As you plan, develop, implement and evaluate your nursing practicum project, reflect on how this project and your graduate education have prepared you to meet the growing needs of healthcare and the diverse populations we serve.

This week you will address Essential V: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies.

o Recognizes that the master’s-prepared nurse uses patient-care technologies

to deliver and enhance care and uses communication technologies to

integrate and coordinate care.

400 words 2 resources

Rationale

Informatics and healthcare technologies encompass five broad areas:

• Use of patient care and other technologies to deliver and enhance care;

• Communication technologies to integrate and coordinate care;

• Data management to analyze and improve outcomes of care;

• Health information management for evidence-based care and health education;

and

• Facilitation and use of electronic health records to improve patient care.

Knowledge and skills in each of these four broad areas is essential for all master’sprepared

nurses. The extent and focus of each will vary depending upon the nurse’s role,

setting, and practice focus.

Knowledge and skills in information and healthcare technology are critical to the delivery

of quality patient care in a variety of settings (IOM, 2003a). The use of technologies to

deliver, enhance, and document care is changing rapidly. In addition, information

technology systems, including decision-support systems, are essential to gathering

evidence to impact practice. Improvement in cost effectiveness and safety depend on

evidence-based practice, outcomes research, interprofessional care coordination, and

electronic health records, all of which involve information management and technology

(McNeil et al., 2006). As nursing and healthcare practices evolve to better meet patient

needs, the application of these technologies will change as well.

As the use of technology expands, the master’s-prepared nurse must have the knowledge

and skills to use current technologies to deliver and coordinate care across multiple

settings, analyze point of care outcomes, and communicate with individuals and groups,

including the media, policymakers, other healthcare professionals, and the public.

Integral to these skills is an attitude of openness to innovation and continual learning, as

information systems and care technologies are constantly changing, including their use at

the point of care.

Graduates of master’s-level nursing programs will have competence to determine the

appropriate use of technologies and integrate current and emerging technologies into

one’s practice and the practice of others to enhance care outcomes. In addition, the

master’s-prepared nurse will be able to educate other health professionals, staff, patients,

and caregivers using current technologies and about the principles related to the safe and

effective use of care and information technologies.

Graduates ethically manage data, information, knowledge, and technology to

communicate effectively with healthcare team, patients, and caregivers to integrate safe

and effective care within and across settings. Master’s-prepared nurses use research and

clinical evidence to inform practice decisions.

Master’s-degree graduates are prepared to gather, document, and analyze outcome data

that serve as a foundation for decision making and the implementation of interventions or

strategies to improve care outcomes. The master’s-prepared nurse uses statistical and

epidemiological principles to synthesize these data, information, and knowledge to

evaluate and achieve optimal health outcomes.

The usefulness of electronic health records and other health information management

systems to evaluate care outcomes is improved by standardized terminologies. Integration

of standardized terminologies in information systems supports day-to-day nursing

practice and also the capacity to enhance interprofessional communication and generate

standardized data to continuously evaluate and improve practice (American Nurses

Association, 2008). Master’s-prepared nurses use information and communication

technologies to provide guidance and oversight for the development and implementation

of health education programs, evidence-based policies, and point-of-care practices by

members of the interdisciplinary care team.

Health information is growing exponentially. Health literacy is a powerful tool in health

promotion, disease prevention, management of chronic illnesses, and quality of life–all of

which are hallmarks of excellence in nursing practice. Master’s-prepared nurses serve as

information managers, patient advocates, and educators by assisting others(including

patients, students, caregivers and healthcare professionals) in accessing, understanding,

evaluating, and applying health-related information. The master’s-prepared nurse designs

and implements education programs for cohorts of patients or other healthcare providers

using information and communication technologies.

The master’s-degree program prepares the graduate to:

1. Analyze current and emerging technologies to support safe practice environments,

and to optimize patient safety, cost-effectiveness, and health outcomes.

2. Evaluate outcome data using current communication technologies, information

systems, and statistical principles to develop strategies to reduce risks and improve

health outcomes.

3. Promote policies that incorporate ethical principles and standards for the use of health

and information technologies.

4. Provide oversight and guidance in the integration of technologies to document patient

care and improve patient outcomes.

5. Use information and communication technologies, resources, and principles of

learning to teach patients and others.

6. Use current and emerging technologies in the care environment to support lifelong

learning for self and others.

Sample Content

• Use of technology, information management systems, and standardized

terminology

• Use of standardized terminologies to document and analyze nursing care

outcomes

• Bio-health informatics

• Regulatory requirements for electronic data monitoring systems

• Ethical and legal issues related to the use of information technology, including

copyright, privacy, and confidentiality issues

• Retrieval information systems, including access, evaluation of data, and

application of relevant data to patient care

• Statistical principles and analyses of outcome data

• Online review and resources for evidence-based practice

• Use and implementation of technology for virtual care delivery and monitoring

• Electronic health record, including policies related to the implementation of and

use to impact care outcomes

• Complementary roles of the master’s-prepared nursing and information

technology professionals, including nurse informaticist and quality officer

• Use of technology to analyze data sets and their use to evaluate patient care

outcomes

• Effective use of educational/instructional technology

• Point-of-care information systems and decision support systems