Running head: BUILDING BLOCKS OF NURSING INFORMATICS 1

Building Blocks of Nursing Informatics

Gary Allen Parker

Jacksonville State University

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Building Blocks of Nursing Informatics

Teletracking is a software product that expedites patient transfers and manages the flow

of patients from admission to discharge (Teletracking, 2018). At Gadsden Regional Medical

Center, two months ago this software product was launched throughout the hospital, and it has

been a successful transition up to this point. Education had to be provided to numerous

individuals including front-line nursing staff, multi-skilled technicians, secretaries, supervisors,

administration and many more. With this new software, patient transfers, admissions, and the

discharging process are simplified and require fewer phone calls to assign beds. Delays can also

be identified and solutions sought due to the capabilities of the new system. Acquiring the

knowledge for the new software was a process that lasted several months and each day new

items continue to be learned. Initially, meetings were held with the Teletracking staff and the

department directors of the hospital to discuss the capabilities of the new software and the plan

for initiation. Super users were listed to receive additional training throughout the process.

Significant time was also spent processing the new knowledge and discussions were held to

ensure that barriers wouldn't be encountered. The super users were trained for months before the

launch in two hour sessions to generate the knowledge base. Then, they disseminated their

knowledge that was gained throughout the numerous classes to the other staff members. Multiple

courses were offered to include opportunities for dayshift and nightshift staff. Feedback is crucial

when implementing a change to processes. Bi-monthly meetings continue to be held after the

launch to discuss areas of the system that are working well and areas that need to be improved.

During these bi-monthly meetings, quantitative data is presented in reports and with each

session, new knowledge is obtained to further the foundation. The Foundation of Knowledge

Model incorporates the process of change, feedback that is utilized to make changes, and the bits
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of data that can be used to impact patient care. Teletracking will result in improved throughput

and result in fewer delays in getting patients to their hospital room. For this to happen,

knowledge regarding the new software must be acquired, spread, produced, and processes must

be in place to ensure that each step has focus (McGonigle, 2018, p.10).

References

Alstin, C. (2015, October). Simplifying workflows to improve patient transfers, Exclusive Living

Case Study Series. Retrieved from

http://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=110209521&S=R&D=

rzh&EbscoContent=dGJyMNXb4kSeqa44y9f3OLCmr1CeqLBSrqa4SbeWxWXS&Cont

entCustomer=dGJyMPGqs1Gyrq5LuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA

McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K. (2018). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge.

Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning

Teletracking. (2018). Together, we can improve access to quality care. Retrieved from

http://www.teletracking.com

Integration of the Sciences

Nursing science can be defined as the understanding of human health, the application of

that knowledge to influence healing, with the overall purpose to improve an individual's mental,

physical, and spiritual health (Luna, 2018). Nursing informatics utilize fundamental nursing

science to collect necessary data to make inferences on patient outcomes in regards to optimal

practice. As a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) prepared nurse, one must utilize the nursing

science that they have learned to identify areas for improvement and maximize the opportunity

through the use of nursing informatics.

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Computerization has contributed enormously to the nursing profession including bedside

documentation and reduction of medical errors. The real challenge lies in the utilization of

features and functions (American Society of Registered Nurses, 2015). Information is available

at one's fingertips, and with the use of computer science, nurses and organizations can be more

effective. DNP prepared nurses can learn software more quickly and use the computer systems to

their advantage to organize data in a simplified manner so staff can improve practice.

With the advancement of technology, information science plays an integral part of

nursing in today's healthcare. Electronic health records have the availability to allow nursing

staff to input data into computer systems; therefore they can quickly retrieve data to improve care

when analyzing practices. DNP prepared nurses are equipped to investigate which data points are

needed from the electronic health record and the cognition to take the data to improve patient

care.

Cognitive science also plays a crucial part as one of the building blocks of informatics.

Knowledge must be obtained to improve technology to build more efficient computer processing

systems to allow staff nurses to care for their patients adequately. DNP prepared nurses must use

the wisdom to make informed, productive, and intelligent discussions that positively impact

patient care (McGonigle, 2018, p. 66).

References

American Society of Registered Nurses. (2015, March 30). Computers in Nursing Practice.

Retrieved from https://www.asrn.org/journal-advanced-practice-nursing/346-computers-

in-nursing-practice.html

Luna, D., Ohshimo, E., & Peguegnat, U. (2018). Nursing Science. Retrieved from

https://nursing101.wikispaces.com/Nursing+Science
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McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K. (2018). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge.

Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning

Thinking out loud exercise

Type of technology

 Electronic health record

Setting

 Physician's offices or the acute care facility such as hospitals

Ethical dilemma

 The key to preserving confidentiality is making sure that only authorized individuals

have access to the system (Harman, 2012, p. 712-719).

Utilizing the technology as a DNP

 With the technology advances in healthcare, a DNP prepared nurse must be able to

critically think to see the advantages and disadvantages of a situation. Organizations

have learned to utilize this technology, but one must be diligent that reports and data

are available to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to information

(Ozair, 2015, p. 73-76).

References

Harman, L., Flite, C., & Bond, K. (2012, September). Electronic Health Records: Privacy,

Confidentiality, and Security. AMA Journal of Ethics, 14(9), pg. 712-719.

Ozair, F., Jamshed, N., & Aggarwal, P. (2015, April). Ethical Issues in Electronic Health

Records: A General Overview. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 6(2), pg. 73-76.