NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

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Capella university

NURS-FPX 5005 Introduction to Nursing Research, Ethics, and Technology

Prof. Name

Date

Analysis of Technology in Nursing Practice

Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems are used to store patient’s health information, including laboratory results and all other medical histories, medication data, and treatment plans. EHRs contribute largely to clinical decision-making (DM) as they allow the information retrieved in the patient database to be in direct demand, helping in a streamlined workflow and promoting inter-professional communication.

This technology enhances nursing skills because it allows for accurate documentation, reduces Medication Errors (MEs), and improves care coordination. Evidence-based Practice (EBP) relies on reliable and valid data from EHRs as they inform quality improvements, clinical decisions, and research (Li et al., 2022). This assessment will elaborate on how these impacts of EHRs in nursing practice are communicated and applied with strategies that lead to improved patient outcomes through EBP.

How Patient Care Technology Affects Patient Care and Nursing Practice

EHRs have a massive influence on patient care and the nursing practice. It enables centralized, easily accessed, computerized patient information. EHRs simplify documentation, improve communication among the care teams, and ensure continuity of care. Access to real-time medical histories, lab results, and medication lists allows nurses to make prompt, evidence-based decisions (Li et al., 2022). An example of how EHRs improve care is the automatic medication alerts, which alert the nurse to alert them of possible drug interactions and lower the possibility of MEs.

However, EHRs also come with their own set of challenges. Downtime or time-consuming documentation requirements can slow down the workflow, frustrate nursing, and potentially reduce time spent interacting with patients, possibly contributing to burnout. Accuracy can depend on proper training and input from staff, which can lead to human error (Li et al., 2022).

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

EHRs generate different kinds of data, including nominal variables, like gender and diagnoses; ordinal data, like pain levels on a scale; and ratio data, such as heart rate and blood pressure. Such data provide improved clinical decisions by establishing trends in patient outcomes, monitoring patient results, and informing treatments (Upadhyay & Hu, 2022). For instance, EHRs enable nurses to track the trend of blood glucose for diabetic patients so as to alter the treatment plan timely.

Assuming that the data used are accurate and complete, reflecting thereby the condition of the patient in question, is a consideration wherein the use of EHRs finds its basis. Assuming that healthcare providers will use the system consistently will allow the smooth sharing of information between disciplines. EHRs foster evidence-based care by converting patient data into actionable insights for guidance in clinical decisions to reflect improved patient safety and overall quality of care (Subbe et al., 2021).

Data Generated by the Technology

With EHRs, the data created by healthcare providers in their practice of clinical work has been invaluable in guiding their decisions. EHRs bring all patient data, such as laboratory results, vital signs, medicines, and medical histories, into one platform, making it possible for healthcare providers to make timely and evidence-based decisions. For example, if an EHR shows the fluctuation of blood pressure in a patient, clinicians can modify medicine or advise lifestyle modifications to avoid the negative sequelae of such fluctuations. Moreover, decision-support tools that are part of EHRs offer alerts and reminders, including drug interaction warnings or missed preventive screenings (Upadhyay & Hu, 2022). In addition, this impacts care guidance.

Effective data communication is essential to provide information and always be aligned with other members of the interdisciplinary team in regard to the delivery of patient care. Through the use of EHRs, the nurse, physician, pharmacist, and other clinicians involved in the care process communicate fluidly based on the real-time availability of patient information. The importance of documentation and review by each team member ensures that continuity of care is maintained. Thus, when a doctor orders a new medication, the nurse can input and access the same information directly without delay in giving treatment to the patient (Khairat et al., 2021).

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

EHRs also allow the sharing of data across departments through the generation of automated reports, summaries, and secure messaging. For instance, critical data such as lab results or diagnostic imaging automatically flags and routes to team members for follow-up. Secure messaging in an EHR ensures that providers can communicate directly with one another to reduce miscommunication and ensure accuracy  (Upadhyay & Hu, 2022).

The effectiveness of data communication could be evaluated based on timeliness, accuracy, completeness, and accessibility. Timely data ensure timely intervention, while accuracy and completeness ensure that clinical decisions are based on reliable information. Accessibility ensures that the responsible parties can indeed access the data they need, fostering collaborative DM. These processes critically improve clinical decisions and facilitate communication for the provision of high-quality and coordinated care (Khairat et al., 2021).

Controls and Safeguards to Maintain Patient Safety and Confidentiality

EHRs have revolutionized healthcare, making patient information readily available in an instant; at the same time, they have opened up risks pertaining to patient safety and confidentiality. Safeguards, clinical and administrative, are required to be instituted for the protection of sensitive data, adhering to regulations. For strict adherence to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), assurances must be availed that preclude unauthorized access to patient records and allow only authorized healthcare personnel (Keshta & Odeh, 2021).

Encryption, firewalls, and multi-factor authentication are some of the critical controls that protect both the storage and transmission of data. Staff training is also a significant necessity in the effort to minimize data breaches and other human errors. Continuous education helps the health professional observe some of the basic rules of privacy, such as prompt logoff from systems and not sharing patient information without their consent. Other administrative controls are policies on role-based access, which limit the employees to only the information necessary for their work, reducing their exposure to any extra data (Keshta & Odeh, 2021).

