Getting Started

In this forum, you will learn about the various clinical decision support systems and technology applications used to enhance quality, safety, and efficiency in the healthcare environment. The readings this week will specifically focus on clinical documentation systems.

Electronic documentation has changed the way healthcare information is collected, accessed, managed, and stored. This has led to optimal patient outcomes and improved care delivery more than any other change in recent decades. Computerized physician order entry and nursing documentation applications have significantly contributed to the decreased number of errors due to standardized language and warning screen prompts. Nurses are required to demonstrate competencies in computer and information technology as they progress into the future of healthcare.

Clinical applications and information systems are designed to support the way nurses function. They assist healthcare providers by allowing them flexibility to use the systems to view data and collect information that is essential for critical decision making and providing quality care. These electronic systems also allow information to be communicated in a timely manner for multiple people to access and use when needed. You will read about the various applications and information systems that support nursing functions and share first-hand experiences with your classmates on the benefits and constraints involved with these systems. Your reading and discussion this week will help prepare you for writing your first paper in Workshop Six.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

Discuss how computer information systems and technology applications support nursing practice.

Resources

Textbook: Applied Clinical Informatics for Nurses

INSTRUCTIONS:

Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

In the textbook Applied Clinical Informatics for Nurses, read:

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Pages 256-257

Examine one additional scholarly source that discusses the use of computer applications in the healthcare environment.

Prepare to discuss the following prompts:

Summarize “the burden of fragmentation” described in your reading. Discuss how clinical informatics reduces this problem in the healthcare environment.

Identify a minimum of two clinical applications and describe how they support nursing practice by improving safety and quality of delivered care. Cite information from one scholarly source in addition to your textbook to support your discussion. Include personal examples of your experiences with these applications (without patient information).

Describe several challenges related to the adoption of electronic health records. How can nurses overcome these challenges?

Research and select at least two current scholarly sources to support your explanations and insights.