Discussion Board #3 – Informatics
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Discussion Board #3 – Informatics
As I read through the article by Brown et al. (2020), I realized that nurses had embraced digital technologies because of their facilitative effect on their practice. However, the proficiency of nurses in deploying informatics in their practice at the workplace depended on their competence and proficiency. Nurses with adequate information and skills in informatics expertise deployed advanced technology to improve their service delivery and to make use of patient records at various phases of care. However, I learned that nurses had some pertinent concerns about the digital system developments because they were often not involved in the designing and implementation phases. These concerns could be resolved using collaboration between nurses and system developers, and professional development programs to enhance their digital capacity and expertise. The most significant lesson I learned is that the nursing practitioners were aware of the benefits of informatics to the quality of care they provide and nursing practice. However, if this was the case, why do healthcare facilities underinvest in nursing informatics, or what challenges they face when implementing digital systems?
As a practicing nursing professional, I work in an environment where informatics systems are installed and functional. I have witnessed the benefits of such systems in improving the quality of care I provide to patients. However, I have had to learn most of the informatics system functionality on my own as I have not received any comprehensive professional development in this area from the facility’s management. It is generally assumed that we have sufficient knowledge from our university training to enable us to use these technologies effectively and efficiently. My colleagues in other healthcare facilities have told me that they experience similar conditions in their workplaces. Therefore, my advice to novice nursing practitioners would be to take personal initiative to develop proficiency in nursing informatics because of the numerous benefits it affords their nursing practice.
References
Brown, J., Pope, N., Bosco, A. M., Mason, J., & Morgan, A. (2020). Issues affecting nurses’ capability to use digital technology at work: An integrative review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(15-16), 2801-2819. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15321. https://espace.curtin.edu.au/bitstream/handle/20.500.11937/86167/85969.pdf?sequence=3.