NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
Grand Canyon University NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE– Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Grand Canyon University NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.
How to Research and Prepare for NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Grand Canyon University NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.
How to Write the Introduction for NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
The introduction for the Grand Canyon University NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.
How to Write the Body for NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
After the introduction, move into the main part of the NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.
Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.
How to Write the Conclusion for NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.
How to Format the References List for NUR 514 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.
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Sample Answer for NUR 514 Benchmark-Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
Health informatics comprise one of the most effective ways to enhance quality care and patient outcomes. Patients receive better medical care if health care providers have access to complete and accurate information. Many studies demonstrate that electronic health records (EHRs) can enhance the ability to diagnose diseases and reduce and prevent medical errors that leads to optimal patient outcomes (Hansen et al., 2019). Implementing an electronic health records system in a health care facility is one of the critical aspects of attaining quality care and increasing patient satisfaction. The benefits of EHRs as a form of health informatics are broad. On this basis, the paper explores the role of nurse practitioners in different situations in implementing an EHR system in their facilities.
Tracking Opportunities based on the Database
An effective electronic health record system provides the basis for an organization to develop a functional health information system to enhance efficiencies. However, an EHR enables nurse practitioners to track healthcare settings opportunities through an array of information available in such systems. Health data comprises patient information, demographic data, administrative data, health status, medical history, current medical interventions and management, and information on outcomes (Health IT.gov, 2017). A detailed database will comprise current and potentially sensitive information concerning individual patients and families or group populations. Health providers frequently enter clinical and laboratory data into the system as an electronic record for patient care.
The information sources in the database may differ. For instance, data comes from hospital discharge abstracts, self-completed patent respondents’ questionnaires, submissions of insurance claims, employees’ files, and computerized pharmacy records. Personally identified data contained pieces of information or facts that refer to an individual, which allows for identification. Information can also come from the electronic medical records (EMRs) of patients (Aldosari, 2017). EMRs contain medical information, while EHRs contain data related to the health of an individual. Therefore, opportunities arise from nurses and providers’ ability to use data from EHRs to make effective decisions using frameworks like the Clinical Decision Support (CDS). CDS opportunities include improved quality and health care outcomes through avoiding errors and adverse effects, reduced costs and enhanced efficiency, and patient satisfaction. Again, data from the EHRs system allow practitioners to use Computerized physician order entry (CPOE), which entails automation of the medication ordering process. The use of CPOE improves patient safety and efficiency in care when incorporated with CDSs and EHRs.
Role of Informatics in Capturing Data
Health information technology allows facilities to collect data monitoring the effects of a new EHR to enhance performance. Health informatics manages health information and utilizes information technology tools to organize health records to improve health outcomes. Informatics nurses must manage, interpret, and communicate health information with the primary purpose of improving care quality. Informatics has improved care through better documentation, improved care coordination, and minimization of medical errors (Yen et al., 2017). Caring for patients begins with collecting data on the patient’s medical history, clinical symptoms, history of allergies, and the current list of medications. Nurses collect this data and document it in the electronic database. Nurses and other health professionals can retrieve and record information in the system in real-time to reduce medication errors by effectively integrating alerts for medical reactions and allergies. The implication is that informatics nurses have a critical role in capturing data included in the electronic health record system for patients in their facilities.
Systems and Staff Members Involved in Designing and Implementation Process and Team
The selection and design of an EHRs system rely mainly on the organizational needs, However, while corporate needs should influence the system selection, the organization and its management must develop an effective implementation strategic plan consisting of many experts and professionals from different areas and departments within the entity. The system should demonstrate the ease of interaction between other users, especially patients and care providers, and should not impede communication between the critical stakeholders.
The multidisciplinary approach in initiating the EHR system indicates the need for stakeholders to understand the new framework, ensuring consistency based on protection and security, structure work processes, and preparing group consideration (McCororie, 2019). Practical training on EHR usage allows practitioners to adjust to the new model that benefits patients, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers. The implication is that the organization must have an effective team that understands or designs an implementation process based on an information strategy that emphasizes information governance.
