NURS 6051 The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies

Health information technologies have significantly transformed the provision of nursing and health care in the modern world. Healthcare organizations continually explore technologies that will enable them to achieve outcomes in care such as quality, efficiency, and safety. The selection of healthcare technologies should always take into consideration their sustainability, relevance, and influence on the organizational needs. Evidence-based data can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the technologies prior to their adoption for use in healthcare. Therefore, this research paper explores a proposal of health information technology that should be adopted in the organization to achieve safety, efficiency, and quality in patient care.

Proposed Project

The proposed project for adoption in the organization is the use of telehealth technology in the management of chronic diseases. Telehealth is a technology that entails the delivery of healthcare services as well as health education using remote technologies or digital communication technologies. Telehealth allows healthcare providers and patients to interact remotely for the effective management of their health problems (Olson et al., 2018). It includes the incorporation of technologies such as electronic transmission of information, live video conferencing, short messaging services, mhealth, and remote patient monitoring among others (Lurie & Carr, 2018). Telehealth technologies have been shown to be highly effective in the management of chronic illnesses.

Existing evidence shows that Telehealth can be used for the management of health problems that include asthma, obesity, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes. The technology enables healthcare providers to provide remote patient assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of treatment plans (Omboni et al., 2021; Parker et al., 2018). For example, activities such as medication reconciliation, scheduling hospital visits and appointment, medication refills, and patient education can be undertaken easily using telehealth. In addition, interdisciplinary care involving different healthcare professionals can be provided remotely with telehealth (Snoswell et al., 2021). Therefore, the enhanced use of telehealth technologies contribute to care outcomes such as increased safety, efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care to address the barriers to care in chronic disease management.

Stakeholders Impacted

The proposed project of introducing the use of telehealth for chronic disease management will affect a number of stakeholders. One of them is the healthcare providers. Healthcare providers will have to incorporate telehealth technology into their routine patient care. They will have to engage in remote management of their patients suffering from chronic illnesses (Baum et al., 2021). They will also have to allocate time to providing coordinated care remotely to the patients. Nurses will also have to play the role of care coordinators. They have to ensure efficiency in patient care is achieved through well-coordinated activities involving healthcare providers from different specialties. Healthcare providers will also have to be competent on the use of health information technologies in patient care (Baum et al., 2021). They will have to be trained on the use of telehealth to optimize on its outcomes such as safety, quality and efficiency in patient care.

The proposed project will also affect patients with chronic illnesses. Patients will receive continuous care remotely for their chronic conditions. They will have to play a proactive role in the self-management of their health problems. They will also have to demonstrate competence in the use of health information technologies to enhance their health outcomes (Su et al., 2020). The senior management of the organization will also be affected. Accordingly, they will have to implement mechanisms that eliminate the possibility of increased workload for the healthcare providers involved in the provision of remote care through telehealth (Su et al., 2020). They will also have to come up with remuneration package for the involved healthcare providers. Information technology personnel in the organization will also be impacted. Accordingly, they will have to ensure the effective management and optimum functioning of the telehealth system. They will have to provide the healthcare givers the support that they need in ensuring the effective utilization of telehealth for chronic disease management.

Patient Outcomes

The use of telehealth for chronic disease management will lead to the realization of a number of patient outcomes. One of the patient outcomes is patient satisfaction with care. Telehealth will ensure that patients receive continuous care even following their discharge from the hospital. The remote care given to them will aim at ensuring that the desired outcomes of treatment are achieved. As a result, patient satisfaction with the management of their chronic diseases will be achieved (Omboni et al., 2020). The other patient outcome related with the use of telehealth for chronic disease management is patient-centeredness in the care process. Accordingly, healthcare providers involved in the provision of remote care will have to developed care plans tailored to meet the individual needs of the patients. The individualized care plans will ensure the realization of optimum outcomes of care for the patients (Head et al., 2017). The provision of patient-centered care will also enhance the level of the overall satisfaction of the patients with the treatment.

The other patient outcome that will be realized from the proposed project is patient empowerment. Accordingly, telehealth ensures that patients develop the desired knowledge and skills for self-management of their health problems. For example, patients with conditions such as diabetes are assisted in ensuring close monitoring of their blood glucose levels and medication administration. They are also assisted in developing personalized self-care management plans involving the use of interventions such as dietary modification and engagement in active physical activity. The benefit of the personalized interventions is that patients are empowered to play a proactive role in meeting their health-related needs (Omboni et al., 2020). Patients also take responsibility for their health.

The proposed project also reduces the costs that patients with chronic conditions incur in the care process. Accordingly, the use of Telehealth has been shown to be associated with the cost-reduction benefit due to the elimination of unnecessary hospital visits and hospitalizations. The reduction in unnecessary hospital visits is attributable to most of the patient concerns being addressed by the healthcare providers remotely. The active self-management of the chronic conditions also minimizes the need for hospital visits due to elimination of adverse events and complications. The empowerment of patients increases their ability to recognize the early signs and symptoms of complications, lowering the need for hospitalizations(Tsou et al., 2020). The reduction in costs of healthcare incurred by patients leads to their improved experiences with their health problems.

Technologies Required

The successful implementation of the project will require the adoption of a number of technologies. One of the technologies is telehealth itself. Telehealth will be used for delivering the wide range of healthcare services such as patient education, remote monitoring, and patient assessment. The other technology that is needed is imaging technology. Imaging technology will be used to assess patients remotely and relay information to other healthcare providers. There must also be broadband internet thatwill enable the remote collaboration and transmission of data (Carroll, 2018). There will also be a need for videoconferencing technology that will be used for coordinating interdisciplinary care.

Project Teams

A project team comprising of nurses, physicians, information technology experts, and human resource manager is needed for the successful implementation of the project. Nurses and physicians will ensure that the adopted telehealth system addresses their actual and potential needs. Since they are the direct users of the system, their needs should be incorporated into system design and implementation process. Nurses and physicians will provide routine management of patients remotely, hence, the need for their incorporation in the process. Information technology experts will also be needed for the successful implementation of the project. They will be tasked with the responsibility of maintaining the system and ensuring the healthcare providers utilize the system effectively to achieve the desired organizational and patient outcomes. They will also provide the support needed by system users in the project. Human resources manager will be responsible for determining the training needs of the users of the system and effective remuneration for their services.

Conclusion

The proposed project entails the use of telehealth technology for chronic disease management. Telehealth technology enhances the realization of care outcomes such as patient satisfaction, cost efficiency, and safety of patient care. The successful implementation of the project will require inputs from different stakeholders in the organization. They will include nurses, physicians, human resources manager, and information technology experts. It is anticipated that the project will enhance patient-centered outcomes in chronic disease management. Therefore, interventions aiming at ensuring the realization of optimum outcomes in the project will be explored.

References

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