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Essay / Nursing and Technology
The rapid growth of technological advancements has brought certain changes to our nursing practice. I believe that the growing trend of using technology will have a radical impact on healthcare delivery and nursing education. Through the use of the Internet, patients and their families have more and more knowledge available to them that at one time only healthcare professionals knew. Today, nurses take on a variety of roles and also participate in activities ranging from the design and implementation of clinical information systems to research and use of technology to improve client outcomes ( Kelly and Crawford, 2008). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In this essay, I will discuss the growing trend of technology in the healthcare system and its impact on nursing practice and care delivery. Kelly and Crawford (2008) write: “The information explosion – some estimate that all information is replaced every 9 to 12 months – requires nurses to be at the cutting edge of knowledge to practice ethically and safely. » (p. 82) The authors also mention that nursing information helps to “promote the generation, management and processing of relevant data in order to use information and develop knowledge that supports nursing care in all areas. areas of practice”. The National Nursing Informatics defines nursing informatics as “nursing informatics.” application of computer and information sciences to nursing”. I believe that in the age of technology, not all nurses will need to be information specialists, but every nurse should be computer literate and be able to navigate the different programs trained. Already, distance learning has allowed students and instructors from different locations to communicate in the name of improving and continuing professional learning. Various factors have been noted in the explosion of information technology, including advances in processing capacity and speed, the development of interactive user interfaces, developments in image storage and transfer technologies (Kelly & Crawford, 2008). The authors write: “The continued development of computer technology – smaller, faster machines with expanded storage capabilities… makes the goal of an integrated electronic system a realistic option…” (p. 81). Changes in telecommunications technology and the increasingly affordable price of computer gadgets have also made this explosion possible. Berner, Detner, and Simburg (2005) write: “the influence of forces such as improving technology, government support, and the receptivity of physicians and patients to the benefits of information… is leading to increased use of technologies health information. » In the 1960s, the first computers were placed in hospitals, primarily for financial reasons to capture orders, charges, and patient billing. This quickly changed and expanded to be used in nursing units. Nursing Informatics (2011) writes: "By the late 1980s, most hospitals had at least a rudimentary information system that required nurses to enter common data such as admission profiles..." Today Today, nursing technology has evolved to become an integral part of our daily lives. practicalof health care delivery. I believe in emerging technologies in the fields of telecommunications; video and digital imaging and microprocessing are changing and shaping the future of nursing practice. Nurses must be able to accept these changes; they must be aware and willing to be familiar with the IT world. I think all nursing programs should include a computer science course as a basis for understanding how to use computers in practice. Carty and Rosenfeld (1998) stated that “informatics topics and training should be included in the current nursing education curriculum.” Training should also be available to nurses already in the field. Nurses already in the workforce must be encouraged to adapt and adopt technological changes. McIntyre and McDonald (2010) agree with this notion and point out: “Similarly, nurses currently working in the health care system in Canada will need adequate support and training” (p. 241) . Alpay and Russell (2002) acknowledge that nurses' use of information technology was a function of the culture of a unit or department. The authors also indicated that the use of information technology was highly dependent on the attitude and understanding of colleagues. I believe this is why it is important to include information technology knowledge in nursing courses to prepare graduates to understand the need and importance for nurses to be able to integrate nursing informatics skills in their practice. Nursing informatics can be applied in different areas of practice which include: education, research administration, and clinical practices (Kelly and Crawford, 2008). New technology integrations will affect nursing practice and patient care processes. Since the days of Florence Nightingale, nurses have provided direct care to patients. The interpersonal; contact between nurses and patients, with the new implementation of technology, could become a thing of the past. Advances in information technology have accelerated efforts to implement information technology services such as telehealth. Moore (2000) writes: “Telehealth is recognized as the delivery of clinical, health care, and/or health education services at a distance using telecommunications or information technology. » She also goes on to mention that the use and purpose of telehealth is to increase access to health services for health care providers and patients, as well as to provide clinical and educational support. She said the use of telehealth also saved money and removed the distance barriers for patients in