NUR 514 The Evolution of Nursing Informatics Presentation

Sample Answer

Presentation’s Outline

Health care delivery has evolved in multiple dimensions in response to the complex health problems facing patients and populations. Central to this evolution is nursing informatics, which helps nursing practitioners use technology and data for improved clinical outcomes and other objectives. The purpose of this presentation is to define nursing informatics and explore how it has evolved.

Other important sections include the effects of nursing informatics on leadership, clinical practice, administration, education, and research. The presentation also explores how government regulation affects organizational policies on health information systems, nurse-led innovation and its use, and the nurse’s role in transforming health care data into knowledge.

Nursing Informatics Definition

Nursing informatics (NI) is a crucial specialty as far as the evolution of nursing is concerned. McGonigle and Mastrian (2021) defined nursing informatics as integrating nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences for the purpose of identifying, defining, managing, and communicating data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.

The broad definition of nursing informatics depicts it as a field where concepts are drawn from multiple sciences to improve nursing through data and information. The continued integration of data and information has enabled nursing to be more dependent on technologies that support data processing to create knowledge and generate wisdom in nursing practice.

To better understand what nursing informatics entails, it is crucial to explore the everyday role of a nurse informaticist in the highly tech-driven nursing practice. According to Kwiatkoski (2021), the nurse informaticist’s role revolves around supporting positive clinical and patient outcomes via information technology and exploring solutions.

Routinely, nurse informaticists guide health care facilities in adopting health information technology (IT) and facilitating communication between clinical staff and the IT department. These roles underscore the importance of nursing informatics in the integration and expansion of functionalities for health technologies to address clinical problems.

Other critical roles include supporting patient data analysis for improved decision-making, solving informatics-related problems, and developing policies regarding data and technology in nursing.

History of Nursing Informatics

Nursing informatics has a rich history dating back to the 1950s when its pioneers discovered the potential of computers in nursing practice. According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2021), computers became more commonplace in the 1970s and 1980s, and more nurses played a fundamental role in developing approaches to integrate computers into health care.

These developments were followed by the formal definition of nursing informatics in the late 1980s before the foundation of the American Medical Informatics Association in the late 1990s. The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognized nursing informatics as an independent specialty in 1992, laying the foundation of progressive development characterized by the publication and gradual update of the informatics’ scope of standards.

The evolution of nursing informatics is characterized by massive changes in how nurses approach health care delivery and get involved in improving outcomes. In a brief of the specialty as an evolving field, Garcia-Dia (2021) mentioned that there has been more interest in the field and an inevitable expansion of the informatics role. Besides direct engagement in technology adoption in nursing, nurse informaticists can assume other roles as system educators, analysts, and project architects.

Supportive tools like electronic health records, clinical datasets, and sophisticated analytics allow nurses to use data better to improve clinical effectiveness (Coppersmith et al., 2019). As new technologies emerge and data use increases, laws and government policies to govern nursing informatics have also increased. This evolution predicts further changes as time advances to enable nursing to benefit from the promise of informatics.

Effects of Nursing Informatics on Nursing Leadership

Strong nursing leadership requires leaders to possess multiple skills that combine systems thinking, interpersonal communication, and clinical knowledge. According to Knox (2019), technological evolution through nursing informatics allows nurse leaders to improve communication among individuals and departments through information and communication technologies that allow data exchange.

Besides communication, data-driven leadership and monitoring of work lead to better coordination of service delivery, particularly patient care. Technological tools also allow nurse leaders to use data for system-level planning, such as assigning roles depending on the workload. Other leadership roles that technology use improves include quality monitoring and assurance, clinical decision-making, and problem-solving

How Nursing Informatics affects Clinical Practice

The effects of nursing informatics can be best understood through the relationship between technology and improved clinical outcomes. By improving communication and data sharing, nursing informatics has greatly improved patient-provider interactions whose effectiveness depends on information exchange.

Al Najjar and Shafie (2022) found that nursing informatics underpins high-quality care since data can be processed and analyzed more accurately to guide clinical decision-making. The increased use of electronic health records, telehealth, and other technologies has also improved critical aspects like access to care, diagnosis, error reduction, and patient safety. Such technologies further reduce the nurses’ workload by making paperwork redundant while making information readily accessible. Clinical workflows are also better with technology and nursing science, leading to high patient satisfaction.

How Nursing Informatics Affects Administration

Health care administration has much to do with overseeing operations to ensure they are executed as expected. Integration of technology and scientific advancements have enabled health care administrators and managers to organize the clinical environment better, improve reporting, and streamline operational processes.

These administrative features have improved due to the continued use of electronic systems, tools, and apps that help leaders oversee processes more effectively. The availability of data and management tools is associated with higher efficiency, hence reducing costs.

The opportunities that nursing informatics tools bring to health care administration underline the need for leaders to incorporate emerging technological trends and support a culture that encourages innovation to gain from the promise of informatics.

How Nursing Informatics Affects Education

Nursing education has also evolved due to informatics, and many changes are expected as time advances. This evolution is possible due to the potential of online programs to improve access to education. Harerimana et al. (2022) found nursing informatics vital in education by supporting virtual teaching and learning, implying that nurses can learn online worldwide.

This increases the pool of nurses that can absorbed into the practice to reduce the ever-increasing workload. Besides facilitating online learning, nursing informatics tools enable educators to assess the learning process and educational outcomes via data analytics. Such developments in education improve how nursing education is offered and its access to diverse populations worldwide.

How Nursing Informatics Affects Research

Research involves a concerted effort to acquire new knowledge in nursing. Harerimana et al. (2022) found nursing informatics instrumental in laying the foundation of nursing research by enabling patient outcomes evaluation, supporting evidence-based practice, and helping nursing researchers to standardize terminologies common in nursing.

