RN Info Systems In Healthcare Essay Sample

QUESTION 1: Usability and interoperability of healthcare information systems (HIS)

The integration of technology within the healthcare system has been a major step towards modernizing and at the same time revamping the delivery of service to the patient population while easing the workload for the workforce within the healthcare institutions. However, this has not come without several challenges especially in the technical aspects (Kellermann & Jones, 2013). The federal government and key stakeholders have had to place regulations to ensure that the systems currently under use are able to support the intended objectives such as data storage, information and data sharing as well as smooth integration with other similar systems if they are from different vendors. The issue of usability and interoperability has come under great scrutiny when it comes to the issue of technicality of these HIS.
Usability dwells majorly on the ability of the intended users to utilize the system functionalities to the optimum to achieve the desired results with less or minimal challenges (Wager, Lee & Glaser, 2013). While this has been substantially achieved, it has come at a cost which has been achieved through training and hiring of IT experts to facilitate orientation, training and education in regard to HIS. On the other hand, interoperability dwells on the ability of the system modules to work seamlessly supporting each other and at the same time work well with other systems within the healthcare institution. According to Wager, Lee & Glaser (2013) this has been achieved by placing more focus on the designing phase of the HIS to ensure that it reflects the needs of the organization so that it does not end up causing necessity for an overhaul of current working and independent systems. In order to ensure that both usability and interoperability are achieved concurrently the need to define system requirements during initial phases of the project was stated. The intended users were allowed to voice their needs and concerns in regard to the system and the designers utilized this information as a launching pad for a responsive system to both patients and the users such as nurses and physicians (Kellermann & Jones, 2013)..

QUESTION 2: Library Search for Telenursing Resources

Johnson, C., Wilhelmsson, S., Börjeson, S., & Lindberg, M. (2014). Improvement of communication and interpersonal competence in telenursing–development of a self‐assessment tool. Journal of clinical nursing.
The article focuses on the communication and interpersonal competence that is critical in the healthcare sector when the issue of telenursing comes into play. The ability to safeguard collaboration through utilization of modules or system functionalities is widely mentioned as a key in ensuring that nurses do not focus more on individual delivery of service at the expense of communication amongst themselves especially in those situations where complications in patient care plan development arise. The need for all telenurses within a health institution to communicate constantly utilize both the HIS and the knowledge and skills held by each other is described in this article as a key component of achieving the optimal value for money for the HIS.
Vernic, C. (2012). NURSING INFORMATICS. CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS. Annals. Computer Science Series, 10(2).
The article focuses on the informatization that has taken place in the medical filed in the last few years. The author asserts that while this informatization may not necessarily showcase as a solution to the overwhelming challenges of quality service delivery in healthcare institutions, it will go a long way in improving the dissemination of data and knowledge while also creating a better platform for patient/nurse interaction. The article however notes that nurses need to be fully equipped and well trained to partake this development otherwise it will not be of any meaningful achievements in the long run. Upon this basis, the article describes that nurses need to be involved right from the very designing and implementation of these systems so that they are at par with the technology to avoid being overwhelmed and thus compromising the delivery of service. In this regard, the tele-nursing idea is not a self-implementing ideology but one that is rather driven by the needs of both the patients and the nurses and thus a need to undertake a thorough assessment of needs to which the system must respond.

References

Johnson, C., Wilhelmsson, S., Börjeson, S., & Lindberg, M. (2014). Improvement of communication and interpersonal competence in telenursing–development of a self‐assessment tool. Journal of clinical nursing.
Kellermann, A. L., & Jones, S. S. (2013). What it will take to achieve the as-yet-unfulfilled promises of health information technology. Health Affairs, 32(1), 63-68.
Vernic, C. (2012). NURSING INFORMATICS. CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS. Annals. Computer Science Series, 10(2).
Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2013). Health care information systems: a practical approach for health care management. John Wiley & Sons.