How has Nursing Informatics and Technology Impacted your Practice?

Informatics has had a tremendous impact on nursing practice and the way nurses interact with technology and use data to inform their decisions. Today, nurses are able to access shared medical records, manage patient information more efficiently, and even provide direct care via telehealth services (Bakken, 2020). This has been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic as it enabled healthcare providers to continue providing care while reducing the risk of exposure (Vaishya et al., 2020; Bakken, 2020). This discussion summarizes how informatics has impacted the provision of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

My personal experience with informatics has been through my membership in the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA has provided a wealth of resources and guidance related to informatics such as best practice guidelines, educational programs, and online forums for nurses to discuss challenges and share successes. Through my involvement with the ANA, I have been able to stay abreast of the ever-evolving landscape of informatics and ensure that my practice remains up-to-date.

During the pandemic, my organization took a proactive approach to promote telehealth services and the use of informatics to ensure that patient care could continue safely. We provided training for staff on how to conduct virtual visits, upload documents into our EHR, and securely access patient records. This has been a great success and has allowed us to provide high-quality care while minimizing risk of exposure.

How Informatics Competencies Influence the Quality of Care

To develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to apply informatics in practice, I have taken advantage of the various educational opportunities available. This has included reading articles and attending webinars related to new technology advancements, participating in online forums for exchanging information, and taking courses specific to informatics that have been offered by my organization and professional associations. In addition, I have had the opportunity to shadow and learn from colleagues with more experience in informatics as well as other healthcare professionals such as pharmacists who use technology extensively in their practice. All of these experiences have helped me to gain a greater understanding of how informatics can be applied and improved upon in nursing practice.

My Informatics Strengths, Preferences, and Challenges

My strengths in informatics lie in my ability to quickly learn new technology systems and understand how they can be used to support patient care. I am also comfortable discussing technical topics with colleagues and troubleshooting technical issues as they arise. My preferred approach is a team-based one, which allows me to collaborate with colleagues to find the best solutions and ensure that everyone is comfortable with the technology being used.

My biggest challenge in informatics lies in staying up-to-date with the ever-evolving landscape and understanding how new technologies can be applied to nursing practice. With advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, telehealth, and data analysis, there are always new concepts that need to be mastered (Jason, 2020). I have found that the best way to stay current is by continuously learning and staying connected with other professionals who work in informatics. Overall, my experiences with informatics have been positive and they have allowed me to remain proficient in this area of nursing practice. With continued education, I will continue to develop my knowledge and skills.

Relevance of Ye et al. (2020)’s Work in managing COVID

In their work, Ye et al. (2020) described a technical framework based on practical experience in China that can be translated into the United States setting. The framework that relies on the use of the Internet of things (IoT) for early detection, early warning, prevention, control, and other tasks related to COVID-19 could therefore prove useful for managing pandemics in the US.

The authors highlight that a major component of the framework is data analysis, which involves integrating data and location-based services for tracking and monitoring the pandemic. This is something that many healthcare organizations are already doing in the US.

In addition, Ye et al. (2020) emphasize the importance of using informatics tools to enhance communication and collaboration among healthcare providers, public health authorities, administrative staff, and patients. This could be beneficial for improving data sharing, gathering real-time information about the disease spread, and streamlining administrative processes.

Overall, it is evident that many of the ideas discussed in Ye et al.’s (2020) work are applicable to managing pandemics in the US. With continued technological advancements and the implementation of evidence-based informatics strategies, healthcare organizations can continue to improve their ability to detect, monitor, and manage diseases such as COVID-19.

References

Bakken S. (2020). Informatics is a critical strategy in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 27(6), 843–844. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocaa101

Jason, C. (2020). How COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare Links to an external site.Links to an external site.. EHR Intelligence. https://ehrintelligence.com/news/how-covid-19-accelerated-the-digital-transformation-of-healthcareLinks to an external site.

Vaishya, R., Haleem, A., Vaish, A., & Javaid, M. (2020). Emerging technologies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology, 10(4), 409–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jceh.2020.04.019

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China Links to an external site.Links to an external site.. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

How Has Nursing Informatics and Technology Impacted Your Practice?

Covid-19 created a sense of urgency and demand to innovate and utilize new technologies (Vaishya et al., 2020). COVID-19, served as a catalyst to accelerate digital transformation in healthcare today. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic Open Arms Open Minds Behavioral Health Services, a mental health outpatient clinic that I worked for as a Nurse Practitioner, started offering telehealth services to all the patients. This has been an excellent resource for patients to access care from the comforts of their own homes. From in office to telehealth care. retention rate of the patients has significantly improved. Drerup et al., (2021) posit that the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has thrust telehealth into the center stage of health care, leading to a dramatic increase in utilization of telehealth services. The no-show rate of telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic was 7.5% lower than both the no-show rate of 36.1% for in-office visits and a pre-pandemic in-office no-show rate of 29.8%.

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) (2015), the nursing informatics competency model “consists of three parts: basic computer competencies, information literacy, and information management (including use of an electronic health record)” (p. 38). All these nursing informatics competencies influences the quality of patient care, including safety improvements. For example, information management, which includes using the electronic health record (EHR), is paramount to my role as a nurse practitioner in the clinic. It provides better quality of care and safety for the patient especially because the patients are able to access their portal, make changes to their appointments. See upcoming appointment dates and they are able to communicate via email directly from their portal.

The EHR system’s functionality has been upgraded at the clinic I work for. I have noticed that clinician’s notes populate into the next follow up visit date. This means that any clinician can easily follow through with the patient’s continuation of care base on the former providers notes. Knowledge base training courses have also been made available for anyone who needs further assistance navigating the HER system. Potential challenges with nursing informatics and systems are when the system is not working correctly, or when the staff do not have proper training. I think that there is always room for improvement with any new system that I may encounter in the future. For example, I went from one specific electronic health record to another in a different organization. When that transition occurred, I needed to take training courses to obtain the necessary knowledge to operate it.

COVID-19 and Telehealth has enhanced awareness of infection, infection transmission, and infection transmission prevention.  Ye et al. (2020) assert that one of the health information technology practices for managing the COVID-19 outbreak in China was using internet hospital (web-based service/telehealth) which includes screening, consultation, and diagnosing for mental health disorders My strategy is to use this academic course to deepen my knowledge in nursing informatics and apply it to real-life practice for improved patient outcomes and the healthcare system.

References

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2^nd ed.).

Drerup B, Espenschied J, Wiedemer J, Hamilton L. Reduced No-Show Rates and Sustained Patient Satisfaction of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Telemed J E Health. 2021 Dec;27(12):1409-1415. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2021.0002. Epub 2021 Mar 4. PMID: 33661708.

Vaishya, R., Haleem, A., Vaish, A., & Javaid, M. (2020). Emerging technologies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology, 10(4), 409-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jceh.2020.04.019Links to an external site.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515Links to an external site.

How Informatics Has Impacted or Changed Nursing Practice

There has been a major increase of informatics in various sectors across the world, with the advent of technology, especially in the nursing field. Nursing informatics, a rapidly growing field, is concerned with applying information technology in nursing duties, including education, management, and practice. When used properly, informatics offers an array of benefits to nursing practice, including superior clinical processes, better-coordinated care, patient outcomes, reduced medical errors, and reduced healthcare costs (Fernandez-Luque et al., 2020). During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, it became obvious that the work of nurses’ is very important and highly demanding. Nurses worked long hours on the frontline of hospitals, doctors’ offices, and long-term care facilities and homes. In these settings, completing numerous complex tasks with potentially life-altering implications. The essence of nursing informatics is that it offered powerful resources to help meet these responsibilities and improve the standards of care. I had a first-hand experience seeing hospitals and healthcare organizations across the healthcare continuum adopting increasingly sophisticated health information technology to record patient data and guide clinical decision-making. Additionally, health informatics was leveraged to support crucial duties such as diagnostics, developing care plans, administering treatment, educating patients and their families, and monitoring patients remotely. More importantly, nursing informatics helped nurses and other healthcare providers to access an unprecedented amount of quantitative information that made it possible to assess the needs of patients more accurately (Fernandez-Luque et al., 2020). Nursing informatics has positively impacted nursing practice by enabling better coordination of care, collaboration among healthcare providers, streamlined medical quality assurance processes, improved cost-efficiency, and increased accuracy and efficiency in nursing practice.

