NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers

Week 1 discussion
The Effects of “To Err Is Human” in Nursing Practice
The 1999 landmark study titled “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System” highlighted the unacceptably high incidence of U.S. medical errors and put forth recommendations to improve patient safety. Since its publication, the recommendations in “To Err Is Human’” have guided significant changes in nursing practice in the United States.
In this Discussion, you will review these recommendations and consider the role of health information technology in helping address concerns presented in the report.
To prepare:
ORDER A CUSTOM-WRITTEN PAPER NOW
Review the summary of “To Err Is Human” presented in the Plawecki and Amrhein article found in this week’s Learning Resources. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Consider the following statement:
“The most significant barrier to improving patient safety identified in “To Err Is Human”is a “lack of awareness of the extent to which errors occur daily in all health care settings and organizations (Wakefield, 2008).”
Review “The Quality Chasm Series: Implications for Nursing” focusing on Table 3: “Simple Rules for the 21st Century Health Care System.” Consider your current organization or one with which you are familiar. Reflect on one of the rules where the “current rule” is still in operation in the organization and consider another instance in which the organization has effectively transitioned to the new rule.
By Day 3
Post your thoughts on how the development of information technology has helped address the concerns about patient safety raised in the “To Err Is Human” report. Summarize how informatics has assisted in improving health care safety in your organization and areas where growth is still needed.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Week 2 discussion
Nursing Informatics Competencies
Today’s fast-paced health care environment demands nurses to be skilled not only in their clinical practice or specialty area but in the use of technology tools that improve practice and lead to better patient care. Basic and advanced technology competencies are required and expected as technology increasingly touches and changes the job of every nurse. Numerous organizations, including the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), have developed nurse-specific technology competencies. The challenge for nurses is to identify both needs and training opportunities.
In this Discussion, you identify the role informatics plays in your professional responsibilities. You pinpoint personal gaps in skills and knowledge and then develop a plan for self-improvement. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
To prepare:
Review Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice in this week’s Learning Resources, focusing on the different functional areas it describes. Consider which areas relate to your current nursing responsibilities or to a position you held in the past. For this Discussion, identify one or two of the most relevant functional areas.
Review the list of competencies recommended by the TIGER Initiative. Identify at least one skill in each of the main areas (basic computer competencies, information literacy competencies, and information management competencies) that is pertinent to your functional area(s) and in which you need to strengthen your abilities. Consider how you could improve your skills in these areas and the resources within your organization that might provide training and support.
By Day 3
Post the key functional area(s) of nursing informatics relevant to your current position or to a position you recently held, and briefly describe why this area(s) is relevant. Identify the TIGER competencies you selected as essential to your functional area(s) in which you need improvement. Describe why these competencies are necessary and outline a plan for developing these competencies. Include any resources that are available to you within your organization and the ways you might access those resources. Assess how developing nursing informatics competencies would increase your effectiveness as a nurse.NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using the following approach: Assume the role of a consultant. Respond to your colleagues as someone who can offer advice on improving their skills on the competencies they identified as needing improvement. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Week 3 discussion
Standardized Coding Systems
As a result of the fragmented nature of the health care system, professionals in various specialty areas of medicine have developed their own unique sets of terminology to communicate within that specialty. In the past, limited attention has been given to codifying practices in order for them to be understood and utilized across disciplines or through different information technology systems. The implementation of a federally mandated electronic medical records system, therefore, poses a challenge to nursing professionals and others who must be prepared to utilize standardized codes for the new system. Why are coding standards important for promoting consistent, high-quality care?
According to Rutherford (2008, para. 15), “Improved communication with other nurses, health care professionals, and administrators of the institution in which nurses work is a key benefit of using a standardized nursing language.” In this Discussion you consider the reasoning behind and the value of standardized codification. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
To prepare:
Review the information in Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice. Determine which set of terminologies are appropriate for your specialty or area of expertise.
Reflect on the importance of continuity in terminology and coding systems.
