D029 Narrative Essay: Innovations in Nursing Informatics

D029 Narrative Essay: Innovations in Nursing Informatics

Student Name

Western Governors University

D029 Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care

Prof. Name:

Date

Interview with a Nurse Manager on Informatics and Process Improvement

In a recent interview, I spoke with a nurse manager from the medical/surgical service line of my hospital. Although his role does not primarily focus on informatics, he has demonstrated a strong ability to develop new processes that streamline daily tasks for his staff. During our conversation, I shared the five technologies I was exploring for the first phase of the Clinical Practice Experience (CPE): health databases, electronic health records (EHRs), telehealth, wearable technology, and clinical decision support systems (CDSS).

He admitted limited familiarity with some tools, particularly clinical decision support systems and telehealth. However, he has extensive experience in customizing electronic health records to better align with his staff’s workflow. For instance, he implemented navigators for admission, transfers, and discharges within the EHR system, which helped reduce the charting burden on nurses by simplifying documentation processes.

One notable achievement under his leadership was the development of a discharge summary report aimed at reducing patient length of stay. This report enables charge nurses to identify patients who are likely to be medically cleared for discharge in the coming days. The charge nurses then collaborate with primary nurses to identify and address any barriers to timely discharge. As a result, the average length of stay on his unit dropped significantly from over ten days to under six days within a year, reflecting a meaningful improvement in patient outcomes facilitated by informatics-driven process changes.

Use of Wearable Technology and Patient Safety Concerns

Our discussion also touched on the critical role of wearable technology in inpatient care. The nurse manager recounted a recent sentinel event at the hospital involving cardiac telemetry monitoring. A patient undergoing an MRI could not keep the telemetry leads and monitoring device on during the imaging procedure. Unfortunately, the monitoring equipment was not reconnected after the MRI, and by the time the patient returned to the floor, they were unresponsive. Despite resuscitation efforts, the patient did not survive. The absence of continuous cardiac monitoring made it impossible to determine how long the patient was unresponsive before being found.

This tragic event occurred on the floor managed by the interviewee and prompted him to establish a new hospital policy requiring Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certified staff to accompany any patient on cardiac monitoring when off the floor. He emphasized that while technology offers tremendous potential to improve both patient outcomes and staff efficiency, its safe and proper use is paramount for protecting patients and healthcare workers alike.

Summary Table of Interview Insights

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).