In the Discussion for this module, you considered the interaction of nurse informaticists with other specialists to ensure successful care. How is that success determined?
Patient outcomes and the fulfillment of care goals is one of the major ways that healthcare success is measured. Measuring patient outcomes results in the generation of data that can be used to improve results. Nursing informatics can have a significant part in this process and can help to improve outcomes by improving processes, identifying at-risk patients, and enhancing efficiency.
To Prepare:
- Review the concepts of technology application as presented in the Resources.
- Reflect on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may help fortify nursing informatics as a specialty by leading to increased impact on patient outcomes or patient care efficiencies.
The Assignment: (4-5 pages)
In a 4- to 5-page project proposal written to the leadership of your healthcare organization, propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient-care efficiency. Your project proposal should include the following:
- Describe the project you propose.
- Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project.
- Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving and explain how this improvement would occur. Be specific and provide examples.
- Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.
- Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team.
Running Head: THE IMPACT OF NURSING INFORMATICS ON PATIENT OUTCOMES
1
THE IMPACT OF NURSING INFORMATICS ON PATIENT OUTCOMES
The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and
Patient Care Efficiencies
NURS-6051N-55
Dr. Scott
The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies
A nursing informatics specialist keeps the nurses, physicians, and patients connected through the use of advanced information technology. According to Glassman (2017a), informatics competency helps nurses use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making at the point of care. Nurses compared to other clinical specialists are the key to deliver quality and safe health care services that directly determines the patient’s outcomes (p. 45). According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2017b), information and data are critical to effective patient care and improved patient outcomes. Nurses and other health care specialists need data and information to make informed decisions in the course of their clinical and nursing practice (p. 313).
My Proposed Project
The telemedicine platform in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) gives doctors and nurses the best means of caring for the sickest patients. A telemedicine service gives hospital staff a virtual link to specialist care whenever they need assistance with quick access to intensivists. A tele-ICU platform could improve strained resources and patient safety in smaller rural facilities. A nurse would generally call the on-call intensivist in an emergency, which might take 5 to 15 minutes. Through a tele-ICU platform, an audio-video connection is established in seconds, if not minutes, improving response time. This allows for limited staff in an ICU unit to respond quickly when a patient in need comes to the facility (Wicklund, 2018c).
Stakeholders Impacted by this project
Nurses benefit greatly from tele-ICU platforms. These platforms offer nurses the opportunity to provide improved patient care, accomplish tasks more quickly, and improve job performance (Davis, 2016). Nurses will not have the guilt being unable to give the patient the best care possible. Telemedicine improves job satisfaction with a happier, less stressed nursing staff. In turn, patient satisfaction will improve.
Patient Outcomes
Telemedicine can drastically change the way care is provided in the ICU. Several studies have shown that tele-ICU programs consistently improved clinical outcomes including decreasing mortality and shortening length of stays in the ICU and hospital. Other benefits could include the reduction in the number of hospital transfers for specialty care and the ability to provide more comprehensive care to physician-poor areas with significantly increased patient access to medical care (Harriott & DeVita, 2014). West Virginia has many rural areas, and patients would benefit significantly with the increased access to medical care.
Technologies required
A telemedicine cart will be needed in the ICU. This is a piece of equipment that gives providers a mobile frame and storage area to carry cameras, computer monitor, keyboards, computers, and mobile medical devices. Physicians or nurses can wheel these carts from room-to-room as they meet with patients and need to either record and transmit a patient’s medical data or include a consulting physician from other locations (2018a). The software system needs to be encrypted and HIPAA compliant so that video conferences with patients can be secure. Information during the call is placed in the EHR of the patient.
Project Team and Incorporating the Nurse Informaticist
Telemedicine is currently evolving to give nurses more active roles in coordinating and managing care. Most tele-ICUs employ a collaborative model of care that includes nurses, physicians, information technology, and administrative support. Skills, knowledge, and competencies are needed by all staff using telemedicine. The nurse informaticist can extract the data from admission to the ICU if tele-ICU was implemented, and if so, how long was the patient’s LOS in the ICU versus without the use of telemedicine from previous admissions. Patient satisfaction surveys can be distributed, and data collected on those who specifically received telemedicine.
Summary
Today’s ICUs are challenged by two converging trends: an increasing number and severity of critical care patients and a dwindling supply of critical care physicians (2018b). Telemedicine in the ICU has emerged as a promising strategy for addressing a high demand for services and the need for proactive intervention when the staffing is limited. Tele-ICU systems use combined audiovisual communication to remotely monitor a patient’s vital signs, physiological status, lab results and diagnostic tests. They also open up greater access to expert specialties with critical care practitioners that may not be available in the hospital setting (2018b). Tele-ICU systems offer a quick response time and real-time interventions that are critical components of improving ICU outcomes as well as reducing unsustainable healthcare costs.
References
Davis, J. (2016). Telemedicine improves patient care, outcomes in ICU, nurses say. Retrieved from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/telemedicine-improves-patient-care-outcomes-icu-nurses-say
Glassman, K. S. (2017a). Using data in nursing practice. American Nurse Today, 12(11), 45-47. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ant11-Data-1030.pdf
Harriott, A., & DeVita, M. (2014). The Tele-ICU. Retrieved from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/tele-icu/2014-12
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017b). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Telemedicine Devices, Equipment, Technologies & Products. (2018a). Retrieved from https://evisit.com/resources/telemedicine-telehealth-equipment/
Telemedicine Trends in the ICU: Best Practice Considerations. (2018b). Retrieved from https://www.clinicalkey.com/info/blog/telemedicine-trends-in-the-icu-best-practice-considerations/
Wicklund, E. (2018c). Telemedicine in the ICU: How One Hospital Improved Care Management. Retrieved from https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/telemedicine-in-the-icu-how-one-hospital-improved-care-management
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