NURS 6051 HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
NURS 6051 HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
A general healthcare technology trend related to information that I have observed in my nursing practice is the increasing use of electronic health records (EHRs). EHRs allow multiple healthcare providers to access and update a patient’s information digitally, as opposed to relying on locating or faxing over paper records (HealthIT.gov, 2018). When I worked in an outpatient office that did not use an EHR, I saw how this slowed down patient care. We wanted to avoid repeating tests a patient had already gotten and wanted to fully understand the patient’s history, but it could mean hours of waiting for the patient’s record to be faxed over from the other office. Sometimes we would finally get a record, but a crucial page would be missing, or an important page would have handwriting from the provider that was barely legible, which further delayed patient care and could have caused patient harm. This shows how a benefit of EHRs is the improvement in patient care outcomes by giving providers complete and up-to-date information about their patients immediately. This allows more accurate diagnosis, quicker treatment, and the ability to communicate with other healthcare providers in the team.
EHRs help avoid many of the problems of paper records, but also come with their own set of risks. For example, security and confidentiality of patient information that is now visible by possibly hundreds of healthcare providers is a concern, as well as the risk of data loss or system outages. My current hospital uses an EHR, and the system shut down during shift change one Sunday morning. This caused a lot of confusion and risk for patient harm, as we could not access the patient’s information needed to give report to the oncoming nurse, hand off critical medications, give medication, and more. There is also a risk of data breaches with EHRs, which could lead to patient information being disclosed without their consent to unauthorized parties. This risk can be mitigated by having strong security measures, such as two-factor authentication that my hospital uses, and regularly training staff on how to protect patient data (Abouelmehdi et al., 2018).
A healthcare technology trend that I believe is promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice is telehealth. I believe it will help patient care outcomes and efficiencies. Telehealth allows healthcare providers to deliver care remotely, using video conferencing and other digital tools (Skiba, 2017). This is especially useful in areas that do not have nearby access to healthcare providers, such as rural or underserved areas. For patients that have chronic conditions or who cannot easily travel to a healthcare facility, telehealth is also valuable. During the beginning of the covid pandemic when social distancing was paramount for everyone’s safety, I met with my healthcare provider through telehealth.
A potential risk of telehealth is thinking that it is suitable for all types of care, as a physical exam is a key to diagnosing and treating most conditions; a provider may not be able to safely diagnose a condition with only a history and your description of your symptoms. Another risk is the quality of the technology being used, as a zoom meeting with choppy audio or internet outages will not allow you to have a productive telehealth visit. There is also a risk of a lack of confidentiality of patient data. However, overall, both EHRs and telehealth can improve patient care outcomes, efficiencies, and data management for nursing practice, as long as we consider the risks associated with these technologies and take steps to mitigate them.
HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Throughout history, technological advancements have appeared for one purpose before finding applications elsewhere that lead to spikes in its usage and development. The internet, for example, was originally developed to share research before becoming a staple of work and entertainment. But technology—new and repurposed—will undoubtedly continue to be a driver of healthcare information. Informaticists often stay tuned to trends to monitor what the next new technology will be or how the next new idea for applying existing technology can benefit outcomes.
In this Discussion, you will reflect on your healthcare organization’s use of technology and offer a technology trend you observe in your environment.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the Resources related to digital information tools and technologies.
- Consider your healthcare organization’s use of healthcare technologies to manage and distribute information.
- Reflect on current and potential future trends, such as use of social media and mobile applications/telehealth, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled asset tracking, or expert systems/artificial intelligence, and how they may impact nursing practice and healthcare delivery.
BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 6
Post a brief description of general healthcare technology trends, particularly related to data/information you have observed in use in your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Describe any potential challenges or risks that may be inherent in the technologies associated with these trends you described. Then, describe at least one potential benefit and one potential risk associated with data safety, legislation, and patient care for the technologies you described. Next, explain which healthcare technology trends you believe are most promising for impacting healthcare technology in nursing practice and explain why. Describe whether this promise will contribute to improvements in patient care outcomes, efficiencies, or data management. Be specific and provide examples.
Great post. I agree with your view that the EHR is vital to transitioning to a healthcare delivery system that is augmented by information technology. The EHR improves the quality of care by eliminating medication errors and storing digital versions of patient records that can be retrieved in real time (HealthIT.gov, 2018). However, an additional healthcare trend that has great potential for greater application is the use of telehealth. This technology has reduced the care burden on overstretched care workers. Telehealth enables remote counseling, diagnosis, as well as patient data monitoring (Blandford, 2020). This function improves access to quality care for the population and ensures that interventions are delivered on time. Many people that had to face the challenge of reduced access to quality care will be able to speak to doctors and nurses’ virtually when they have any health challenges.
