Discussion: NR 599 Nursing Informatics for Advanced Practice

Discussion: NR 599 Nursing Informatics for Advanced Practice

Discussion: NR 599 Nursing Informatics for Advanced Practice

Week 2 Discussion Pre TANIC Self-Assessment and Reflection Post

Manage Discussion Entry

How is informatics used?

We use informatics in several ways. It is used to collect and store information and data, such as information our EHR. EHR’s have come a long way and now connect patients to their provider with the click of a button from their phones. Informatics is also used in research. We are able to gather data related to new and best practices which is used to initiate evidence-based changes. Informatics can also be applied to general workflows in our care settings. It is a part of every aspect of medicine. The American Medical Informatics Association describes informatics as “… computer and information science to the advancement of life sciences research, health professions education, public health, and patient care” (What is informatics, n.d.).

Regarding the Pre-TANIC Self-Assessment for this week, how did your perceived competency level prior to the self-assessment compared to after the self-assessment? Explain in detail. 

Prior to the assessment I felt good about the technology that I use daily within my current role. After using the TANIC Self-assessment tool, I was not much surprised by my results. I am confident and competent in use of systems tools and our daily technology. I am less competent when it comes to informatics research or informatic process changes. Also, informatics is such a large category. I think it would be difficult to master all of it. Finding areas of competence and mastering those areas can be helpful. For example, I excel with use of Epic. As such, I have requested to be one of our Super Users for the program. But even though I scored myself lower in some areas of the assessment, I still had no categories in the assessment that I rated as Novice. I was competent or higher in all areas. Expert or proficient when it comes to operation of personal computer and the various applications and competent or proficient with respect to use of technology to guide patient care.

What TWO competencies do you use in your current clinical role? Provide examples.

In my current role we use HIS to guide patient care (guidelines, plan of care, protocols) and we use HIS to communicate electronically with providers. We are able to use HIS to access policies and procedures from our organizations employee portal. This is an important guide for patient care. We always have nursing resources available on best practice procedures. For example, if we need to refresh on proper procedure for changing a central line dressing, we can go on to our employee portal, access Eslevier clinical skills, and are able to search and view proper procedure for central line dressing changes. We have an online database of policies for use as well. While our policies cover every topic from general roles, to patient guided care, we can often cross reference clinical skills with a corporate policy addressing the same issue. We also have built in nursing protocols for triage in our emergency room. We are able to execute appropriate protocols in Epic when triaging our patients based off chief complaint, assessment, and clinical judgment. 

In my current role we also use telehealth. We are a small community based hospital. We have a 4-bed inpatient unit that I float to frequently. Since all our hospitalists are staffed at the larger locations in the city, we use telehealth for patient admissions, assessments, and any change in patient conditions. Continued innovations in the technology of telehealth has created the opportunity to provide better care to patients in remote settings (Brown, et al., 2022). By becoming familiar and competent with use of this technology allows us to stay connected with other providers and optimize the best possible care to our patients when they are admitted to our community locations. Our telehealth equipment is fully functional. We have tools that attached to the computer station which allow our hospitalist to assess our patient in real-time but from a remote location. With assistance of the RN, they are able to inspect skin and even listen to heart and lungs. So, for my role, being able to operate the telehealth equipment and its applications with competence allows my provider to fully assess my patient leading to more accurate plan of care. 

Identify TWO resources to develop a strategic plan to enhance your competency skills.

A study was done by Akbari, et al. gauged toward nurses self-competency related to basic computer skills, informatics knowledge, and informatics skills (Self-assessment, 2020). They found that the higher the education and training, the higher the competency in informatics (Akbari, et al., 2020). Once we have been able to identify our weaknesses in informatics (self-assessment), then we are able to develop a plan to increase our competency. Goal setting is one tool I can use to increase my competency. Because I have been able to assess my areas of weakness and reflect on areas of needed improvement, I can set goals to increase my knowledge in the areas where I am less confident. As we grow as leaders, we must be able to assess our own knowledge base and determine what additional skills and/or experience is needed to advance our competency (Backonja, et al., 2021). I have higher competence in basic computer skills than I do in informatics knowledge and informatics skills. So, I can use goal setting as a resource to increase my competence in these two areas.