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The organization should create an execution group or team from different departments, design the product or system, identify equipment needs, share information, and enhance pre-dispatch processes. Successful implementation will entail having an effective team and having insight and expertise in their respective areas. As a new project in the organization, the EHR system should have a leader, project manager, and top users, mainly nurses, and patients. The lead physicist connects health care professionals and other staff using the system. The project manager is in charge of the entire project and ensures that all deliverables are attained (Bjarnadottir et al., 2017). Nurses, top users of the new system, and IT experts in the organization, and administrative staff and physicians will provide essential inputs in designing and implementing the system. Collaboration is a crucial aspect of the successful implementation of the new system, and all these individuals are critical to the plan.
Professional, Ethical & Regulatory Standards in Designing and Implementation of the System
It is essential to consider different ethical, professional, and regulatory requirements and standards in designing and implementing the EHRs system. Professional standards entail requirements set by professional associations that guide decisions of nurse practitioners in different settings. The American Nurses Association emphasizes the need for safety and positive patient outcomes in deploying information technologies in health care (Balestra, 2017). The association asserts that informatics nurses should ensure data accuracy and proficiency when collecting, storing, scrutinizing, and reporting information. Ethical principles are also essential and consist of different areas related to privacy, confidentiality, and security. Health care providers must design, execute, and evaluate the EHR system’s use within their health care settings.
The integration of regulatory requirements by existing federal legislation like the Health Information Technology and Clinical Health Act (HITECH and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a critical aspect of compliance. Health care organizations must protect patient’s health data and personal information. Privacy, security, confidentiality requirements should also be considered to attain practical and effective use of electronic health information. The HITECH regulations emphasize the need to comply with HIPAA standards and increase the legal responsibility for entities that fail to comply with set requirements on data use and security.
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Order Sets as part of the New Record
Health care entities are deploying evidence-based practices to improve quality care. The use of clinical order sets based on evidence-based guidelines within the EHR system reduces errors and enhances patient outcomes. Consequently, to attain useful and current order sets, the team should incorporate these components into their design. Therefore, to achieve success in this model, get a buy-in from the main stakeholders, and satisfaction from providers, the team needs to have a lead physician’s formal governance structure (Balestra, 2017). Imperatively, clinical order sets should have the best practices and organizational standards that entail identifying and selecting data content sources, reviewing content, and maintaining and updating these resources. The team should establish a process to identify and replace content that can impact patient safety or care quality if the content is not current.
Communicating Changes
Managing change requires the deployment of principles, techniques, and prescriptions that allow people to accept the transition and improve overall implementation. Kotter’s change model is sufficient, and the team must use it to generate leadership and momentum for change. Health care providers may possess different responses to change processes in the organization, as some may accept, while others may require time. Therefore, it is essential to communicate these changes by laying out how the team will roll out the EHR system. The unit can use Kotter’s 8-Step Model to communicate the changes based on the steps that include creating an urgency for transformation, forming a powerful coalition, and developing a vision for the changes. The team should then communicate the vision, remove any hurdles, and create short-term wins while building on the changes (McCororie et al., 2019). Finally, they should incorporate the change as part of their organizational culture. The team can communicate the changes using different layers of communication channels that include banners, posters, and creating flyers and emails to individual practitioners.
Evaluation of the EHR Implementation from a Staff, Setting, and Patient Perspective
Before the implementation of the project, a set of parameters of what constitutes success should be created. Kotter’s 8-Step Model for change can offer guidelines for milestones at each step of the implementation. Short achievement and developing milestones are some of the goals established in the initial plan before implementation. For instance, the team can set milestones and goals like assessing the stakeholders’ readiness to transition and plan on how to launch the EHRs system based on the assessment and attainment of meaningful utilization. Secondly, keen preparation at the start is critical to the successful implementation of the EHR, but having realistic anticipations and a manageable time frame is essential (Laukka et al., 2020). Once the performance is complete, continual tracking is critical in assessing how internal users deploy the new system. The monitoring is essential as it will ensure the successful implementation of the EHR system.
Leadership Skills and Theories to Facilitate Collaboration with Inter-Professional Team
The implementation of the EHRs system is intricate and presents significant challenges. Therefore, practical leadership skills are essential for successful implementation. Leadership skills will enhance the Lead physician and team’s ability to attain buy-in from users and other stakeholders. The requisite skills include excellent communication attributes, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and techniques, and project management skills.