How Established Informatics Competencies May Influence Quality of Care, Safety Improvements, and Any Other Changes since the Pandemic for Excellence in Nursing Practice

Nursing informatics, along with the growth of health information technology, has become a fundamental part of all nursing practice sectors. A studies by Darvish et al. (2014) argue that patient safety, quality, and healthcare outcomes, can be significantly improved when nursing professionals are well equipped with informatics competencies . The reasoning is that established informatics competencies allow nurses to provide patient-centered and evidence-based care (Hersh & Hoyt, 2018). Similarly, nurses can use their informatics skills to identify patients who are more likely to develop serious illnesses like COVID-19 and to quickly and effectively take preventive action to ensure good health outcomes. Overall, advancing patient care, patient safety, and healthcare outcomes requires having established nursing informatics competencies. They make it possible for nurse practitioners to provide safe and efficient care using informatics tools. Informatics competencies can be acquired by nurses through ongoing educational programs.

My Informatics Strengths and Preferences, As Well As Potential Challenges and Areas for Development

I have much experience working with different types of informatics systems and databases, and so consider myself a nursing informatics competent nurse. This is because I possess skills, knowledge, and abilities that help me leverage health information systems and perform specific informatics tasks. Subsequently, I can get better access to evidence, implement evidence-based practice, and offer high-quality patient care. Other skills I possess, making me an informatics competent nurse, include mastery of essential computer competencies, comprehension of information literacy, and understanding of information management literacy. I need to develop myself further in the areas of data mining and analysis, project management, and the use of electronic health records.

Thoughts on Whether the Information Technology Framework Discussed in Ye Et Al. (2020) Article Is Applicable in The U.S. To Manage COVID and Other Major Pandemics/How Much of What Is Discussed Do We Currently Use

Ye et al. (2020) discuss how information technology can be leveraged to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and other significant pandemics. The study by Ye et al. notes that information technology can help monitor, detect, prevent, and control, as well as in early warning of pandemics. The technical framework to respond to COVID-19 proposed in the article is highly applicable in the USA. The framework involves mobile and web-based services such as internet hospitals and WeChat, extensive data analyses, cloud computing, the internet of things, 5G telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and clinical information systems. Just like in China, the U.S. has advanced technologies that can be incorporated into healthcare to facilitate the clinical management of COVID-19 and other significant pandemics. About 80% of what has been discussed in the article is currently being used in the U.S. in the clinical management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strategy for Enhancing and Updating Project Management and Informatics Skills and Competencies

Continuous education is a strategy that I will employ to help improve and keep up with my project management and informatics abilities and competences. This will assist me in developing fundamental knowledge and abilities in computational science and information retrieval, such as networking, statistics, data structures, modeling, and knowledge representation. This strategy will help give me the practical skills I need to succeed in the data-driven healthcare delivery industry.

References

Darvish, A., Bahramnezhad, F., Keyhanian, S., & Navidhamidi, M. (2014). The role of nursing informatics on promoting quality of health care and the need for appropriate education. Global journal of health science, 6(6), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v6n6p11

Fernandez-Luque, L., Kushniruk, A. W., Georgiou, A., Basu, A., Petersen, C., Ronquillo, C., … & Zhu, X. (2020). Evidence-based health informatics as the foundation for the COVID-19 response: a joint call for action. Methods of Information in Medicine, 59(06), 183-192.

Hersh, W. R., & Hoyt, R. E. (2018). Health informatics: Practical guide (7^th ed.). Lulu.com.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515Links to an external site.

Week 3 blog

Summarize how informatics has impacted or changed nursing practice, especially with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provide an example from your personal or professional experience. Be sure to also include the name of the professional organization you belong to.

Covid 19 pandemic was a whirlwind. I was in the end my masters program here at Walden, as well as working in a hospital. I was completing my residency at the attached clinic, and many patients were being seen online. This is a small organization in Two Harbors, MN where urgent care, family practice clinic, and ER are all connected. It was very useful to have the option, and it was also a blessing as it made it easier for certain populations to be seen. When I say this, I am describing a fair majority of the elderly, immunocompromised, and mental health patients. They were able to still be seen for a virtual visit, and if they needed to be seen, we could then advise they come in. There was an increase in compliance with our mental health patients who already had fears of leaving their house. This continued on and is now an option for those who need to ask questions and have medications checks, but may not necessarily have to be seen in clinic.

Of course this comes at a cost to those who needed to be seen, and would be advised to do so, however it really paved the way for virtual visits.

Explain how established informatics competencies may influence quality of care, safety improvements, and any other changes since the pandemic for excellence in nursing practice. Be specific. What would you need to do to develop skills, knowledge, and competencies in order to apply the technology?

Prior to being seen for a virtual visit, patients had to sign consent or verbal consent with two witnesses that they agreed to the virtual visit. These established competencies made it safer to be seen and covered the provider as well as the patient. The online visit had a virtual visit charting system developed to chart properly with a safety checkpoint to assure consent was verified prior to visit. The patient still had medications, changes, and allergies reviewed prior to seeing provider. They could also fill out a questionnaire or verbal questions by the nurse to ensure completed. For example mental health patients would fill out phq9 and gad7 forms.  In addition to all of these, you would also need to be sure the usability was effective. For example, the user was trained in the systems and knew ho to access data, questionnaires, and patient information to ensure the best care despite not physically seeing the patient in person.

Describe your informatics strengths and preferences, as well as potential challenges and areas for development.

My strength in informatics is not the best. Our company recently switched to a new system a few years ago, and I signed up to be trained as a super user. I did this to improve my skills and be able to help others. That did increase my usability.  Potential challenges are always flaws in the system or lack of knowledge in a new area or charting system. This made more aware of where I was lacking and challenged me to become better. Improvements were becoming a super user and taking advantage of the additional training to increase my knowledge. Additionally, my strengths also improved as healthcare became telehealth for many patients. According to Jason, (2020), Learning how to incorporate the use of online platforms, cell phones, and other databases became a part of the healthcare system.

Do you think the information technology framework discussed in the Ye, et al. (2020) article is applicable in the U.S. to manage COVID and other major pandemics? How much of what is discussed do we currently use?

I do feel that this is applicable here. According to Ye et al, (2020). As health information technology participants, providers need to be aware of the system and how to utilize to serve our recipients. With safety as the number one concern, we need to look at data information, comprise risks, and recipient wellbeing. The concern is always errors in formation, users, and of course safety of shared information or breaches. Regardless of where we live, this is going to affect us in one way or another, and we need to be prepared. As mentioned earlier, this technology has been very useful in my facility, and I agree that it is now part of where we are headed in healthcare and technology. As highlighted by Lu et al, (2020), there continue to be barriers to effective technology such as gaps in privacy, ethics, and date sharing. Perhaps a national sharing database for HIT is the answer, and perhaps it is not. As time moves forward, so will technology and education regarding studies, outcomes, and learning about what does and does not work.

Describe one strategy for enhancing and updating your project management and informatics skills and competencies. You will reflect on this again in Week 11 and application to the development of your dissertation. While this is no longer the facility where I work, I am completing my DNP project there, and it is vital that I continue to remain up to date with their HIT. One method for ensuring this, will be to stay in touch with the head nurse informaticist, and develop new skills for managing online healthcare. This will also be achievable by maintaining my casual role and keeping up to date wit the software.

Jason, C. (2020). How COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare Links to an external site.Links to an external site.. EHR Intelligence. https://ehrintelligence.com/news/how-covid-19-accelerated-the-digital-transformation-of-healthcareLinks to an external site.