As Akbari, et al. noted, education and training lead to higher competence (Self-assessment, 2020). I can use continuing education opportunities within my facility as a resource to increase my knowledge. I am also fortunate to have great teachers and mentors in my department. I can utilize this as a resource for learning. Backonja, et al. states that mentoring programs are resources that can provide support that take us from novice level to expert in HIT (How to support the nursing, 2022). Backonja, et al. goes on to state that mentorship is an important tool because mentors can provide real-time feedback on areas of needed improvement (How to support the nursing, 2022).

Which resources are suited to your needs and why?

Mentorship on the job is better suited for me. I do well with a hands on approach and having a interactive dialogue with someone. I work in a teaching environment and our providers embrace this atmosphere. I have ample opportunity to learn from them and they are a wealth of knowledge. They are also good about pointing out additional resources for learning. And while I still plan to use the educational tools offered by my organization, I think combining these education with what I can learn from my mentors will draw a better understanding in the areas of informatics where I am less proficient.

How do you intend to enact this improvement plan? 

Miller, et al. states that looking for teachable moments is an important concept because a vast amount of learning occurs within our clinical environment (Recognizing and seizing, 2021). In this respect, learning is a purposeful and continual process that we have to act on. To enact my improvement plan I will continually assess my level of competencies, revise, or set new goals, and then actively seek teachable moments with my mentors. I will also incorporate educational modules or courses offered by my organization into my learning. This will allow me to bring learned concepts into practice and ask questions of those with more experience than myself.

Akbari, H., Frazandipour, M., Jabali, M., Mohamadian, H. & Safari, S. (2020). Self-assessment of nursing informatics competencies in hospitals. HIMSS. Retrieved on 03/12/2023 from: https://www.himss.org/resources/self-assessment-nursing-informatics-competencies-hospitalsLinks to an external site.

American Medical Informatics Association (March, n.d.). What is informatics? Informatics: Research and Practice. Retrieved on 03/12/2023 from: https://amia.org/about-amia/why-informatics/informatics-research-and-practiceLinks to an external site.

Backonja, U., Langford, L. & Mook, P. (2021). Calling nursing informatics leaders: opportunities for personal and professional growth. OJIN: The Journal of Issues in Nursing, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol26No03Man06Links to an external site.

Backonja, U., Langford, L. & Mook, P. (2022). How to support the nursing informatics leadership pipeline recommendations for nurse leaders and professional organizations. Computers Informatics Nursing, 40(1), 8-20. DOI: 10.1097/CIN0000000000000827. Retrieved on 03/12/2023 from: https://www.journals.lww.com/cinjournal/Fulltext/2022/01000/How_to_Support_the_Nursing_Informatics_Leadership.3.aspxLinks to an external site.

Brown, J. & Hewner, S. (2022). The role of telehealth and clinical informatics in data driven primary care redesign.  Journal of Informatics Nursing, 6(4). Retrieved on 03/12/2023 from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9211055/Links to an external site.

Miller, B. & Szymusiak, J. (2021). Recognizing and seizing the teachable moment. Academic Pediatrics, 21(5), 767-771. Retrieved on 03/12/2023 from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187628592030485XLinks to an external site.

Purpose

The self-assessment is completed using the TIGER-based Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies (TANIC) tool. TIGER refers to the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform Initiative which identified a list of the minimum informatics competencies for all nurses and students graduating from pre- and post-licensure programs. The graded self-evaluation of your informatics competencies is required in order to increase one’s own u nderstanding of competencies in nursing informatics which will enable the planning of strategies to enhance knowledge and skills.

Activity Learning Outcomes

Through this assignment, the student will demonstrate the ability to:

Apply knowledge of nursing informatics and non-nursing science (CO 1 and 2)

Assess nursing informatics competencies (CO2)

Evaluate progress in enhancing nursing informatics competencies (CO4)

Foster professional and personal development with planning strategies to enhance these competencies (CO4)

Examine ethical decision making in relation to these competencies (CO3)

Requirements:

In order to prepare for this assignment, read the lessons as well as the assigned readings BEFORE attempting the self-assessment.

