How to write a nursing essay on database changes for informatics on healthcare

How to write a nursing essay on database changes for informatics on healthcare
Introduction

At the mention of the word ‘database’, several concepts come to mind: from physical documents to a computerized collection of records. In healthcare, it includes computerized patient files containing their health plans as well as discharge abstract. The value of databases in healthcare has ensured their continuous use and advancement to improve patient care through research and further education as influenced by trends and changes in previous data. This essay discusses various aspects of database changes and how their incorporation in healthcare has impacted significant areas.

Intriguing aspects of big data and data mining

There are several aspects of big data, but the one that interests me the most is data veracity. Data veracity is simply how accurate and truthful a set of data is. In big data, veracity additionally refers to the level of trust accorded to the data source, its type and the processing. Apart from being large in size, big data should be reliable so that the results attained from its analysis are of value. In healthcare, different data analytics are used to analyze data sets for different target populations. This can be patients; whose needs differ from those of professionals.

Nonetheless, the value of the final health information is dependent on how much the recipients trust the information: veracity (Brighi, 2018). When it comes to patient care, trust is more significant than access to information. Even though it is difficult to establish the veracity of a dataset, healthcare providers cannot use insights obtained from an incomplete or biased dataset. Brighi (2018) echoes the findings of the New York Times in 2014 that data analysts in healthcare spend more than 60% of their time cleaning up data prior to use. Brigh (2018) suggests that through data and information governance, healthcare organizations can ensure that their final information is clean, complete and standardized.

The most intriguing aspect of data mining is anomaly detection, also known as outlier analysis. This concept involves the identification of data points or events that digress from a dataset’s normal pattern (Joudaki et al., 2015). An abnormal dataset behaviour is a sign of critical events such as a technical glitch or even a change in the incidence of an infection, in the case of healthcare (Joudaki et al., 2015).  Data mining is becoming increasingly popular and essential in healthcare. Its immense application in the healthcare industry benefits all parties involved. For instance, it has been used to detect fraud and anomalies in payment systems. Third party payers or insurance organizations can make incorrect payments due to errors, fraud or abuse. While traditional methods of detecting such anomalies are time-consuming and unreliable, automated methods and statistical knowledge have been integrated to form Knowledge Discovery from the Databases branch of science. This is useful to third party payers and health insurances in obtaining significant information about claims or claimants for further evaluation.

The concept of continuity planning

Continuity planning is a constant process incorporated into a program that ensures critical processes running in an organization are implemented even in the face of adverse circumstances and continue to run afterwards.  When disaster strikes in a healthcare institution, critical systems end up down, and the impacts are more prolonged than in any other organization. There are different types of disasters that can affect healthcare—for example, software malfunction, weather incidents or even terrorist attacks. Timely consideration of risk areas is critical in ensuring the organization is well-equipped to carry on routine operations even when essential systems are down following a disaster strike.

Article on nursing informatics

Benefits of nursing informatics education on nursing students

Being a new part of the nursing curriculum, the benefits of nursing informatics are continuously being assessed and existing loopholes are continuously improved. The study by Forman et al. (2020) established that the use of electronic medical records proved an effective teaching strategy in clinical placements or classrooms using a training EMR. It enabled students to prioritize patient care. Additionally, it provided real-time feedback, which the students used to make necessary improvements in patient care. Feedback is a valuable part of learning as learners are motivated to learn from their mistakes or improve on what they already know. The resulting effect is increased knowledge and confidence in documentation and provision of patient care.

E-simulation was established as an innovative technique that significantly increased informatics competencies among nursing students through the study.  In a mixed-methods study, virtual simulation was used mostly in master’s level of study during clinical practicums. According to Forman et al. (2020), this learning method particularly boosted the confidence levels of student educators as it provided a conducive environment for enhancing their teaching skills.

Another technique that significantly enhanced educational preparation in informatics is the use of Google Glass. This is a hands-free device that is used for clinical instruction. It looks like traditional eyeglasses. Through this technology, students were able to access physicians’ instructions, the internet and even phone call while tending to patients (Forman et al., 2020). Students are less likely to confuse physician’s orders when using this tool since they can easily double check anything before implementing. Therefore, this technology demonstrated a high potential of improving safety in patient care which is one of the goals of healthcare services.

