NUR 3472-Deliverable 7-Reflections of Emerging Healthcare Technologies and Innovation

NUR 3472-Deliverable 7-Reflections of Emerging Healthcare Technologies and Innovation

Our hospital is considering purchasing innovative technology to support staffing and patient flow in the oncology unit; what would you recommend and why?

EPIC is a healthcare software company that holds patient medical records and health information. EPIC is such a good investment because it is very user-friendly. Within Epic, you can see the patient’s medical history and pull up past visits, labs, diagnoses, and medications within one system. This would be very useful in the oncology unit because the staff can pull up patient’s treatment records, dialysis visits, medication changes, and care plans. Having this system available helps continuity of care, and the healthcare team will stay on track and on the same page, whether it’s a check-up or a new admission. Tracking patients in the hospital can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Patients often need to be seen by many healthcare staff members and must be treated with multiple hospital resources (in this situation, oncology treatments) (Health, n.d). Using EPIC can track the patient throughout their admission to the facility. This allows nurses, providers, and other care team members to plan accordingly. This software helps streamline the continuity of care for patients with extensive medical histories, medication, and treatment regimes.

It would be best if you designed a policy for the ethical use of clinical information systems. What would you propose for this policy?

The proposal for addressing ethical issues when using this software would begin with addressing patient privacy and confidentiality. Clinical information systems are vital when sharing and saving information and understanding HIPPA and what it entails should be part of hiring new employees and ensuring everyone is compliant. With CIS systems, my policy would have a section on not allowing personal smartphones to access any CIS technology. Only allowing work computers, specifically for the hospital, should be able to reach patient charts. Innovations in health care must be consistent with the ethical responsibility of putting the patient first (Sulmasy, 2017). There are so many ways a breach of confidentiality can happen. Prevention of these errors begins with staff education on the policies. In recent years, cell phone usage has become a significant problem in facilities regarding patient privacy. A suggestion for a policy would be not to allow personal cell phones on the floor to prevent temptation and incidental sharing of patient information. Facilities must learn as they go or from other facilities implementing this software. As issues arise, addressing them quickly and effectively with staff is key to preventing further problems.

NUR 3472-Deliverable 7-Reflections of Emerging Healthcare Technologies and Innovation

We are considering purchasing technology to support patient education and decrease re-admissions in the cardiology unit; what would you recommend and why?

An article on a technology called “Louise,” a virtual educator designed by Boston University Medical Center. Louise is an animated computerized character who speaks with empathy and creates sentences specifically tailored to that patient. (“Reducing Hosp,” nd). The patient gets information about their medications and appointments (instead of just general instructions) based on their condition. Louise has time, goes over things slowly and carefully with the patient, and teaches patients about their hospital care and plans. Louise has a “teach-back” to test the patients on the information she gave them (“Reducing Hosp,” nd).

This choice would be phenomenal for hospitals and cardiology units; the patient can learn at their own pace, and it educates them before being sent home. Nurses often print off the discharge packet with the education provided and send our patients home. This teaches the patient the importance of their stay and what to be most aware of. There is a lot to know when on a cardiology floor, and Louise may be able to explain things better than nurses when the patient has a question.

Healing Spaces would like to increase our technological security to increase patient safety, specifically protecting PHI. What technological security measures are most important to consider and why?

There are many ways to increase security around patient information. Physical safeguards, physical badges, and staff logins are often used. It is important to educate staff never to leave any computer unlocked or patient information up when they leave the computer, even for a second.

Technical safeguards such as firewalls, encryption, and antivirus software can be used to protect patient information and software programs from within the computer systems. Administrative safeguards are also key initiatives. These include annual risk assessments, using backup generators, having digital signatures, and implementing policies and staff training (Kruse, 2017). All these measures end up working together and protecting patient’s health information in the facility. More information and safeguards will continue to evolve so facilities can reduce the risk of PHI. Management should stay on top of any new changes in this field to ensure the systems are protected to the best of their ability.

References

Health, S. (n.d.). Patient Tracking & Flow. Retrieved from http://www.savancehealth.com/Solutions/Patient-Tracking-Flow.aspx

Kruse, C. S., Smith, B., Vanderlinden, H., & Nealand, A. (2017). Security Techniques for the Electronic Health Records. Journal of Medical Systems, 41(8), 127. doi:10.1007/s10916- 017-0778-4

Sulmasy, L. S., López, A. M., & Horwitch, C. A. (2017). Ethical Implications of the Electronic Health Record: In the Service of the Patient. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(8), 935-939. doi:10.1007/s11606-017-4030-1

Reducing Hospital Readmissions With Enhanced Patient Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bu.edu/fammed/projectred/publications/news/krames_dec_final.pdf

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NUR 3472-Deliverable 7-Reflections of Emerging Healthcare Technologies and Innovation

Explain technologies that lead to enhanced decision-making strategies utilizing the technology life cycle.

Evaluate the role and scope of practice for Nursing Informaticists.

Differentiate the impact of various communication technologies on safety and quality improvement.

Analyze ethical and nursing informatics practice standards within the context of healthcare delivery.

Analyze how evidence-based practice influences healthcare technology.

Explain innovative systems and technology distribution to enhance the quality of healthcare delivery and patient safety.

Scenario

You are applying for positions as a new BSN nurse and seeking a position that fills your passion and enthusiasm for leveraging emerging healthcare technologies. Your current nurse manager at Healing Spaces Hospital has encouraged you to apply for the internal nurse informaticist position on the oncology unit. You enjoy working at this hospital and appreciate the private, non-profit nature of the small, rural community. The qualifications ask applicants to have a certification in Nursing Informatics or a Master’s degree. Still, it does have a grace period for those willing to get one of these advancements. Therefore, you have submitted the application and a letter of reference from your nurse manager and current nursing informaticist on your unit. You received an email that your application has been accepted, and you are scheduled for a panel interview with nursing leaders next Friday at noon.

Instructions

You have received a packet of panel interview questions to come prepared with answers to show how you would fill this Nursing Informatics role. It would be best to creatively address the scenario questions using support from credible evidence within nursing informatics. Using a Word document, answer the following four interview questions:

Our hospital is considering purchasing innovative technology to support staffing and patient flow in the oncology unit; what would you recommend and why? Support your choice with current evidence.

It would be best if you designed a policy for the ethical use of clinical information systems. What would you propose for this policy? Support your choice with current evidence.

We are considering purchasing technology to support patient education and decrease readmissions in the cardiology unit; what would you recommend and why? Support your choice with current evidence.

Healing Spaces would like to increase our technological security to increase patient safety, specifically protecting PHI.

What technological security measures are most important to consider and why?

Support your choice with current evidence.