Technologies in Nursing Health Care Informatics

Innovative Technologies that Support Staffing and Patient Flow in the Oncology Unit 

To support staffing and patient flow in the oncology unit, we first have to understand the needs of patients in the unit. Following this, we can search if there exists a technology that meets and supports these needs. If we find none, we can discuss options on getting a custom one. The first thing caregivers need with oncology patients is easy to access to patient medical records. This includes but not limited to past and current treatment regimens, allergies, type of medication and prescription, diagnostics and past check-ups, and the current plan of care (Staggers et al., 2013). Secondly, the technological solution must enable patient tracking, especially along the continuum of care. Oncology treatments often require that the patients see different specialists, and nurses need to be aware of their position every time (Brennan et al., 2012). To this effect, I would recommend technological solutions developed by Epic Systems. As one of the largest providers of technological solutions for health care, their products would help meet the needs of the oncology unit, effectively supporting staffing and patient flow (Koppel & Lehmann, 2015). 

Policy for the Ethical Use of Clinical Information Systems 

The foundation for such a clinical information system (CIS) has been laid by HIPAA. HIPAA is not just a law or regulatory framework but an ethical guideline for health care practitioners to follow regarding patient privacy and confidentiality. Unfortunately, as comprehensive as it is, no one person can understand it fully, let alone apply it. Therefore, the first part of the policy would be to hire new employees who are familiar with HIPAA compliance provisions. Most graduates are as HIPAA has been integrated into most health care training. What these new hires lack is the practical aspects of remaining compliant to HIPAA regulations as a health care practitioner’s work culture (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). The second part of this policy, therefore, would be to pair new hires with experienced mentors to guide them in practicing HIPAA regulations. This would become very valuable when a new employee has to make a decision in a situation where HIPAA is exempted or where the ethical guidelines are not black and white (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). 

Technology to Support Patient Education and Decrease Re-admissions in the Cardiology Unit 

The first thing to note when considering purchasing technology to support patient education and decrease re-admissions in the cardiology unit is that it would be effective only to the patients who bother to use it. For instance, learning materials from the world’s best universities are freely available on the internet, yet only those self-driven to expand their knowledge bases take advantage. Therefore, simply recommending a technology to support patient education would not provide the desired return on investment. I recommend that the hospital first creates a training program for patient education, create a curriculum, and conduct studies on the effectiveness. After using evidence to show that the training program can support patient education and decrease re-admissions in the cardiology unit, the hospital can scale it by releasing a mobile app similar to Edx. 

Technological Security to Increase Patient Safety 

First is the physical security of the computers and devices with access to or that store PHI. No other security measure would work without securing these devices. Therefore, before accessing the computers, I recommend biometric sensors and authentication systems be used when accessing machines (Minoli et al., 2017). Secondly, if the computers or devices are connected in a network, even an intranet, then firewalls, traffic encryption, passwords, and intrusion detection systems would be the second line of defense (Clark & Hakim, 2017). The third line of defense would be proper system design such as back up of all files, regular risk assessments, and training all staff to be familiar with the system’s cybersecurity incidence response plan. As time goes, these solutions can be tested and improved. 

References 

Brennan, C. W., Daly, B. J., Dawson, N. V., Higgins, P. A., Jones, K. R., Madigan, E., & Van Der Meulen, J. (2012). The oncology acuity tool: A reliable, valid method for measuring patient acuity for nurse assignment decisions.  Journal of nursing measurement ,  20 (3), 155-185. 

Clark, R. M., & Hakim, S. (2017). Protecting Critical Infrastructure at the State, Provincial, and Local Level: Issues in Cyber-Physical Security. In  Cyber-Physical Security  (pp. 1-17). Springer, Cham. 

Koppel, R., & Lehmann, C. U. (2015). Implications of an emerging EHR monoculture for hospitals and healthcare systems.  Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association ,  22 (2), 465-471. 

Minoli, D., Sohraby, K., & Occhiogrosso, B. (2017). IoT considerations, requirements, and architectures for smart buildings—Energy optimization and next-generation building management systems.  IEEE Internet of Things Journal ,  4 (1), 269-283. 

Staggers, N., Benham-Hutchins, M., & Heermann-Langford, L. (2013). Exploring patient-centered handoffs in surgical oncology.  Journal of Participatory Medicine ,  5 , e28. 

Wilkinson, T., & Reinhardt, R. (2015). Technology in Counselor Education: HIPAA and HITECH as Best Practice.  Professional Counselor ,  5 (3), 407-418.