Lu, A. C., Cannesson, M., & Kamdar, N. (2020). The tipping point of medical technology: Implications for the postpandemic era Links to an external site.Links to an external site.. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 131(2), 335–339. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000005040Links to an external site.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China Links to an external site.Links to an external site.. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

How has Nursing Informatics and Technology Impacted your Practice?

2019 was a year of change. The initial reports of Covid were met with some skepticism, very few thought it would have the impact that it did on society and healthcare. When cases in the United States started to escalate, Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) responded by forming a task force that worked tirelessly for months to ensure that we were prepared to respond. The task force was charged with developing policies for patient scheduling, including in-person and telehealth visits. We ordered hundreds of laptops to allow providers and staff to work remotely. The task force worked with Centricity, our EMR provider, to develop a telehealth platform, and contracted with a telecommunication platform, Tiger connects, for secure messaging to patients. In the cases of patients without the ability to complete telehealth visits, we scheduled in-patient visits ensuring that it would be at least 20 minutes between visits to allow for cleaning and disinfecting the exam room.

When the pandemic began impacting us in the US, the functions of my job changed completely. As the Regional Nursing Director (RND) travel was 85% of my job. As the RND, I completed site visits, trained all new and existing staff, and completed competency checks for all clinical staff. Working with our learning and development team we created a learning platform for new hire training and staff updates, and competency checks. We created a distance learning plan, using Microsoft Teams to review documentation and billing, policies, and procedures and to answer any questions that the new hire may have that were not answered during the computer-based training.

How Informatics Competencies Influence the Quality of Care

Advances in digital technology provide an opportunity to enhance the quality, efficiency, and safety of healthcare (Jimenez, 2020). Informatics provides the provider with an opportunity to access current, evidenced-based data to improve the care they are providing to their patients. It also allows for data exchanges between specialists, hospitals, and primary care providers. According to HealthIT.Gov electronic health information exchange (HIE) allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare providers and patients to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical information electronically improving the speed, quality, safety, and cost of patient care.

My Informatics Strengths, Preferences, and Challenges

My introduction to informatics was during my Master’s program at Walden University. I am confident in my ability to utilize multiple electronic medical records systems. I have participated in the design of an EMR and currently working with our IT department to personalize our new EMR system and to validate that the data is transferring from the current system to the new system. In my current role, I also assist with research projects, we work with a company Epividian to help with the collection and processing of the clinical data that we collect. I was recently listed as an author of a study printed in BMC Primary Care (link to the article below). My challenge in informatics is knowing what clinical tool is appropriate to process clinical data examples of different tools are redcap, leaf, and Quest. Each of these tools is useful in processing clinical data in unique ways. Redcap for instance is used for electronic data capture

Relevance of Ye et al. (2020) to US Management of Covid

China’s informatics responses closely resemble what the US implemented at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. China’s informatics community actively took action to leverage health information technology for epidemic monitoring, detection, early warning, prevention and control, and other tasks. In the US a task force was quickly established, reporting guidelines as well as testing and later treatment guidelines. This was an excellent example of how technology can improve outcomes by streamlining data collection, analysis, and distribution.

Strategy for Enhancing and Updating Project Management and Informatics Skills and Competencies

The strategy I plan to implement is to complete a project management training course. The community college offers various certificate courses. They are usually hybrid courses that are cost-effective and vary in length from a few weeks to 1 year. They offer a certificate course for healthcare informatics technology that is approximately 1 year to complete. Refernces

HealthIT.gov. (n.d.). What is HIE?. https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/what-hie

Jimenez, G., Spinazze, P., Matchar, D., Huat, G. K. C., van der Kleij, R. M., Chavannes, N. H., & Car, J. (2020). Digital health competencies for primary healthcare professionals: A scoping review. International journal of medical informatics, 143, 104260.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using Information Technology to Manage the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Technical Framework Based on Practical Experience in China. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(6), N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-022-01909-2Links to an external site.

https://www.mdc.edu/healthinformatics/

Telehealth has been considered a promising healthcare model since the last decades or so before the pandemic. Nursing informatics (NI), along with the growth and development of health information technology (HIT), is becoming a fundamental part of all domains of nursing practice, especially in critical care settings. However, both the healthcare sector and the public sector were quite hesitant in using telehealth. With the extraordinary time brought by the pandemic, telehealth has been broadly adopted as an acceptable healthcare model globally. ( Wu, 2021) One of the most significant impacts on nursing practice through the COVID -19 pandemic is the changes in the health care providers and the patient’s attitudes toward telehealth.

The patients and the providers were pushed into using telehealth because of the pandemic. I was surprised by how we were able to adapt quickly. Of course, it was a learning curve for the providers and patients, but most of the patients were cared for by telehealth after a few weeks from the initiation without many issues. Since a lot of COVID -19 restrictions have stopped, our clinic continuously utilizes telehealth, and many patients prefer telehealth to instead of in-person visits. Nursing informatics competencies and patient safety competencies were significantly correlated. ( Abdrbo, 2015 ) Nursing informatics can improve patient safety, for example, by utilizing electronic medical records with up-to-date information and continuously monitoring critical vital signs, cardiac rhythm, O2 saturation, or fall detection. Training the staff and the patients and the cost related to adopting new technology would be challenging.

As telehealth excelled, so did other technology within electronic medical records. This placed a strain on nurses who were not receiving training other than written instructions, which was like no training.  Although telehealth expanded the possibility of continued healthcare without fear of exposure to Covid, it did have downsides, disrupted workflows, lack of regulatory support, and ongoing system monitoring (Abdolkhani et al. 2022). However, one of the most significant upsides is realizing that nursing needs to be a more substantial presence in the development, implementation, and efficiency assessment of digital health within healthcare systems.

REFERENCES

Abdolkhani, R., Petersen, S., Walter, R., Zhao, L., Butler-Henderson, K., & Livesay, K. (2022). The   Impact of Digital

Health Transformation Driven by COVIDnursing, 5(1), e40348. https://doi.org/10.2196/40348 Links to an external site.Links to an external site.-19 on Nursing

             Practice: Systematic Literature Review. JMIR 

Abdrbo, A. A. (2015). Nursing Informatics Competencies Among Nursing Students and Their Relationship to Patient Safety Competencies: Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills. Computers, Informatics, Nursing: CIN, 33(11), 509–514. https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000197Links to an external site.

Wu Y. (2021). Utilization of telehealth and the advancement of nursing informatics during

COVID-19 pandemic. International journal of nursing sciences, 8(4), 367–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.09.004Links to an external site.

Informatics has impacted and changed nursing practice, especially with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of technology because the number of people who could go to hospitals was limited due to the virus (ITU, 2021). From my personal and professional experience, I noted an improvement in the use of informatics during the pandemic. Informatics was used to keep track of patient data in relation to the number of patients admitted, discharged, placed in isolation and more. Established informatics competencies may influence the quality of care because it helps transform data into meaningful information that can help improve patient care. It can also enhance patient safety. For example, informatics can be used to collect and analyze data that takes note of the rate of falls within the healthcare organization and reveals reasons why specific people fall at greater rates compared to others.

One needs to learn how to utilize Word Processors, Presentation tools, and data analysis tools so that one can employ the technologies to their fullest potential. My informatics strength lies in data presentation. A weakness is in data analysis since my competency with data analysis tools is not as high. I think that the framework presented can manage COVID and other major pandemics that may arise in the future (Ye et al., 2020). Mobile and web-based services are currently being employed. The use of big data analyses is also being leveraged in modern times. A strategy for enhancing and updating my project management and informatics skills and competencies is reading current information in the market. Additionally, volunteering for such positions within my organization will also arm me with the necessary experience.