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

The clinical monitoring systems forming a part of EHRs themselves act as safeguards to alert in case of MEs or inconsistencies. The detection of unusual activities enhances risk management through automated audits and events logs that monitor the usage of systems for possible breaches or compliance issues. Risk management strategies, such as periodic software updates and penetration testing, further improve system integrity by reducing vulnerabilities. Despite these guards, some gaps and challenges persist (Abbasi & Smith, 2024).

For instance, interoperability between health information systems would introduce some privacy-related risks as the data would be constantly moving over platforms. There could also be some other unknown risks due to advanced EHR features or third-party applications that might become part of the system. Further research into these new and emerging risks could improve this security framework. Conclusion Security controls, both clinical and administrative, need training, data monitoring, and risk management in their support for the protection of the safety and confidentiality of patients. Yet, since risks continually evolve, ongoing assessment and adaptation are necessary in order to maintain trust in the EHR system (Abbasi & Smith, 2024).

EB Strategies Improving Patient Care Technology

By using evidence-based strategies, EHR use can be greatly enhanced, ensuring that the best available research and clinical expertise is used to inform technology usage. A principal EBP strategy is the creation of standardized protocols for data entry and management. Standardization reduces variability in documentation practice, making data that much more reliable. This can be helped through training that consistently emphasizes the importance of accurate data entry, thereby enhancing data quality (Abbasi & Smith, 2024).

Another EBP approach that can be implemented with EHRs is continuous evaluation of the functions in relation to their relevance and effectiveness through user experience and clinical results. Indeed, it will be possible to identify features of EHRs that do not make full and effective use or about which usability can improve through periodic evaluations. For example, obtaining clinician feedback can lead to EHR interfaces being changed to be more user-friendly and easier to use. Again, the application of audit and feedback systems will allow clinicians to be aware of the documentation practices that enable them to follow best practices (Abbasi & Smith, 2024).

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

EBPs can also be used to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. For instance, shared care plans within EHRs provide a common source of information accessible to all members of the healthcare team where they can view and contribute to patient data. This improves communications and coordination and frequently leads to better clinical decisions, enhancing patient outcomes. Data, therefore, generated through EHRs can precipitate changes to EBP since trends and patterns emerge in patient care. For instance, from the analysis of the patient’s outcomes related to specific treatments recorded in the EHR, the best practices that ensure better care can be identified (Mullins et al., 2020).

Conversely, such determination of adverse outcomes related to some practices can result in reconsideration and changing the protocols. EBPs incorporated into the EHR applications are responsible for the quality of the data pertaining to patients and the quality of the patient’s care. Such practices can be effective, but they need to be receptive to complementary views like the blending of the human touch with technological advancements in care, thereby ensuring that EHRs enhance and do not compromise clinician-patient relationships (Mullins et al., 2020).

Conclusion

EHRs are prime tools that enhance patient care and nursing practice through easier access to information, simplified communication, and evidence-based DM. Although EHRs bring about diverse benefits, such as a decrease in MEs and increased coordination in the delivery of care, there is always the need for assessment and adaptation to overcome obstacles that occur and ensure patient safety. Evidence-based integration provides additional optimization in healthcare delivery and improved patient outcomes using EHRs.

References

Abbasi, N., & Smith, D. A. (2024). Cybersecurity in healthcare: Securing patient health information (PHI), HIPPA compliance framework and the responsibilities of healthcare providers. Journal of Knowledge Learning and Science Technology  International Standard Serial Number: 2959-6386 (Online), 3(3), 278–287. https://doi.org/10.60087/jklst.vol3.n3.p.278-287 

Keshta, I., & Odeh, A. (2021). Security and privacy of electronic health records: Concerns and challenges. Egyptian Informatics Journal, 22(2), 177–183. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110866520301365 

Khairat, S., Whitt, S., Craven, C. K., Pak, Y., Shyu, C.-R., & Gong, Y. (2021). Investigating the impact of intensive care unit interruptions on patient safety events and electronic health records use. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(4), e321–e326. https://doi.org/10.1097/pts.0000000000000603 

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

Li, E., Clarke, J., Ashrafian, H., Darzi, A., & Neves, A. L. (2022). The impact of electronic health record interoperability on safety and quality of care in high-income countries: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(9), e38144. https://doi.org/10.2196/38144 

Mullins, A., O’Donnell, R., Mousa, M., Rankin, D., Ben-Meir, M., Boyd-Skinner, C., & Skouteris, H. (2020). Health outcomes and healthcare efficiencies associated with the use of electronic health records in hospital emergency departments: A systematic review. Journal of Medical Systems, 44(12), 200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-020-01660-0 

Subbe, C. P., Tellier, G., & Barach, P. (2021). Impact of electronic health records on predefined safety outcomes in patients admitted to hospital: A scoping review. British Medical Journal Open, 11(1), e047446. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047446 

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2022). A qualitative analysis of the impact of electronic health records (EHR) on healthcare quality and safety: Clinicians’ lived experiences. Health Services Insights, 15(1), 1–7. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/11786329211070722