Nursing Informatics Now and in the Future
Running head: NURSING INFORMATICS
Nursing Informatics Now and In the Future
Becky Last, RN
Herzing University
June 16, 2013
INTRODUCTION: In this day and age nurses not only have to use the scientific knowledge they have obtained in school but they must be ready to embrace and learn computer knowledge as well. Nursing informatics (NI), a product of the scientific synthesis of information in nursing, uses concepts from computer science, cognitive science, information science, and nursing science and we as nurses must be ready to embrace NI in order to keep up with the ever changing health care world, (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2011). As nurse’s we depend on the knowledge we have obtained through our schooling and through our experiences. The brain can be compared to a computer and by using a computer and computer based systems a nurse or health care worker can obtain information to deliver medical care to their patients much more efficiently than they could in the past. I want to discuss how the use of computers, electronic medical records and other electronic technologies has changed how we as health care professionals take care of our patients today and how we will be taking care of them in the future.
ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD: As little as 4 years ago I was still charting my assessments on my patients on paper charts. At that time I was an emergency room nurse. I found this to be a very frustrating task for the following reasons:
* Locating the chart * The legibility of the person who had charted in it previously * Trying to remember allergies and times medications were given Due to the inability to locate the chart in a timely manner, you were constantly trying to remember everything you wanted to chart. You wrote down if the patient had allergies as soon as possible on a note due to the fact that the chart would be taken by other health care professionals and you would be given medications. As
Nursing Informatics Now and In the Future
Becky Last, RN
Herzing University
June 16, 2013
INTRODUCTION: In this day and age nurses not only have to use the scientific knowledge they have obtained in school but they must be ready to embrace and learn computer knowledge as well. Nursing informatics (NI), a product of the scientific synthesis of information in nursing, uses concepts from computer science, cognitive science, information science, and nursing science and we as nurses must be ready to embrace NI in order to keep up with the ever changing health care world, (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2011). As nurse’s we depend on the knowledge we have obtained through our schooling and through our experiences. The brain can be compared to a computer and by using a computer and computer based systems a nurse or health care worker can obtain information to deliver medical care to their patients much more efficiently than they could in the past. I want to discuss how the use of computers, electronic medical records and other electronic technologies has changed how we as health care professionals take care of our patients today and how we will be taking care of them in the future.
ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD: As little as 4 years ago I was still charting my assessments on my patients on paper charts. At that time I was an emergency room nurse. I found this to be a very frustrating task for the following reasons:
* Locating the chart * The legibility of the person who had charted in it previously * Trying to remember allergies and times medications were given Due to the inability to locate the chart in a timely manner, you were constantly trying to remember everything you wanted to chart. You wrote down if the patient had allergies as soon as possible on a note due to the fact that the chart would be taken by other health care professionals and you would be given medications. As
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