                                                                                      References

ITU. (2021). How COVID-19 accelerated digital healthcare. https://www.itu.int/hub/2021/04/how-covid-19-accelerated- Links to an external site. digital-healthcare/

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

     Nursing Informatics has changed incredibly over the past two going on three years. This is due to the interventions that would help decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus, implementation of lock downs and social distancing pushed for the concept of telehealth to be more accepted and utilized in the healthcare settings (Wu, 2021).  According to Wu (2021), telehealth was used to triage and manage patients who were exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the virus. Aside from telehealth, nurses and healthcare providers can now monitor the vital signs of patients remotely through the click of a button (Wu, 2021). Blood pressure machine and pulse oximeters can now connect wirelessly to the internet and the information will be registered to the patient’s electronic health record, the nurse or healthcare provider can login into the EHR/ EMR and view this information remotely. In my current organization Villa Serena, we can do rounds with the healthcare provider via telehealth, this method was extremely useful during the height of the pandemic, and it still proves to be useful until today. The healthcare provider can access the patient’s EHR remotely and input notes and any orders that need to be carried out. During the height of the pandemic going into today, we are still able to provide a high-level continuity of care for the patients while minimizing the risk of exposure.

The use nursing informatics has improved the quality of care and improved safety measures due to the effects of COVID-19. An initiative that is now being used is known as Biologix. According to the University of Maryland Baltimore (2021), Biologix is a sleep apnea home diagnostic and monitoring system, this remotely monitors individuals suspected of COVID-19 or mild symptoms produced by the virus. Remote monitoring is conducted by placing cordless sensor on the patient’s finger which monitors oxygen saturation and heart rate during sleep (UMB, 2021). Data is then collected in real time by an app via a smartphone which is sent automatically to the cloud for the medical response team monitoring the patient to analyze (UMB, 2021). This tool is mentioned to be like that of a pulse oximeter, teaching the patient how to use this system at home by the nurse wouldn’t be difficult at all. The device already comes set up ready to use, the patient just has to follow the step-by-step instructions through the app, it is almost as simple as connecting an apple watch or air pods to an apple device.

My overall experience with nursing informatics has been great as my current strength in nursing informatics is related to my interests in electronics and/ or technology. I learn quickly about technology which helps me in utilizing the EMR and the pyxis machines in the hospital settings. My skills allow me to trouble shoot technical issues and it also allows for me to assist my colleagues when in need. As technology is constantly evolving, this is where one of my challenges lies, staying up to date. To combat this, I’ve paired with professionals who trained in this area to stay up to date.

Research was conducted by Ye et al. (2020) focuses on using information technology to manage COVID-19 to develop a technical framework. Methods for this research was collecting information related to the actions that were taken by health informatics in China during the COVID-19 outbreak (Ye et al., 2020). Technology that was utilized was the mobile internet, big data, cloud computing, internet, artificial intelligence and 5G telemedicine (Ye et al., 2020). According to Ye et al. (2020), data analysis was the major component which involved integration of data and location-based services to track and monitor the pandemic. Overall, the research presented by Ye et al. (2020) applies to how the US manages COVID-19. As technology continued to evolve, so does evidence-based practice as we are utilizing the EMR and telehealth in the healthcare settings as means to prevent the spread of the virus.

University of Maryland Baltimore. (2021). Nursing Informatics Plays Prominent Role in Pandemic. https://www.umaryland.edu/news/archived-news/august-2021/nursing-informatics-plays-prominent-role-in-pandemic.php

Wu, Y. (2021). Utilization of Telehealth and the Advancement of Nursing Informatics During COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Nursing Services, 8(4), 367-369. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.09.004

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using Information Technology to Manage the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Technical Framework Based on Practical Experience in China JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

                                         Impact of Nursing Informatics and Technology on Professional Nursing Practice

The Covid-19 pandemic greatly impacted the care delivery process of various healthcare centers and led to the integration of various technological applications. One of the digital applications of technology in healthcare is cloud computing which stores all the necessary information and can model requirements to make significant changes in healthcare (Vaishya et al., 2020). Nursing informatics is consistent with storing, protecting, and accessing patient records. Through cloud computing, numerous data as patient records have been safely stored and can be easily accessed. On a personal account, the integration of cloud computing in nursing informatics has consistently reduced paperwork and consequently saved on space, easy access, and improved the security of patient information.

The integration of informatics is consistent with the improvement of quality care and the safety of the patients. Cloud computing has impacted the quality of care by storing patient information that all authorized medical practitioners can access. The medical practitioner is thus able to make effective judgments concerning the patient’s diagnosis and treatment. This ensures an improvement in patient safety. According to VSee (2020), the cloud is connected to the facility equipment, where data can be sent in the event of faulty operations. In this context, cloud computing integrated with other technologies can improve the quality of care and advance patient safety. An associate degree in nursing informatics is an avenue through which nursing informatics skills can be acquired.

As an aspect of nursing informatics, cloud computing has relative strengths and perceived challenges in its medical application. However, based on my observations, the nursing informatics digital framework of cloud computing has led to cost savings attributed to the online storage and easy access to patient data at critical times, thus facilitating continuous care (DinCloud, 2019). The primary challenge in utilizing cloud computing in nursing informatics is data security. Patient data can land in unauthorized hands due to increased cyberattacks and other related cybersecurity issues (DinCloud, 2019). Therefore, facilities require effective data security management strategies.

According to Ye et al. (2020), the Chinese healthcare system integrated health information technology such as cloud computing, robots and drones, the internet of things, clinical information systems, and artificial intelligence in developing internet hospitals for detection, monitoring, warning, and prevention of Covid-19. The integration of internet hospitals can be applicable in the United States in managing the pandemic. This is attributed to the ability of the internet hospital to connect several persons across the country and thus make a point to detect through collaborative patient and facility reports and prevent or offer early warning of the disease in a particular area. According to Jason (2020), the United States integrated text messaging and online case reporting as the application of technology. This needs to catch up compared to the organized channels of health information technology in the Chinese healthcare system.

There are numerous existing strategies that I can integrate into my project management. Notably, Work Breakdown is an effective technique that provides for the hierarchical decomposition of the project with the identity of deliverables. This creates an organized approach to project completion (Project Manager, 2014). Gap Analysis tools are also essential in comparing the state of the project to the overall target. This enables the integration of strategies for efficiency in the project activities and continuous planning. Gantt Charts also provide project management planning and identification of activities from initiation to completion, ensuring progress tracking and progress reporting (Project Manager, 2016). Therefore, integrating evidence-based informatics programs into nursing can significantly promote effective project management.

                                                                                                      References

DinCloud. (2019, September 27). Advantages & Disadvantages of Cloud Computing In HealthCare | dinCloud. DinCloud | Hosted Virtual Desktop, Desktop as a Service, Get Quote. https://www.dincloud.com/blog/cloud-computing-health-industry-pros-consLinks to an external site..

Jason, C. (2020, September 22). How COVID-19 Accelerated the Digital Transformation of Healthcare. EHRIntelligence. https://ehrintelligence.com/news/how-covid-19-accelerated-the-digital-transformation-of-healthcareLinks to an external site..

Martha Begley Schade. (2016). How to do a GAP Analysis [YouTube Video]. In YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xXReyiFtBYLinks to an external site..

ProjectManager. (2016). Gantt Charts, Simplified – Project Management Training [YouTube Video]. In YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGkHjby1xKMLinks to an external site..

Project Manager. (2014). Project Management: What is a Work Breakdown Structure? [YouTube Video]. In YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWhnodF6igLinks to an external site..

Vaishya, R., Haleem, A., Vaish, A., & Javaid, M. (2020). Emerging technologies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of clinical and experimental hepatology, 10(4), 409-411.

VSee. (2020, February 27). 7 Ways Technology is Transforming the Nursing Field. VSee. https://vsee.com/blog/technology-transforming-nursing-fieldLinks to an external site..

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. JMIR medical informatics, 8(6), e19515.