remote areas. In daily clinical practice, nurses work hand-in-hand with patients and their families to coordinate multiple services that impact patient care. The explosion of nursing informatics has fueled the evidence-based practice movement. McIntyre and McDonald (2010) write, “When providing patient care, nurses can use technology to improve the quality of patient and client care and generate data on nursing outcomes” (p. 240). The need for nurses and healthcare professionals to have the information needed to make decisions at the point of care has increased. DeCenso and Callum (1998) stated that “clinical practiceEvidence-based involves the integration of the best available evidence with clinical judgment, client values, and consideration of available resources.” A well-designed clinical application can serve as an integrator that supports and facilitates clinical judgment. with proven results and up-to-date evidence-based practices. Kelly and Crawford (2008) also highlighted the importance of having up-to-date information at all times: “Nurses are knowledgeable workers who need accurate and up-to-date information for their professional work. » When evidence-based practice is used appropriately, it will provide nurses with computerized nursing documentation so they can monitor client care and focus on improving outcomes. In the long term, this will only result in improved patient safety and better measurable outcomes through evidence-based care. Nurses should be at the forefront of developing the technology and applications they use every day. Nurses have information and work process needs that are different from other healthcare providers due to their unique role. As the largest group of healthcare providers, I believe the field of nurse informatics is important and should be encouraged for all nurses. Having more nurse informatics specialists will ensure that nurses are represented in decisions that impact the clinical system and different practice settings. McIntyre and McDonald (2010) write: “To date, nurses have rarely participated in negotiations to develop much of the biomedical technology that affects their practice” (p. 241) Technology is changing the way health care is delivered , whether in clinics, hospitals or at the patient's home. With the increased use of clinical information systems (CIS), nurses are able to provide client-centered care, and organizations are moving toward the use of electronic health records. “Electronic health record systems can improve communication and coordination of clinical care, leading to better care outcomes” (Madison & Staggers, 2011). I believe the goal of nursing is to have these technologies improve and sustain nursing care for patients and their families. Madison and Staggers (2011) noted that the ultimate goal of the EHR was to be able to communicate through a national health information network. Such a system better serves patients because the system can record and maintain health data throughout a person's life that could be accessed across the country. This will improve quality, safety, and efficiency and also reduce health disparities (Madison & Staggers, 2011). EHRs have the potential to improve nurses' decision-making regarding care delivery by having broad access to patient records. I think there needs to be an emphasis on making all nurses and healthcare professionals more aware and knowledgeable about the technology designed to manage an information process. When it comes to nursing education programs, McIntyre and McDonald say they “still need to overcome broader issues surrounding the knowledge, skills, and practical skills required for nurses to operate in the future.” As you measureAs the use of technology in healthcare increases, there are certain issues that will tend to arise. Issues of privacy, confidentiality, security, application misuse as well as ethics and law will also be on the rise. The use of computers was facilitated, making it possible to organize and manage a wide range and impressive amount of health information. An important system requirement is data protection and security. Kelly and Crawford (2008) write: “Security systems must ensure that access to data is provided to those who are authorized and have a legitimate purpose…” Because information can be accessed and connected nationally or even global, they become vulnerable. to pirates. Desktop and laptop computers can be stolen, putting personal information at risk of identity theft. I think nurses need to be well informed about information protection and trained in positive methods that ensure data protection. Kelly & Crawford (2008) suggest that the design of security features should comply with legislative regulations and standards. Three important concepts regarding information security in the healthcare environment include privacy, confidentiality, and consent (Kelly & Crawford, 2008). Confidentiality refers to “the right of individuals to prevent information about them from being disclosed to anyone” (Kelly and Crawford, p. 80). To ensure privacy, access to servers should require users to provide their name, email address and registration number. Confidentiality is the security status and degree of confidentiality agreed between the individual and the receiving organization (Kelly and McKenzie, 2002). To also ensure confidentiality is protected, nurses must also be careful about accessing data. Security arrangements for data storage and transmission of personal information should be established with passwords. Nurses should not be allowed to access information from home or even take work laptops home. Nurses should consider it essential to take appropriate precautions to secure patient information collected. Regarding the need to make all