NURS FPX 6412 Assessment 1 Policy and Guidelines for the Informatics Staff:Making Decisions to Use Informatics Systems in Practice

Policy and Guidelines for the Informatics Staff: Making Decisions to Use Informatics Systems in Practice

An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is an electronic form of a patient’s medical record. EHR in healthcare organizations has improved healthcare workflow, efficiency, and patient safety. EHR encompasses all aspects, from gathering patient data to delivery through electronic systems. The Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) system is a useful EHR tool. This tool is critical for patient safety (Jedwab et al., 2019).

The eMAR system is discussed in this project. The functions of the eMAR tool with evidence-based practice are also highlighted. This project also discusses eMAR supporting strategic plans and contributing to interdisciplinary care. The appendix and policy guidelines for managing eMAR are described at the end of the project.

Evidence-Based Functions of Tool 

The eMAR system aids in the accurate documentation of drugs and treatment implementation. According to Stolic et al. (2023), eMAR enhances patient security and medical care delivery by improving interaction between providers and patients through paperless digital care approaches in nursing services. The eMAR is practical for clinical and post-acute patient treatment (Naidu & Alicia, 2019). The eMAR system creates patient databases based on geographical area, discharge time, and administration mode, generating e-charts with diverse health data (Li et al., 2021).

The system includes the patient’s medical history, previous prescriptions, and alerts when medication needs to be administered (Jamil et al., 2019). According to Zheng et al. (2021), the eMAR enhances medical system accuracy by reducing medication errors, improving treatment standards by efficiently documenting medication and reminders and marking each treatment or drug for patient evaluation. A mark is checked for each medication procedure that is accomplished. The system manages a patient’s medical history and previous prescriptions and provides alerts when medication is needed (Pereira et al., 2023).

Guidelines Reflecting Analysis of Work Setting

The eMAR and management system are revolutionizing healthcare settings, enhancing efficiency, and reducing challenges and disparities. (Kim et al., 2023). The eMAR safeguards patient medical information from human error, enhancing patient safety and healthcare professionals’ workflow performance by reducing drug mistakes and adjusting care accordingly (Pruitt et al., 2023). The eMAR, integrated into healthcare systems’ EHR, helps reduce medication errors by providing notifications and guidance for clinical decisions related to missed dosage, inaccurate dosage, replication, and prescription (Jedwab et al., 2019). Distributing systems and delivering approaches improves accessibility, comprehension, and interactions in nursing care (Stolic et al., 2023).

Electronic Medication Administration System Supporting Strategic Plan

The eMAR enhances healthcare planning by ensuring patient safety, improving care delivery, and reducing medication errors by sending authorized data to devices essential for medication dispensing (Jessurun et al., 2021). eMAR’s Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) enhances healthcare professionals’ efficiency by providing verified information about each plan, safeguarding patient data, preventing disclosure without permission, and improving care quality (Sutton et al., 2020). The barcode scanning feature is crucial to reduce drug-related errors and ensure accurate administration, dosage, and timing,  improving patient safety and treatment standards (Darawad et al., 2019). Effective management requires comprehensive training of healthcare workers, particularly nurses. These trainings improve expertise, focusing on system functionality and management to improve outcomes (Mohanna et al., 2022).

Assessment of Workflow to Maximize Efficiency

The eMAR healthcare system improves efficiency by providing immediate prescription and dose data. The system automates procedures making medication-related information accessible to patients through a central dashboard feature (Shermock et al., 2023). The eMAR system enhances patient information access, security, and efficiency in medical data management. It allows caregivers to scan medicine labels accurately using barcode scanning (Darawad et al., 2019). The system aids nurses in multidisciplinary tasks by sending reminders for patient updates, critical examinations, and drug administration. Monitoring nursing activities also reduces human errors (Lau et al., 2019).

Electronic Medication Administration Contribution to Inter-Professional Care

eMARs improve healthcare by facilitating collaboration among interdisciplinary teams and improving communication within EHR-based systems. The system also enhances patient satisfaction by validating responsibility competencies and ensuring effective treatment delivery (Stolic et al., 2023). The eMAR streamlines communication among healthcare professionals, enhancing patient treatment delivery efficiency (Naidu & Alicia, 2019). eMAR reports, including medication prescriptions, schedules, and medical test reports, are delivered in real-time, improving patient outcomes and standard of care for inter-professional teams (Baird et al., 2019).

Conclusion

This study believes eMAR to be an efficient EHR product. It keeps patient data updated to provide standard care. It keeps records of the individual’s drug regimen and medical updates to improve patient safety. It also uses barcode scanners and other kinds of authentication to safeguard patient data. 