                                                                                                                   Blog

Technology or informatics has revolutionized access to care. Patients can talk to nurses about their symptoms via chats and consult with a health worker remotely (Guest in VSee, 2020). These services are available to patients who cannot leave their homes or have to take several hours to see their favorite health provider. Further, the services are attractive to people afraid of contracting COVID-19 or other communicable diseases. Elsewhere, my organization, GH Health Inc., has an online-based counseling service for psychiatric patients. The services can be offered to anyone in the state as long as he has an account in the portal. The online service is critical to those who have high standards about their privacy issues because some people feel confident online compared to one-on-one with a health provider.

Health workers with established informatics competencies can offer or influence the quality of care, safety improvements, and other changes related to nursing practice. They have the skills they need to expand or access knowledge for specific initiatives or issues related to nursing (Ye et al., 2020). For example, competent nurses can actively search for health information related to the prevention of COVID-19 infections. They can also narrow down their internet search to early warning signs and, in so doing, prevent new infections. They can also use databases, where they will use keywords to retrieve specific articles. For example, in a database such as PubMed, they will use keywords such as Preventing COVID-19 infections or early warnings of COVID-19 to get more specific articles. Still, they can undertake digital analyses and predict where infections or cases are more likely to occur. This requires the nurses to have analytical skills, such as predicting trends.

Nurses can use various health informatics applications to improve health or general care. I prefer using healthcare trackers and sensors because I am conversant with all features, such as heart rate monitors and glucose monitors. I can also explain to patients how they will use reminders, such as those reminding patients to take their medication. Elsewhere, I can confidentially use telehealth, including doctor or video chat. They are beneficial to patients who cannot travel or leave their homes. On the lee or weakness side, I have a hard time analyzing data, detecting patterns, and predicting outcomes in areas that involve interpreting results or artificial intelligence. This means I cannot predict when a patient will develop a disease from data (The Medical Futurist, 2020).

According to Ye et al. (2020), the health informatics community in China deployed digital contact tracing, robots, drones, intelligence diagnoses, and other technologies to respond to the pandemic. Patient results were shared between medical institutions to respond to or minimize threats related to the pandemic. This framework cannot be applied in the US because of value differences (Ye et al., 2020). For example, Americans value privacy, meaning they cannot share their data. Again, it is impossible to share personal data across private or government organizations. However, some techniques or technologies used in China were also used in the US, including IoT, Artificial intelligence, and big data. For example, in the US, temperature detection tools or instruments were used to measure body temperature.

Health programs or assignments need project management skills as well as informatics competencies and skills. One strategy that will help me update my project management skills and informatics competencies is learning to develop SMART goals (Howarth et al., 2017). For example, I have a problem analyzing data or predicting trends. I will develop a SMART goal related to this weakness where I will endeavor to learn at least one skill within three weeks. The same case applies to projects (such as a dissertation) because I will endeavor to collect data within two months.

                                                                                               References

Guest in VSee. (2020). 7 ways technology is transforming the nursing field. VSee. https://vsee.com/blog/technology-transforming-nursing-field

Howarth, M. L., Probyn, J. E., & Maz, J. (2017). Project management techniques to maximize success with research. British Journal of Cardiac Nursing, 12(3), 116–119. http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjca.2017.12.3.116

The Medical Futurist (2020). 10 ways technology is changing healthcare. The Medical Futurist. https://medicalfuturist.com/ten-ways-technology-changing-healthcare/

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. JMIR medical informatics, 8(6), e19515. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/19515.

Blogging Week 3 Initial Post

Post a response to your blog describing experiences with digital changes and how COVID-19 has affected healthcare organizations or nursing practice. Address the following:

Summarize how informatics has impacted or changed nursing practice, especially with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provide an example from personal or professional experience. Include the name of your professional organization

  Informatics, especially during the pandemic, has significantly impacted or changed nursing practice in the following ways: telehealth, medicine, education, training, and communication.

According to Wu (2021), telehealth is the provision and management of healthcare services for individuals in their homes or care support facilitated remotely by healthcare professionals via digital media. Telehealth played an essential role in balancing the care demands between social distancing and providing everyday care services in public during the pandemic( Wu, 2021). Hospitalized patients in my medical center experienced discharges with devices such as pulse oximeters and instructions to self-manage their conditions (Health, 2021). A combination of telephone or video consultation minimizes the care burdens within the healthcare systems. Robots and tablet computers have been introduced in some hospitals to allow continuous monitoring and communication with patients while maintaining social distancing (Wilkinson, 2021). Telehealth has played an essential role in disease management, particularly for those with chronic diseases, such as diabetes (Stokel-Walker,2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic created an awareness of the potential benefits of telehealth in increasing nursing services, strengthening professional nursing training, preventing occupational exposure, and exploring cost-effective services and payment mechanisms. Evidence from existing practice and research has shown that telehealth is effective in many healthcare settings( Wu, 2021).

During the pandemic, there was a complete shutdown of in-person meetings. Meetings were virtual on Teams in the VA Medical Center where I work. As an adjunct faculty and clinical instructor in the school of nursing during the pandemic, I taught fundamentals of nursing and clinical virtually with the help of a big blue website. I used the blackboard to teach clinical nursing skills with the help of YouTube videos. I belong to the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and National League for Nurses.

Explain how established informatics competencies may influence the quality of care, safety improvements, and any other changes since the pandemic for excellence in nursing practice. Be specific. What would you need to do to develop skills, knowledge, and competencies to apply the technology?

Nursing informatics (NI) and the growth and development of health information technology (HIT) are becoming a fundamental part of all domains of nursing practice, especially in critical care settings. The requirement is that Nurses have NI competency for providing patient-centered, evidence-based care. Therefore, it is crucial and necessary to improve nurses’ NI competency through educational programs for the effective use of HIT (Jouparinejad et al.,2020)

Describe your informatics strengths and preferences, as well as potential challenges and areas for development

My informatics strengths and preferences are the eagerness to learn and explore new areas, and the challenge is speed. To develop skills, knowledge, and competencies to apply the technology, I will continuously acquire the knowledge and train and get educated with new technology.

Is the information technology framework discussed in the Ye et al. (2020) article applicable in the US to manage COVID and other major pandemics? How much of what is discussed is in use currently?

Ye et al. (2020) develop a technical framework to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic from a health informatics perspective. The authors collected health information technology-related information to understand the actions taken by the health informatics community in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ye et al. (2020) reviewed specific health information technology practices for managing the outbreak in China, described the highlights of their application in detail, and discussed critical issues to consider when using health information technology. Ye et al. (2020) concluded that practical experience in China shows that health information technologies play a pivotal role in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic.

The information technology framework discussed in the Ye et al. (2020) article such as mobile and web-based services such as Internet hospitals and Wechat, extensive data analyses (including digital contact tracing through QR codes or epidemic prediction), cloud computing, Internet of things, Artificial Intelligence (including the use of drones, robots, and intelligent diagnoses), 5G telemedicine, and clinical information systems to facilitate clinical management for COVID-19 is applicable in the US (Bland et al., 2020).

Describe one strategy for enhancing and updating project management and informatics skills and competencies. 

Project management skills are overseeing a project while staying within scope, on schedule, and following a budget. Some project management skills include Leadership, Time management, Organization, Scheduling, delegating, Communication, Risk management, Research, Critical thinking, Attention to detail, Patience, and Quality management (Sipes, 2020). The strategy for enhancing and updating project management and informatics skills and competencies is using templates for project managers (Sipes, 2020). The templates serve as a guide, saving time (Sipes, 2020).

References

Blandford A., Wesson J., Amalberti R., AlHazme R., Allwihan R.( 2020). Opportunities, and challenges for telehealth within and beyond, a pandemic. Lancet Glob Heal. 2020;8(11):e1364–e1365. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30362-4.

Health TLD (2021). Digital tools for mental health in a crisis. Lancet Digit Heal. 2021;3(4) doi: 10.1016/S2589-7500(21)00045-5.

Jouparinejad S, Foroughameri G, Khajouei R, Farokhzadian J.( 2020). Improving the informatics competency of critical care nurses: results of an interventional study in the southeast of Iran. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2020 Sep 11;20(1):220. doi: 10.1186/s12911-020-01244-5. PMID: 32917187; PMCID: PMC7488703.

