Analysis of Technology in Nursing Practice

This report discusses various aspects of patient care technology, including its applications, benefits, and pain points. Numerous technologies focus on patient care; however, the one that is the subject of this study is electronic health records (EHR), along with its impacts on patient care and nursing practice, uses, advantages, drawbacks, and ethical and regulatory implications.

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Analysis of Technology in Nursing Practice

Effects of Technology on Patient Care and Nursing Practice

The digitalized record of a patient’s medical information stored in a computer system or mobile phone under the authority of a healthcare organization and connected to a database is known as an electronic health record (Grewal et al., 2019). It is stored to safeguard the patient’s medical history, which includes information about the patient’s diagnosis, treatment plans, allergies, infections, lab results, billing information, radiology images, and vaccination dates. In addition, it contains information about the patient’s physical and mental health as well as their sugar level, blood pressure, cholesterol level, and pulse oximeter.

Effects on Patient Care

It works to speed up and make the treatment of patients more effective (Abul-Husn & Kenny, 2019). The nursing staff can quickly identify the patient’s needs and provide an effective treatment and clinical outcome by taking advantage of electronic health records. EHRs collect all patient data methodologically and share it with all caregivers more comprehensively.

Effects on Nursing Practice

The nursing staff sees electronic health records (EHRs) as a booster to contextualize patient information and communicate with other caregivers, particularly for patients who are terminally ill or strictly under observation (Wisner et al., 2019). By logging in to the portal, they can easily access patient information and make better intervention plans.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The potential advantages of EHRs include the following:

• Evidence-based medicine 
• Accurate documentation
• Simple preventive care
• Secure storage of medical records
• Improved data management 

However, there are potential drawbacks to using EHR are also present, such as:

• Concerns about malpractice liability
• High costs
• Decrease in overall productivity (Upadhyay & Hu, 2020).

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Analysis of Technology in Nursing Practice

Communication of Data

Communication is made possible by electronic health records (EHRs), which save the time and energy of nurses and also lead to better outcomes for patients. The channels of communication can be either structured or unstructured. Computerized provider entry (CPOE) is used in structured pathways to provide information about medications and allergies, whereas clinical notes are used in unstructured pathways (Zhang et al., 2020). By incorporating an encryption algorithm into the conventional medical cloud model, EHRs also contribute to developing secure communication.

Identifying Criteria to Evaluate Data

Electronic health records are just one example of medical technology that has greatly benefited from the commercialization and development of 5G. Patients are aware of the technology, which enables the nursing staff to communicate with them via messages, emails, or phone calls at any time and from any location. Additionally, most healthcare organizations are now establishing criteria by creating online portals or websites to engage with patients and help patients from rural areas who cannot visit hospitals frequently. After collecting data from the patients, it is evaluated and then it is sent to the other members of the medical team who need it (Zhang et al., 2020).

Controls and Safeguards to Maintain Patient Safety and Confidentiality

Modern technologies help healthcare organizations by making it possible for patients and the staff to communicate and interact with one another at any time and giving them access to updates on their intervention plans. The nursing staff can gain a deeper understanding of the patient’s condition using this information. For the safety of the data, the credentials of the portal of the patients with mental or visual impairment are given to the relatives or family members (Lee, 2017). Personal information of the patients may occasionally be disclosed, resulting in the use of data in a manner that was not intended. Additionally, most patients are concerned about their privacy and do not wish to disclose any information about their illness to anyone, including family members (Bani Issa et al., 2020). As a result, healthcare providers must meet with patients to learn about their concerns to avoid future mishaps. For instance, an employee of Holy Cross Medical Centre in Mission Hills, California, leaked a patient’s medical records in 2011 (Lee, 2017). The ethical optimization of the health information of the patients on EHR necessitates data security and this goal can be achieved if the staff is properly trained in data storage and data monitoring.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Improve the Application of Patient Care Technology

In 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States passed an act, known as HIPA Act. The Office for Civil Rights follows the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, which necessitated the development of national standards to safeguard the medical information of patients from unauthorized disclosure (Shachar, 2022). It allows the confirmation or consent of the patients before disclosing the information.

 According to Moore & Frye (2019), HIPAA has significantly impacted operations of the healthcare organizations. The act restricts the disclosure of any personal information of patients without their consent by safeguarding the Patient’s health information (PHI). Patient care technologies (PCT) should be improved by increasing health insurance portability and following the safety rules oh HIPAA.

Conclusion

The healthcare department relies heavily on patient care technology. Healthcare administration and nursing staff have been introduced to various technologies that use the internet of things and artificial intelligence, such as blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, and patient location trackers. These gadgets make it easier for healthcare workers to get in touch with patients quickly. However, these things have both benefits and disadvantages. There are many things to consider, like giving employees the proper training, keeping data safe, and protecting patients’ personal information.

References

Abul-Husn, N. S., & Kenny, E. E. (2019). Personalized medicine and the power of Electronic Health Records. Cell, 177(1), 58–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.039 

Bani Issa, W., Al Akour, I., Ibrahim, A., Almarzouqi, A., Abbas, S., Hisham, F., & Griffiths, J. (2020). Privacy, confidentiality, security, and patient safety concerns about Electronic Health Records. International Nursing Review, 67(2), 218–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12585 

Grewal, D., Hulland, J., Kopalle, P. K., & Karahanna, E. (2019). The future of technology and marketing: A multidisciplinary perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 1–8. springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00711-4 

Lee, L. M. (2017). Ethics and subsequent use of Electronic Health Record data. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 71, 143–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2017.05.022 

Moore, W., & Frye, S. (2019). Review of HIPAA, part 1: History, protected health information, and privacy and security rules. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 47(4), 269–272. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnmt.119.227819 

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Analysis of Technology in Nursing Practice

Shachar, C. (2022). HIPAA, privacy, and reproductive rights in a Post-Roe era. JAMA, 328(5), 417. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.12510 

Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2020). Clinicians’ lived experiences on the impact of Electronic Health Records (EHR) on quality and safety. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020(1), 12928. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2020.12928abstract 

Wisner, K., Lyndon, A., & Chesla, C. A. (2019). The Electronic Health Record’s impact on nurses’ cognitive work: An integrative review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 94, 74–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.03.003 

Zhang, J., Liu, H., & Ni, L. (2020). A secure energy-saving communication and encrypted storage model based on RC4 for EHR. IEEE Access, 8, 38995–39012. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2020.2975208