Enabling the Ordinary: More Time to Care, Essay Example

As an Advanced Practice Nursing Manager in charge of a large maternity unit, I have always relied upon the hospital’s EMR (Electronic Medical Records) system for information and data that is pivotal to treating and caring for expectant mothers with histories of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. The importance of the EMR system is fully endorsed by the American Academy of Nursing’s Workforce Commission which recognizes the role of “effective technologies in improving the safety and efficiency of care” and how technology provides more opportunities for nurses to spend quality time with their patients (Cipriano & Hamer, 2013, p. SR4).

A particular incident that occurred several years ago stands out in relation to utilizing the EMR system which overall helps nurses to obtain important information on a patient rather quickly and to deliver more accurate, complete, and higher quality care and treatment (D’ Agostino, Zega,  Rocco, Luzzi, et al., 2013, p. 330). Mrs. D——. had a past history of miscarriages and had been told by her physician to avoid becoming pregnant, due to the possibility of severe repercussions to her overall health. However, Mrs. D——. failed to heed her physician’s warnings and was now eight months pregnant. While in the hospital for a check-up, Mrs. D——- began to experience some type of a seizure which because of her inability to speak English and the fact that her medical records were held at another hospital some 500 miles away, could not be immediately treated. Luckily, the hospital’s EMR system had just been updated, and with the aid of my Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), I quickly located Mrs. D—–‘s medical records and discovered that she was taking anti-convulsive medications. Within a minute, her medication was placed in my hands and administered through an IV. Therefore, if I did not have access to Mrs. D—–‘s medical records via the hospital’s EMR system, she most probably would have died along with her unborn child. Thus, the impact of the EMR system in this case is quite obvious.

References

D’ Agostino, F., Zega, M., Rocco, G., Luzzi, L., et al. (2013). Impact of a nursing information system in clinical practice: A longitudinal study project. Journal of Biotechnology Information 25, 329-341. Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236908244_Impact_of_a_nursing_information_system_in_clinical_practice_a_longitudinal_study_project

Cipriano, P.F., and Hamer. S. (2013). Enabling the ordinary: More time to care. American Nurse Today (8)11, SR2-SR4. Retrieved from http://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ant11-Technology-1107.pdf