Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by explaining how the innovators selected by your colleague may demonstrate skills related to your professional practice and why.
Colleague post
Health Information Technology and Nursing Informatics Introduction
Main Post
The role of individual nursing informatics innovators and the impact of their contributions on your past and current nursing practice and interests.
Individual nursing informatics innovators’ efforts have significantly contributed to nursing practice in the 21st century. Dr. Harriet Werley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FACMI, is credited as a pioneering nurse informatician before the informatics specialty existed within the nursing profession (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021). Dr. Werley is recognized for promoting nurse involvement with nursing and medical research related to nursing informatics, and she was integral in integrating nursing informatics into nursing (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021). Dr. Carole Gassert, Ph.D., RN, FACMI, FAAN, is an innovator that interests me because she was a clinical nurse specialist who describes herself as a “trendsetter” (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021). Dr. Gassert implemented a Hewlett Packard patient monitoring system which ultimately improved the quality of care of cardiovascular patients; however, she also advocated for nursing documentation practice by informing stakeholders that nurses would not double document vital signs (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021). Furthermore, Dr. Gassert is credited with developing the first nursing informatics program at the University of Maryland (American Medical Informatics Association, 2021).
Contributions of these nursing informatics innovators have significantly impacted the nursing profession by developing formal educational programs, research activities, and improving patient care and nursing workflows. I am grateful for their pioneering work because, as a nurse working in various positions, the influence of nursing informatics and technology is a constant presence in my career and practice.
Nursing Informatics Experience and How Informatics has impacted or changed your Professional Nursing Practice. Briefly share your nursing background and professional interests. How have informatics pioneers impacted you?
From a previous bedside clinician to my current role as a clinical nurse specialist, I have participated in nursing informatics activities with the evolution and integration of the electronic health record. When I started nursing 20 years ago, I worked in hospitals where paper charting was being phased out with the implementation of the electronic health record. My experiences include participating in task forces, contributing to nursing documentation workflows, and serving as a super-user and trainer in medical surgical, labor, and delivery units. I have always supported the electronic health record because it improved patient safety and quality. Dr. Gessler’s comments about advocating for streamlined workflows to eliminate documentation duplication resonates with me because my current organization’s Nurse Informaticist (NI) always mentions this point when interdisciplinary stakeholders suggest revisions to nursing documentation. The NI works closely with me in my current role as a CNS Women’s Services to understand the intent of specific requests and to ensure the changes do not increase nursing documentation needlessly (R2 Library (Online service), & American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 68). I have always viewed the NI as a champion for nursing practice.
Nursing informatics has changed my professional practice by integrating evidence-based tools and resources within the electronic health record to make it readily available for nurses at the point of care. In the past, I had to go to the nurses’ station and review the nursing medication handbook or other resources to prepare for patient education. Today, nurses can review nursing policies and use clinical tools such as where calculations are built into suicide risk screenings or obstetric hemorrhage risk calculators. These enhancements improve the efficiency and accuracy of care delivered ((R2 Library (Online service), & American Nurses Association, 2015). These enhancements and capabilities align with the NI framework, the relationship of Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom, where increasing complexity enables the increased application of human intellect ((R2 Library (Online service), & American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 5).
Review the course outcomes and discuss your goals and how they could enhance your informatics skills and competencies.
My goals for this course are to become more proficient in project management and to analyze how nursing informatics and technology impact clinical practice. I am also interested in how ethics, cyber ethics, and security impact the role of nursing informatics in healthcare delivery and clinical practice. Marr (2020) discussed several technology trends that may impact healthcare in the next decade. Many technologies are currently being used in healthcare, such as 3D printing, digital platforms, and cloud and edge computing (Marr, 2020). The course outcomes and in-depth exposure to NI and technology bring awareness that I should stay informed about advances because they will continually impact nursing and healthcare. I want to advocate for the nursing practice as a clinical nurse specialist or in another advanced practice role. In that case, the course outcomes on developing project management competencies will enhance my skill set.
References:
American Medical Informatics Association. (2021). Nursing informatics innovators. https://amia.org/community/working-groups/nursing-informatics/nursing-informatics-innovators Links to an external site.
Marr, B. (2020). These 25 technology trends will define the next decade. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bbernardmarr/2020/04/20/these-25-technology-trends-will-define-the-next-decade/?sh=459cc02129e3
R2 Library (Online service), & American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice: Vol. Second edition. American Nurses Association.
Original question
For this Discussion, reflect of the role of individual nursing informatics innovators and the impact of their contributions on your past and current nursing practice and interests.
After reviewing Table 1 from American Nurses Association. (2015). Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.), and viewing the media, discuss your nursing informatics experience and how informatics has impacted or changed your professional nursing practice. Briefly share your nursing background and professional interests. How have the informatics pioneers impacted you?
