Technology applications are becoming a vital element in determining by healthcare professionals like physicians and nurses interact with the data in the healthcare industry. Nursing plays a phenomenal role in the adoption of technologies like the electronic health records (E.H.R) due to their understanding of the different work flow processes and also their high number that makes them major consumers of health-related data. The success of the E.H.R depends on the levels of usability of the software to healthcare professionals. It means the effort of an entity like Hospital C to adopt an E.H.R must be informed by a thorough evaluation of the usability capabilities of the software. However such usability testing cannot be performed by every nurse and requires a specialist i.e. a nurse informaticist.
Discussion
The nurse informaticist plays a vital role in the analysis of the E.H.R application. It is necessary that the application be evaluated for critical use risks to determine its capabilities and suitability for the organization. One of the activities performed by the nurse informaticist is the development of diverse use case scenarios as he has extensive knowledge of the use scenarios that are likely to emerge in the organization (Bredfeldt, Awad& Snyder, 2013). To enhance the resilience of the E.H.R application or software, it is vital to not only rely on the user scenarios presented by the developer of the software. It is necessary to develop and test scenarios that are specific to the organization and the environment where the E.H.R will be used. The scenarios extending beyond those provided by the software developer facilitate the evaluation of efficiency and capability of the software before it is purchased. It demonstrates the role of the nurse informaticist is valuable as his input will determine whether the proposed software is adaptable to the organization.
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The professional i.e. the nurse informaticistis also required in the critical process of creating the user profiles for the different user groups that will be interacting with data contained in the electronic health records. It is necessary for the adoption of a thoughtful and careful approach when designing the user profiles as it determines the nature of access of the different profiles of users and also the view designs. It also dictates the nature of activities a user can perform on the data accessed in the E.H.R platform. To enhance the effectiveness of this process, the nurse informaticistis required as he has a clinical background and in-depth understanding of the diverse forms of documentation in the healthcare field and user roles in the health environment.
The hospital will also need the nurse informaticist in the identification of the use environment for the application that is realistic. The health professionals work in environments with diverse factors like noise, lighting issues and diverse forms of ergonomics that impact on the usability of the E.H.R software. It is essential to identify such an environment during the testing phase of the software that is close to reality or what will be experienced once the technology has been adopted. The expertise of the nurse informaticist in the health field facilitates the depiction of factual descriptions and simulations that mimic the actual environment. It is easier for the professional to determine the capability of the E.H.R application to handle required workloads in an environment riddled with sporadic disruptions through telephone calls and questions from peers amongst others.
The professional also plays a fundamental role in ensuring the E.H.R application adheres to patient safety goals (Curran, 2016). Through the use of scenarios, the professional identifies any functional and usability attributes of the system that impact negatively on patient safety. The process promotes the identification of errors or omissions that could raise patient safety issues and the likely adverse outcomes. It demonstrates that the professional is crucial in ensuring the system or application adheres to patient safety standards through incorporation of the patient safety goals into the functionality of the system. The incorporation of these standards into the system facilitates the adherence of the health professionals interacting with the application to established standards of patient safety.
The professional is also required during the vital phase of the interface validation testing (Meeks, Takian, Sittig, Singh & Barber, 2014). It is during this phase that the hospital has the last opportunity to make formal requests to the software developer for modifications that ensure the E.H.R software aligns with the organization-specific user requirements. The nurse informaticist uses his diverse knowledge of the healthcare field to identify any gaps in the software due to his experience in workarounds and the multiple routes or paths used to meet healthcare-related tasks.
The nurse informaticist will also play a crucial role in the expert review stage of the E.H.R application where he spearheads the formation of a multidisciplinary team to conduct the evaluation of the software. The team focuses on using evidence-based approaches when conducting the usability testing of the system. The team utilizes their extensive knowledge and expertise on the nature of workflows in their sections to give an opinion on the suitability of the application.
The recruitment of the professional is also necessary as it enhances the flexibility and the generation of feedback (Bates &Gawande, 2013). The professional will be central to the creation of flexible navigation protocols for the E.H.R application that addresses the user needs at various levels within the organization. The professional conducts periodical tests to ensure there is freedom and accountability amongst the users of the application within the organization. He will be at the forefront of warning users of the consequences of their actions when using the application and promote the adoption of proactive behavior amongst users to minimize risks. Also, the professional will be at hand to provide training to employee sections, especially new recruits that have no exposure to the system thereby minimizing the likelihood of errors that would have serious impacts on the quality of care.
It is evident that the recruitment of the nurse informaticist is crucial to enhancing the efficiency of the E.H.R application. The involvement of the professional in the testing stages to ensure the software aligns with the organizational demands is vital in optimizing the workflows when the hospital eventually starts using the application.
Conclusion
The nurses are the largest groups of healthcare professionals that consume most of the data generated through E.HR systems. It is, therefore,necessary for hospitals adopting the use of E.H.R to ensure they involve nurses in the testing of the viability of the targeted software applications for the E.H.R system. The recruitment of the nurse informaticist is vital in ensuring the nurses are involved in providing valuable user input into the design and usability of the software application. The involvement of the professional is vital in ensuring the adopted application is efficient and consistent in enhancing the centrality of available data. It also ensures the application has the functional attributes that would encourage the different user profiles to use the system. The nurse informaticistalso plays a pivotal role in ensuring the hospital invests in a system that is beneficial and capable of attaining the envisaged benefits of adopting E.H.R in areas like patient safety and quality of care. The recruitment of the professional must, therefore, be accorded priority before the E.H.R application is selected and installed for use.
References
Bates, D. &Gawande, A. (2013). Improving safety with information technology. The
New England Journal of Medicine, 348 (25), 2526-2534.
Bredfeldt, C., Awad, E. & Snyder, M. (2013). Training providers: Beyond the basics of electronic health records. BMC Health Services Research, 13 (503), 1-7.
Curran, H. (2016). Fostering therapeutic communication while inputting data into the electronic health record. Nursing Informatics Today, 31 (1), 4-7.
Meeks, D., Takian, A., Sittig, D., Singh, H. & Barber, N. (2014). Exploring the sociotechnical intersection of patient safety and electronic health record implementation. The Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, 21 (e1), e28-e34.