Communication skills are essential because the team and management must engage employees and other stakeholders like patients on the system’s benefits. Importantly, successful designing and implementing the EHRs system requires staff participation from diverse expertise, perspectives, and experiences. Therefore, communication skills are a critical aspect of the overall project’s success (McCororie et al., 2019). The team and its leadership require effective project management and technical skills to ease the understanding and deliverable of the expected outcomes.
Transformative and contingency leadership theories will be appropriate in designing and implementing the EHRs system in the facility. Transformational leadership will ensure that stakeholders collaborate to attain a common goal. Leaders have to motivate, stimulate, and inspire all providers to embrace the innovative way of interacting with customers. The situational leadership model means that leaders will make decisions based on the circumstances and enhance all stakeholders’ effective participation. These theories implore leaders to nurture their subordinates and provide directions based on the situation.
Conclusion
Implementing the EHR system is a critical aspect of improving care quality and getting different opportunities for providers, primarily through the deployment of CDSs and CEOs. Therefore, healthcare organizations’ leaders should implement EHR systems to enhance efficiency, quality care, and other benefits from health information technologies. An integrative approach is essential in implementing an EHR system where all stakeholders are incorporated into the plan. Most importantly, leaders implementing EHR should deploy effective leadership styles and possess relevant skills to attain such projects’ goals.
Sample Answer 2 for NUR 514 Benchmark-Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
The current health practice has evolved in multiple dimensions, including better clinical systems, increased access, and more emphasis on patient-centered care. As these developments occur, technology has been instrumental in evolving critical patient care dimensions. As a result, nursing informaticists and other healthcare practitioners should embrace innovation and guide their organizations in tracking care improvement opportunities and intervening appropriately. For innovation to succeed, healthcare facilities should have the appropriate culture and resources to support and facilitate change (Sharplin et al., 2019). Advanced practice nurses should also play their role as change leaders effectively. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an opportunity for care improvement and the necessary considerations for implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) system.
An Opportunity for Tracking Care Improvement and Database Information
When visiting healthcare facilities, patients always look forward to a comprehensive analysis of their conditions. However, such care can only be achieved if the facilities have efficient and up-to-date EHR systems and other tools for clinical decision support. Effective EHR systems improve care efficiency and reduce inconveniences occasioned by medical errors (Kehsta & Odeh, 2021). A suitable opportunity for tracking care improvement is a system’s task completion rate. In everyday practice, systems’ inefficiencies hamper care outcomes by causing treatment delays or failing to facilitate quick information sharing between providers. An upgrade of the system’s operating system can produce better results in such instances. The other option is implementing a new EHR system to capture patient data easily, enable quick analysis, and ensure that practitioners can share crucial data in real time.
A database contains essential health information to guide practitioners in decision-making. In clinical settings, a database should allow clinicians to store information in a way that can be accessed and managed easily. Appropriate data updates should also be done conveniently. Key information in the database should be primarily about patients. Such information includes patients’ demographics, problems, and current medications (CMS.gov, 2023). The other crucial information relevant to clinicians and patients includes progress notes and time spent during the care process. Further analysis of the time spent during the care process can indicate whether the new EHR system requires improvements.
Role of Informatics in Data Capturing and Project Management Strategies
Informatics is at the center of healthcare evolution and plays an instrumental role in promoting data-driven care. According to Estiri et al. (2018), informatics allows clinicians to capture information rapidly to facilitate quick decision-making. Through informatics, patient information can also be captured in multiple formats, although organizations must have highly interoperable systems to use such data effectively. The implication is that the clinical setting embracing informatics would benefit from quick information capturing, further improving collation, analysis, storage, and retrieval.
Implementing system changes typifies engaging in a project designed to improve patient outcomes. Essential project management strategies and methodologies include teamwork, planning, design, and implementation. Teamwork is crucial in improving quality in clinical practice since it allows people to share perspectives and address a common issue creatively. Regarding system changes, Aguirre et al. (2019) underlined that EHR implementation could be challenging hence the need for effective planning to minimize errors. The planning phase is broad since it entails assessing the selection criteria of teams and intended system performance, including interoperability and confidentiality. Concerning design, maximum consideration of the infrastructure is crucial to ensure clinicians are provided with a robust system and tools to transform practice (Estiri et al., 2018). Implementation denotes putting the system into use. In the current context, it should be implemented after successful piloting and when users can use it comfortably and effectively.
