Question 1
Informatics plays a vital role in ensuring that a potential problem is identified as early as possible. For instance, the use of electronic documentation will point out changes in the status of a patient as earlier as possible since the patient’s information is readily available. The changes in the signs of a patient can be easily accessed online. Since a patient’s data is systematically arranged online, a nurse can use his or her knowledge to interpret it and take an appropriate action (Hood, 2014).
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Secondly, information management system plays a fundamental role in research of different conditions and diseases. Data from one facility can be used to determine if a certain condition exists in a different location. Informatics data is also used by a review board to determine on the best action to be taken in order to improve a given problem. It is through such researches, that effective informatics programs of different healthcare organizations will be developed from (Hood, 2014).
Additionally, data from informatics programs provide essential information for infection control in a community. Patients’ preferences and needs is also another major aspect that is derived from informatics. It is through informatics that a health facility is able to know the type of medication that works best and the ones that are needed or frequently used. In addition to that, informatics information plays a crucial role in enabling proper medical care for patients with certain conditions and in deciding the best way to avoid the spread of a certain conditions (Benner, 2010).
Question 2
The discipline of informatics is rapidly growing in the nursing profession due to advancement in technology. Also, many health facilities are assimilating technology into their day-to-day practices. This discipline is fundamental in ensuring that the privacy and security of patients is upheld. In addition to that, effective use of informatics will play a pivotal role in ensuring that data is transformed into information that can be useful in providing and improving standards of health care (Benner, 2010).
In future, data from informatics programs is likely to be used more to combat outbreak of diseases. For instance, informatics data is likely to provide essential information for infection control in a community. It is through informatics data that nurses will be able to know what disease and conditions are rapidly spreading in a given locality and take the necessary measures to combat them. Additionally, informatics will play a crucial role in preventing spread of diseases from one geographical location to another by taking the necessary preventive step once a condition has been detected in a given locality (Benner, 2010).
Patients’ preferences and needs is also another major aspect that is likely to be derived from informatics in future. It is through informatics that a health facility will be able to know the type of medication that works best and the ones that are needed or frequently used. In addition to that, informatics data plays a crucial role in enabling proper medical care for patients with certain conditions and in deciding the best way to avoid the spread of a certain conditions (Perritt, 2009)
Question 3
There are numerous ethical and legal issues that threaten the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in professional nursing. The legal issue arising from EHRs is the extent to which a clinician can access a patient’s electronic records from different health facilities and nurses. In addition to that, the mechanism by which clinicians can publically report safety issues on EHRs is a major dilemma among professional nurses in United States. Another major ethical issue that arises from the use of informatics and technology in professional nursing are issues related to opt-out provisions whereby a patient is excluded from EHRs (Perritt, 2009).
- Benner, P. (2010). From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley
- Hood, L.J. (2014). Leddy and Pepper’s Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing (8th ed.) Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Perritt, H.H. (2009) Law and the Information Superhighway. 2nd ed. Somerset, NJ: Aspen Publishers
