Evolution of Nursing Informatics

Answer

Evolution of Nursing Informatics

            Over the past decades, nursing informatics has evolved from a science to a nursing specialty. This concept was introduced in the healthcare field back in the 1950s. Initially, it was all about medical equipment such as mechanical ventilators which were used in the intensive care units. Immediately after, it evolved to computer-based information systems (CIS) before it finally became its own specialty (Houston et al., 2019). The evolution has changed since nursing informatics is now considered an essential part of the profession. Nursing students are now being trained of the use of information technology in their practice. Also, graduates are required to constantly upgrade their informatics skills so that they are able to keep up with the use of technology. Today, nursing informatics contributes majorly to nursing care and patient safety, especially since it helps to promote communication between healthcare professionals. Therefore, it has helped to reduce medical errors which would occur due to gaps in communication. Nursing practice has become advanced as a result of the proper use of technology in the field.

Experiences with Nurse Informaticists

            I have had some experiences with nurse informaticists within my healthcare organization. They were able to offer the needed data to make specific decisions. Through their input in my department, various processes were improved because the data they presented showed that patient outcome was no longer pleasant. Therefore, it was necessary to consider changes in current processes so as to improve patient satisfaction. Although it highlighted important areas that needed to be upgraded, it is evident that there were still some shortcomings in terms of communication. Most of the time when making the data presentation, the analysis was quite complex for some members of our team to comprehend. Those who were able to understand the data featured the newly graduated individuals who had background in informatics.

            Using electronic charting, however, has greatly benefited the organization because other healthcare professionals are able to obtain a patient’s information from different locations. This has helped to improve efficiency since it takes no time to log in and search a patient’s file. Therefore, the time it takes to offer care services to a single patient is reduced significantly.

            Another factor which I have observed relates to how the nurse informaticists offered assistance to others in terms of training. Since they are already knowledgeable, these professionals were able to train the other professionals on how to use Information Technology in various sections of the organization (Ronquillo, Currie & Rodney, 2016). For example, most of the professionals did not have an idea on how to use the ‘smart’ IV pumps. The nurse informaticists were able to train the whole team on how to use different types of technology.

Basically, the interaction between nurse informaticists and other professionals became simplified due to the use of technology. I realised that coordination became quite simple since information was availed on all corners of the organization (Nelson, 2018). There was no need to visit a specific records office like was the case before. Also, the rate of errors became reduced since details were always available regarding a particular patient. Generally, the handing over time during shift changes also reduced since the coordination process was quite smooth. As a result, the overall outcome was improved patient safety and satisfaction.

Strategy to Improve these Interactions

            The nurse informaticist interacts with other professionals by facilitating the availability and interaction of data which supports the decision making process (Wang, Kung & Byrd, 2018). Therefore, considering my experiences, it is clear that certain strategies should be employed to improve the interactions. One such strategy features the introduction of training workshops for the professionals who are currently working in the organization. This strategy will be important in improving the interaction because it will ensure that all the employees become trained on Information Technology use (Murphy, Goossen & Weber, 2017). Hence, when data is prepared and saved in the system, all professionals will be able to obtain the same and interpret it accordingly. The result will be accurate decision making since facts will not be misinterpreted. All operations will run smoothly, thereby promoting an even better efficiency of the current system. Once all the current employees have undergone the workshop, a requirement will be put in place for all new employees. Immediately after getting hired, they will be required to go through the same workshop to ensure that everyone in the team is aware of the technology and how to use it.

Conclusion

            Since nursing informatics is still evolving as a specialty, I believe that it will still impact professional interactions. That is because those who have already graduated will not have the new skills that recent graduates will possess. Therefore, learning and updating of skills through training will be a cycle that never ends. After every few months the nurse professionals will need to seek training to ensure that they have what it takes to understand the contributions made by nurse informatics. Otherwise, a gap in communication will always prevent the benefits from being experienced.