Drawbacks of nursing informatics education on nursing students

From the study by Forman et al. (2020), one of the challenges is insufficient training materials available for students to train in computer skills and clinical informatics adequately. The study suggests that informatics training is a critical part of the nursing faculty; therefore, it provided general educational tips for the nurse educators to use as improvement options.

Additionally, Forman et. (2020) noted that the integration of online learning methods discourages a strong lecturer-student relationship. This is particularly so since most of these activities are self-explanatory, and the students and learning are student-centred. The reduced interaction between the instructor and the student, however, has some negative impact. Until a student is declared competent enough to graduate, they are still under supervision and this includes classroom interaction. Therefore, technology should not replace physical learning but enhance it.

Recommendations from the article

From the findings of the study, the authors recommend that more research should be conducted with diverse population samples. For this particular study, most participants were baccalaureate nursing students. It indicates that few studies evaluated the levels of competency on informatics of associate nursing students pursuing a degree. The study suggests that more research is needed to determine the informatics educational needs of nursing students, faculty, and even AND-prepared nurses.

Along with other studies, the article recommends that nursing informatics be taught in nursing faculties to enhance clinical competencies. According to Forman et al. (2020), there are no standard global methods for teaching clinical informatics. Professional organizations such as the NLN and Healthcare Information and Management Systems (HIMSS) have been helpful in providing tools and resources for nurse educators and nursing students to enhance nursing training. For instance, the NLN website has extensive information that can be integrated with health information technology classes. Additionally, the HIMSS website has external links to training resources that nursing students and faculty can use to enhance their training on informatics. The study eventually suggests that future research should evaluate the effectiveness of integrating the available tools in the nursing curriculum.

Viability of using this technology to the public and educating nursing students

Several factors contribute to the rapidly changing methods in medical education.  Among them are the changing healthcare environment, the shifting role of the physician, new societal expectations, changing medical science and the advancement of educational techniques. The current societal expectations focus more on patient safety compared to the olden days. As a result, learning while interacting with live patients is a strong ethical issue that many frown upon. Some aims of education through the use of technology in medical education include instilling basic knowledge among learners, improving learners’ abilities to make decisions, enhancing perceptual variation among learners, advancing their coordination skills, and ability to handle critical events, and improving psychomotor skills. Nursing informatics addresses all these objectives and more, leading to high levels of competency and skill in providing patient care and ensuring patient safety. Therefore, using technology is the most viable method of teaching in this era.

To the public, reliable information released on a reliable website significantly contributes to their health-seeking behaviour and health in general. Data analysts in healthcare do their best to ensure that the information available to the public for whatever reason is reliable, trustworthy, and accurate. In doing so, the available information gets to have an impact on the target audience.

Conclusion

To conclude, the use of databases in healthcare have inarguably demonstrated several immense benefits. There is evidently increased work efficiency due to easily retrievable electronic information used in patient care. Providers key in patient data and laboratory works and are able to retrieve them later when required through electronic health records. Not only has revolutionized patient care but also the management of other aspects of health organizations such as finance. Claims databases have streamlined the financial aspect of healthcare, minimizing fraud and abuse, which would often occur previously. The face of nursing education is also being revolutionized through the integration of nursing informatics. The result is skilled and highly competent graduates who are able to quickly adjust and keep up with the changing technological aspects of healthcare.

 

References

Brighi, R. (2018). The quality and veracity of digital data on health: from electronic health records to big data. Rev. Bioetica & Derecho, 42, 163.

Forman, T. M., Armor, D. A., & Miller, A. S. (2020). A review of clinical informatics competencies in nursing to inform best practices in education and nurse faculty development. Nursing education perspectives, 41(1), E3-E7.

Joudaki, H., Rashidian, A., Minaei-Bidgoli, B., Mahmoodi, M., Geraili, B., Nasiri, M., & Arab, M. (2015). Using data mining to detect health care fraud and abuse: a review of literature. Global journal of health science, 7(1), 194.

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