patient information easily accessible, it may be necessary to begin developing guidelines for the use of this information. How much patient information can nurses and healthcare professionals be allowed to see? I think patients should have some control over what information is available and can be easily accessed. Uckert and Prokosch (2002) suggested that patients could grant read-only, emergency-only access to certain parts of the record for specific providers. Concerns about the information explosion regarding medical information have been recognized for some time. As more and more medical information is available online, nurses need to be aware of what is readable and what is not. While some of the materials are excellent and health-related, they vary in accuracy, content, and timeliness. Kelly and Crawford write: "The very open nature of the Internet means that anyone with a computer and online access can create a home page and publish it for the world to see.can see her. » I think nurses should analyze and critically evaluate some of the information they get on the Internet if they want to use it in practice. Another aspect that seems very worrying to me in nursing informatics concerns clinical decision support systems (CDSS). CDSSs are “active knowledge systems that use two or more pieces of patient data to generate case-specific advice” (Clinical Decision, 2011). They have been shown to improve patient safety and reduce the cost of care (Garg, Adhikari et al, 2005). Clinical decision support systems aid and assist nurses and other healthcare professionals by providing patient-specific assessments before and in decision making. These systems have the potential to improve the quality of health care; however, concerns have been raised about inappropriate use. Hsieh, Kuperman, Jaggi et al. noted that drug alerts were frequently ignored and set at a very high threshold, so that nurses were only alerted to the most dangerous interactions. In a review by Berner, Maisiak, Heudebert & Young (2003) described that clinicians did not always follow the correct advice from clinical decision support systems, due to overconfidence and because some clinicians had Difficulty distinguishing correct advice from incorrect advice. They write: “Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) can impact both diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, but physicians sometimes do not heed appropriate CDSS advice…” I believe that 'By doing this, it means that the full benefits of the systems are not exploited. The authors also noted that “…clinicians may fail to change their initial poor decisions, or worse, may change correct decisions to incorrect decisions after using the CDSS.” Schiffman, Brandt et al (1999), suggested that users tend to understand and accept guideline recommendations if justifications are provided. Combining rationality and explanations with evidence-based suggestions could increase user confidence. I believe that if CDSSs were used appropriately according to manufacturer's directions without people choosing what they want to use, there would be further improvement in diagnostic decision making and a decrease in medication errors. As the trend of information technology continues to grow in the healthcare industry. In the industry, it is important for nurses to become more knowledgeable about the technology around them. Information technology will continue to evolve and advance over time. Information technology courses and classes should be created while students are still in colleges and universities. It is inevitable that the technological trend will evolve rapidly and as healthcare professionals we must be able to accept the changes and embrace them. As a nurse, I believe we should take advantage of these technological changes to improve patient outcomes. McIntyre and McDonald (2010) write: “Technology has the potential to improve the availability of basic and continuing nursing education for those for whom geography or other barriers have prevented access…. » (p. 253). However, as computer systems grow, so does the potential for information security. Nurses play a critical role as the first advocates for data security. HeIt is therefore important that all precautions are taken to protect the patient's private information. McIntyre and McDonald (2010) emphasize that “applied informatics will require nurses to adhere to standards of practice, codes of ethics, provincial laws and competencies established by regulatory bodies.” The authors go on to mention that to ensure privacy and confidentiality, developments in establishing protocols are necessary. In conclusion, the essay highlights the significant impact of technological advancements on nursing practice and healthcare delivery. The evolution of information technology, particularly in nursing informatics, has transformed various aspects of the profession, from education to patient care. Technology adoption is crucial for current and future nurses, requiring a change in educational programs and continuing education. The integration of electronic health records, telehealth, and clinical decision support systems has the potential to improve patient outcomes, improve communication, and streamline healthcare processes. However, it is essential to address challenges such as information security, privacy, and ethical considerations associated with the use of technology in healthcare. Overall, nurses play a critical role in developing and adapting to the changing landscape of healthcare technology, helping to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient care. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayReferencesApay, L. and Russell, A. 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