Review the course outcomes in the course syllabus and discuss your goal or goals for how this course will (or could) enhance your informatics skills and competencies.
My original post
Transforming Nursing
Two nursing informatics innovators I find of great interest are Drs. Patricia Abbott and Virginia Saba. Initially, Dr. Abbott is a renowned nurse informatician who has committed her professional life to investigate how technology can be employed to provide bedside care (AMIA, 2023). She has focused on developing and analyzing electronic health record (EHR) systems that align with the requirements of specific patients and enhance association and cooperation between healthcare professionals (University of Michigan, 2023). Dr. Abbott’s work has substantially impacted health information technology by encouraging the adoption of EHR systems that are more user-friendly and patient-centred. She has also provided pivotal support in establishing the Nursing Informatics Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). Lastly, she has substantially contributed to developing the American Nurses Association’s Nursing Informatics Core Competencies (AMIA, 2023).
Similarly, Dr. Saba is a celebrated nursing informatics innovator who is primarily recognized for her contributions to developing the Clinical Care Classification (CCC) system (AMIA, 2023). Saba’s professional course has focused on researching how technology can be employed to advance nursing practice and improve patient outcomes. The primary contributions of Dr. Saba to nursing informatics include the creation of the CCC—a standardized coding system that enables nurses to more precisely and effectively record patient care (Kelley, 2023). She has also made meaningful contributions to establishing standardized terminologies, such as the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP)—which has aided in the emergence of nursing as a distinct and independent field of study (AMIA, 2023).
Drs. Abbott and Saba’s works and ideologies have substantially impacted the nursing practice and informatics. These innovators have affected how nurses approach patient care and how technology is employed in healthcare. For example, more user-friendly EHR systems have been created, allowing nurses to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative duties due to Dr. Abbott’s innovations. Abbott has also emphasized the importance of installing customized EHR systems to meet the needs of each unique patient. This EHR system has enhanced the accuracy and comprehensiveness of patient data management (University of Michigan, 2023).
On the other hand, Dr. Saba’s work has promoted the establishment of standardized terminologies and coding systems. These procedures have consequently enhanced patient data accuracy while improving collaboration and communication among healthcare professionals (Kelley, 2023). Her work has also contributed to the development of nursing informatics as a distinct field, which has improved her understanding of and respect for the role of nursing in healthcare (AMIA, 2023).
Numerous significant lessons can be transferred to professional practice from the experiences and contributions of Drs. Abbott and Saba to the field of nursing informatics. For instance, it is crucial to concentrate on patient-centred treatment and deploy technology adapted to each patient’s unique needs. The necessity of precise and thorough documenting of patient treatment, which can be aided by adopting standardized terminologies and coding systems, must also be emphasized (Sipes, 2020). Finally, it is crucial to promote nursing as a separate and distinct subject and endeavour to increase its influence in healthcare. By advocating for increased innovation and the use of patient-centred technologies, I may implement the concepts and abilities shown by these pioneers in my professional practice as a healthcare provider or nurse. To improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of patient data, I can also collaborate with my coworkers to encourage the adoption of standardized terminologies and coding systems. In addition, I can push for more chances for nurses to take on leadership and decision-making responsibilities in the healthcare industry. Nursing should be recognized as a separate and independent discipline.
In summary, the research by Drs. Abbott and Saba have significantly influenced the field of nursing informatics and healthcare in general. The significance of patient-centred care, enhanced documentation and communication, and increased acknowledgment of nursing as a separate discipline have all been emphasized in their contributions. Professionals can endeavour to develop healthcare further and enhance patient outcomes by putting the knowledge they have gained from their experiences to use.
References
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) (2023). Nursing Informatics Innovators: Patricia Abbott. https://amia.org/community/working-groups/nursing-informatics/nursing-informatics-innovators-patricia-abbott#:~:text=Abbott%20is%20best%20known%20for,in%20NI%20with%20the%20ANCC.
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) (2023). Nursing informatics innovators: Virginia K. Saba. https://amia.org/community/working-groups/nursing-informatics/nursing-informatics-innovators-virginia-k-saba#:~:text=She%20initiated%20academic%20technology%20programs,promoting%20technology%20in%20nursing%20practice.
Kelley T. Dr. (2023). Saba’s innovative contributions to nursing informatics. Int J Med Inform 170:104982. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104982. Epub 2022 Dec 30. PMID: 36599260.
Sipes, C. (2020). Project management for the advanced practice nurse (2nd ed.) Springer Publishing.
University of Michigan (2023). Patricia A. Abbott. https://weilinstitute.med.umich.edu/members/patricia-a-abbott-phd-rn-faan
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