References
Blandford, A., Wesson, J., Amalberti, R., AlHazme, R., & Allwihan, R. (2020). Opportunities and challenges for telehealth within, and beyond, a pandemic. The Lancet Global Health, 8(11), e1364-e1365. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30362-4
HealthIT.gov. (2018). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr
BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, offering additional/alternative ideas regarding opportunities and risks related to the observations shared.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Healthcare Information Technology Trends
The organization I work with as a nurse largely utilizes health information technologies for patient care. The institution uses different technologies including electronic health records, telehealth, barcode system for medication administration, personalized medical records, and teleconferencing. It also utilizes the personalized tracking systems for patients with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. The organization updates its technologies on a regular basis to ensure they are up-to-date and efficient. The technology trends in the organization are associated with a number of challenges. One of them is the high cost of updating the technologies used in the organization. The need for regular updates increases the costs incurred in the organization, which affects the sustainability of the systems (Xiao et al., 2018). The other challenge is the increased risk for loss of data during the updates and transfer of data across systems. Data loss will affect the efficiency of operations in the organization. Despite the above challenges, the technologies have several benefits for the organization (Keshta & Odeh, 2021). One of the benefits is the improvement in the safety of care given to patients. Technologies such as barcode system of medication administration have reduced significantly the risk and rate of medication errors in the organization. The technologies have also improved the efficiency of service provision in the organization (Menachemi et al., 2018). For example, electronic health records have increased the ease in access to patient data and use in making health-related decisions.
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The technologies are however associated with some risks. One of them is the increased risk of loss of data integrity. Third parties can access the private and confidential data of the patients, leading to loss of data integrity (Xiao et al., 2018). I believe that the use of telehealth in chronic disease management is one of the most promising technologies that will affect nursing practice. Telehealth technology has proven effective in improving the safety, quality, and efficiency in chronic disease management. The technology reduces healthcare costs, increased patient and provider interaction, and eliminates barriers to care for patients (Jin et al., 2019; Rutledge et al., 2021). For example, it reduces the need for unnecessary hospital visits by patients. Therefore, it will transform the future of nursing significantly.
References NURS 6051 HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Jin, K., Khonsari, S., Gallagher, R., Gallagher, P., Clark, A. M., Freedman, B., Briffa, T., Bauman, A., Redfern, J., & Neubeck, L. (2019). Telehealth interventions for the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 18(4), 260–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474515119826510
Keshta, I., & Odeh, A. (2021). Security and privacy of electronic health records: Concerns and challenges. Egyptian Informatics Journal, 22(2), 177–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eij.2020.07.003
Menachemi, N., Rahurkar, S., Harle, C. A., & Vest, J. R. (2018). The benefits of health information exchange: An updated systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(9), 1259–1265. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy035
Rutledge, C. M., O’Rourke, J., Mason, A. M., Chike-Harris, K., Behnke, L., Melhado, L., Downes, L., & Gustin, T. (2021). Telehealth Competencies for Nursing Education and Practice. Nurse Educator, 46(5), 300–305. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000988
Xiao, C., Choi, E., & Sun, J. (2018). Opportunities and challenges in developing deep learning models using electronic health records data: A systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(10), 1419–1428. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy068
NURS 6051 HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Rubric
| NURS_5051_Module04_Week06_Discussion_Rubric | ||||||
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMain Posting |
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50 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMain Post: Timeliness |
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10 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFirst Response |
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18 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSecond Response |
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17 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeParticipation |
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5 pts | ||||
| Total Points: 100 | ||||||
NURS 6051 HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Grading Rubric
| Performance Category | 100% or highest level of performance
100% 16 points |
Very good or high level of performance
88% 14 points |
Acceptable level of performance
81% 13 points |
Inadequate demonstration of expectations
68% 11 points |
Deficient level of performance
56% 9 points
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Failing level
of performance 55% or less 0 points |
| Total Points Possible= 50 | 16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points |
| Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic topics. |
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three or more of the following elements
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| 16 Points | 14 Points | 13 Points | 11 Points | 9 Points | 0 Points | |
| Application of Course Knowledge
Demonstrate the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge and information learned in the outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
Presentation of information was exceptional and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was good, but was superficial in places and included all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information was minimally demonstrated in the all of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in one of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in two of the following elements:
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Presentation of information is unsatisfactory in three of the following elements
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| 10 Points | 9 Points | 6 Points | 0 Points | |||
| Interactive Dialogue
Initial post should be a minimum of 300 words (references do not count toward word count) The peer and instructor responses must be a minimum of 150 words each (references do not count toward word count) Responses are substantive and relate to the topic. |
Demonstrated all of the following:
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Demonstrated 3 of the following:
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Demonstrated 2 of the following:
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Demonstrated 1 or less of the following:
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| 8 Points | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 4 Points | 0 Points | |
| Grammar, Syntax, APA
Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition Error is defined to be a unique APA error. Same type of error is only counted as one error. |
The following was present:
AND
AND
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
AND/OR
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The following was present:
AND/OR
AND/OR
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| 0 Points Deducted | 5 Points Lost | |||||
| Participation
Requirements |
Demonstrated the following:
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Failed to demonstrate the following:
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| 0 Points Lost | 5 Points Lost | |||||
| Due Date Requirements | Demonstrated all of the following:
A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |
Demonstrates one or less of the following.
A minimum of one peer and one instructor responses are to be posted within the course no later than Sunday, 11:59 pm MT. |