Professor and class,
The difference between my result on the AACN Essentials Self-Assessment is only 5 points, from 37 to 42. The explanation is that I strongly believed in the importance of implementing technologies in the healthcare setting even before taking this course. One of the areas where I improved the most is applying safeguards that are part to guarantee a safe environment. I appreciate the risk of alarm fatigues and now I take less lightly when the issue.
During this class, I learned more about the future trends of electronics, the benefits and the pitfalls of using informatics in healthcare, the legal and ethical guidance on this topic. As Pope says, the goal of using technology in healthcare is to help providers give better care to the patient, this happens because with the introduction of electronic systems there are more checks for example right patient, right medication, it is easier to track interventions, reimbursements, and prevent frauds (Pope, K. R., 2013).
Some ways that I can use to further my knowledge in informatics is to get involved in the shared governance of my unit. I can offer myself to be the informatic champion, this will mean that I will participate in the monthly meetings of the informatics team of the hospital and report to the unit, I will have access to more e-learning classes for informatics in order to be up-to-date and to be a resource for the unit in case somebody has a question regarding the use of electronic system. According to Collins, S., Moss, J., & Alexander, D. (2012), the best way to support a nursing informatics culture is to “empower nurses across the enterprise to advocate for themselves”. They also give five suggestions: get involved, connect with other professionals on common goals, invest in your professional formation, outline your leadership way, keep a holistic point of view and advocate (Collins, Moss, & Alexander, 2012). I believe these are all great suggestions to promote the use of informatics in my unit and deepen my knowledge of technologies.
References
Collins, S., Moss, J., & Alexander, D. (2012). Develop an Engaged Nursing Informatics Culture. Retrieved June 26, 2019, from https://www.himss.org/valuesuite/develop-engaged-n”¦
Pope, K. R. (2013). Data czars: Meaningful use and the role of the nurse informaticist. ANIA-Caring Newsletter, 28(1), 11-13. Retrieved from https://chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/login?u”¦