In the article, “Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice?” the author recounts a visit to a local hospital to view its implementation of a new coding system. One of the nurses commented to her, “We document our care using standardized nursing languages but we don’t fully understand why we do” (Rutherford, 2008, para. 1). Consider how you would inform this nurse (and others like her) of the importance of standardized nursing terminologies.
Reflect on the value of using a standard language in nursing practice. Consider if standardization can be limited to a specialty area or if one standard language is needed across all nursing practice. Then, identify examples of standardization in your own specialty or area of expertise. Conduct additional research using the Walden Library that supports your thoughts on standardization of nursing terminology.
By Day 3
Post an explanation of why nurses need to document care using standardized nursing languages and whether this standardization can be limited to specialty areas or if it should be across all nursing practice. Support your response using specific examples from your own specialty or area of expertise and using at least one additional resource from the Walden Library. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Week 4 discussion
Current Information and Communication Technologies
With so much attention focused on health care reform, it is important that nurses be given the opportunity to use high-quality technology tools. These tools can increase access to vital medical information, promote effective communication among health care professionals, and improve the patient experience. By actively seeking out and adopting these tools, nurses can greatly enhance the quality and safety of care that they provide. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
This Discussion focuses on identifying quality technology tools that increase the ability of nurses to provide safe, effective care.
To prepare:
Review the various technology tools described in this week’s Learning Resources.
Identify a recently adopted information, education, or communication technology tool in your specialty area. Reflect on how it is used and how its use impacts the quality of care.
Consider how your identified technology tool might impact nursing practice if it were more widely used. What are some barriers preventing increased usage? How could wider implementation be facilitated?
By Day 3
Post a description of a current or new information, education, or communication technology tool that is being used in your specialty area and assess its impact on the quality of care. Highlight the effect that increased use of this technology would have on nursing practice and discuss the barriers that are slowing or hindering its adoption. Summarize how adoption of the technology tool could be facilitated.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Week 5 discussion
Electronic Health Records
Electronic health records (EHRs) are at the center stage of the effort to improve health care quality and control costs. In addition to allowing medical practitioners to access and record clinical documentation at much faster rates, EHRs are also positively influencing care delivery and nurse-patient interaction. Yet despite the potential benefits of EHRs, their implementation can be a formidable task that has broad-reaching implications for an entire health care organization. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
In this Discussion, you appraise strategies for obtaining the benefits and overcoming the challenges of implementing and using electronic health records.
To Prepare:
Review the Learning Resources focusing on the implementation of EHRs in an organization. Reflect on the various approaches used.
If applicable, consider your own experiences with implementing EHRs. What were some positive aspects of the implementation? What suggestions would you make to improve the process?
Reflect on the reactions of others during the implementation process. Were concerns handled effectively?
If you have not had any experiences with an EHR implementation, talk to someone who has and get his or her feedback on the experience.
Search the Walden Library for examples of effective and poor implementation of EHRs.
By Day 3
Post an overview of at least three challenges in the implementation of electronic health records and provide an example of each challenge. Develop strategies for addressing each challenge based on what has been demonstrated to be successful. Cite your resources. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
Week 6 discussion
Successful Implementation of Electronic Health Information Technology
Since the inception of the HITECH Act, health organizations have faced increased pressure to update their health information technology (HIT) resources. As discussed last week, many believe that the increased use of electronic health records and the quick and efficient communication afforded by HIT can lead to improved quality of patient care. Yet there are significant costs associated with implementing such systems. What can organizations do to ensure that the correct system is selected and that the system will be appropriate for those required to use it? Who should be involved in those decisions?
This week introduces the systems development life cycle and discusses how it can guide an organization through the complexities of adopting a new HIT system. In this Discussion, you are asked to consider the role of nurses in the SDLC process.
To prepare:
Review the steps of the systems development life cycle.
Think about your own organization, or one with which you are familiar, and the steps the organization goes through when purchasing and implementing a new HIT system.
Consider what a nurse could contribute to decisions made at each stage when planning for new health information technology. What might be the consequences of not involving nurses?