Patient outcomes evaluation helps nursing professionals and leaders identify areas where advanced knowledge is needed and engage in appropriate research. Harerimana et al. (2022) also noted that nursing informatics helps to expand virtual knowledge bases through research.

Some of the trends dominating nursing research include big data application in health care, artificial intelligence potential, care coordination, and mobile health. Government Regulation and Organizational Policy on Health Information Systems

The government regulates the integration and use of health information systems through laws. For instance, the 21st Century Cures Act was established to improve electronic health information flow and exchange (HealthIT.gov, 2023).

The HITECH Act of 2009 promotes safe and efficient health IT while advocating private and secure information exchange. The HIPAA Act recommends the establishment of safeguards to protect personal health information (HealthIT.gov, 2023).

Adherence to these rules requires health care organizations to formulate policies that promote usability, security, interoperability, and other elements as the government demands. Collaboration between health care leaders and nursing teams is crucial for ethical administration and use of electronic health records and other information categorized as protected or private data.

Nurse-led Innovation in Informatics

The rapid development and progress of nursing technology and science have empowered nurses to engage in innovative practices to improve how, when, and where patient care is offered. Gao et al. (2022) described innovation as nurses’ ability to seek and develop new methods, technologies, and tools.

As a result, nurse-led innovation is characterized by nurses playing a central role in these developments. Gao et al. (2022) further demonstrated nursing innovation as a focused and outcome-driven effort to promote health, prevent diseases, and modernize work processes.

This is achieved through better tools, creative procedures, support channels, and teamwork. The potential for innovation to improve health outcomes underlines the need for support in current and future practice.

Using Informatics Innovation to Improve Patient Care Quality

Patient care quality depends on the interventions used in delivering patient care. As Batko and Ślęzak (2022) noted, big data analytics provide detailed clinical practice insight, facilitating informed decision-making regarding patients’ diagnosis and treatment. This knowledge enables nursing practitioners to tailor the treatment plan to patient needs, promoting patient-centered care.

Innovative tools, methods, and technologies also enable clinicians and nurse leaders to manage patient records more efficiently and reduce medical errors because of improved diagnostic accuracy. Other innovation-related benefits include improved patient-provider communication and safe storage and processing of private data. These developments improve patient care quality, increasing satisfaction and utilization of health care.

Transforming Health Care Data into Knowledge

Health care data can only be meaningful when translated into knowledge and utilized effectively. According to Coppersmith et al. (2019), data transformation into knowledge commences with collecting accurate data. Then, the data is analyzed, and findings are applied to quality improvement programs.

In routine practice, such a scenario involves collecting data among diabetic patients using electronic health records or from mobile apps and maximizing the potential of big data analytics to identify trends. Common trends include infection patterns, medication adherence, and access to care challenges. Quality improvement programs to achieve high-quality care include patient education, increased monitoring, or home-based care as guided by the data trends.

Summary

In conclusion, it is crucial to highlight the main points of this presentation. Pivotal in the evolution of health care, nursing informatics is characterized by integrating nursing science with information and analytical sciences to communicate data for improved patient outcomes.

Central features of informatics include data, technologies, and innovation that shape critical aspects of care, such as access, communication, and treatment. By digitizing patient care, nursing informatics allows care providers to improve processes and outcomes, leading to high patient satisfaction.

As a key component of the evolving nursing practice, nurse-led innovation involves nurses playing a leading role in developing tools, methods, and technologies that can be used to transform data into knowledge. Overall, nursing informatics is a crucial specialty that enables health care facilities to deliver patient care that meets evolving patient needs.

References

• Al Najjar, R. I., & Shafie, Z. M. (2022). Impact of nursing informatics on the quality of patient care. International Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Research Studies, 2(5), 418-421. https //doi.org/10.47191/ijmscrs/v2-i5-19
  
• Batko, K., & Ślęzak, A. (2022). The use of big data analytics in healthcare. Journal of Big Data, 9(1), 3. https //doi.org/10.1186/s40537-021-00553-4
  
• Coppersmith, N. A., Sarkar, I. N., & Chen, E. S. (2019). Quality informatics the convergence of healthcare data, analytics, and clinical excellence. Applied Clinical Informatics, 10(2), 272–277. https //doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1685221
  
• Gao, L., Lu, Q., Hou, X., Ou, J., & Wang, M. (2022). Effectiveness of a nursing innovation workshop at enhancing nurses’ innovation abilities a quasi-experimental study. Nursing Open, 9(1), 418–427. https //doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1080
  
• Garcia-dia, M. J. (2021). Nursing informatics an evolving specialty. Nursing Management, 52(5), 56. doi 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000743444.08164.b4
  
• Harerimana, A., Wicking, K., Biedermann, N., & Yates, K. (2022). Nursing informatics in undergraduate nursing education in australia before COVID-19 a scoping review. Collegian (Royal College Of Nursing, Australia), 29(4), 527–539. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2021.11.004
  
• HealthIT.Gov. (2023). HealthIT legislation. https //www.healthit.gov/topic/laws-regulation-and-policy/health-it-legislation
  
• Knox, A. (2019). Informatics in nursing leadership leading in the age of technology. Canadian Journal Of Nursing Informatics, 14(1-2). Https //tinyurl.com/y6pfs9j3
  
• Kwiatkoski, T. (2021). Nursing informaticists are the backbone of technology-driven care. ONSVOICE. https //voice.ons.org/news-and-views/nursing-informaticists-are-the-backbone-of-technology-driven-care
  
• Mcgonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge. Jones & Bartlett Learning.