’s management, IT department members, system analysts and designers, nurse leaders, and nurses as the end users. Involving nurses as the end users is vital since they will be interacting with the system regularly. Hence, they should understand its basic features, functionality, and how to use it for optimal patient care.

Successful organizations should be open to change and support innovation. Consequently, they should promote evidence-based practice (EBP) and support quality improvement initiatives. As Sharplin et al. (2019) suggested, EBP thrives in a culture ready for change and in organizations that support and reward innovation. In this setting, advanced registered nurses are mandated to identify opportunities for quality improvement and propose interventions for enhancing outcomes. For instance, advanced practice nurses design education programs to reduce infections and improve health literacy. This implies that they are pivotal in practice transformation and ensuring progressive improvement in healthcare processes and outcomes.

Strategies for Implementing the New EHR Proposal

The new EHR system is expected to improve clinical outcomes and have new features, including design, themes, and layout. As a result, communication about the proposed changes is essential to ensure its targeted users are mentally ready for it. Readiness for change reduces possible resistance hence quick implementation (Sharplin et al., 2019). When everyone is ready, a transition to the new system can occur. Here, clinicians would start using the new EHR system to perform tasks quicker than the previous system. A crucial component of the transitioning process is user education to ensure nurses and other users can use the system competently and confidently. Teamwork should also be encouraged before everyone is conversant with the new system. Change leaders should also monitor nurses’ experience with the new system and intervene in areas where user challenges are witnessed. Doing so would allow leaders to design post-implementation support for the sustainable use of the new EHR system.

Professional, Ethical, and Regulatory Standards

EHRs are the foundation of health information exchange. They facilitate the exchange of protected health information (PHI) hence the need for compliance with the established standards. Professional standards that must be incorporated into the system’s design and implementation include user-centeredness and interoperability. User-centeredness can be achieved by an institutive design that is user-friendly to encourage healthcare professionals to use a system (Micheal et al., 2021). Interoperability entails a system’s capacity to share information among different users. It should also be a priority area since interoperable systems should be convenient and safe to use.

The most crucial ethical standards to consider are security, privacy, and confidentiality. The system should be secure from internal and external attacks that can hamper its efficiency. Effective system security is achieved by implementing appropriate safety measures. A secure EHR system is also able to protect patients’ private information (Kehsta & Odeh, 2021). Confidentiality is achieved by ensuring identifiable health information is inaccessible to unauthorized users. Regarding regulatory standards, the EHR system should adhere to the principles of meaningful use. In this case, all the design considerations should enable healthcare professionals to use the system to improve care outcomes such as quality and safety. For instance, quick information sharing would improve care quality and patient satisfaction due to timely care.