The whole aspect of Nursing Informatics can be regarded as a system that incorporates computer systems and software into the Nursing practice. Cherry and Jacob (2016) indicate that there has been an increase in healthcare needs and other unique challenges in recent times, which have led to the increased need to use safely enhanced and secure data management techniques. Computer technology is prominent in both the professional and personal aspects of our daily lives. This being the case, the clinical settings in the present day have been greatly influenced by computer technology, and in the process, many processes and procedures have been leveraged, and the quality and efficiency have greatly increased.
A few examples of the processes and procedures that have been leveraged include; documentation, communication, and diagnostic tests and procedures. Out of the procedures mentioned above and processes, documentation is a key role in nursing, which encompasses essential communication and giving a sense of direction regarding what should be done to help there be continuity of healthcare. Besides, documentation gives evidence of all the patient's activities, including the evaluation, and assists in the decision-making process (Berman et al., 2014). Considering all these factors, there is a need to develop a new nursing documentation system. However, developing this kind of documentation system is quite hectic and is guided by SDLC (steps of the systems development life). Nurses play a tremendously important role in the stages of SDLC.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
SDLC is a phenomenon that encompasses the different steps of the development of software. It comprises several stages where each stage presents various deliverables and outcomes, which are critical and have to be achieved before the next step commences. As mentioned before, nurses play an essential role in this process, and therefore they bring a very significant impact on the various stages of the SDLC. Requirements and analysis is the first step of this SDLC (Singletary & Baker, 2019). In this step, the nurse evaluates the existing forms of technology and its possible existing gaps.
As is common knowledge, nurses form the bulk of the healthcare workers in general, and their mandate involves assessing patients, keying in data in the various information systems, and utilizing the information from the systems. Looking at the roles the nurses play concerning their interaction with different systems, the nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system and should be consulted and even involved in the quest for a new system. The first step requires nurses to identify and gather the requirements for this new system by focusing on the aspects of the level of necessity of the new system, the people involved in creating the system, the people who stand to benefit, and how and who will use the system in question. The nurses do all this in collaboration with other stakeholders.
After identifying and gathering the requirements for this new system, the nurses then proceed to the second step, termed system design. In this step, the nurses use the knowledge they have gathered to identify and gather the new system's requirements to come up with a variety of designs of the intended final product (Khoury, 2018). After coming up with various designs, the various internal stakeholders are consulted and review the proposed designs as per some guidelines stipulated by documents they use. In turn, the various participants come to a consensus (after careful evaluation) of the model they will adopt based on which will best address the issues at hand. In this second step, nurses come up with suggestions regarding what they would prefer to be included in the system to improve performance.
In addition to offering their suggestions, nurses also offer more insight into the specific operational mechanisms that most likely address the system's existing gaps. On the other hand, designers involved in this step continue to consult nurses in the day to day testing and refining of the system since the nurse will be key to selecting the best available system. After selecting the best design, the third step kicks in, which is the implementation of the system. Installing, testing, and customizing the information system are the key factors in this step. As the case in the first two steps, nurses play an essential role in this implementation stage because they are deeply involved.
To ensure this implementation stage's success, training of the nurses on how to use the application is very critical. This is because training ensures correct and safe usage of the application, thus resulting in optimal results and fewer operational complications that may come as a result of an unqualified use of the system. The nurses' training on the use of the system also results in an overall increase in the nurses' motivation and translates to excellent acceptance rates for the new system. In addition to nurses' training for better utilization, nurses are also involved in selecting the most suitable place where the new system should be installed.
In any important process, the evaluation of a system post-implementation is critical in ensuring the system's overall success. Evaluation is a very important aspect. It involves assessing nurses' ability to utilize the available health technology with the utmost efficiency. As mentioned above, nurses being very important in the scope of healthcare provision. It is fundamental for them to be the Centre of this evaluation process. In this evaluation process, potential disadvantages are identified, and measures to cope with the dangers posed are put in place.
The managerial leadership of any healthcare institution is critical in ensuring a documentation system over a long period, and this being the case, they should ensure that regular inspection and maintenance are conducted. This is easily implemented by using data gathered from the nurses' input regarding their experience in using the documentation system. In conclusion, it is evident that nurses are the key players in the SDLC process since they are actively involved in all the phases. Considering all this, the final success of implementing a new documentation system heavily relies on nurses' input.
References
Berman, A., Snyder, S. J., Kozier, B., Erb, G. L., Levett-Jones, T., Dwyer, T., ... & Parker, B. (2014). Kozier & Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing Australian Edition (Vol. 3). Pearson Higher Education AU.
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Khoury, J. (2018). What Is A Software Development Life Cycle?. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xCldpbDZ10 [Accessed 6 November 2020].
Singletary, V., & Baker, E. L. (2019). Building Informatics-Savvy Health Departments: The Systems Development Life Cycle. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 25(6), 610-611.