Systems, Staff Members, and the Role of the Advanced Registered Nurse
System implementation should be a collaborative task. Such an approach is crucial since diverse leaders and healthcare teams have different skills and competencies, which are essential in informed decision-making. In clinical practice, shared perspectives improve decision-making since information can be analyzed and critiqued (Roodbeen et al., 2021). Systems necessary in the design and implementation process include communication and health information technology (IT) systems. Communication systems are crucial for enabling healthy interaction between team members, while IT systems are valuable for data collection, analysis, and other related functions. Staff members include the organization’s management, IT department members, system analysts and designers, nurse leaders, and nurses as the end users. Involving nurses as the end users is vital since they will be interacting with the system regularly. Hence, they should understand its basic features, functionality, and how to use it for optimal patient care.
Successful organizations should be open to change and support innovation. Consequently, they should promote evidence-based practice (EBP) and support quality improvement initiatives. As Sharplin et al. (2019) suggested, EBP thrives in a culture ready for change and in organizations that support and reward innovation. In this setting, advanced registered nurses are mandated to identify opportunities for quality improvement and propose interventions for enhancing outcomes. For instance, advanced practice nurses design education programs to reduce infections and improve health literacy. This implies that they are pivotal in practice transformation and ensuring progressive improvement in healthcare processes and outcomes.
Strategies for Implementing the New EHR Proposal
The new EHR system is expected to improve clinical outcomes and have new features, including design, themes, and layout. As a result, communication about the proposed changes is essential to ensure its targeted users are mentally ready for it. Readiness for change reduces possible resistance hence quick implementation (Sharplin et al., 2019). When everyone is ready, a transition to the new system can occur. Here, clinicians would start using the new EHR system to perform tasks quicker than the previous system. A crucial component of the transitioning process is user education to ensure nurses and other users can use the system competently and confidently. Teamwork should also be encouraged before everyone is conversant with the new system. Change leaders should also monitor nurses’ experience with the new system and intervene in areas where user challenges are witnessed. Doing so would allow leaders to design post-implementation support for the sustainable use of the new EHR system.
Professional, Ethical, and Regulatory Standards
EHRs are the foundation of health information exchange. They facilitate the exchange of protected health information (PHI) hence the need for compliance with the established standards. Professional standards that must be incorporated into the system’s design and implementation include user-centeredness and interoperability. User-centeredness can be achieved by an institutive design that is user-friendly to encourage healthcare professionals to use a system (Micheal et al., 2021). Interoperability entails a system’s capacity to share information among different users. It should also be a priority area since interoperable systems should be convenient and safe to use.
The most crucial ethical standards to consider are security, privacy, and confidentiality. The system should be secure from internal and external attacks that can hamper its efficiency. Effective system security is achieved by implementing appropriate safety measures. A secure EHR system is also able to protect patients’ private information (Kehsta & Odeh, 2021). Confidentiality is achieved by ensuring identifiable health information is inaccessible to unauthorized users. Regarding regulatory standards, the EHR system should adhere to the principles of meaningful use. In this case, all the design considerations should enable healthcare professionals to use the system to improve care outcomes such as quality and safety. For instance, quick information sharing would improve care quality and patient satisfaction due to timely care.
Success Evaluation
EHR system implementation can be tedious and time-consuming. Evaluating outcomes would help to determine whether the desired goals were achieved. From a staff perspective, the EHR system should improve communication and teamwork between clinicians. Effective communication and sustained teamwork are the foundation of interprofessional collaboration (Schot et al., 2020). Other outcome measures include improved efficiency (task completion speed) and patient care characterized by minimal errors and treatment delays. The setting would benefit from teamwork and efficiency to increase its productivity, leading to higher revenue. Efficient systems also enhance job satisfaction, reducing fatigue and other potential causes of staff burnout. From a patient perspective, the system’s success could be evaluated by increased satisfaction, reduced treatment delays, and better patient-provider interaction. The implication is that patient experience would improve, and failure to achieve these goals would necessitate further practice improvements.
