Modern technology has influenced the use of teaching in medical schools. Many nurses are taken through proper documentation courses to teach them how to store and retrieve information in medical systems. Such a kind of documentation makes things easier especially when dealing with patients who are revising as it is easy to identify their medical history and treat them accordingly (Darvish, Bahramnezhad, Keyhanian & Navidhamidi, 2014). If a healthcare system lacks such documents, dealing with patients can be hard as it will need them to open up new files for them every time they visit the said medical facility. Technology advancements have helped significantly to improve information storing and sharing through supportive inventions such as the internet and networking systems.
Importance of Informatics in Nursing
Long-term and short-term courses have been said to help nurses in becoming better in information storage. For instance, certain computer skills such as the use of applications such as Microsoft word can help nurses become better (Darvish, et al., 2014). A nurse who is competent in operating computers in their place of work has a high chance of serving a patient quickly. Systems such as networking and help support such knowledge.
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Many healthcare systems have incorporated the use of computer technology to store information. Such information can call for the use of IT departments in the medical facilities. If information about a given patient was to be accessed only through the infrastructure and personnel, it would prove inconvenient (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). Nurses with computer handling skills can quickly access such information from a computer at their work station and serve the patient accordingly. As such, informatics has equipped nurses with the necessary technological know-how to improve efficiency in medical facilities.
In modern society, the efficiency of serving a patient relies solely on information richness (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). Any medical diagnostics that have to be carried depending on how well the people dealing with a patient know about them. It is hard to make decisions if the system lacked any prior information regarding a given patient or diagnostic (Darvish, et al., 2014). The existence of information from past experiences makes sure that the chances of misdiagnosing a patient are minimal.
Every aspect of operations in hospitals relies on proper management of activities such as shifts and administration of medications. To enhance efficiency in such, there needs a proper scheduling system that is flawless (Darvish, et al., 2014). A nurse who has such information at the tip of their hands operates at maximum capacity. Such nurses are unable to miss deadlines and fail to deliver information when it is needed (Kumari, 2019). It also makes sure that such nurses are not overworked. They are focused on their job as they have no pressing things in their mind that they are trying to recall or deadlines that they do not know of.
The use of supportive systems may impair the judgments of medical practitioners. For instance, nurses who know that they can have a diagnostic generated for them by a computer might start over-relying on them (Darvish, et al., 2014). By offering short and supportive courses on informatics, healthcare facilities and medical institutions make sure that nurses are aware of such vulnerabilities (Darvish, et al., 2014). It sensitizes them on the need to practice more to avoid losing credibility. That in itself increases efficiency and seals any loopholes that might present themselves from over-reliance on technology.
The use of the internet and networking is the biggest milestone in the use of informatics in health care systems (Kumari, 2019). The speed at which information is shared in hospitals has increased immensely. Inter-institutional interaction has improved medication. For instance, a diagnostic that has been developed in a given medical institution can be used to treat a patient in another institution (Darvish, et al., 2014). All it required is a supportive communication and information sharing system that enhances such interconnectedness (Darvish, et al., 2014). As such, healthcare systems that incorporate the use of informatics reduce their chances of failing in their endeavors.
Modern societies call for increase nursing domains use and its enhancement. The use of technology should not be taken as a sign to replace nursing practices (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). A nurse who prefers to work on their patients and make humane connections with them make sure that their capacity to help patients is increased (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). As such, they should vie technology in their systems as a helping hand as it helps them come up with better diagnostics. Informatics helps nurses realize that everything they do is vital and that it has to be supported as much as possible.
The use of informatics in healthcare and nursing has improved confidence in medical practitioners. In the past, most information was found in hard records that got damaged quickly and loss of data was high (Darvish, et al., 2014). With technology on documentation, medical practitioners have incorporated the use of computer technology to improve medical healthcare (Kumari, 2019). As such, medical practitioners perform better on the knowledge that their chances of making mistakes in their job are minimal.
People who are ill or ailing always visit medical institutions that they are sure will help them. For instance, a patient who has paid a visit to a certain medical facility knows that the institution has prior data about them (Darvish, et al., 2014). As such, when similar medical complications as the ones they had before present themselves, they can make a sound decision on the knowledge that they will get the necessary help from the said institution (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). This has helped to save lives which would have been otherwise lost had the patients opted to work with a different approach that lacks a history of their medical complications (Elewa & Guindy, 2017).
The NACNEP suggested that all nurses should undertake informatics training (Darvish, et al., 2014). The idea behind that is it knew how important informatics is to medical facilities. Nurses who come into medical institutions armed only with their medical school knowledge have higher chances of failing compared t those who have been trained on documentation skills (Kumari, 2019). The insistence of NACNEP has improved medical intelligence (Darvish, et al., 2014). Nurses make quality-based decisions. The medical field has been improved and the ability to solve medical issues has been enhanced.
As information about a patient is always critical when making medical decisions, there should be a good collaboration between medical practitioners who need that information to attend to a patient and the systems that have been used to store the said information (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). Informed decisions about a patient rely on the nurse’s ability to access that information (Darvish, et al., 2014). The idea of having basic computer skills factors in (Kumari, 2019). However, it needs to be complemented by a nurses’ ability to encode the available information and turn it into actionable data. As such, informatics has created a bridge between information stored in medical systems and the ability to make sound decisions to help patients.
Nurses are always burdened by the task of monitoring patients inwards. As such, they are constantly on the move. (Elewa & Guindy, 2017) There need to be supportive systems that help them to serve patients. The machines which are used to provide patient information step in for the nurses and they record the information that the nurse isn’t able to access when they are not around a patient (Darvish, et al., 2014). They even record sensitive information such as heart rate and blood pressure. A nurse who has been trained in informatics can use that information to make the patient better.
On the other hand, many diploma and undergraduate courses have informatics as embedded in their studies. The idea is to help students keep up with technological advancements in documents. The need for parallel training on informatics has been influenced by the need to train nurses at a younger age (Darvish, et al., 2014). As technological advancements keep on changing, there are new means of storing information every given moment. A nurse who was trained to match up the technological advancements can visit means of storing information that preceded the current ones and effectively retrieves any information needed in time (Elewa & Guindy, 2017). By the time they are out of and in the field, they can make sound decisions that help patients (Kumari, 2019).
Conclusion
Informatics does not only help in making sound decisions but also in improving the quality of communication and information storage in healthcare facilities (Darvish, et al., 2014). As such, training nurses on it improves the quality of healthcare provision in medical facilities (Darvish, et al., 2014). Any system that lacks well-trained personnel on informatics is always wanting. Decision-making patterns are slow and the chances of losing lives are high.
References
Darvish, A., Bahramnezhad, F., Keyhanian, S., & Navidhamidi, M. (2014). The role of nursing
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Elewa, A., & Guindy, H. (2017). Nursing Students' Perception and Educational Needs regarding
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Kumari, R. (2019). The Impact of Informatics on Nursing Education and Promoting Quality of
Health Care. International Journal of Advances in Nursing Management , 7 (3), 285-288.