Reflect on your own experiences with your organization selecting and implementing new technology. As an end user, do you feel you had any input in the selection or and planning of the new HIT system? NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
By Day 3
Post an analysis of the ramifications of an organization not involving nurses in each stage of the systems development life cycle when purchasing and implementing a new HIT system. Give specific examples of potential issues at each stage and how the inclusion of nurses could help avoid such issues.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight fro NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papersm having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Week 7 discussion
Understanding Workflow Design
As you explored last week, the implementation of a new technology can dramatically affect the workflow of an organization. Newly implemented technologies can initially limit the productivity of users as they adjust to their new tools. Such implementations tend to be so significant that they often require workflows to be redesigned in order to achieve improvements in safety and patient outcomes. However, before workflows can be redesigned, they must first be analyzed. This analysis includes each step in completing a certain process. Some systems duplicate efforts or contain unnecessary steps that waste time and money and could even jeopardize patient health care. By reviewing and modifying the workflow, you enable greater productivity. This drive to implement new technologies has elevated the demand for nurses who can perform workflow analysis.
In this Discussion you explore resources that have been designed to help guide you through the process of workflow assessment. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
To prepare:
Take a few minutes and peruse the information found in the article “Workflow Assessment for Health IT Toolkit” listed in this week’s Learning Resources.
As you check out the information located on the different tabs, identify key concepts that you could use to improve a workflow in your own organization and consider how you could use them.
Go the Research tab and identify and read one article that is of interest to you and relates to your specialty area.
By Day 3
Post a summary of three different concepts you found in “Workflow Assessment for Health IT Toolkit” that would help in redesigning a workflow in the organization in which you work (or one with which you are familiar) and describe how you would apply them. Next, summarize the article you selected and assess how you could use the information to improve workflow within your organization. Finally, evaluate the importance of monitoring the effect of technology on workflow. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. Focus particularly on questions raised for which you can add comments based on your experiences or situations. Consider how your colleagues’ postings reflect and/or differ from your own perceptions and opinions. Review the Learning Resources for any clarification needed before responding.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
Week 8 discussion
Using Health Information Technology as a Source of Evidence-Based Practice
Before the digital revolution, health information technology supplied very limited support for evidence-based practice. If nurses wanted to be informed about cutting-edge research, their best bet was to either subscribe to leading journals or make periodic trips to the library. With the establishment of research databases, however, nurses became empowered to learn about and facilitate interdisciplinary and translational research. Databases are just one example of how health information technology supports evidence-based practice.
To prepare:
Read the following scenario from the text (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2011, p. 482):
Twelve-hour shifts are problematic for patient and nurse safety, and yet hospitals continue to keep the 12-hour shift schedule. In 2004, the Institute of Medicine (Board on Health Care Services & Institute of Medicine, 2004) published a report that referred to studies as early as 1988 that discussed the negative effects of rotating shifts on intervention accuracy. Workers with 12-hour shifts realized more fatigue than workers on 8-hour shifts. In another study done in Turkey by Ilhan, Durukan, Aras, Turkcuoglu, and Aygun (2006), factors relating to increased risk for injury were age of 24 or less, less than 4 years of nursing experience, working in the surgical intensive care units, and working for more than 8 hours. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
Consider how the resources identified in the scenario above could influence an organization’s practice.
Select an issue in your practice that is of concern to you. Using health information technology, locate at least three evidence-based practice resources that address your concern and that could possibly inform further action.
By Day 3
Post a description of your practice concern. Outline how you used health information technology to locate evidence-based practices that address this concern. Cite and include insights from the resources. Analyze how health information technology supports evidence-based practice. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. Focus particularly on those questions raised to which you can add comments based on shared experiences or situations. Consider how your colleagues’ postings reflect and/or differ from your own perceptions and opinions. Review the Learning Resources for any clarification needed before responding.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Week 9 discussion
HITECH Legislation
In order for organizations to receive the incentives offered through the HITECH legislation, they must be able to demonstrate that they are using the technology in meaningful ways. The following criteria for meaningful use must be evident to qualify for EHR incentives (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2012). The technology must:
Improve quality, safety, and efficiency, and reduce health disparities
Engage patients and families
Improve care coordination
Improve population and public health
Ensure adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information
For this Discussion you consider the impact of the meaningful use criteria of the HITECH legislation on the adoption of health information technology. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on the HITECH legislation and its primary goals.
