Electronic Health Care

In a healthcare world that operates on stringent budgets and margins, we begin to see the need for a higher capacity healthcare delivery system. This in turn puts pressure on the healthcare organizations to ensure higher standards of patient care, and compliance with the reform provisions. However, these are the harsh realities of today’s healthcare environment, a setting in which value does not always equal quality. The use of technology can help to amend some of this by providing higher capacity care without compromising quality; this can be done with the use of such technology as electronic health records (EHRs). This paper will aim to address how EHRs influence healthcare today by expanding upon topics such as funding sources, reimbursement methods, economic factors, socioeconomic factors, business influences, and cost containment.

In the journal article, The Impact of an Integrated Electronic Health Record Adoption on Nursing Care Quality, they discuss how technology can improve quality of care. With electronic health records, nurses can document while at the bedside. Their study confirms that the use of electronic health records can improve patient quality of care (Walker-Czyz, 2016.)

I do not have an electronic patient health record with a provider. I would prefer to use the electronic patient health record because it will be beneficial for managing my healthcare. My health information such as treatments, vaccinations, medications, allergies and other data can be accessed anytime and from anywhere. This feature will allow me to make informed decisions about my health and wellness. Moreover, the healthcare providers can access this information as well and this data access will allow the providers to work in coordination with the patient to provide ideal and safe care. Especially, if there is an emergency situation, the electronic patient health record will provide necessary information to the provider to act quickly and

The use of informatics and technology have been really helpful in eliminating the use of paper in documenting care, however; it also came with its own challenges. At the nursing facility where I work we still use paper for medication administration record (MAR) but we use point click care (PCC) for all other documentations like the nursing notes, skin assessment and SBAR. The impact that these changes has on my practice is the fact it makes charting easier as oppose to writing, it also makes the information immediately available for the health care team.

Over the years there have been vast changes in healthcare that require nurses to go above and beyond in their level of expertise in technology and scientific knowledge (Palos, 2014). Nurses have to evolve with those changes, therefore they must utilize educational tools and develop skills to stay current with the advancements that hospitals require for practice (Palos, 2014). Palos (2014) also found that nurses have a responsibility to use their critical thinking skills, make sound clinical judgments, and apply evidence-based nursing

The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe two health information and communication technologies (HICTs) and how they aid nurses in supporting safe, quality care, facilitating continuity of care and care coordination, and partnering with patients and families to increase participation in health care. HICT involves electronic creation, storage, exchange, and analysis of health information to advance delivery of health care. Widespread use of HICT within the healthcare industry can achieve the following goals: improve healthcare quality and safety, reduce costs and health disparities, enhance clinical research, and ensure security of patient health information (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Several examples of HICTs include: electronic medical record systems, electronic prescribing, consumer health applications, and telehealth (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2015). Integration of HICTs in healthcare settings is valuable for all clinicians, but most importantly nurses as they are primary caregivers.

With so many health facilities turning to electronic systems as a way to deal with personally identifiable information and to more efficiently run their practices, there can be opportunities for cyber thieves to hijack personal information. Luckily, the OIG has stepped in to identify where a majority of these cyber weaknesses frequently can be determined to be.

Lindsey, I understand that it is a real challenge for you, to work in an environment where there are multiple documentation systems. I agree with you in that if there is a unified system in documentation throughout the organization, it could improve the communication among all the departments. Moreover, it could increase the efficiency and safety of care as well as decrease many errors. The electronic health record (EHR) enables a seamless flow of health information about the patient (Government Health Information Technology, 2015). It helps to take the maximum advantage of the advanced technology if used properly in the patient care delivery. By using a unified system, throughout the organization, it is possible to make the information available

Nursing is one of the most professions that are rapidly evolving within the medical field. Over the past 50 years, the practice has evolved beyond recognition with changes in health care, shifting the entire practice of medication and nursing. Technology has ultimately assisted in the changes and advancement of nursing with increased modifications in how patients are maintained and how medications are tracked and ordered. Technology has changed the equipment and the sources of medications. Technology is essential within the nursing industry, as it is required for patient charting and medication distribution, not much is performed with pen and paper in the hospital environment, as opposed to 50 years ago. The technology used in Hospitals, manifest itself as resources which attempt to increase and improve treatment and care in

If nurses spend too much time charting because of a deficiency in basic computer skills, these goals will not be reached. Assuming nursing staffs will receive the necessary training for electronic charting at the clinical site decreases the opportunity for the nursing profession to determine how nursing staffs will be trained to chart important nursing documentation. Nursing documentation is a foundation of nursing practice and helps determine if standards of care have been followed, possible areas of nursing research, and guidance for ways to decrease errors. The purpose of EMR training by clinical nurses is to ensure the objectives of the guiding questions were clear and measurable. Nurses’ ability to use an EMR effectively by demonstrating critical knowledge and skills that are essential to patient safety, decreased facility expenditures for training and decreased healthcare

It is important to understand that patients are very happy and satisfied when it comes to the electronic health system. This paper will discuss some of the benefits of an electronic health system that patients are enjoying.

For years people have gone into their doctor’s office and seen the same process every time. You get weighed, your blood pressure is taken, your temperature is taken, and an update to your medical history is recorded. All within a paper chart. And if you have ever gone with someone to their visit that has been with the same physician for five or more years, that paper chart begins to look a lot like a think paperback book. And that chart contained everything, every record of visit, a copy of the paper prescription given, every lab test report, every xray report, every piece of medical information that was pertinent to taking care of the patient. In the 1960’s the notion of recording patient information electronically instead of paper was brought to light when Larry Weed introduced the concept of the Problem Oriented Medical Record. Dr. Weed had “developed the POMR so that medical students and practitioners could function in a structured, rigorous way more like that of workers in the scientific community. The POMR cannot change the multiplicity of problems that physicians face. But the POMR enables a highly organized approach to that complexity.”(Jacobs) Over the course of the past 60 years Dr. Weed, along with host of other care providers toiled over devices, screens, networks, and various other challenges to develop a comprehensive and thoughtful medical system that could be far superior

In today’s medical field technology plays a big role when it comes to patient care. Technology is huge when it comes to giving the patient the best type of quality care when they are in the hospital. In the old days people would just write it down on a sheet of paper and record it by hand, which caused mistakes. Now with the Electronic Health Record those mistakes are drastically declining. Statistics have shown that using the Electronic Health Record has lowered Nursing mistakes as well as improved patient care. Our society has progressed through the years and has been introduced with the Electronic Health Record which has drastically improved our health care system. The Electronic Health Record provides great communication between

The healthcare system is a continuously evolving spectrum. Nurses must take great strides in learning and adapting to new technologies to meet the standards of the health care system. One significant change that has occurred throughout the last few years is the transition from paper charting to utilizing electronic health record (EHR) systems. This technological change is a major development that has the potential to significantly impact the nursing role and overall

One-way technology has improved my professional productivity is with the introduction of computer charting also know was electronic medical record (EMR). The EMR, for many nurses was not a welcomed change especially on the busy medical surgical floor. The “older nurses” who use to paper charting and not very fond of computer in general were very leary of the change from paper to computer charting. In the article Nurses balance technological advances with old-fashioned patient care, the author makes a good comparison between the old- fashioned nurse and the new nurse and how they generations of nurses feel about computer charting and patient care using computers (Sonnenburg, 2012). “The younger nurses are very technologically advanced, but the older nurses are more connected with the patients," said Rosemary Walter, director of the medical/surgical unit. (Sonnenburg, 2012). Those