Please use the following hyperlink to access and complete the survey: Week 2 Pre-TANIC Self-Assessment Survey (Links to an external site.)

ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT: Discussion: NR 599 Nursing Informatics for Advanced Practice

FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF ZERO (0) FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.

After completing the survey, navigate to the Week 2 Module in Canvas and respond to EACH of the q uestion s for your Reflection Post.

The Reflection Posts DOES NOT require cross-posting to a peer or faculty .

Scholarly sources: Only scholarly sources are acceptable for citation and reference in this course. These include peer reviewed publications, government reports, or sources written by a professional or scholar in the field. Your textbook and lesson are not considered to be an outside scholarly source. For the discussions and reflection posts, reputable internet sources such as websites by government agencies (URL ends in .gov) and respected organizations (often ends in .org) can be counted as scholarly sources. The best outside scholarly source to use is a peer-reviewed nursing journal. You are encouraged to use the Chamberlain library and search one of the available data bases for a peer-reviewed journal article. The following sources should not be used: Wikipedia, Wikis, or blogs. These web sites are not considered scholarly as anyone can add to these. Please be aware that .com websites can vary in scholarship and quality. For example, the American Heart Association is a .com site with scholarship and quality. It is the responsibility of the student to determine the scholarship and quality of any .com site. Ask your instructor before using any site if you are unsure. Points will be deducted from the rubric if the site does not demonstrate scholarship or quality. Current outside scholarly sources must be published with the last 5 years. Instructor permission must be obtained BEFORE the assignment is due if using a source that is older than 5 years.

ATTENTION: Students will not receive results following completion of this survey. For the reflection questions, please recall how you rated your proficiency/competency with the skills on the survey.

Discussion: NR 599 Nursing Informatics for Advanced Practice

Reflection Questions:

Reflect upon your current or most recent clinical practice and answer the following:

How is informatics used?

Regarding the Pre-TANIC Self-Assessment for this week, how did your perceived competency level prior to the self-assessment compare to after the self-assessment? Explain in detail.

What TWO competencies do you use in your current clinical role? Provide examples.

Identify TWO resources to develop a strategic plan to enhance your competency skills.

Which resources are suited to your needs and why?

How do you intend to enact this improvement plan?

Informatics is used in healthcare and several other areas, such as finance, education, science, and government. Pertaining to nursing, it is used to develop and implement electronic health records, telehealth, and data analytic tools, which are all designed to improve patient safety and outcomes. However, for these technologies to be successful, humans need to be satisfactory at utilizing them. For example, electronic health records have allowed all documents, medical records, and medications to be found quickly and help reduce medical errors. Data analytic tools such as wearables and sensors are great for determining disease trends and disparities. Nurses play a vital role in educating patients on how to use such tools. Nurses who do not specialize in informatics still need to understand informatics and demonstrate skills with technology (Tiase, 2022). The sky is the limit with informatics in healthcare, and it will be interesting to see how nursing changes as more technologies are developed and put into practice. 

Before taking the Pre-TANIC self-assessment, I had a decent understanding of computers and their essential functions. After the self-assessment, I still felt okay about my abilities, but I recognize the need for improvement, especially regarding health information systems. I have never worked in a hospital, so my knowledge is limited to what I was exposed to during clinicals over ten years ago. However, I am computer savvy, so I will become proficient when given the opportunity. 

In my current clinical role, I use basic computer skills daily. Although we do not have an advanced charting system, I am responsible for documenting in two programs. I also utilize informatics knowledge in my role. Therefore, I must be aware of the different programs and how to use them and teach others. Two resources that I can use to develop a strategic plan to enhance my competency skills would be to find a mentor as I am a hands-on learner. I can be told all day how to do something, but it will stick once I physically do it. Another resource would be to reach out to a friend who works for a software company that develops electronic health record programs. They may have some training programs available that I could view in preparation for when I have to graduate to charting electronically. Both resources are suited to my needs. If I can read or view how to use the programs and then find a mentor or preceptor, I will likely become proficient. Most clinics and hospitals in my area use one of two systems. I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn how to use more systems and tools. 

Tiase, V. L. (2022). The Future of Nursing 2030. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 40(4), 228–229. https://doi.org/10.1097/cin.0000000000000923