Patient care decisions should be supported by timely clinical information, reflecting the best evidence possible (Institute of Medicine 2013). Present and future professional nurses must be able to use informatics and technology to facilitate critical decision-making for optimal patient outcomes (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing Initiative 2016). Nursing clinical informatics competencies involve the collection and use of patient data for analysis and dissemination. Nursing informatics with computer science was established to create innovative ways to provide quality care to our patients. Evidence based practice is a cornerstone to making NI better for the future. Without EBP there would be no such thing. 

What I see for the future is that technology would be expanding at a faster rate. There would be less hands on and more robotics. What I mean by this is that robots would be administering meds at the bedside, documenting task, and even doing patient consults. I believe that this would be in the near future to come because it would cut the need for nursing staff in half and it would be cost effective for the company. The only thing that would be the downfall to this is that robots do not pose interpersonal skills so patient questions would go unanswered and in would block the communication to building a rapport. We have already advanced to telemedicine which in some cases can be beneficial to the patient being seen by the physician. 

Another thing that would probably be good for the up and coming future would be if we could use the pyxis like we use Alexa and Siri. If we could give them voice commands where it could dispense patient medications that are due just by giving the first and last name of the patient would cut down on the time spent pulling meds. Instead of your taking 30mins to 1 hour pulling meds could just take about 15 to 20 mins. Modern technology is advancing so much that some of us cannot not keep up with the new demands of the workplace. In nursing we are always learning new things and we must continue to learn as we advance in our careers in order to be successful. New media offer new possibilities in teaching and learning. However, the appropriation of new knowledge and skills in dealing with technology, especially for older adults, is a critical challenge. This needs to be considered against the background of the digital divide. Which describes, among other things, the lack of information on the ability of older adults to use technology among those who have access to ICTs and new media in healthcare. In conclusion informatics will be changing for the better.

Reference 

Institute of Medicine. (2013). Core measurement needs for better care, better health, and lower costs: Counting what counts, workshop summary. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/18333 

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing Initiative. (2016). Massachusetts nursing of the future nursing core competencies. Retrieved from https://www.mass.edu/nahi/documents/NOFRNCompetencies_updated_March2016.pdf (Links to an external site.) 

Reply 2

The origin of health informatics began in the 1950s when computers were introduced into healthcare. Computers allowed new technology to expand the fields of medicine and nursing education (Nelson, 2014, p. 596). Today, health informatics takes the information technology that exists and applies it to systems in place already, creating a more innovative vision for healthcare. This can be accomplished by reviewing the current trends, as well as offering tools for predicting the future. Health professionals and informatics specialists can then prepare their leadership roles in planning effective future healthcare information systems (Nelson, 2014, p. 612).  

Our textbook further explains these changes by dividing the scope of change into three levels. The first level of change makes the process in use more efficient without changing the process or goal. An example of this would be for health care to completely move from paper documentation to an electronic way of inputting patient information. As I have discussed in other posts, this can be achieved by providing organizations that rely on pen and ink with the resources they need to provide all their cases electronic devices for accessing the plan of care for patients and medication administration records. Having patients check in to doctor’s offices with an iPad versus a clipboard and paper is another way the first level of change can occur. Second level changes involve changing how a specific outcome is achieved (Nelson, 2014, p. 614). An example of this today is the rise of telehealth medicine. Allowing patients more access to therapies and physicians through the phone offers more accessibility to those quarantining or social-distancing due to COVID-19. Telehealth medicine allows clinics the opportunity to limit the number of clients that are in a room to minimize risks for other patients and healthcare workers. Another example would be the initiation of apps for accessing health information and scheduling appointments. Phone applications can be downloaded and used at the discretion of patients 24/7 rather than patients calling the doctor for test results, medication refills, appointment scheduling, and taking printouts of visit summaries. The third level of change alters the process and refocuses the goal at the societal and institutional level (Nelson, 2014, p. 614). Phones have had the ability to track location since cell towers were installed. This past summer, location tracking has taken on a new role in the life of coronavirus. Digital contact tracing has become popular with governments of various countries to identify infected individuals and tracing people they have been in contact with. The process uses Bluetooth technology that logs when devices are near another device associated with an infected user for a prolonged period (Frith & Saker, 2020). Changing how phone tracking is used to benefit the community and allowing health agencies to monitor those who should be social-distancing due to a positive COVID-19 virus. The use of technology in this way  shows how a third level change can reflect the changes happening in our society. However, some oppose digital contact tracing because of HIPAA and surveillance concerns. My hope for the future of informatics is to successfully find the balance between technology and patient-centered care. Taking into consideration what nurses need to do their jobs most efficiently, improving patient care to be most accessible, and seamlessly integrate technology into the community to improve health in our neighborhoods is my vision of the future of health informatics.  