References

Baird, J., Ashland, M., & Rosenbluth, G. (2019). Interprofessional teams: Current trends and future directions. Pediatric Clinics, 66(4), 739-750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2019.03.003

Darawad, M. W., Othman, E. H., & Alosta, M. R. (2019). Nurses’ satisfaction with barcode medication‐administration technology: Results of a cross‐sectional study. Nursing & Health Sciences, 21(4), 461-469. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12620

Jamil, F., Hang, L., Kim, K., & Kim, D. (2019). A novel medical blockchain model for drug supply chain integrity management in a smart hospital. Electronics, 8(5), 505. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8050505

Jedwab, R. M., Chalmers, C., Dobroff, N., & Redley, B. (2019). Measuring nursing benefits of an electronic medical record system: A scoping review. Collegian, 26(5), 562-582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2019.01.003

Jessurun, J. G., Hunfeld, N. G. M., Van Rosmalen, J., Van Dijk, M., & Van Den Bemt, P. M. L. A. (2021). Effect of automated unit dose dispensing with barcode scanning on medication administration errors: An uncontrolled before-and-after study. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(4), mzab142. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzab142

NURS FPX 6412 Assessment 1 Policy and Guidelines for the Informatics Staff:Making Decisions to Use Informatics Systems in Practice

Kim, E. D., Kuan, K. K., Vaghasiya, M. R., Gunja, N., & Poon, S. K. (2023). A repeated cross-sectional study on the implementation of electronic medication management system. Information Technology and Management, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-023-00398-8

Lau, G., Ho, J., Lin, S., Yeoh, K., Wan, T., & Hodgkinson, M. (2019). Patient and clinician perspectives of an integrated electronic medication prescribing and dispensing system: A qualitative study at a multisite Australian hospital network. Health Information Management Journal, 48(1), 12-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1833358317720601

Li, E., Clarke, J., Neves, A. L., Ashrafian, H., & Darzi, A. (2021). Electronic health records, interoperability and patient safety in health systems of high-income countries: A systematic review protocol. British Medical Journal Open, 11(7), e044941. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044941

Mohanna, Z., Kusljic, S., & Jarden, R. (2022). Investigation of interventions to reduce nurses’ medication errors in adult intensive care units: A systematic review. Australian Critical Care, 35(4), 466-479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2021.05.012

Naidu, M., & Alicia, Y. L. Y. (2019). Impact of bar-code medication administration and electronic medication administration record system in clinical practice for an effective medication administration process. Health, 11(05), 511.
https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2019.115044

NURS FPX 6412 Assessment 1 Policy and Guidelines for the Informatics Staff:Making Decisions to Use Informatics Systems in Practice

Pereira, N., Duff, J. P., Hayward, T., Kherani, T., Moniz, N., Champigny, C. & Egan, R. (2023). Methods for studying medication safety following electronic health record implementation in acute care: A scoping review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, ocad231. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocad231

Pruitt, Z. M., Kazi, S., Weir, C., Taft, T., Busog, D. N., Ratwani, R., & Hettinger, A. Z. (2023). A systematic review of quantitative methods for evaluating electronic medication administration record and bar-coded medication administration usability. Applied Clinical Informatics, 14(01), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1761435

Shermock, S. B., Shermock, K. M., & Schepel, L. L. (2023). Closed-loop medication management with an electronic health record system in US and Finnish hospitals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(17), 6680. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20176680

Stolic, S., Ng, L., & Sheridan, G. (2023). Electronic medication administration records and nursing administration of medications: An integrative review. Collegian, 30(1), 163-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2022.06.005

Sutton, R. T., Pincock, D., Baumgart, D. C., Sadowski, D. C., Fedorak, R. N., & Kroeker, K. I. (2020). An overview of clinical decision support systems: Benefits, risks, and strategies for success. Nature Partner Journal Digital Medicine, 3(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-0221-y

Zheng, W. Y., Lichtner, V., Van Dort, B. A., & Baysari, M. T. (2021). The impact of introducing automated dispensing cabinets, barcode medication administration, and closed-loop electronic medication management systems on work processes and safety of controlled medications in hospitals: A systematic review. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(5), 832-841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.08.001

Appendix

The suggested eMAR technology for implementation in health policy 

Overview

The multidisciplinary group engaged is adequately trained on the foundation and application of eMAR. The eMAR technology is considerably innovative and practical, and the medical professional’s experience with this system would be advantageous. The overall effort by medical practitioners would be reduced if this system is implemented as a strategy. It will improve care standards by reducing medication errors due to human mistakes (Darawad et al., 2019).

Purpose

This policy is intended to enhance the standard of medical care offered to patients. It also aims to simplify medical staff’s jobs and reduce the risk of human errors, such as medication issues. The healthcare work setting is being altered by introducing this technology in the healthcare sector. The significant outcomes include efficient information gathering, distribution of medications, prescriptions, and medical service automation. This policy is appropriate for multidisciplinary medical teams. It improves coordination and communication among team members for better outcomes (Stolic et al., 2023). 

Responsibility

To manage eMAR properly, training sessions for multidisciplinary medical groups are conducted. Experienced and qualified technicians are hired to keep eMAR running smoothly and efficiently. Nurses, medical professionals, nurse informaticists, information technicians, and administrative professionals are appointed to the designated groups to execute and manage eMAR efficiently.

Guidelines

Healthcare professionals have used their leadership skills to implement healthcare policies that support eMAR successfully.  These principles are utilized to enhance the effectiveness of eMAR; it also encourages its adoption within medical sectors. This technology’s benefits include reducing the chance of medication errors, promoting patient safety, recording wellness results, and reducing the workload of medical staff. 

The guidelines for eMAR must be followed: 

• Acquire the primary computer and technical knowledge and expertise to manage eMAR. 
• Consider privacy and security rules regarding patient health information during documentation
• Apply authentication or verification on patient medical records to protect the data
• Properly document and record the patient information, including prescription and medical history
• Review or cross-check the whole documentation before applying reminders for medication
• Ensure patient safety by effective communication of interdisciplinary team