Involvement in the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
The systems development life cycle (SDLC) steps vary based on the system being structured. The aspects of SDLC that involve documentation by the nurse informaticist include planning and requirements definition, analysis, design of the new system, implementation of the system, and post-implementation support. The involvement of a nurse in all these stages of the SDLC is necessary to promote effectiveness. In this case, effectiveness is promoted through the alignment of organizational and nursing needs with the developed system (Mastrian et al., 2019). The nurse informaticist provides the necessary information needed to identify organizational needs while also structuring the system to fit these needs. The nurse informaticist is also responsible for assessing the system being developed to identify and communicate any challenges or errors that may exist.
Planning and Requirements Definition
The main role of the nurse informaticist in this stage is the provision of a healthcare plan to system developers. The planning and requirements stage mainly involves structuring a step-by-step approach that will be used for the development of the system (Ronquillo et al., 2016) . It is an essential stage that has the highest impact on whether the other stages of the SDLC will be effectively carried out. By providing a healthcare plan to the system developers, the nurse informaticist will present the information needed to structure the best approach for the SDLC.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The nurse informaticist will also provide information necessary for identifying the requirements needed for the design and implementation of the system. The nurse's role will then be the identification of the requirements needed for the formulation of particular outputs, which will be included in the system. System developers can then structure a system for coding the requirements provided.
Analysis
Within the SDLC, the analysis stage includes establishing the procedures and workflows of the system. In this stage, the nurse's role is to provide explanations and engage in discussions with the systems developers concerning the components utilized in the previous system (Weatherford et al., 2018). This explanation and discussion of previous components are essential as they enable system developers to understand which components are critical for the new system. The developers will also determine the components that should not be included in the new system based on their perceived success. Based on this analysis, the nurse informaticist will help the system developer in identifying how to meet the requirements outlined in the first stage.
Design of the New System
The design stage involves structuring the general look of the system. Based on the identified requirements and a discussion of the components in the previous systems, a number of decisions will be made on the needed form. The developing team will then generate reports, prototypes, and documents needed to determine any errors or risks that may occur in the new system. As a result of the developers' prototypes and reports, the nurse informaticist will then evaluate the designs structured. This evaluation is necessary to ensure that the developers use the appropriate performance strategies that will result in the desired outcomes (Weatherford et al., 2018).
Implementation
The implementation stage involves the use of coding language and coding designs to incorporate the new system into the organization. Based on the nature of this stage, the role of the nurse will include organizing meetings with organizational employees, acquiring feedback from nurses, and identifying limitations and facilitators of the system. While the system is being implemented, the nurse will also be responsible for modifying techniques to assess processes while motivating employees to adhere to the system requirements (Ronquillo et al., 2016). Lastly, the nurse will be responsible for collecting and recording information concerning compliance by staff members with the new system.
Post-Implementation Support
In the post-implementation support stage, the testing and maintenance of the system are conducted. Testing is carried out to assess whether the system implemented presents the right output while solving all the challenges that existed in the organization. In this stage, the role of the nurse is to ensure that the outcome provided by the system is in alignment with the organizational network. The nurse will also be responsible for the organization of training and educational programs. These programs will help in educating the nursing staff concerning the components and structure of the new system and how it should be used for optimum benefits. Lastly, the nurse informaticist is responsible for ensuring that the system is constantly maintained. This form of maintenance is done by identifying any needed changes in the system and notifying the developers on how these changes should be implemented (Mastrian et al., 2019).
Conclusion
In the highly dynamic health sector, health organizations are now implementing new information systems to enhance their effectiveness. These systems are designed to promote and support nursing functions within these organizations. Nurse informaticists have the duty of working with system developers across the five stages of the SDLC to ensure that the new system design aligns with documentation and organizational needs. The nurse's role changes based on each step of the SDLC while mainly involving the provision of the needed information to the system developers. These roles also include the maintenance of the new system to ensure that it appropriately serves its function within the organization.
References
Mastrian, K., & McGonigle, D. (2019). Informatics for health professionals . Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Ronquillo, C., Currie, L. M., & Rodney, P. (2016). The evolution of data-information-knowledge-wisdom in nursing informatics. Advances in nursing science , 39 (1), E1-E18.
Weatherford, B., Bower, K. A., & Vitello-Cicciu, J. (2018). The CNO and leading innovation. Nursing Administration Quarterly , 42 (1), 76-82.
