Week 1 Discussion: AACN Essentials Informatics Self-Assessment (graded)

I scored a 35 on the self-assessment. I feel that utilizing technology comes easy to me because I have always had it available. The examples I can think of are the IV compatibility tool and the medication information tool in the EMAR. I use those often, and the links are easy to get to from the EMAR, so I don’t have to open a separate window to get to them. Since I haven’t been a nurse for very long, there are still a lot of things I don’t know. Having these tools at my disposal gives me the chance to learn without taking a lot of time out of my day. The areas I feel I struggle most are “evaluating data from relevant sources to inform the delivery of care” and “participate in evaluation of information systems in practice settings through policy and procedure development” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008). These two areas require me to have the knowledge of how the data should be applied to the patient and how to evaluate the process. While I can find information quickly, I don’t always know how to apply it. Learning policies and procedures is important, and I spend a lot of time reading them, although I don’t really have a good way to evaluate them. I think this is a skill I will learn over time.

Our textbook describes information literacy as something that adds onto computer literacy and is the ability of the person to identify needed information, locate it, evaluate it, and apply it (Hebda, Hunter, & Czar, 2019). While identifying and locating it is easy, evaluating and applying can be more challenging. Evaluating information requires competency in the ability to compare the quality and credibility of documents and sources (Belcik, 2011). This is a skill I can develop through further education; something I will probably get to do during this course!

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/baccessentials08.pdf/Links to an external site.

Hebda, T., Hunter, K., & Czar, P. (2019). Handbook of informatics for nurses & healthcare professionals (6th ed.). Pearson.

Belcik, Kimberly Dawn. (2011). Information Literacy Competencies of Registered Nurses at Magnet Hospitals. The University of Texas at Austin.

As a newer nurse, I thought that informatics would be a new concept to me. I think the best place to start is by defining what informatics means because I think it can be confusing to fully understand what it means. “The American Medical Informatics Association”, states that informatics is an interdisciplinary field that draws from, as well as contributes to, “computer science, decision science, information science, management science, cognitive science, and organizational theory.” However, reviewing the AACN Essentials I realized I’ve been using this in my practice since becoming a nurse. I was unaware of the meaning of informatics and all of what it encompassed. My score was 30, and one of the areas I scored myself poor in was the competency regarding clinical information systems. The book refers to it as a computer system that stores data that is available and accessible to providers, nurses, and any healthcare profession. It allows for the provider and the patient to stay on top of their healthcare  (Sipes, Brokel pp. 135).  A CSI that i can relate to and utilize as a nurse and a patient is the EMR utilized at the hospital. Where I work we use the EMR program known as Epic. We are able to chart everything from an ongoing assessment, to interventions, and care plans and education. We are able to write orders from providers, and providers are able to communicate orders quickly through this system. It helps to provide fast and efficient care for patients. Another great feature is that it allows the ability of all disciplines (i.e case management, social work, dietary, and lab to name a few) to communicate and provide a common goal.   As a patient I am able to access my labs and communicate to my provider on something called My Carle. I have found this CIS, especially useful during this pandemic.

Another area I scored myself poor on is the advocating for new technologies to ensure safe patient care. The reason I scored myself poor is because I thought that I wasn’t current on the new technologies available. However, upon researching this topic I realized that I am current and advocating for my patients daily.  An example of this would be a nurse a driven protocol at my hospital that allow RN’s to order a patients bed to help protect further injury to their skin. There is an algorithm based off their weight and current skin condition that we will follow and tells us what bed is appropriate to help prevent further skin breakdown.    

References: 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. Washington, DC: AACN. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/baccessentials08.pdf/ (Links to an external site.)

Hebda, T., Hunter, K., & Czar, P. (2019). Handbook of informatics for nurses & healthcare professionals (6th ed.). Pearson.