Lessons Learnt
My Journey through this course has thought me some vital lessons that has enabled my professional development. I was firstly introduced to the definition of Nursing Informatics as best described by the ANA (2008) as a speciality that allows for the integration of computer science, information science and nursing science which then enables one to manage, communicate and analyse data into information obtain knowledge from this information and use this knowledge to demonstrate wisdom in nursing practice. The application of wisdom to the healthcare setting is key for improved patient/client care which is the main goal of a nursing informatics.
Some of the nursing informatics core areas of work include the development of research methodologies to disseminate knowledge to practice, development of a definition for the healthcare policy to advance the public’s health and the development of information and communication technologies to address inter-professional work flow needs. Some of these technologies include Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) which is a software installed on a computer that allows for long and short storage as well as the transmission and retrieval of radiology images directly from radiology department to a workstation for viewing and reporting.
Another technological advancement is the Electronic Health Records (EHR) which is an electronic version of a patient’s medical history, that is maintained by the provider over time, and may include all of the key administrative clinical data relevant to that persons care under a particular provider, including demographics, progress notes, presenting problem, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports (CMS.gov, 2012). EHR has proven by its use to reduce the hospitalization period for the patient, reduce the time spent in documenting and performing tasks, shorter retrieval time of patient’s information with all diagnosis and treatment undergone in the past to date etc.
There were many other technological advancements discovered, however, telehealth has seemed to scale to the top of all others. Telehealth can be described as the use of health technologies such as audio and video conferencing to deliver health care and health information to patient clients to remote areas at private offices or in the privacy of their own home as well as at bedside or in emergency areas.
As all have learnt during their nurse training programme the many different roles and functions of a nurse such as a researcher, educator, counsellor and advocate are all significantly enhanced when integrated with computer and information science. Here the tools needed are identified and the skills needed are acquired proficiently to function at your best to achieve optimum patient care. Some of these tools necessary include productivity tools such as word processor.
I also learnt how to create an e-Portfolio and attach my social networking accounts which would help boost my opportunity of job employment and further career and group opportunities in the health sector. Employers today are not only holding a face to face interview with the perspective employee but may also search for the individual via social media, Google and determine employment or determination with the institution.
When technology is put to its proper use especially in the medical field a whole new door of wonderful and exciting opportunities can be discovered, which I myself have discovered in this course.
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