Leadership Skills and Theories for Collaboration and Evidence-Based, Patient-Centered Care
An interprofessional team comprises members with diverse skills and roles. Keeping such a team motivated and glued to accomplishing its role is a critical success factor. Leadership skills crucial in facilitating collaboration with the interprofessional team include open communication, dialogue, and respect. It is crucial for all team members to be respected, irrespective of their ranks and roles. Open communication and dialogue encourage sharing information and ensure all perspectives are incorporated in decision-making (Albert et al., 2020). The transformational leadership theory would facilitate collaboration with the team and provide evidence-based, patient-centered care. According to Collins et al. (2020), transformational leadership focuses on empowering and motivating the team by utilizing a leader’s influential attributes and behaviors. In a transformative approach, the leader carries the team’s vision and inspires the team to work together for a shared purpose. A similar approach would be required in the EHR system implementation due to the diverse nature of team members.
Conclusion
Healthcare organizations require efficient systems for the continuous delivery of high patient outcomes. As a result, appropriate system changes should be encouraged to ensure clinical settings benefit from technology and informatics as they strive to optimize patient outcomes. When designing and implementing a new EHR system, nurses and other change leaders should be guided by professional, ethical, and regulatory standards. Adherence to these standards would ensure the system complies with the foundation principles of standard practice. Since system design and implementation require teamwork, transformational leadership should be highly recommended. A transformational approach encourages shared decision-making as the team work together to achieve a shared vision.
References
Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019). Electronic health record implementation: a review of resources and tools. Cureus, 11(9), e5649. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.5649
Albert, N. M., Pappas, S., Porter-O’Grady, T., & Malloch, K. (2020). Quantum leadership: Creating sustainable value in health care. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
CMS.gov. (2023). Electronic health records. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/E-Health/EHealthRecords#:~:text=An%20Electronic%20Health%20Record%20(EHR,progress%20notes%2C%20problems%2C%20medications%2C
Collins, E., Owen, P., Digan, J., & Dunn, F. (2020). Applying transformational leadership in nursing practice. Nursing Standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain): 1987), 35(5), 59–66. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2019.e11408
Estiri, H., Patel, C. J., & Murphy, S. N. (2018). Informatics can help providers incorporate context into care. Jamia Open, 1(1), 3-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooy025
Keshta, I., & Odeh, A. (2021). Security and privacy of electronic health records: Concerns and challenges. Egyptian Informatics Journal, 22(2), 177-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eij.2020.07.003
Michael, C. L., Mittelstaedt, H., Chen, Y., Desai, A. V., & Kuperman, G. J. (2021). Applying user-centered design in the electronic health record (EHR) to facilitate patient-centered care in oncology. AMIA … Annual Symposium Proceedings. AMIA Symposium, 2020, 833–839. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8075506/
Schot, E., Tummers, L., & Noordegraaf, M. (2020). Working on working together. A systematic review on how healthcare professionals contribute to interprofessional collaboration. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 34(3), 332-342.
Roodbeen, R. T. J., Noordman, J., Boland, G., & van Dulmen, S. (2021). Shared decision making in practice and the perspectives of health care professionals on video-recorded consultations with patients with low health literacy in the palliative phase of their disease. MDM Policy & Practice, 6(1), 23814683211023472. https://doi.org/10.1177/23814683211023472
Sharplin, G., Adelson, P., Kennedy, K., Williams, N., Hewlett, R., Wood, J., Bonner, R., Dabars, E., & Eckert, M. (2019). Establishing and sustaining a culture of evidence-based practice: an evaluation of barriers and facilitators to implementing the best practice spotlight organization program in the Australian healthcare context. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 7(4), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7040142
Sample Answer 3 for NUR 514 Benchmark-Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper SAMPLE
Health care delivery evolves in multiple dimensions as nursing professionals and stakeholders invent new strategies for addressing complex patient needs. Central to this advancement is nursing informatics, which involves synthesizing nursing, information, and computer sciences to manage and communicate data and information (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). Nursing informatics enables providers to integrate tools, technologies, and methods to collect, analyze, and apply vast health care data. Such improved capabilities empower nurses to implement electronic health records (EHRs) for improved patient outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of implementing a new EHR within a practice setting purposed to capture data to inspire improvements and quality change.