Reflect on the positive and negative impact this legislation has had on your organization or one with which you are familiar.
Consider the incentives to encourage the use of EHRs. Focus on the definition of meaningful use and how it is measured.
Reflect on how the incentives and meaningful use impact the quality of patient care.
Find an article in the Walden Library dealing with one of the criteria to qualify for meaningful use and how it has been successfully met.
By Day 3
Post a description of how HITECH legislation has positively or negatively impacted your organization. Address how its related incentives influence the adoption of health information technology in health care and impact the quality of patient care. Provide a summary of the article you identified and explain how it demonstrates the ability of health information technology to meet the requirements of meaningful use.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
Week 10 discussion
Security of Health Care Records
With the increase of health information technology used to store and access patient information, the likelihood of security breaches has also risen. In fact, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ):
In the United States, there was a whopping 97% increase in the number of health records breached from 2010 to 2011… The number of patient records accessed in each breach has also increased substantially, from 26,968 (in 2010) to 49,394 (in 2011). Since August 2009, when the US government regulated that any breach affecting more than 500 patients be publicly disclosed, a total of 385 breaches, involving more than 19 million records, have been reported to the Department of Health and Human Services.
A large portion of those breaches, 39%, occurred because of a lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised portable electronic device—a problem that will likely only get worse as iPads, smartphones, and other gadgets become more common in hospitals. (CMAJ, 2012, p. E215).
Consider your own experiences. Does your organization use portable electronic devices? What safeguards are in place to ensure the security of data and patient information? For this Discussion you consider ethical and security issues surrounding the protection of digital health information. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources dealing with the security of digital health care information. Reflect on your own organization or one with which you are familiar, and think about how health information stored electronically is protected.
Consider the nurse’s responsibility to ensure the protection of patient information. What strategies can you use?
Reflect on ethical issues that are likely to arise with the increased access to newer, smaller, and more powerful technology tools.
Consider strategies that can be implemented to ensure that the use of HIT contributes to an overall culture of safety.
By Day 3
Post an analysis of the nurse’s responsibility to protect patient information and the extent that HIT has made it easier or more difficult to protect patient privacy. Comment on any security or ethical issues related to the use of portable devices to store information. Assess the strategies your organization uses to safeguard patient information and how these promote a culture of safety. Describe an area where improvement is needed and one strategy that could address the situation.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Week 11 discussion
Health Literacy
In order to effectively manage their own health, individuals need to have competencies in two areas—basic literacy and basic health literacy. What is the difference? Basic literacy refers to the ability to read, even simple language. Health literacy is defined as, “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (National Coalition for Literacy, 2009). Unfortunately, according to a Department of Education report on health literacy, only 12% of adults aged 16 and older are considered to have a proficient level of health literacy (U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Acquiring health literacy skills has become more complicated with the explosion of online health information, some credible and some misleading.
In this Discussion, you focus on how to help individuals find credible information on the Internet and develop strategies nurses can use to increase the health literacy of their patients.
To prepare:
Think about the nurse’s role in improving the health literacy of patients.
Consider the many ways patients access health information, including blogs, social media, patient portals, websites, etc.
Reflect on experiences you have had with patients who self-diagnose using online medical sources.
Using the Internet, the Walden Library, or other trustworthy sources, identify a resource that you could introduce to patients to help them evaluate the credibility of health information found online. NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing & Healthcare Through Information Technology Discussion Papers
What are some strategies you could employ to improve the health literacy of patients?
By Day 3
Post your assessment of the nurse’s role in improving the health literacy of patients. Then, identify the resource you would recommend to patients for evaluating online health information and why it would be beneficial. Describe additional strategies for assisting pati