Study Notes on The Impact of Technology

The Impact of Technology

Anticipated Learning Outcomes

  • Examine various technologies and their role in impacting patient safety.

  • Provide definitions for core components of informatics: data, information, and knowledge.

  • Compare and contrast different types of technology for capturing data at the point of care.

  • Discuss the impact of decision support systems on patient care experiences.

  • Explore issues of patient safety, ethics, and information security and privacy within IT.

Key Terms

  • Bar-code technology

  • Big data

  • Biomedical technology

  • Clinical decision support

  • Communication technology

  • Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)

  • Dashboard

  • Data

  • Data analytics

  • Database

  • Electronic health record (EHR)

  • Electronic medical record (EMR)

  • Informatics

  • Information

  • Information technology

  • Innovation

  • Knowledge

  • Technology

  • Knowledge worker

  • Point of care or bedside technology

  • Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)

  • Real-time

  • Smart card

  • Smart technology

  • Speech recognition (SR)

  • Telehealth

  • Wearable technology

Introduction

  • Technology is integral to patient care delivery across various environments (hospital, ambulatory, home).

  • New nurses may not be familiar with technology prior to the internet era.

  • Healthcare is both technology and information-intensive; therefore, technology's success benefits patient care, outcomes, and clinician efficiency.

  • The AACN Baccalaureate Essentials (2021) highlights informatics competency as essential for nursing in today’s healthcare landscape.

TIGER Initiative

  • Formed in 2004 to improve nursing practice and education via health IT.

  • TIGER Informatics Competencies Collaborative emphasizes three key parts:

    1. Basic computer competencies

    2. Information literacy

    3. Information management

Role of Nurses

  • Nurses are knowledge workers requiring data and information to provide effective and safe patient care.

  • According to the ANA, knowledge synthesizes information to identify and formalize relationships, thereby enabling actionable priorities in care delivery.

Types of Technologies Impacting Nursing

Overview

  • Properly developed technology can enhance healthcare team data management and communication, improving patient outcomes.

  • HIT (Health Information Technology) can promote quality care delivery effectively.

Point of Care Technology

  1. Biomedical technology: Used for physiologic monitoring, diagnostic testing, intravenous (IV) fluid administration, and therapeutic treatments.

    • Physiologic monitoring systems (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure monitoring).

    • Adverse event analysis: Indicate many physiologic abnormalities are not detected early enough.

    • Patient surveillance systems: Provide early warnings for impending adverse events (e.g., falling or unstable vital signs).

  2. Smart Technology: Links data seamlessly from various systems.

    • Wearables monitor chronic conditions and provide real-time data in nonclinical settings.

Information Technology

  • Health care is information-intensive and needs effective management and analysis of data to enhance patient care.

  • Technologies incorporate data management to support decision-making.

Knowledge Technology

  • Knowledge technology generates clinical decision support (CDS), helping healthcare professionals make informed decisions.

  • CDS components:

    • Drug-dosing calculators

    • Clinical alerts (e.g., allergy checks, dose range checking)

Decision Support Systems

  • Interactive computer programs that simulate human expert reasoning.

  • Crucial points include knowledge base integration and inferencing mechanisms.

  • AI applications, such as IBM's Watson, extract clinical evidence to support decision-making and care improvement.

Communication Technology

  • Interaction among healthcare workers and patients facilitated through tools (e.g., pagers, smartphones).

  • Voice recognition and speech technologies are enhancing engagement and efficiency in documenting care.

Impact on Patient Care

  • Clinical Information Systems (CIS): Manage large volumes of care data, improving efficiency and accuracy of clinical operations.

  • EHR and EMR adoption assessment by HIMSS indicates steady progression through electronic medical record (EMR) implementation stages.

Ethical Considerations

  • Patient safety at the core involves managing the intersections of technology and nursing practice.

  • Adoption of digital technologies must be aligned with strategies for privacy, confidentiality, and ethical standards of care.

Conclusion

  • Nurses are essential for optimizing the adoption and use of technologies in patient care.

  • Continuous education in informatics and technology use is vital for professionals in nursing to maintain high care standards.

  • There is a critical need for communication between nursing practice and health informatics to enhance the quality and safety of patient care.

References

  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2021). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education.

  • American Nurses Association (ANA). (2015). Nursing informatics: Practice scope and standards of practice.

  • Institute of Medicine (IOM). (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health.