Information Technology Skills and Safe Patient Care Outcomes

Introduction: ICT and Patient Care

Within the context of healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) represents a collection of services and initiatives that facilitate remote patient care (telehealth), the transfer of knowledge, and interdisciplinary clinical assistance. ICT usage can promote inexpensive, client-focused care; improve knowledge sharing and care quality; decrease travel time; ensure that patients and healthcare workers are better informed; and foster a new kind of provider-patient relationship (Alligood, 2014; Rouleau et al., 2015).

The Workforce Commission of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) acknowledged the significance of efficient technology in enhancing care efficacy and safety, as well as helping save time for nurses to conduct essential care activities. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)-sponsored Technology Drill Down (TD2) initiative of the Commission addressed the imminent nursing shortage by seeking to decrease the demand for nursing care (Cassano, 2014). Endeavoring to discover technological solutions to workflow inefficiencies on medical-surgical nurse units, the TD2 initiative brings together multidisciplinary teams to review the present state of nursing workflow, plan a desirable future state, and brainstorm technological solutions for filling gaps — with an overall, holistic aim of offering more effective, safer patient care.

A clinical decision support system may be established to aid healthcare practitioners in solving issues that require specific decisions; such systems have been evolving for over three decades. The system serves to supplement human knowledge by organizing and formalizing knowledge within itself (Darvish et al., 2014). An expert system is the most widely employed type of support system for clinical decision-making, with applications in clinical notes, critical therapeutic strategies, diagnostic support, decision support, recovery planning, prescriptions, and image identification and interpretation. However, these systems may not be used as standalone instruments replacing human expertise. Accordingly, knowledge management and such systems ought to be integrated.

The Baccalaureate Nurse's Role in Health Technology

In the contemporary age, the potential for ICT application has been growing; these technologies are now capable of enhancing the quality of nursing outcomes (Rouleau et al., 2015). Nursing practitioners are the healthcare provider group whose role requires maximum interaction with patients, and they also interact more frequently with technology than most other clinicians. The adoption of technology ought to cultivate positive nurse attitudes, thereby increasing productivity. Nurses must participate in the initial design of systems aimed at improving patient care quality and must be willing to alter their practice culture to facilitate this.

Nursing's technological and technical role on the medicine-nursing border has elevated tele-nurses into a new kind of clinical authority. The application of novel technology has enhanced their decision-making capacity (Darvish et al., 2014). For effective electronic health record (EHR) system implementation, nursing practitioners must be familiar with information technology, informatics skills and knowledge, and computer skills. Within the domain of tele-nursing, the significance of information quality, confidentiality, accountability, integrity, transparency, authenticity, productivity, information updating, and accessibility of health standards and websites ought to be taken into consideration.

Other nursing practice opportunities emerging in this decade include providing remote services via tele-nursing or telemedicine. To this end, simple remote diagnostic hardware and software are being developed to facilitate e-healthcare services. Tele-nursing workers may offer a range of services including patient education, counseling, and monitoring using the World Wide Web (Rouleau et al., 2015). Tele-nursing professionals report satisfaction with their roles and with their ability to care remotely for patients using specialized knowledge and capabilities. Their services can help meet the shortage of and growing demand for nursing staff across the globe.

How Nurses Use Technology in Clinical Decision-Making

Electronic charting facilitates quick and efficient data access for nursing professionals. Moreover, nurses can utilize this information to improve nursing workflow quality. In many instances, nurse informatics experts contribute greatly to helping nurses identify and manage workflow challenges. Several nursing theories serve to promote the effectiveness of nursing practice (Darvish et al., 2014). The most applicable nursing theory for informatics nurses is change theory. Nurse informatics experts employ such theories when directing healthcare delivery, guiding and technically supporting staff nurse workflows, and providing leadership for systemic reform.

Nursing informatics supports continuous professional growth by applying nurses' practical work knowledge to improve patient satisfaction and care quality. Researchers have addressed the significance of nurse participation in informatics committee meetings, where nurses may engage in designing systems, improving interdisciplinary communication, and redesigning workflow (Bowman, 2013). A large number of nursing practitioners are ethically and professionally motivated to contribute personally to innovation, new knowledge, and quality improvement through evidence-based decisions.

A majority of nursing practitioners currently hold positive views regarding improved electronic documentation quality, alongside a new appreciation for reduced workload thanks to more efficient systems. However, despite the advantages of electronic documentation for nursing care workflow, obstacles exist that may hamper computerized documentation system implementation. Some of these obstacles arise from behavioral problems relating to satisfaction with and perceptions of information technology, as well as the time devoted to documenting client data (Bowman, 2013). Challenges also emerge when older nurses experience apprehension about working in a technology-intensive environment. Despite being provided with cheat sheets, reference guides, and annotated screenshots, some nurses continue to struggle with adjusting to electronic charts. Some fear clicking incorrectly while working with digital records, and display frustration when unable to carry out routine electronic tasks.