Introduction
Many lives are lost due to errors that emanate from improper handling of patients’ information. The main areas prone to these errors are prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring. A survey conducted by an Independent Healthy Survey reveals that 35,000 to 98,000 patients succumb due to medical errors (Lombardi, 2000). Most hospitals have reported similar complaints in the recent past. To solve these problems, hospitals need to acquire a management information system. Introduction of Nursing Informatics will go a long way in promoting medical efficiency and hence promote effectiveness. Thus, this report endeavors to show how the implementation of nursing informatics would help reduce medical errors and reduce unnecessary deaths.
Computerized Management information systems increased medical care
The historical approach of keeping patients’ records is responsible for any errors and loss of vital information in hospitals. Most medical errors go unreported, thus, increasing chances of future recurrence. A survey conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)recorded the following errors; 61 percent of the hospitalized feared being given the wrong medication, while 58 percent feared being given a pair of drugs that react with each other. A further 56 percent expressed developing complications resulting from medical procedures. However, the implementation of a computerized management system helps in evaluating the entire medical-use process.
Tan (2009) contends that successful implementation of management systems reduces uncertainty in operations and increases accountability in the entire hospital operations. Management information systems help to keep patients’ records safely and confidentially in their large databases. It becomes an easy task to retrieve, patient records for doctors and nurses to have a historical approach to the patient medication. In addition, a computerized management information system helps hospitals in the optimal allocation of resources within the various branches (Tan, 2009). Conversely, an information system helps in improving the multidisciplinary quality of the medication process in any given health facility. To deal with the problem of wrong drug prescription, the adoption of the Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE) enhances efficiency in pharmacies. Similarly, information systems allow the use of bar codes labeling of drugs replaces the error-prone manual processes.
Active Nursing Involvement in the Planning, Choice, and implementation of the system
Diversity in the availability of the information systems brings a choice problem. Although information systems help in solving complex problems, the wrong choice of the system brings even more problems. All hospital stakeholders, including nurses, must be used in planning, choosing, and implementing the system, to address this issue. There is a need to involve all participants, especially the nurses to eliminate rejection of the system. Nurses form the core of every operation in the hospital and their involvement ensures the success of the system. In cases where nurses are overlooked, it implementation of a successful system becomes a stellar ordeal.
In all hospitals, nurses are responsible for caring for the patients, issuing drugs, keeping patient records, and general running of the hospital. Therefore, the introduction of any system affects their operations either by replacing their manual operations or causing minor alterations or a total overhaul of operations. The imposition of information systems on nurses would cause demoralization. Some systems are so complicated that nurses using need prior training before using them. It is, therefore, essential to obtain their consent before making any purchases.
Owing to changes brought about by information systems, nurses should take center stage in planning for the system. The planning process involves putting all the considerations in place. On the other hand, nurses will have ample time to adjust their operations to accommodate the new system. At this point, nurses should be assigned the responsibility of handling and controlling the systems. In addition, the planning committee should provide supportive information and acquire backups for databases. Finally, nurses will help the planning committee to plan for a smooth transition between the current manual operations and the system.
Handheld Devices
Handheld devices are indispensable in nursing since they make work easier and enhance efficiency compared to manual operations. These devices have the potential to transform the entire nursing care. The most notable injection facilitated by these devices is improved communication and enhanced prompt delivery of the feedback. Handheld computers keep records safer and reduce retrieval time, thus saving time. With these devices in place, most nurses can attend to their duties more effectively and more accurately. Crimson (2010) asserts that handheld devices are used in mobile drug administration, recording measurements such as height and weight. Some specialized devices are used in testing blood groups as well as pinpointing diseases without taking blood samples. Since these tests avoid the rigorous laboratory tests, a single device serves more people and allows other practitioners to attend to life-threatening cases.
Motorola MC55 works as a mobile phone as a handheld device. Nurses use it to assess the patient’s blood pressure and pulse rates. The same gadget is also administered drugs, record facts. The GPRS connection links nurses operating in remote areas with the hospital’s database. The device emails patient’s details to the hospital to update the master database (Crimson, 2010). These devices help doctors in offering uniform services to all patients regardless of their locations.