Sipes, C. (2020). Project management for the advanced practice nurse (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing.

Stokel-Walker C. Why telemedicine is here to stay. BMJ. 2020:m3603. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3603. ]

Wu, Y. (2021). Utilization of telehealth and the advancement of nursing informatics during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 8(4), 367.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. Links to an external site.Links to an external site. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

Summarize how informatics has impacted or changed nursing practice, especially with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Provide an example from your personal or professional experience. Be sure to also include the name of the professional organization you belong to. 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to the world, particularly the healthcare system. Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, informatics played a prominent role in the delivery of healthcare services especially because the only interventions that helped prevent the spread included lock downs, wearing masks and social distancing (Wu, 2021). Therefore, informatics through telehealth greatly enhanced the delivery and management of healthcare services to individuals from their homes or via care support provided remotely using telehealth (Wu, 2021). In my personal experience, working in a psychiatric clinic, we used to provide telehealth follow-ups for our patients. However, telehealth in psychiatry was very challenging because we encountered an increase in the number of anxiety attacks among the patients during the COVID-19. Therefore, it was challenging to manage anxiety attacks via telehealth. However, telehealth was very helpful in most cases allowing continuity of care through triaging the patients on digital health apps, and in turn allowing in-person visits based on individual patient needs and severity of mental disorders (Zhou et al., 2020).

Explain how established informatics competencies may influence quality of care, safety improvements, and any other changes since the pandemic for excellence in nursing practice. Be specific. What would you need to do to develop skills, knowledge, and competencies in order to apply the technology?

Established informatics competencies may influence the quality of care and safety improvements since the pandemic for excellence in nursing practice through enhancing the delivery of patient education particularly in patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017; (Blandford et al., 2020).). In addition, established informatics competencies can improve patient safety by improving access to quality healthcare services remotely for patients living in rural (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). Moreover, informatics competencies also facilitate effectiveness in isolation for contagious/infectious diseases preventing disease spread to other patients (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). Finally, established informatics competencies also influences quality care and patient safety by improving access to patient health data via the EHRs (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). As a result, facilitating continuity of care when receiving care from different clinicians.  In order to develop skills, knowledge and competencies in order to apply technology, I would need practice using telehealth such as EHRs (Blandford et al., 2020). Moreover, undertaking informatics courses is essential in the development of skills, knowledge and competencies for the application of telehealth (Blandford et al., 2020).

Describe your informatics strengths and preferences, as well as potential challenges and areas for development.

My strengths and preferences on informatics include using the EHRs effectively and efficiently, providing follow-up care and scheduling patient appointments (Blandford et al., 2020). Nonetheless, I face potential challenges and areas for development in triaging patients via telehealth (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). Being a psychiatric nurse, I feel that conducing a comprehensive psychiatric assessment is challenging via telehealth because it is difficult to assess the patient’s behaviors effectively that have a significant impact on mental health (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). Moreover, I think it might be challenging to develop a strong therapeutic relationship with the patients via telehealth in comparison to in-person assessments (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021).

Do you think the information technology framework discussed in the Ye, et al. (2020) article is applicable in the U.S. to manage COVID and other major pandemics? How much of what is discussed do we currently use?

Yes, I think the information technology framework discussed in the Ye, et al. (2020) article is applicable in the U.S. to manage COVID and other major pandemics. Currently, the US has a tracking system for real-time monitoring of viral infections, viral variants and epidemic analysis and forecasting, diagnostics and established clinical surveillance systems for early warning (White House, 2021).

Describe one strategy for enhancing and updating your project management and informatics skills and competencies. You will reflect on this again in Week 11 and application to the development of your dissertation.

A strategy for enhancing and updating my project management and informatics skills and competencies include using informatics for tracking the project, data analysis, time management, and enhancing communication between the key stakeholders, the participants and the researchers (Nally & Waters, 2022).

References

Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi medical journal, 38(12), 1173.

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.

Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth benefits and barriers. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(2), 218-221.

Nally, R., & Waters, G. (2022). Project Management: Enabling Communication and Healthcare IT Implementations. In Nursing Informatics (pp. 559-568). Springer, Cham.

White House. (2021). American pandemic preparedness: transforming our capabilities.

Wu, Y. (2021). Utilization of telehealth and the advancement of nursing informatics during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 8(4), 367.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China. JMIR medical informatics, 8(6), e19515.

Zhou, X., Snoswell, C. L., Harding, L. E., Bambling, M., Edirippulige, S., Bai, X., & Smith, A. C. (2020). The role of telehealth in reducing the mental health burden from COVID-19. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(4), 377-379.

How is Nursing Informatics and Technology Impacted the Practice

The nursing informatics impact and perception on healthcare information technology used to improve the patient’s safety involved in collecting data, facilitating reporting, and analyzing the data collected and is the significantly higher level of quality to gather the data for patient records and help in promoting patient safety on daily bases. They have impacted many patients’ issues in getting the information needed to send outcomes or evaluations. It also prevents medical errors, especially medication errors, which have been decreased. as medication safety improvements. In addition, the systems let the nurse’s organization monitor and report any errors on any issues and how to resolve the problems (Christopher,2021).

As a nurse for many years, I have experience using all kinds of new systems with nursing informatics working with the electronic health system to keep a patient. Record or provide treatment for the design, up-to-date daily plans, medical facilities, technical and all the business related to the patient in admission or discharges, and coordinate the care for the patient, this help to regulate the plan. Policies using symbols for different isolation also help keep track of information and the treatment date. And secure all the information, transfer, and receive news from other providers. From my experience, I have seen the technical keep the data for all the patients and organizations. Everyone has been benefiting from technology, from administration, physicians, nurses, and other providers: nursing informatics help to manage all electronic issues and records for security. The most important thing is to educate all the nurses on the systems for any new information for practical use. (Christopher,2021).

How COVID-19 Accelerated the Digitals Transformation of Healthcare

The covid- 19 has involved technology to transform all healthcare for technology use. This innovation increased more during the pandemic. Many patients were afraid to go to their healthcare professionals many cares office were closed. The only assessment to see patients through the telephone; was telehealth increase. The tool was the only way to connect with the patient by telehealth technology video, emailing, or text by phone. All this system was used for better outcomes for the patient. Covid -19 helps to utilize and develop a good standard for better information for the nurses, physicians, and development.

Reflecting on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

The covid -19 pandemic is affecting many people and has changed all nations in our world, locally and globally. The nurses are significantly impacted by the change they get involved with daily; they are the first to face the unknown. All nurse was devastated by the on known situation. Nurses were exposed to the disease every time the patient came in for treatment because there was any other way everywhere was close(Christopher, 2021). We could not predict how this could impact our work situation, but the expectation was very high. Everything is charged within a day nurse. All professional was very fearful, leading the patient to see or visit a healthcare setting. Dangers everywhere keep everyone at home for safety and prevent the spreading of the disease (Christopher, 2021)

Nursing backgrounds and professional interests as you view the video.

