The Use of Electronic Health Records
The introduction of electronic health records (EHR) is changing the paper records system for many healthcare workers. EHR can alert the nurse on a patient’s potential issues, such as allergies or intolerance to a specific medication. The latest technology in data mining and record-keeping will enable nurses and healthcare professionals to offer customized healthcare plans. Since patient data exists on the EHR, patient care costs will be reduced for nurses and patients. EHRs will also provide valuable information to the researcher to help in the development of new treatments. Although electronic health records are easier to read than the paper charts of the past, many complain that healthcare providers are focusing too much on the computer screen instead of the patient.
The organization’s leaders must allocate all necessary resources before beginning to implement EHR. The resources should cover the cost of purchasing equipment and training employees. Management of the organization needs to engage the leaders who will ensure professionals use the systems. At the same time, leaders will need to motivate professionals to adopt the use of EHR. Training of health professionals is necessary to enable individuals to acquire skills needed in the effective operation of EHR. Besides, training needs to create a positive attitude toward the implementation of the project.
Implementation of EHR causes professionals to spend additional time on computers to enter the data of patients. Such practices limit care providers’ time with patients, which may contribute to poor care. Besides, the system increases the workload of professionals, which may also affect the workflow in healthcare organizations. EHR may contribute to errors while entering the data into the systems. At the same time, professionals may wrongly interpret the information which leads to inappropriate care.
Breaches of the information systems due to the actions of hackers are one of the greatest concerns to patients’ privacy in the implementation of EHR. The use of smartphones by patients to access their health information further increases the risk of breaches. Besides, employees may unintentionally give their passwords or install malware that leads to a breach of the systems’ security. The use of EHR enables the identification of patients using technology. Criminals can take advantage of the systems, steal the identity of patients and use such data for criminals’ benefit. At the same time, criminals can use such an approach to obtain confidential information about patients. Implementing an EHR system in a healthcare organization does not take away the organization’s possible legal responsibilities (Baumann et al., 2019). Regardless of the EHR’s design, healthcare providers need to ensure that the system stores enough information and details about the patient, so it can be used in case of a lawsuit.
In conclusion, analysis of the effects of EHR shows that such initiative causes improvement in the quality of services provided in health organizations. At the same time, EHR also contributes to a reduction in costs in healthcare. Besides, the use of EHR can reduce the workload of professionals. The system achieves some of these objectives by enhancing access to information. However, EHR can also lead to some problems that professionals need to consider. Implementation of EHR can lead to inefficiencies in workflow. The use of EHR also requires professionals to spend a lot of time on the computer, which may affect the quality of care delivered to patients. The use of EHR may also lead to breaches of health information systems.
Data Tracking in Healthcare Organizations
Technological advancements provided healthcare with numerous opportunities of improving efficiency and the quality of the provided care. Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) in healthcare refers to using facts, metrics, and statistical data to make an informed treatment plan. One of the ways DDDM is utilized is through patients’ databases. Databases store crucial patient information and research evidence to help nurses improve patient care. The most crucial database that nurses frequently use is the Electronic Health Records (EHR), which contains patients’ biodata that nurses can use to improve clinical outcomes. Hence, working, analyzing, and in some cases designing EHRs is an essential skill for a modern nurse practitioner.
Data tracking is frequently used to enhance patient outcomes and improve the quality of the provided healthcare. For this reason, Hebda, Hunter, and Czar (2019) identify three types of data that are currently being tracked by organizations. First is The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®). It is a survey that helps organizations to collect patients’ perceptions of their care. The second type of data that may be collected by healthcare organizations is patient falls. Falls among hospitalized mature individuals may be due to complex factors, such as multiple comorbid circumstances, frailty, acute sickness, surgical/medical procedures, and unfamiliar environment, and sometimes are unpreventable. The third type of data collected by healthcare organizations is 30-day readmission rates. Information on high-risk patients that are diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and elective hip and/or total knee replacement is collected.
