NURS 8210: Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology

NURS 8210: Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology

Welcome to Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology.

Promoting quality patient care is fundamental to nursing practice, and the discipline of nursing informatics provides an opportunity for growth and education in patient care using data analysis, collection, and technological advancement. In this course, you will analyze the role of nursing informatics and explore the importance of nursing informatics for promoting positive change in healthcare organizations and nursing practice.

In this course, you will also examine the impact of nursing informatics and technology in healthcare. You will reflect on your personal and professional experiences with a nursing informatics project, that will allow you to connect nursing informatics to project management. You will explore emerging technologies and ethics associated with these advancements and consider the impacts to clinical practice. As you progress throughout the course, your nursing informatics project will allow you to apply methods introduced to your area of practice or healthcare organization. You will also engage in a series of assessments with your colleagues in which you will explore the role of nursing informatics in the field and connection to evidence-based practice.

Again, welcome to Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

When used effectively, information technology can support generation of new knowledge and emerging information technologies. In this course, students examine the critical appraisal and use of information technology in advanced nursing practice. Students work to gain the skills and knowledge needed to research, develop, process, integrate and manage data, communication and information systems, and programs through technology resources in consumer, clinical, and public health settings. Students engage in a variety of discussions and assignments designed to provide practical application of content on topics including retrieval and critical analysis of digital data and emerging technology to support healthcare quality improvement; electronic health records integration and evaluation; and web-based learning and intervention tools to support and improve patient care. They also explore ethical, regulatory, and legal issues as well as the healthcare standards and principles for selecting and evaluating information systems and patient care technology who effects positive social change. They engage in course assessments focused on the practical application of scholarly writing, critical-thinking skills, and the requirements for successful participation in an online curriculum. Students also explore the essentials of being a Walden doctoral student, relevant professional and specialty standards of doctoral-level nursing practice, intra- and interprofessional collaboration, and the process of the DNP Doctoral Project/dissertation.

COURSE PREREQUISITES

For DNP:

• NURS 8002/8006: Foundations and Essentials for the Doctor of Nursing Practice

For PhD in Nursing:

• NURS 8003: Foundations and Essentials in Nursing
• NURS 8112: Theoretical and Scientific Foundations for Nursing Research

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the conclusion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Analyze how nursing informatics, technology, and project management impact clinical practice
2. Analyze how project management approaches relate to advanced practice nursing roles
3. Analyze applications of emerging technologies, big data, and digital health for nursing informatics and clinical practice
4. Apply project management strategies for the development of nursing informatics projects
5. Create project management tools for the planning, and design, of a nursing informatics projects
6. Analyze how ethics, cyber ethics, and security impact the role of nursing informatics in healthcare delivery and clinical practice
7. Evaluate leadership strategies for the promotion of nursing informatics initiatives in healthcare organizations and nursing practice

Course Summary:

NURS 8210 Week 1: HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND NURSING INFORMATICS: INTRODUCTION SAMPLE

Nursing informatics (NI) is a relatively new concept that emerged from integrating three established scientific fields: information science, computer science, and nursing science (Harerimana et al., 2022). Nursing informatics involves nurses using information technology to manage patient data, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance communication (Harerimana et al., 2022). It also includes the administration of healthcare facilities and the educational preparation of individuals to practice the discipline. Nursing informatics pioneers empower nurses with essential skills, enabling them to thrive in a technology-driven healthcare landscape (Braithwaite et al., 2022).

It is essential to have a clear definition of NI to help guide nurses interested in this field and to provide direction for education, training, research, and practice (Braithwaite et al., 2022).Nursing informatics innovators bridge the gap between clinical practice and information systems, guaranteeing that technology aligns with nursing workflows and enhances patient care.

My first experience with nursing informatics dates back to 2013, when I was planning my graduate master’s of science in nursing for a community and public health capstone project. A renowned neurologist at Veterans Administration Medical Center, Department of Neurology, conducted a pilot study examining telehealth medicine’s effectiveness in increasing access to healthcare for patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. My role was research investigator, whereby I visited patients’ homes participating in the study and provided tools to assist them in gaining virtual access to their neurology health care provider. Outside of this experience, most of my professional nursing career is centered around clinical nursing and nursing education. Therefore, I am excited to learn more about NI and perhaps determine how this field may be  integrated with nursing education in the classroom and clinical settings to improve student learning outcomes and practice readiness.

Braithwaite, J., Vincent, C., Garcia-Elorrio, E., Imanaka, Y., Nicklin, W., Sodzi-Tettey, S., & Bates, D. W. (2020). Transformational improvement in quality care and health systems: the next decade. BMC Medicine, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01739-yLinks to an external site.

Harerimana, A., Wicking, K., Biedermann, N., & Yates, K. (2022). Nursing informatics in undergraduate nursing education in australia before covid-19: A scoping review. Collegian, 29(4), 527–539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2021.11.004