 Since the pandemic, many things have changed that impacted our professionals, workflows, supply, equipment, and priority, including our resilience as nurses. They’re something that can never change taken care of a patient. Still, during the pandemic, we face many challenges that strengthen us and grow in many ways especially using technologies. We are improving in using technologies for patients and education that make everyone stay home. Many patients fear going out or seeing their provider for any treatment with the law involved in national lockdown and lack all support they need to take care of themselves. The patient is also fearful of coming to the hospital because on now stops them from going to the doctor’s office or clinic. That was when technologies for a virtual visit. Were introduced to fill the gap between the patient and their provider. Or the healthcare needed for the patient. The gap was filled by using visualization to see patients and telehealth, the organization, provide continued training, provide equipment to prevent the spreading of the infection provides up to days for better patient safety and the staff (Christopher, 2021)

The potential skills, knowledge, or competencies

The healthcare organization and nursing practices are the particular stakeholders of healthcare during covid-19. We have faced many challenges in developing competency for my organization. In skill and knowledge, competencies are the abilities that contribute to the overall experiences and the organization’s performance. Knowledge is acquired from experience and information to continue providing information, good communication, hand on practice, good training on all the equipment, and technology to monitor all activities to prevent any error and discover the error before it happens (L, 2022). Skill is the ability to be able to do the tasks to be able to apply the knowledge, including the ability to use the skill repeatedly. The important was to keep the skill good reminders of up to day information on the skill for correct evidence base practice in improving the skill and hand on every six months or a year for physical activity depending on the level of need to develop good education all staff from administration to all teams. Learning is the best way to gain competencies, skills, knowledge, and individual 

The nursing informatics impact and perception on healthcare information technology used to improve the patient’s safety involved in collecting data, facilitating reporting, and analyzing the data collected and is the significantly higher level of quality to gather the data for patient records and help in promoting patient safety on daily bases. They have impacted many patients’ issues in getting the information needed to send outcomes or evaluations. It also prevents medical errors, especially medication errors, which have decreased as medication safety improvements. In addition, the systems let the nurse’s organization monitor and report any errors on any issues and how to resolve the problems (Christopher,2021).

As a nurse for many years, I have experience using all kinds of new systems with nursing informatics working with the electronic health system to keep a patient. Record or provide treatment for the design, up-to-date daily plans, medical facilities, technical and all the business related to the patient in admission or discharges, and coordinate the care for the patient, this help to regulate the plan. Policies using symbols for different isolation also help keep track of information and the treatment date. Furthermore, secure all the information, transfer, and receive news from other providers. From my experience, I have seen the technical keep the data for all the patients and organizations. Everyone has been benefiting from technology, from administration, physicians, nurses, and other providers: nursing informatics help to manage all electronic issues and records for security. The most important thing is to educate all the nurses on the systems for any new information for practical use. (Christopher,2021).

How COVID-19 Accelerated the Digital Transformations of Healthcare

The covid- 19 has involved technology to transform all healthcare for technology use. This innovation increased more during the pandemic. Many patients were afraid to go to their healthcare professionals many cares office were closed. The only assessment to see patients through the telephone; was telehealth increase. The tool was the only way to connect with the patient by telehealth technology video, emailing, or text by phone. All this system was used for better outcomes for the patient. Covid -19 helps to utilize and develop a good standard for better information for the nurses, physicians, and development.

Reflect on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare and nursing practice.

The covid -19 pandemic is affecting many people and has changed all nations in our world, locally and globally. The nurses are significantly impacted by the change they get involved with daily; they are the first to face the unknown. All nurse was devastated by the on known situation. Nurses were exposed to the disease every time the patient came in for treatment because there was any other way everywhere was close(Christopher, 2021). We could not predict how this could impact our work situation, but the expectation was very high. Everything is charged within a day nurse. All professional was very fearful, leading the patient to see or visit a healthcare setting. Dangers everywhere keep everyone at home for safety and prevent the spreading of the disease (Christopher, 2021)

Background and professional interests as you view the video.

 Since the pandemic, many things have changed that impacted our professionals, workflows, supply, equipment, and priority, including our resilience as nurses. They’re something that can never change taken care of a patient. Still, during the pandemic, we face many challenges that strengthen us and grow in many ways especially using technologies. We are improving in using technologies for patients and education that make everyone stay home. Many patients fear going out or seeing their provider for any treatment with the law involved in national lockdown and lack all support they need to take care of themselves. The patient is also fearful of coming to the hospital because on now stops them from going to the doctor’s office or clinic. That was when technologies for a virtual visit. Were introduced to fill the gap between the patient and their provider. Or the healthcare needed for the patient. The gap was filled by using visualization to see patients and telehealth, the organization, provide continued training, provide equipment to prevent the spreading of the infection provides up to days for better patient safety and the staff(Christopher, 2021)

The potential skills, knowledge, or competencies

The healthcare organization and nursing practices are the particular stakeholders of healthcare during covid-19. We have faced many challenges in developing competency for my organization. In skill and knowledge, competencies are the abilities that contribute to the overall experiences and the organization’s performance. Knowledge is acquired from experience and information to continue providing information, good communication, hand on practice, good training on all the equipment, and technology to monitor all activities to prevent any error and discover the error before it happens (L, 2022). Skill is the ability to be able to do the tasks to be able to apply the knowledge, including the ability to use the skill repeatedly. The important was to keep the skill good reminders of up to day information on the skill for correct evidence base practice in improving the skill and hand on every six months or a year for physical activity depending on the level of need to develop good education all staff from administration to all teams. Learning is the best way to gain competencies, skills, knowledge, and individual 

behaviors also involve continuing to educate themselves to gain better skills. Experience needs to continue to educate in all areas required for their professionals and apply the skills to keep the bits of knowledge (Christopher, 2021)

Reference

Christopher (2021) How covid-19 accelerated the digital transformation of Healthcare, EHRIntelligence. Available at: https://ehrintelligence.com/news/how-covid-19-accelerated-the-digital-transformation-of-healthcare (Accessed: December 14, 2022).

Innovative models of Care Delivery: AHA (2022) American Hospital Association. Available at: https://www.aha.org/resources/2019-05-14-innovative-models-care.

L;, H. (2022) American Nurses Association releases New Scope and Standards of Nursing Informatics Practice, AACN advanced critical care. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25898874/ (Accessed: December 14, 2022).

How COVID-19 has affected your healthcare organization or nursing practice.

My organization, Boston Healthcare for the Hopeless Population (BHCHP), used informatics prior to COVID, but not to the extent of the pandemic.  There was a personal relationship between providers and patients and there was a limited amount of digital care. In traditional medicine, patients and providers met during visits, built relationships, and developed a rapport. Interpersonal relationships and patient-centered care were improved through traditional strategies.  Building rapport, establishing relationships, and facilitating effective assessment and evaluation are some of the benefits of in-person visits.  Despite its positive impacts, traditional care does have some disadvantages.   The lack of providers, for instance, caused appointments to be delayed, wait times to be increased, and treatments to be delayed. In addition, it delays treatment, prolongs diagnosis, and increases the risk of preventable deaths. There were limitations to digital connections at BHCHP, so appointment patients ran out of their medications and were non-medicated. It was found that substance abusers who had longer appointments for medication-assisted treatment, such as suboxone, Subutex, Vivitrol, and methadone, eventually relapsed.    Traditionally, the in-person method was inconvenient and often led to increased emergency room visits and/or patients being sent out for overdose complications, which also contributed to deaths at BHCHP).  In addition, hospitalizations and healthcare expenditures are increased due to a lack of digital knowledge.

Telehealth was implemented by BHCHP to minimize COVID spread while the pandemic was underway. Treatment, safety, and outcomes were boosted as a result.  BHCHP nurses conducted telehealth remotely and assessed patients with medications and weekly medication refills, scheduled appointments with primary care providers, and gave patients the option of calling or coming to the clinic to see their providers remotely, as well as scheduling specialty appointments.  Those traveling out of state to care for family members affected by the virus could conduct remote visits and order medications and laboratory work via Zoom and e-prescription. In addition, these individuals were able to attend weekly, monthly, and Thursday nursing, treatment, and general program meetings via Zoom. In my clinic rotation, informatics was crucial to my success because I was unable to find a preceptor who did in-person preceptorships. Walden, however, allowed students to do both telehealth and in-person rotations. My clinical rotations were completed by conducting psychiatric evaluations via telehealth and virtual visits.