References 

Frith, J., & Saker, M. (2020). It Is All About Location: Smartphones and Tracking the Spread of COVID-19. Sage Journals. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120948257 (Links to an external site.) 

Nelson, R., & Staggers, N. (2014). Health Informatics: An Interprofessional Approach (2nd ed.). Mosby. 

Edited by Wood, Carmen on Oct 7 at 12:46pm

All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.

Your assignment will be graded according to the grading rubric.

250 words for each reply

There exist large healthcare disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals in the contemporary world. Members of the LGBTQ community continue to suffer from healthcare disparities. For instance, approximately 82% of heterosexual adults maintain healthcare insurance in the United States (Acolatse, 2020). On the other hand, approximately 77% of LGBTQ individuals maintain such insurance covers. Such increased healthcare disparities originate from several factors such as lack of health insurance, LGBTQ stigma, and lack of competent care.  This paper explores the strategies to reduced healthcare disparities among the LGBTQ community.

            There is the need to ensure LGBTQ inclusivity in the national healthcare narrative. This will help to reduce unnecessary healthcare risks to such individuals. The inclusion of LGBTQ communities will help to ensure major changes in healthcare systems. Healthcare organizations and governments should also increase the access of LGBTQ people to comprehensive care through ensuring a collective commitment and collaboration between social work, healthcare, public health, and policy making (Acolatse, 2020). This will help to reduce LBGTQ’s stigma and ensure increased participation in healthcare issues. Healthcare organizations can also reduce LBGTQ healthcare disparities through healthcare training and education programs. As such, there is the need to equip healthcare practitioners with resources and knowledge to deliver improved and comprehensive care to the full spectrum of patients. Such training programs will help healthcare practitioners to equally treat patients without any form of discrimination.

              Healthcare education and service institutions also need to increase the number of special population practitioners.  Currently, there exist limited special practitioners, who are limited in specific geographic areas.  Members of the LGBTQ community might face several challenges that might limit their access to such healthcare practitioners (Hafeez, Zeshan, Tahir, Jahan, & Naveed, 2017). For instance, members of the LGBTQ community might experience transport barriers to access specialized healthcare practitioners. This in turn will increase their access disparities compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Each primary care and specialist practitioner needs to become educated concerning the treatment requirements and risks of treating LGBTQ patients. Such increased education will also help to reduce the bias of healthcare professionals towards this community (Baptiste-Roberts, Oranuba, Werts, & Edwards, 2017).  Healthcare professionals also maintain a persona responsibility of becoming more educated and comfortable in the provision of healthcare services to the LGBTQ community members. Through education, the healthcare practitioners will become aware of the misconceptions, stereotypes, and biases against the LGBTQ community.  I believe that every person deserves comprehensive and compassionate healthcare regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

          Healthcare organizations also need to foster an environment that supports and nurtures all patients and families. This is through several approaches such as ensuring that the existing visitation policies are fair and non-discriminatory. Healthcare professionals also need to refrain from making assumptions and judgments concerning a patient’s sexual orientation based on appearance. Healthcare organizations can also foster such an environment through the determination and implementation of mechanisms that prevents patient discrimination (Baptiste-Roberts, Oranuba, Werts, & Edwards, 2017). Healthcare organizations also need to honor and respect patient decisions on the disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity. As such, there is the need for the implementation of policies that will allow for gender-neutral language that will allow for self-identification.

