In the nursing profession, there are a number of safeguards and decision-making support tools that can be used for the improvement of patient safety outcomes. Such technologies usually involve the integration of patient notes with information from current research to provide an insight into the patients’ needs (Degenholtz et al., 2016). Software combining information about the patient such as allergies, current medications, and demographic information with current recommendations for care work as both a safeguard and a decision-making tool. Implementation of these protocols works as a defensive mechanism as they help in the prevention of over-medication or other medication errors that may harm patient safety (Masters, 2015). These technologies can also be used to guide nurses in terms of making a decision that promotes holistic health for the patient, rather than solely relying on experience. They should be used as a support tool for nurses when making decisions.
Supporting tools are also useful as they save time in a variety of nursing scenarios. One of the biggest causes of medical error is under-staffing ultimately leading to carelessness or mistakes due to rushing or tiredness. Thus, the usage of relevant tools reduces the time needed to see each patient consequently reducing the overall workload (Degenholtz et al., 2016). Bar-coded medication administration technology can also prevent occurrence of errors when nurses rush to treat a patient quickly and efficiently (Holden et al., 2013). These technologies also require minimal training to be used and can be implemented across entire departments with ease. In addition, they also make communication errors less likely to happen. When medical information is integrated with technology, there is less chance that staff turnover will have a negative effect on patient outcomes as there is no need to communicate information about the patient verbally or decipher handwritten patient notes.
As far as my experience is concerned, my mentor has taught me certain critical leadership skills and decision-making skills for the promotion of quality patient care in a variety of health care setting. I have primarily learnt the importance of documentation and how changes in documentation of care may have a significant impact on nursing practice. Fortunately, I am able to now easily navigate the electronic health care record: order results, consents, planning care, care documentation, and med management.
References
Degenholtz, H. B., Resnick, A., Lin, M., & Handler, S. (2016). Development of an applied framework for understanding health information technology in nursing homes. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 17(5), 434–440.
Holden, R. J., Rivera-Rodriguez, A. J., Faye, H., Scanlon, M. C., & Karsh, B.-T. (2013). Automation and adaptation: nurses’ problem-solving behavior following the implementation of bar-coded medication administration technology. Cognition, Technology & Work, 15(3), 283–296.
Masters, K. (2015). Role development in professional nursing practice.Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Retrieved from https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ftkBCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=medication+technology+nursing&ots=ngWhEYSjyu&sig=6qbxzySzqqipAIJKZD7JEarIgNU