Summarize how informatics has impacted or changed nursing practice during COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of IT on nursing and the entire health care system and patient care has been tremendous since the COVID pandemic and has improved access to care and treatment, decreased emergency room visits, and reduced appointment times.  Using telehealth, for example, telemedicine providers and nurses can assess patients remotely and refill medications or conduct therapy sessions remotely.  Further, patients without transportation in rural areas can now access providers, nurses, psychiatrists, and therapists via telehealth and or virtually.  Informatics has also contributed to safety in nursing care by reducing medication errors via the use of EHRs, bar codes, and alerts on electronic health records to alert nurses to discrepancies in medication administration. Furthermore, informatics can help document effects and save and retrieve data for comparison and treatment.  The next shift’s nurses can use information from the records to provide care to patients if the documentation of the patient’s care and treatment is available.  In his article, Jason (2020) shows how COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare by enabling clinicians to provide remote telehealth visits and provide the same and even better patient-centered care. Digitally, patients can receive care from the comfort of their homes, saving hours of driving to appointments, waiting time, and receiving the same treatment as in-person visits. Patients and caregivers can save an hour as well as driving time and waiting time while receiving care via telehealth. Using this digital platform, the patient can receive the same quality of care from the comfort of her home as she would in person.

Explanation  of how established informatics competencies may influence the quality of care, safety improvements,

Informatics competencies should be incorporated into healthcare, nursing, and provider education.  In nursing informatics (NI), nursing science is integrated with multiple information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing (American Nurses Association(2015). For instance, because of technology and the incorporation of digital knowledge into practice at BHCHP, most nurses quit and or retired. Some of them were computer illiterate and could not log on to zoom, conduct virtual visits, or set up telehealth appointments.  It was challenging and overwhelming for them to incorporate monthly meetings and weekly nursing meetings through Zoom.  Additionally, most of them were mostly involved in patient care and were not interested in informatics since they found informatics overwhelming.   In this regard, incorporating informatics competencies into nursing education and care is essential for nurses to become knowledgeable and able to assess .

By utilizing informatics in practice, we will be able to improve patient outcomes and provide more timely and effective care. Since patients would not need to wait for in-person appointments, the use of information technology may influence health and improve access to treatment, medication complaints, and early diagnosis and treatment, since they could consult providers via telemedicine and receive treatment and referrals to aid in early detection and treatment. Since nurses must have information technology skills and competencies, I intend to take informatics courses to learn how to use software to provide care. patients effectively. As a result, care and treatment will be more accessible and utilized.  In addition, I can increase my competencies in informatics by attending services or webinars.  Another strategy is to frequently practice and use information learn and informatics, such as conducting Zoom meetings and setting up virtual visits.  Despite its effectiveness and increasing access to information and services, informatics has some shortcomings.  Patients’ personal health information can be compromised and put patients and providers at risk when it is not protected.  A safety feature of informatics is the acknowledgment section when providers acknowledge that telehealth was used. Secondly, at BHCHP we often ask patients if they are in a safe place to discuss their healthcare. Additionally, the patient has the option to be contacted back if they do not have privacy. Patients must also sign a consent indicating their consent to telehealth and their understanding of its risks and benefits.

Informatics strengths and preferences, as well as potential challenges and areas for development.

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I have noticed that most of my patients do not have time to come into the office for assessment and medication refills due to their busy schedules. Having said that, conducting virtual visits is my strength, as it allows me to see patients and helps with treatment and compliance.  A smart phrase is another strength of informatics. To increase effective and accurate documentation at the homeless clinic and respite care, the nurse informatician at my job collaborates with ochin/EPIC and developed smart phrases. Vaccines are administered, COVID tests are performed, medications are refilled, follow-ups are conducted, and referrals are sent from the clinic to the respite facility using smart phrases.  On our computer, the dragon software is installed to assist with typing, accuracy, and efficiency.  Dragon helps me write information by talking to it after the psychiatric evaluation. In addition, this feature contributes to timely documentation and efficiency.  My current challenge is typing at work. The smart phrases and dragons help me to avoid typing every day, even though it is challenging and takes time. The provision of telehealth services to patients living outside of the state is in a development area that is not acceptable to me. Telehealth should not be conducted out of state, and patients should only see providers in their own states in person or through telehealth.

The information technology framework discussed in the Ye, et al. (2020) article is applicable in the U.S. to manage COVID and other major pandemics.

In the upcoming year, Ye, et al, (2020) will discuss a technology framework for managing   COVID and another major pandemic. Health information technology was used to monitor, detect, warn, prevent, and control epidemics in China, including clinical informatics, public health informatics, consumer health informatics, and clinical research informatics, according to the authors of the study. During the pandemic, COVID was also monitored using informatics. In the case of COVID, all cases and deaths were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). COVID and the vaccine are tracked by the CDC by using technology. Also, at the homeless clinic, CDC software was used to track those with COVID. Recurrent infection and control the spread of COVID. As Ye, et al. (2020) indicated, the health information technology participants were all located in China, including government agencies, technology companies, medical facilities, shelter hospitals, which are designated for COVID-19, as well as research institutions that utilize information technologies to combat the epidemic in a national campaign like what was done in the  United States. Ye et al., 2020 recommended that the government develop a framework and monitoring system to monitor the transformation of COVID and design strategies to detect COVID.

Strategy for enhancing and updating your project management and informatics skills and competencies.

When developing an installation strategy, Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge is useful since it discusses appreciation for a system, knowledge of variation, theory of knowledge, and psychology. Understanding the system that needs to be changed or disrupted is an important first step (American Hospital Association 2015). Using dragon software and the smart phase technique at work, I can enhance and update my project management and informatics skills. Considering that I will conduct my research interview in an inpatient setting, I anticipate speaking with informatics and nurse informatics at my job for assistance in creating a smart phase. Using the dragon software, I could create a smart phase and document my research data effectively.

References

American Hospital Association. (n.d.). Innovative models of care delivery: Addressing transitions across the care continuum Links to an external site. https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2019/05/Innovative-Models-of-Care.pdf

R2 Library (Online service), & American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing Informatics : Scope and Standards of Practice: Vol. Second edition. American Nurses Association.

Ye, Q., Zhou, J., & Wu, H. (2020). Using information technology to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: Development of a technical framework based on practical experience in China Links to an external site. JMIR Medical Informatics, 8(6), Article e19515. https://doi.org/10.2196/19515

As we all have experienced COVID we have faced many challenges. Many of these challenges are based around technology. We are all familiar with telehealth and virtual visits but not at the rate at which we have been progressively using them due to COVID. In my experience we are still very reliant on telehealth even now when COVID is seemingly not on the rise. This has affected patients by not wanting to come to in person appointments and also I feel it has made some quality care suffer. Health care and public health organizations both leveraged available information systems and standards to rapidly identify cases, triage infected individuals, and monitor population trends. (Diallo G, 2021)

When using these technologies, it can also be very beneficial to those who are unable to attend. I feel there are two sides to these technologies and if utilized correctly it can be beneficial. Many health systems rapidly scaled their telehealth infrastructure and functionalities to triage COVID-19 patients and minimize exposure for patients without COVID-like illnesses. (Vaid A, 2020) One thing I feel that could be done different is the training of staff members for better preparation. Challenges that have been faced are time management and assigning task when it comes to using this new information. You also get team members who are not willing to adapt to change. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, health information systems played critical roles in aiding clinicians manage their patients, health care administrators manage resources, and public health authorities manage populations. (McRae M P, 2020)

Strategies for enhancing project management would be training and more information to staff. Also a controlled environment for the role out of each no process so that everyone is able to learn and feel comfortable with the new information.

McRae M P, Dapkins I P, Sharif I, Anderman J, Fenyo D, Sinokrot O. Managing COVID-19 With a Clinical Decision Support Tool in a Community Health Network: Algorithm Development and Validation. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(08):e22033.

Vaid A, Somani S, Russak A J, De Freitas J K, Chaudhry F F, Paranjpe I. Machine Learning to Predict Mortality and Critical Events in a Cohort of Patients With COVID-19 in New York City: Model Development and Validation. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(11):e24018

Diallo G, Bordea G. Public Health and Epidemiology Informatics: Recent Research Trends. Yearb Med Inform. 2021. pp. 280–2.