References

Acolatse, N. (2020). Health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population in Ghana. TEXILA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING, 6(1), 84-96. doi:10.21522/tijnr.2015.06.01.art009

Baptiste-Roberts, K., Oranuba, E., Werts, N., & Edwards, L. V. (2017). Addressing health care disparities among sexual minorities. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, 44(1), 71-80. doi:10.1016/j.ogc.2016.11.003

Hafeez, H., Zeshan, M., Tahir, M. A., Jahan, N., & Naveed, S. (2017). Health care disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: A literature review. Cureus. doi:10.7759/cureus.1184

There are several interventions we employ to identify knowledge gaps in nursing practice in the department of behavioral health. The most impactful process is the monthly chart audits that are completed on each nurse, APP, and MD who provide care in our department  The data that we collect during the audit process is based on EBP and reported up through our Quality Committee. Three years ago during our quality audits, we noted that depression inventories were not being completed on a regular basis. According to Dham et. al (2017), depression screens assure not only quality care that is cost-effective but also helps guide clinicians in diagnosis and treatment.

    When we identify a knowledge gap, we complete an evidence search to determine what EBPs are available to overcome the gap. Linking the evidence to the practice environment is challenging and a Quality Improvement model is crucial in supporting staff as they adapt their practice models (Taylor et al., 2013)  Our QI team takes the forefront on educating staff through team meetings, department meetings, one on one training as well as mandatory LEAP modules. The Learning Engagement and Performance (LEAP) system modules are used at MetroHealth Medical Center to cover information required by several compliance and accreditation organizations to help keep our staff, our patients, and our visitors safe. The Plan-do-study-act model is another QI model that can be used to adopt changes.

I believe empowering staff is paramount in maximizing their potential to overcome knowledge gaps. Individuals involved in the process are engaged in the process, and in return are committed to the process. We utilize TeamSTEPPS to place the problem in the hands of those who are entrenched in the problem- they know it best.  By tasking them to take ownership we build a competent and connected workforce. TeamSTEPPS has five key principles and is based on team structure, communication, leadership, situation monitoring, and mutual support.

I will guide evidence-based practice by leading when necessary and facilitating when needed. Arming staff with knowledge on how research, EBP, and QI work together to overcome knowledge gaps is an important foundation to lay when addressing needed process changes. I will also be open and non-dismissive with others who are naïve to the process, cultivating an environment where learning and creativity can blossom.    

REFERENCES            

Dham, P., Colman, S., Saperson, K., McAiney, C., Lourenco, L., Kates, N., & Rajji, T. K. (2017). Collaborative care for psychiatric disorders in older adults: A systematic review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(11), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743717720869 (Links to an external site.)

Taylor, M. J., McNicholas, C., Nicolay, C., Darzi, A., Bell, D., & Reed, J. E. (2013). A systematic review of the application of the plan–do–study–act method to improve quality in healthcare. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23, 290–298. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2013-001862

I NEED A COMMENT FOR THIS POST WITH AT LEAST TWO-THREE  PARAGRAPH AND TWO SOURCES NO LATER THAN FIVE YEARS

choose a nursing theory and research an article that includes a nursing theory and its utilization in nursing practice or nursing research. Write a two paragraph summary of the article highlighting the application of the selected nursing theory to nursing practice and research 

Article should be current, peer reviewed and within a five year span.

-Use APA format for your references and citations

heart failure 27-90

By the due date assigned, write a 2 page paper addressing the sections below of the research proposal.

Methodology

• Extraneous Variables (and plan for how controlled).
• Instruments: Description, validity, and reliability estimates, which have been performed (on a pre-established measure). Include plans for testing validity and reliability of generating your own instrument(s).
• Description of the Intervention
• Data Collection Procedures