Opportunity for Tracking Care Improvement
Opportunities for tracking care improvement are characterized by intensive and accurate data collection, analysis, and management to address performance gaps. A suitable opportunity in the current practice where EHR implementation would be highly beneficial is using real-time data to identify high-risk patients to prevent 30-day unscheduled readmission. According to Ashfaq et al. (2019), precise readmission risk prediction could effectively guide health care practitioners in deciding whether a patient is ready for discharge or should be enrolled in an intervention program. An EHR-driven prediction model would enable the health care facility to collect the relevant data when the patient is receiving care to predict the readmission probability at discharge.
The problematic nature of readmissions requires nursing practitioners to have timely, accurate, and sufficient data for informed decision-making. A database is critical to operations management since it promotes precise, consistent data storage. In the present tech-based nursing, the sequence of primary care visits usually represents the patient in an EHR. In this case, the most critical data is what identifies patients and their health conditions. Ashfaq et al. (2019) categorized this data into demographic features and the patient’s clinical state. Demographic features include the patient’s age, gender, residence, and the type of visit. Clinical state data include lab results, diagnoses, and vitals recorded during an inpatient visit.
Role Informatics Plays in Ability to Capture Data
Informatics is the spine for data-driven nursing and informed use of innovative technological systems for high-quality care. Among many roles, informatics enables nurses and other health care staff to collect timely data in different formats from multiple sources. Nursing informatics facilitates the safe storage of essential data since it can be backed up by ensuring it is available in multiple devices and systems. As Dash et al. (2019) mentioned, nursing informatics facilitates data organization during collection for easy analysis. Such organization is witnessed when patient’s clinical data is matched with their needs. Generally, informatics makes data readily available for decision-making and ensures care providers can access it in multiple formats as situations necessitate.
Implementing electronic health systems is intensive since they consume time and resources. Applying the appropriate project management strategies and methodologies can effectively support informatics initiatives to improve quality within the clinical practice. Valuable strategies to manage and implement complex projects include goal-oriented leadership and utilizing a work breakdown structure. Visionary leadership allows a team to work together for a common goal. It prevents potential conflicts when executing projects by clarifying roles and supervising progress. Alam and Gühl (2022) described a work breakdown structure as organizing the work into manageable sections. These sections (smaller components) allow efficient resource allocation, planning, and evaluation of key deliverables.
Leaders apply different project management methodologies depending on the scope and type of work involved. Inevitably, nursing informatics projects require precision and integration of models that promote efficient resource utilization. The waterfall methodology can be used to support informatics initiatives. Rubio (2022) represented the waterfall model as flowing the project’s phases downward. Nurse leaders and other health care staff implementing change must complete one project’s phase before moving to the next. The other methodology is the agile approach, characterized by adaptive work management and project planning (Rubio, 2022). In this method, quality improvement leaders are open to change and embrace a flexible management approach to realize the targeted goals.
Systems and Staff Members Needed in Design and Implementation Process
Effective EHR implementation combines multiple systems, staff members, and skills. A health information system would be critical since it helps care providers gather, organize, and collect data to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. A robust technological system is also necessary to ensure the new EHR captures, analyzes, and shares data safely. Regarding staff members, the nurse informaticist should be involved in all critical phases, including design and implementation. According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2021), nurse informaticists combine clinical skills and health information technology (IT) to guide organizations in advancing technology to improve care quality. Their skills and guidance are essential for positive outcomes as far as the system’s design and implementation are concerned. Other staff members include system designers, physicians, departmental leaders, and IT technicians.
The advanced registered nurse is critical in promoting evidence-based practice and leading quality and performance improvement initiatives within this setting. One such role is serving as a change agent to address performance gaps. Change agents use their clinical and analytical skills in nursing to identify areas where the desired goals are not achieved (Ericson-Lidman & Strandberg, 2021). In response, they propose evidence-based interventions to reduce the gap between the achieved and desired health outcomes. The advanced registered nurse is also responsible for policy change and advocacy. Nsiah et al. (2019) illustrated patient advocacy as promoting patient safety and high-quality care by protecting patients and advancing their interests. The nurse plays similar roles by designing interventions for improving patient safety and achieving high-quality care, like burnout reduction programs, environmental modification strategies, and patient monitoring via telehealth. The organization fosters a culture of change to encourage innovative projects.