Security Standards
Advancement in information technology often than not jeopardizes information integrity. For instance, soft data are more portable compared to hard copy. An unauthorized person may view patients’ confidential details when the computer is not protected by a password. The same person may also copy the information to a flash disk or through other devices. The other problem that faces information technology is the ease of duplication of information; these copies may find a way to malicious people. Therefore, security measures need to be implemented to ensure that the patients’ information is safe and confidentially held.
To ensure information security, the hospital needs to design and implement security measures. The Health insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires all health care organizations to protect the confidentiality of the information at their disposal. Thus, the security standard should ensure stringent measures to safeguard information. The HIPAA requires all health to notify their patients about their privacy statements. The ACT also mandates all hospitals and other practitioners to train patients to understand their privacy details.
There are several measures to safeguard information in the health facility such as; using a password on computers, locking backup safe, and assigning a key to a responsible person. The security measure should ensure backups are kept at regular intervals. In addition, the security measure allows backup to be retrieved easily. Finally, all avenues through which information can be lost should be sealed. With security measures in place, the hospital improves its efficiency and effectiveness (Murphy & Waterfill, 2011).
Cost
A good management system is sold at competitive prices. Thus, the management should be prepared to meet the initial cost. However, once the system is operational, the hospital recoups its initial capital through reduced cost. Most manual operations that require the employment of many manual personnel are replaced by an automated system. On the other hand, the information system enhances the effectiveness of entire operations. A few people operated the system that runs the entire hospital, hence, reducing the cost of employing more staff and improving efficiency.
Rahman (2002) highlights that computer systems enhance reduction of costs such as postage costs, data clerks, and needs for lab technicians. In addition, handheld devices save the hospital on capital cost on lab equipment. However, despite the savings presented by the information system, the computer system needs regular maintenance to avoid sudden breakdown. Other benefits come from increased production capacities. Thus, the system helps the organization to increase its scope of operations resulting in economies of scale. Once the hospital operation expands, its overhead costs such as bills and staff increase at a decreasing rate.
Benefits to Care
Implementation of the management system helps in the provision of high-quality services such as prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring. The processes form the core of any medical operation, so, by streamlining the operations the entire patient care improves. Most patients live in fear of being prescribed with wrong drugs. Implementation of the information system goes a long way for patient confidence. Since the hospital is small, the introduction of the system will also help the quality of service delivery by allowing patients recorded to be handled more suitably. The ability of the information system to keep patients’ information secure encourages them to express their feelings freely. On the other hand, a management information system will help the hospital to reduce unnecessary queues in laboratories and treatment rooms.
With an effective management information system, doctors and nurses have less paperwork to keep. This gives them time to attend to more patients or affords them more time to interact with their patients. The ability of the system to reduce the workload is an incentive for doctors and nurses to improve their morale. According to Rahman (2002), some safety measures such as CCTV helps to monitor operation, as well as instill discipline in the staff.
The records kept in the hospitals provide a good basis for the hospital to research epidemiology trends in the area. The finding of the survey may provide doctors develop a better way of attending to the patients. The management system helps the management in monitoring the entire hospital operations without necessarily involving external auditors.
Recommendation
Since this is a small hospital with potential for future expansion a comprehensive management system needs to be purchased. This system should be able to link up the entire hospital. Once the patient enters into the system, his or her records should be linked to all departments that he or she will move such as consultation, treatment, theatre, and pharmacy. The system should also link all the nurses and doctors. Linking the information systems, various organization departments will not only improve service delivery but will be in tandem will current technological trends shaping hospitals in this age.
References List
Crimson. (2010). Mobile Nursing. Cromson Tide. Web.
Lombardi, T.P. (2010) Closing the Loop – Implementing Quality Improvement Processes and Advances in Technology to Decrease Medication Errors. Web.
Murphy, M. & Wayerfill (2011). The HIPAA guide for 2010: 2009 Arra Act for Hipaaa Security. New York , NY :Author House.
Rahman, N. (2002). Multimedia Networking: Technology, Management and Applications. London: Idea Group Publishing.
Tan, J.k. (2009). Adaptive Health Management Information System, Cases, And Practical Applications. London: Joness & Barlett Learning.