Nursing Informatics Assignment, Essay Example

An Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system is something which was developed to guide healthcare to more efficient ways of caring for patients through the advancements of technology (Tang, 2003). Although, will this require more training for nursing staff to be able to utilize? Will progress within a healthcare facility hinder due to complications? An EMR system will benefit nursing care because of its ease of access. No longer will nurses rummage through filing cabinets in search for patient information and records; these will be a click of the mouse away from obtaining with the EMR system. Not only will it benefit nurses, but will provide ease for doctors and surgeons, with little risk of mixing up medical files. It is a computerized form of medical records which is designed for the efficient delivery of care in healthcare facilities and organizations.

Another computer management system which can be utilized is the Knowledge Management System (KMS). This is an internet-enabled application which is aimed at giving healthcare facilities a higher quality of care. This type of system connects hospitals to clinics, to patients, to pharmacies for more efficient care. Nurses are constantly moving around, and data which includes patient information is very vital. Choosing the right information management system for a healthcare facility is important; the care and even the lives of patients rely on this technology and there are a lot of problems which can occur if an unreliable system is chosen. The implementation of a computerized management system would help the efficiency of tasks nurses are responsible for, and an EMR system or the KMS would be able to help. These types of system allows storage, retrieval and modification of information. Will this, however diminish patient-doctor relationships?

The most common medical errors are done by providing the wrong dosage to patients, and it can cause patient injuries, or more critical damage to the patients’ health. Many critics on Nursing Management Systems claim that technology can pose as a danger to nursing. Relying too much on this can introduce very different sets of problems and complications in caring for a patient. The article goes into detail on the dangers of new technologies when it comes to administrating medication to patients. This is an important issue because a patient’s life cannot be left with by a machine or a computer. It is still the responsibility of the hospital to look over a patients’ health, and not readily rely on the technology available, no matter how convenient it may be for the staff.

Hand-held devices can improve the quality of care by providing faster service. Without having to rummage through files and papers, looking for documents, mixing up diagnoses, nurses can cut down the time of giving patient care and get better results. The staff can be equipped by a small, wireless hand-held device which can scan, receive and retain information onto a mother-computer which stores all the data. This can go straight on to the patient’s records and will in no way get mixed into anyone else’s files if the patient had a special individual code or number. This kind of patient documentation will reduce medical errors and will allow the nursing staff more physical freedom. There will be no need to write anything down or do any of those time consuming methods of the past.

Technology does have its benefits; however what are the down-sides to an EMR system and KMS? The digital technology of today has quite a few limitations in regards to computerized management systems for healthcare facilities. The KMS, however, is a growing type of technology where the data becomes a pattern and turns information into knowledge; constantly updating the system in accordance to the knowledge of the staff. “From the mechanical ability and methods for storage and transmission, to the ways they can be accessed, new and more advanced systems are becoming available every day” (qtd. Tang, 2003). Does this then mean that privacy within the system is something which is ultimate? Unfortunately, this technology goes hand-in-hand with hackers and their utilization of technology to be able to breach files. Patients have very little say about their participation with EMR, if they have concerns about their records, not much can be done about it since they will not be given access. Privacy is a similar concern of the federal law; the Health Information Portability Accountability Act (HIPPA) is what protects patients’ privacy who are admitted into a healthcare facility. This act ensures the privacy of all patient records and it creates roadblocks for anyone who tries to access the information, yet is not authorized. However, the problem with the KMS system is largely its sharing capabilities. The patients’ information can be accessed on the internet, and the security lever for this is still questionable. Since the information is shared with places outside the hospital, errors in sending data could occur.

A big question which a healthcare facility should ask before implementing a new computerized management system is if it can reduce medical errors. The aim of every hospital is to reduce all types of medical errors and support Quality Improvement (QI) efforts. This can be done through the efficiency of an EMR system as well as the KMS.  All names and identifiers are scrambled within the database; only an analyst has access to the information or scrambled data within the EMR system as well as the KMS system. This is because to be able to access the data and information on the systems, you will need permission and cryptic passwords. The policy of the EMR system is to only release information of large groups of patients, not for individual patients (“Electronic Medical Records”, n.d.). However, does this mean that accuracy in information is guaranteed? Every type of technology has its flaws, the aim of both systems is to reduce these medical errors.

Computerized management system for nursing have a number of benefits; this includes complete descriptions of care which can be utilized for the maximum efficiency of patient care. This also aims to increase the overall efficiency of the healthcare facility. However, with the EMR system since privacy is one of its top priorities, only one analyst can be in charge of the system; this will be seen as a drawback if ever something untoward happens to that analyst (Smaltz & Berner, 2006). A problem which a healthcare facility might run into is that not everyone will know how to use the system at first. In implementing one of the systems, training must be provided for all healthcare staff to ensure the efficiency of the new technology which is to be used.

In implementing an EMR system, the hospital needs clearly defined goals supporting rationale for the implementation (Coiera, 2003). Other than this, the implementation must remain on-schedule, on-budget completion of the implementation. The cost of the system will be large at first, yet it will prove to be cost-effective over time. Since the nursing staff have more time to do other things, the budget which is allocated to labor can be cut-down. Also, with proper communication with the healthcare facility’s stakeholders, a base capital can be made to invest in a computerized management system. Knowledge and expertise rather than technological issues would arise more often than not when first implementing the EMR system (“Electronic Medical Records”, n.d.). Implementing a KMS system is a bit more complicated; the effectivity of this system depends on the knowledge of the current staff of the hospital, since the software grows in accordance to the knowledge and information given to it. This would be more ideal for a larger hospital; however issues on privacy may be arise. The knowledge in the KMS is shared externally and internally, therefore information can be passed on to a third party who may not use the data he/she accidentally acquired and can use in negative ways.

Between the two systems, I would recommend the Electronic Medical Records system. This is because of the level of privacy of information a patient has. Because the KMS is a system which uses the internet and its activities can be done online, the system might be easier to hack into. Additionally, because the KMS is actively changing software, it would be more difficult to keep up with the system, and this opens up more room for medical error. Thus, the EMR system would be a safer, more private, more efficient choice.

References

Coiera, E. (2003). The Guide to Health Informatics, 2nd Ed. Arnold, London.

Electronic Medical Records (n.d). EMR Experts. Retrieved from http://www.emrexperts.com

Federico, F. (September, 2010). An overview of error-reduction options. Nursing Management, 41(9); 14-16.

Tang P. (2003) Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System. Institute of Medicine Committee on Data Standards for Patient Safety. Board on Health Care Services. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press.

Smaltz, D. & Berner, E. (2007). The Executive’s Guide to Electronic Health Records. Health Administration Press.  p.3