Nursing Informatics refers to the process of applying information science in managing and processing data to use and develop information that is useful to nurses in their practice. Technology advancement has affected all aspects of life, not leaving out the health sector. It has played a big role in the storage of patient data, storage of information, mode of communication and as a secondary source of information and knowledge. In this article we discuss the necessity of understanding the significance of informatics in healthcare by a nurse, ways that informatics have changed roles of nurses in the healthcare sector and the effect that information technology has had on patient care.
The necessity of understanding the significance of informatics in healthcare by a nurse
The nursing profession requires one to have constant access to information. Understanding how one may gain information and how much information can be accessed by use of information technology helps a nurse appreciate technological advancements and help the community around them with the information gained.it is of great importance for a nurse to understand how vast the information that can be gained by use of computers is and how fast the process is. Knowing this will help the nurse be more efficient and faster in their provision of patient care(Darvish, Bahramnezhad, Keyhanian & Navidhamidi, 2014). Besides using information science to gain information on understanding the significance, a nurse is able to keep up with advancements in healthcare.
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Being at per with the rest of the world in terms of healthcare is a major significance of informatics. Knowing new advancements in terms of drugs and treatment process is necessary for a nurse in order to ensure that patients are well-catered for using the best and most advanced procedures. With informatics, every new realization or improvement is uploaded and is available for anyone with access. Understanding this helps a nurse ensure they have access to this hence provide great patient care.
Health informatics is a career opportunity which favors nurses since they have experience in the field. Knowing the importance of informatics and why it is needed in every healthcare facility, opens one’s eyes to several opportunities in the informatics industry. A nurse who works in the healthcare sector already has ideas of the challenges in the sector and upon knowing how informatics work and the effect it may have, they may come up with disruptive ideas that may lead to new career paths and innovations in both the healthcare and informatics sector(Darvish, Bahramnezhad, Keyhanian & Navidhamidi, 2014). Some applications have been designed specifically for healthcare purposes, for example.it is therefore very necessary for nurses to know the impact informatics has on healthcare.
Ways in which informatics have changed roles of nurses
Gone are the days when a nurse would be tasked with keeping records and ensuring they are meticulously handwritten and well filed. This has enabled a faster documentation process and enabled nurses to focus on patient care only. The process of keeping records before relied on writing only and if one had to retrieve the information they had to have the files with them, which may not always be possible hence an inconvenience(Sewell, 2015). Nowadays nurses can access patient records from anywhere hence no nurse is taken with documentation and carrying of the documents, a big improvement in the healthcare sector. Not only has the documentation process been made faster and more efficient but nurses have also been able to explore other career paths.
Nurses can now simply work with informatics only as opposed to before where nursing only involved patient care. Some nurses have concentrated on working with informatics on processing of data and information only. This is a career path that was not available before. Nursing has been divided into branches and one may choose to put their knowledge into practice through patient care while others may decide to use it in the informatics branch (Hebda, Czar & Mascara, 2005). Blogging is a very popular practice as of now and a nurse who blogs on healthcare can help millions of people out there, both in healthcare sector and not. They may also provide advice on the internet on the necessary steps to take on various events.
Nurses are now able to be better helps of physicians. A lot of times, nurses are called upon by physicians to help during procedures. Informatics ensures that a nurse has access to any information they need to helps them navigate their way through the procedure without asking for information at each step. Getting to know about a procedure beforehand helps in ensuring that the care provided is satisfactory. It also helps the nurse coordinate well with the physician in charge hence improved outcome.
Another big role of nurses is decision-making which has been made more efficient by informatics. Informatics has equipped nurses with information that helps them know the best course of action to take upon a certain occurrence ( Hebda, Czar & Mascara, 2005). Some conditions or occurrences may require sudden decisions to be made which could mean saving or losing a life. It is therefore important to recognize the help informatics provide in terms of making of these decisions. This role of a nurse has been enhanced by informatics.
Effect of informatics on patient care
Medical errors have been greatly reduced with the nurses being at the front line of healthcare service. Informatics has armed nurses with data and information which helps them in making more correct decisions hence no or reduced errors. Use of electronic systems to store information also reduces tendency of errors in documentation which would usually lead to wrong procedures and treatment that may even involve wrong surgery, an error that could be very dangerous. Informatics has undeniably and to a great extent reduced errors hence quality healthcare (Rupp, 2014).
The security of patients and privacy is taken care of better with informatics. Nurses have records of health information regarding a patient and may at times be private information. Security passwords and keys help keep this information confidential hence improve privacy encouraging the patients to be more open in their treatment (Rupp, 2014). Before information technology was integrated into the healthcare sector, information was stored in book which could be accessed by anyone. Lack of privacy may discourage patients from being open about their ailments or may lead to stigmatizations of patients who suffer from certain illnesses, which may impact their health very negatively.
Informatics may have in a way hindered patient care when used exclusively by a patient to obtain information and then relies solely on the information. It is important to see a doctor and get a diagnosis since the doctor can make their own observations and usually have a lot more experience (Sewell, 2015). Information obtained from a network of people may not be very accurate due to geographical and contextual differences which a doctor takes into consideration. Information on the internet is very general since it is meant to target an audience of the whole world and not a single person. Informatics may have influenced healthcare positively and a little bit negatively.
In conclusion, informatics has created a great impact in the healthcare sector. Without informatics, the sector has improved so much with the integration of information technology and patient care provided is of more quality than before, the disadvantage of informatics in healthcare is very minimal and almost negligible. Information technology is with no doubt very important in patient care.
References
Darvish, A., Bahramnezhad, F., Keyhanian, S., & Navidhamidi, M. (2014). The Role of Nursing Informatics on Promoting Quality of Health Care and the Need for Appropriate Education. Global Journal Of Health Science, 6(6). doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v6n6p11
Hebda, T., Czar, P., & Mascara, C. (2005). Handbook of informatics for nurses and health care professionals (pp. 120-121). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Rupp, S. (2014). How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care - Electronic Health Reporter. Retrieved from http://electronichealthreporter.com/nurses-using-health-informatics-improve-patient-care/
Sewell, J., & Thede, L. Q. (2015). Informatics and nursing: opportunities and challenges. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
