The application of information engineering in the field of health is making it possible for practitioners and physicians to improve patient outcomes. Such systems reduce medication errors, transform care delivery, and minimize costs. This discussion gives a detailed analysis of health information technologies (HITs) and their importance in medical practice.
Identified Scenario
Nurse practitioners (NPs,) clinicians, caregivers, and physicians in my institution use informatics to meet their patients’ needs. Since I work in Family Practice, there are several scenarios where I have utilized data, knowledge, information, and wisdom. A good example is when I was required to provide timely support to two family members suffering from malaria. I began by examining the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) available from the hospital’s website. I documented my patients’ information using the existing patient record system. I went further to apply my clinical knowledge of informatics to offer adequate support (Fung, 2018). I searched the Internet to acquire additional data about the targeted disease and identify evidence-based ways for delivering high-quality medical services. I eventually applied my wisdom to ensure that the individuals received holistic care.
Action Plan
Some of the common HIT skills include computer literacy, security and privacy of health information, health information literacy skills, and electronic health records. I will use Kurt Lewin’s change model as the best action plan to achieve each of these competencies. In the first stage of refreezing, I will monitor my current gaps and strengths regarding the adoption of HIT. The second phase is that of change implementation whereby I will engage in lifelong learning and apply each competency effectively in my practice (YouTube NJIT, 2010). During the final stage of freezing, the developed skills will become part of my health informatics philosophy.
Typical Practice Day
A normal day of practice is characterized by several nurses, clinicians, technology experts, physicians, and health leaders (HLs) collaborating, sharing information, and communicating continuously to deliver exemplary medical support. The setting is organized in such a way that there are individuals in need of inpatient and outpatient services. Every patient’s information is captured electronically before the medical process starts. I interact with Information Systems (ISs) many times every day to deliver exemplary health support. The common ones include EHR, electronic CPGs, clinical decision support (CDS), remote patient monitoring (RPM), and patient portals (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2016). These technologies are presented via computers in different offices. Authorized NPs can access each IS whenever necessary. Such systems are station based to improve availability and efficiency.
Health Information Rights
The studied class text identifies five rights that are critical when adopting and implementing HIT. These are presented as follows: “the the right information, accessible by the right people in the right settings, applied the right way at the right time” (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2016, p. 25). Given the opportunity to meet only two rights, I would omit these ones: settings, way, and time. This is the case since they might not have huge impacts on the beneficiaries’ health experiences. The rights of accurate information and accessibility by authorized people have to be met as they guarantee evidence-based treatment procedures for patients and improve confidentiality. Consequently, patients’ information will be unavailable to unverified individuals.
Conclusion
The above discussion has supported the use of HIT to improve patients’ health outcomes. This initiative has made it possible for me to achieve my career aims as a professional in the field of family practice. Medical facilities should, therefore, consider the described ideas to streamline care delivery processes and minimize sentinel events.
References
Fung, B. (2018). Nursing informatics / An inside look [Video file]. Web.
Mastrian, K. G., & McGonigle, D. (2016). Informatics for health professionals. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
YouTube NJIT. (2010). What is healthcare informatics [Video file]. Web.