The introduction of the newest technologies in the health care sector has greatly affected health outcomes and contributed to the emergence of new opportunities for improving the overall quality of care. In particular, the foundation for such an enhancement is the implementation of the so-called health information technologies that make up a perfect background for increasing access to high-quality care because these technologies are commonly deployed as platforms for sharing patient information, so it may be used by different health care facilities across the state.
However, in this case, it is critical to point to one significant challenge – to exchange the information properly and effectively, thus improve the overall health outcomes, – it is imperative to guarantee that the needed data is entered in a manner that all nurses around the country and even around the globe perceive it universally that is the only truth about the condition of a patient’s health.
To overcome the challenge mentioned above, nurses should pay special attention to become familiar with standardized terminologies that are used for entering patient information and data. There are several arguments to support the criticality of obtaining this knowledge. These arguments can be divided into two groups: practice and health-related. Speaking of practice, being aware of the standardized coding systems, and knowing how to use them points to the increased collaboration between health care facilities. It is a beneficial trend in the creation of the universal health care sector characterized by undermining the criticality of a patient’s location to obtain care.
It is especially critical in the modern world characterized by the increased mobility of people that means that a person may want to receive care or require it regardless of the initial place they came from and their current place of living or working. However, it is beneficial for hospitals themselves. For instance, this knowledge helps reduce the time needed for controlling the patient flow as well as coordinating departments due to the increased opportunities for managing staff schedules.
Moreover, the knowledge of standardized coding systems is associated with nurses’ competency, as it points to the professionalism of a nurse and their integration in the innovative health care sector (Bickford, 2009). For instance, think of any innovative hospital – that which has implemented electronic health records and collaborates with other medical centers. In this case, it is critical to guarantee that all nurses know how to enter the data properly. It helps to be aware of nationwide quality standards and find ways for adhering to them. For instance, the knowledge of coding systems helps enhance performance and the overall quality of provided care as well as enhancing competencies needed for operating the new systems.
Speaking of health-related arguments supporting the need for knowing standardized coding systems, they commonly center on the ability to provide high-quality professional aid usually promised by any medical center and guarantee patient safety (TIGER, 2009).
For instance, when a person moves to another state and requires medical help, it may not be comprehensive and relevant without the personal and medical information about this individual, especially in the cases when they are unconscious and cannot answer doctors’ questions properly. Under such circumstances, having access to a database filled in a standardized manner can become the only way to save one’s life because the doctor may understand whether patients are allergic to any substances and medications or suffer from any chronic diseases without communicating with them. Also, standardized systems are beneficial for reducing the time needed for operating the new technologies, so more attention can be paid to patients and their needs.
References
Bickford, C. J. (2009). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 146, 855. Web.
TIGER. (2009). Informatics competencies for every practicing nurse: Recommendations from the TIGER collaborative. Web.