Introduction
The healthcare system is constantly developing, and it is essential to integrate new technologies, such as an improved documentation system, to enhance patient experience and various clinical processes. As nurses will use the new system, it is crucial to involve one of them as the implementation team leader. The role of the nurse is to guide the team through the procedure, relying on stages of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and their impact on the implementation of documentation systems.
Nursing Roles During the Documentation System Implementation
Involving a nurse leader in the implementation is beneficial, but may cause some challenges. According to Strudwick et al. (2019), despite constant improvements in technologies, nursing data, and outcomes are often “not adequately represented within the electronic health record systems” (p. 323). This is a result of rare cases involving nurses in development teams and the lack of appropriate technological education to specify which processes need to be incorporated to meet their needs. The participation of nurses’ informatics in the implementation task will ensure the alignment of technologies with clinical workflow. However, they may face challenges balancing their shared responsibilities with project requirements.
Defining Requirements
For participation in the development process to be successful, the leader nurse must follow the stages of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) throughout. McGonigle and Mastrian (2022) state that nurses experience a similar system in their practice when they need to retrieve, diagnose, plan, execute, and evaluate.
The first step in the SDLC-curated project would be to define the plans and requirements. To lay a solid foundation for the project, the informatics nurse acts as a bridge between the IT team and the staff. She should gather all data on the new documentation system’s needs and goals. Collecting all insights and workflow issues from nursing practice will be a valuable input into the development process.
Data Analysis
The second part of the plan includes analyzing the collected data. To create an adequate analytical framework, it is necessary to review effective documentation techniques and address all functional and non-functional requirements (Risling & Risling, 2020). During this stage, the informaticist nurse needs to examine possible workability, potential, and challenges the staff may face using the new system (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.a.). For productive analysis, the nurse works closely with IT experts to deepen understanding of the system’s technological capabilities and ensure the technical capabilities align with the requirements. Considering the risks, such as performance and feasibility issues, the leader analyzes all aspects and nuances of clinical practice to incorporate them into the project.
Design
Throughout the design phase, the nurse leader should consider how to implement all analyzed requirements into a functional, user-friendly system interface. The collaboration between the IT team and the designers is necessary to ensure the system’s structure and interface align with usability standards and are feasible to implement, given the hospital’s available technologies. Using feedback from the focus group will be an effective strategy for determining an appropriate design (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.b.). McGonigle and Mastrian (2022) indicate that nursing education lacks the training necessary for staff to apply new technologies in clinical practice. Consequently, the system’s interface must be user-friendly to ensure a smooth transition into the work routine.
Implementation
Once work on a new system is complete, the superior must provide the hospital team with a convenient implementation process. To ensure the nursing staff uses the developed technologies correctly, they should be provided with ongoing local technical support (Dopp et al., 2019). Additionally, the leader facilitates an effective training program for the hospital, tailored to the needs and technological knowledge levels of the nursing staff. If the informaticist nurse is not qualified enough, the training specialist may be involved for professional support.
Monitoring
The post-implementation support remains a crucial part of the SDLC plan. Constant monitoring of users’ concerns and feedback helps ensure the documentation system covers all requirements (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022). The nurse leader conducts various meetings and forums for staff to express which features can be enhanced and to share whether the design is easy to use and does not take too much time away from patient care. Adequate dialogue among the IT team, nurse leader, and staff will ensure a constructive knowledge base for future improvements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nurse informaticists are a valuable part of the implementation team, as they serve as a connector between the IT and medical components of the project. For the successful development of the new system, the leader needs to collect all needs and concerns from hospital practice and analyze the user experience from the perspective of nursing staff to ensure that all unique requirements are considered in the design. Additionally, the nurse facilitates staff training programs and collects post-implementation feedback to ensure ongoing functional improvements.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.a). Health IT evaluation toolkit and evaluation measures quick reference guide.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.b). Workflow assessment for health IT toolkit.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Risling, T. L., & Risling, D. E. (2020). Advancing nursing participation in user-centred design. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(3), 226-238.
Strudwick, G., Nagle, L., Kassam, I., Pahwa, M., & Sequeira, L. (2019). Informatics Competencies for Nurse Leaders. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(6), 323–330.