Another type of data that needs to be collected by the family nurse practitioner who works in a nursing home is qualitative data based on a face-to-face interview with patient. In addition, interviews with family members or caretakers should be conducted in order to create productive cooperative relationships. In-between visit care or continuous care is an effective way to increase patient outcomes. Therefore, developing communication with family members enhances adherence to the treatment plan, which improves patient experience and patient outcomes.
Ethical concerns should be addressed while collecting, storing, and working with data. As such, the patient’s confidentiality is one of the key priorities that should be followed. Moreover, general ethical principles of nursing should be followed as well. For example, the data should be used in non-maleficent ways, and the results of its analysis should be used to improve patient outcomes and the quality of healthcare. When the data obtained from patients is transferred and managed by third-party organizations, actors must ensure that patients give consent to third-party data storage. To achieve this, healthcare workers must inform patients in a clear and understandable way so the patients can make informed decisions. For example, in the case when the data provided by the patient becomes publicly available without his or her consent, the healthcare organization violates the patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality, causing an ethical misconduct.
In addition, when a third party is involved in data collection and storage, parties should ensure that measures to prevent data breaches are taken. Handling personal or even sensitive patient information creates a moral and professional obligation of third parties and healthcare organizations to do their best effort to secure the data. Hence, cybersecurity is a primary concern for many organizations as they ensure data and information are kept secure from attacks by internal and external threats.
EHR. Point Click Care in Nursing Homes
Technological advances are changing how things are done in the nursing and healthcare field to improve patient healthcare services and healthcare outcomes. With these advances in technology, nurses can perform their duties and care for patients more efficiently. The invention of devices such as radio frequency identification enabled devices, tablets, electronic charts, and computers have improved efficiency, and the nursing field has adapted along with these changes (Walsh, 2019). Hence, the project will analyze and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Point Click Care EHR system applied in nursing homes. Such a project is important to me and relevant to the course as it analyses practical aspects of informational technologies in healthcare and in nursing homes in particular.
The use of technology in the healthcare sector has today become a normal encounter in global healthcare facilities. Perhaps this has happened as a result of the global growth in information and expertise, as well as due to society’s advancement in science. However, the healthcare sector has not been left behind, as it has equally embraced technology to support life in the provision of healthcare services. For example, the implementation of electronic health records in the sector has been praised for its capability to reduce traditional medication errors, which were known by nurses in the industry. This follows the fact that EHR technology has the aptitude to provide up-to-date, accurate, and comprehensive information about patients from a mere retrieval of a patient’s bio-data from the EHR’s database. In the process, this guides nurses to make informed decisions while giving care to the patient.
There is a number of benefits of the Point Click Care system, which make it popular in nursing homes and hospitals. For example, it allows for better standardization of the information stored by the organization. This saves time in teaching new personnel because they do not have to adapt to new ways of data storage. Moreover, cloud-based technologies make the system safer as it provides more protection.
There are negative aspects of Point Click Care EHR system implementation in nursing homes. Although technology is important, its benefits are derailed because of factors beyond its initiation. Poor development factors that do not support certain working principles of their engagement, poor technological interface with clients and their environment, and insufficient design for applying new ideas into action remain key challenges of this scientific development.
One of the theories that suit the case is a situation-specific theory. The theory is applied to a specific nursing phenomenon, such as medical errors associated with mistakes in data entry and storage. Point Click Care is shown to reduce the rate of such errors by providing nursing homes with a reliable and simple-to-use system of data storage. Overall, the integration of such systems in nursing homes has a positive effect on the quality of healthcare. Further, the investigation of the correlation between HER implementation and the average organization’s score should be conducted.
References
Baumann, L. A., Baker, J., & Elshaug, A. G. (2018). The impact of electronic health record systems on clinical documentation times: A systematic review. Health Policy, 122(8), 827-836.
King, B., Pecanac, K., Krupp, A., Liebzeit, D., & Mahoney, J. (2018). Impact of fall prevention on nurses and care of fall risk patients. The Gerontologist, 58(2), 331-340.
Walsh, U. (2019). How Nursing Has Changed with Technology. Web.