Nursing Information Systems, Research Paper Example

Introduction

In today’s society, there is an increased emphasis placed upon the challenges of information technologies and how they influence a variety of daily activities. As a nursing professional, there is an important responsibility to utilize these technologies to improve the greater good of the nursing unit and its patients. When establishing a new system, it is necessary to identify the basic requirements of the system, as well as other contributing factors that are essential in managing patient records. These elements are critical in order to ensure that a healthcare organization is in a position to promote efficiency and support for patient care at all times. As a nursing representative exploring computerized patient management systems, it is necessary to convey the importance of promoting patient care efficiency in all areas of care and treatment when selecting a system of this nature. Therefore, the quality of care and patient outcomes should be essential contributors to the success of the selected system.

Analysis

There are many examples of existing patient management and record-keeping systems that have been successful in managing information and in providing effective quality of care for all patients. These efforts have been proven successful in many healthcare organizations, and have demonstrated the value of these systems in promoting efficiency and positive patient outcomes. One system that has been successful in recent years is VistA, which was established by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for a population of approximately 5 million veterans system wide for the following purpose: “CPRS provides a single interface for health care providers to review and update a patient’s medical record, and to place orders, including medications, special procedures, x-rays, patient care nursing orders, diets, and laboratory tests. CPRS is flexible enough to be implemented in a wide variety of settings for a broad spectrum of health care workers, and provides a consistent, event-driven, Windows-style interface” (VA, 2008). This system has been successful in providing a successful strategy for the VA to follow in achieving excellence in patient care standards for more than a decade, and continues to promote effective decision-making with respect to patient care in all areas (VA, 2008).

Another system designed to provide resource-based knowledge and patient information is the Mental Health Care Patient Management System (MHCPMS), which is designed to improve patient treatment and to achieve government-mandated requirements in the area of mental health practice (Cs.st-andrews.ac.uk). This is an important system due to the following: “The health authority has a number of clinics that patients may attend in different hospitals and in local health centres. Patients need not always attend the same clinic and some clinics may support ‘drop in’ as well as pre-arranged appointments. The nature of mental health problems is such that patients are often disorganised so may miss appointments, deliberately or accidentally lose prescriptions and medication, forget instructions and make unreasonable demands on medical staff” (Cs.st-andrews.ac.uk). This system will encourage a greater level of efficiency with respect to mental health patient will being and outcomes (Cs.st-andrews.ac.uk).

Computerized management systems play a significant role in organizing information in a timely and efficient manner. This process will ensure that clinicians are provided with accurate information regarding patient records so that the appropriate treatment methods are selected. Since quality of care is the most critical component of the process, it is important for the system to be efficient so as not to waste valuable time and resources on unnecessary testing or procedures that may not be useful or convenient for patients. When risk and waste are minimized, it is likely that there will be significant factors attributed to the success of a given system in protecting patients from unnecessary risks.

Nurses must be involved in the selection and implementation of a patient management system because this system will be used primarily by nurses and other staff members in managing patient records in an effective manner. Nurses, perhaps better than any other members of the staff, recognize the demand for organized patient records and efficiency in managing patient needs, and therefore, should be provided with an opportunity to explore different systems for their potential effectiveness and utilization throughout a given healthcare organization. These elements are critical to the overall development of different outcomes and expectations in the healthcare continuum. Nurses are very knowledgeable of the requirements to ensure that patient records remain efficient, convenient and easy to navigate. Therefore, they should be directly involved in determining which system will best capture their needs in a cost-effective manner. Nurses possess many forms of knowledge that are useful in supporting the needs of patients under different circumstances. Nurses must also play a role in these systems in order to develop the criteria that are necessary to capture the appropriate information for a given patient record. To be specific, “Depending on the size of the clinic, this computerized management program enables clinic staff to focus more on their client patients than on the tedious and time-consuming tasks. In presenting a practical and convenient solution to common practice problems, this software program is definitely important in managing a growing medical practice” (Buzzle.com, 2010).

The use of different types of tools often bring an essential component to an organization that will be useful to nurses in advancing their daily practice. These tools are often based upon new and emerging technologies, and they play a role in shaping patient outcomes. Tools such as handheld devices may be utilized in different ways in an attempt to capture patient information in when they are in a constant state of movement throughout the nursing unit. These elements are important in supporting a nurse’s commitment in providing excellent patient care under all possible circumstances.

There are many requirements to protect the integrity of patient data and information in a given organization. As a result, privacy and confidentiality are of the utmost importance in order to protect patient information from unnecessary risks (Manning). Data collection techniques and strategies are always present, but it is critical for individual patient information to not be disclosed to unauthorized parties (Manning). Nonetheless, there are many challenges associated with HIPAA that influence patient management systems in different ways. Protecting patient information from possible interference must serve as a critical reminder of the challenges of patient confidentiality. Any patient management system that is chosen for implementation must incorporate safeguards that are designed to be in the patient’s best interests, and that also work effectively to encourage patient safety.

Any patient information management system is a daunting and costly experience in many different ways. This process reflects a challenging series of approaches that require decision-makers to promote cost-effectiveness as best as possible, considering the circumstances. There are many factors that play a role in determining the cost of a given system, and these must incorporate the concerns and challenges of available resources in the form of human and financial capital. Therefore, decisions that are made must reflect these limitations, and also support patient-related needs in an effective manner.

The selected patient information management system will benefit the organization by promoting efficiency and organization across the healthcare facility. This will ensure that nurses possess easy access to data and information that will directly impact their level of care and treatment for patients. There are many advantages to this type of system that supports overall healthcare delivery to patients, regardless of their condition. Nurses also benefit by obtaining much-needed information to make educated decisions on behalf of their patients.

Based upon the information provided in this assessment, the team should consider the purchase of a system similar to the VistA operated by the VA. This system is the optimal choice to ensure that the organization possesses the best possible opportunities to maintain effective management of patient records and successful delivery of patient care under all circumstances. This system will also serve as a cost-effective choice through customization to support specific patient-related needs. Therefore, the organization must make a selection that is based upon the best possible healthcare delivery strategy that will promote positive patient outcomes for all individuals, as well as nursing staff members. A system similar to VistA will serve as the best possible choice in achieving these objectives in a timely and cost effective manner under any and all conditions.

References

Buzzle.com (2010). Understanding the medical practice management Advantage. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/understanding-the-medical-practice-management-advantage.html

Case Study: Mental Health Care Patient Management System (MHCPMS). Retrieved from http://www.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~ifs/Teaching/MScCritSysEng2010/Coursework%20%28PDF%29/MHCPMSCaseStudy.pdf

Manning, W.L. Privacy and confidentiality in clinical data management systems: Why you should guard the safe. Retrieved from http://www.netreach.net/~wmanning/cdm.htm

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2008). Related Links – VistA Monograph. Retrieved from http://www4.va.gov/VISTA_MONOGRAPH/components/landing2_relatedlinks.asp