Strategies for Implementing EHR Proposal
Implementing a new EHR system could be seamless or challenging, depending on the approaches used in critical phases. As Aguirre et al. (2019) stated, the entire process commences with an in-depth evaluation of the workflows, followed by defining preferences and user needs. In the proposed project, such needs include software, hardware, and user requirements to ensure the EHR runs efficiently and executes its roles as expected. The next step is communication to ensure clinicians and all targeted users understand the purpose of the new EHR and how to use it in predicting and preventing readmissions. Aguirre et al. (2019) further recommended staff education to equip users with the foundational knowledge for safe and effective EHR use. Transition to the new EHR should happen after piloting and when all user needs are addressed. To ensure effective management of resources, teamwork should be embraced at all levels. Nurses should also be trained in groups to save time and training resources.
Professional, Ethical, and Regulatory Standards Implementation
EHRs are characterized by massive data collection, storage, and exchange between providers. Adherence to the established standards is critical for safe and competent use. Professional standards for the system’s design and implementation include EHR usability and interoperability. Usability denotes an easy-to-use system that allows nursing professionals to perform different tasks accurately and with minimal effort. Li et al. (2021) illustrated interoperability as health information systems’ ability to work together within and across organizational boundaries to facilitate effective patient care. Interoperable systems promote safe and quick information exchange between care providers. A lack of interoperability increases clinician workload and is a key barrier to patient safety.
Ethical standards in the design and implementation of the new EHR are centered on privacy, security, and confidentiality essentials. To promote these principles and ensure data integrity, EHR systems should have the appropriate technical and physical safeguards for data protection (Basil et al., 2022). Regulatory considerations have much to do with using certified EHR technology. Certified technology that allows clinicians to store data in a structured format facilitates efficient data capturing and sharing (CMS.gov, 2023). Such structuring enables nursing professionals to retrieve and transfer patient data easily for improved patient outcomes.
Evaluation of the Success of EHR Implementation
EHR implementation is cumbersome since it introduces new technologies, tools, and processes into routine patient care. Evaluation is critical to determining whether the project achieved the desired goals (Hamilton et al., 2020). From a staff perspective, the new EHR should enable nurses to track and respond to potential readmissions more effectively. A post-implementation feasibility study can help to determine how the EHR empowers nurses to achieve better outcomes. From a setting perspective, the new EHR should reduce costs associated with readmissions. As a result, a comparative analysis of the readmissions rate six months before and after its implementation would be an accurate reference point. To patients, implementing the new EHR would reduce readmissions and improve care experiences. To ensure continuous quality improvement in practice, nurses should be regularly trained on key aspects of the system, including usage, security, and ethical compliance. The system should also be upgraded as situations oblige to optimize capacity and secure it from emerging security threats.
Leadership Skills and Project Management to Collaborate with Interprofessional Teams
Interprofessional teams comprise members with diverse skills, values, and work approaches. Leadership skills to enable such teams to collaborate and provide evidence-based, patient-centered care include clear goals, respect, and active engagement of members. Respect and engagement foster a culture of inclusion, enabling a diverse workforce to work together to achieve a shared goal (Stanford, 2020). Clear goals, open communication, and problem-solving are valuable project management skills for an interprofessional team to collaborate and provide evidence-based, patient-centered care. Leadership theories also guide nursing professionals in change management and decision-making regarding effective patient care. The adaptive leadership theory underlines supporting staff competencies to achieve patient-centered care (Kuluski et al., 2021). Adaptive leadership is founded on the precept that different situations require different skills, knowledge, and approaches. A similar approach is crucial in the complex nursing environment to deliver the best possible patient care.
Conclusion
Nursing informatics has improved organizations’ capacity to use data and technologies to improve patient care. EHRs contain patient data in electronic formats for quick access, sharing, and decision-making. A new opportunity for EHR implementation should enable nurses to use data and technologies to achieve higher outcomes for patients, health care staff, and the organization. A new EHR system for readmission prediction and prevention is crucial for the organization to prevent adverse outcomes of readmissions.
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