Introduction
Technology is constantly changing with a rapid pace that has greatly influenced the healthcare setting. The practices within the healthcare settings have adopted different innovative and information technology system and devices that have change the nursing practice (Westra & Delaney, 2009). In this document, the problems related to the adoption of technology’s impacting nursing practices are discussed. It critically analyzes the role of the nursing leadership as counteracting to the resolve the issues and concerned related to the technology use in nursing practices. It focuses on the application of leadership strategies to overcome the problem. Moreover, it concludes with the evaluation of the strategies to assess the effectiveness of the recommended strategies and self-reflection.
Role of Leadership vision resolving nursing professional problems
Taking lead to embrace emerging technology to improve healthcare quality and services
In the contemporary times, with the rapid shifts in the healthcare settings the role of the leadership in the nursing profession takes a specific place. The leadership vision in the nursing professional is equipped with the transformational leadership. The role of the leader would enable to cope with the changes as well as strive for excellence, shape their environment for the success, motivate others, embrace the change and value integrity in their professional for quality healthcare. The vision is to equip with new knowledge, skills and learns for effective strategies to remain competent with the future nursing trends for the better patient care in the dynamic healthcare settings.
Description of Problem
Technological development has transformed hastily with the passage of time. The emergence of new technology tools, system and techniques are being constantly integrated into the health care setting to improve patient care. The use of technology in the healthcare setting has benefited healthcare setting to improve the quality of care and services being delivered. Nursing practices have also changed as the use of technological devices is changing over time. Though, technological tools in the clinical practices have improved nursing practice but at the same time, it is important for the nurses to understand to make the right use of this technology (Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), 2016). Moreover, the use of the technology nursing care has changed the notion of the place and presence of the nurses and the patient.
Managing electronic data of the patient, computerization of the planning, tasks and other records if not managed effectively can adversely impact healthcare quality. In the United States, the use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) is stressed to manage rather than the paper record as it is efficient and time saving. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, it is directed that the healthcare organizations should adopt EMR system to improve patient care (Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), 2016).
Also, there is constant development that is proposed by the government and healthcare agencies that are putting stress on the healthcare institution to upgrade federal health IT system to enhance integrated care delivery and quality improvement of the health services. Hence, the nurses need to be familiar with the innovative approaches in the medical practices adopting new technology. There is a need for the nursing leaders to understand the importance of the innovative approaches in the health care setting to support evidence-based practice and management.
Impact of nursing leadership on the problem
Nurses play an important role in the delivering patient care. Therefore, nursing practices require broadening understanding about the evolving practices for quality nursing. The increasing demand for the accurate results, the complexity of care and other related factors have increased the use of the technology in the healthcare practices as well as the EMR. The role of the nursing leader has disseminated with the increasing adopting of new technology in the nursing practices. The leadership vision for the informatics nurses should be focused to align nursing practices using emerging technology ensuring positive outcome on the healthcare (Westra & Delaney, 2009).
The nursing leaders should understand the infrastructure to support patient safety understanding the use of data acquisitions, user interface, multiple formats to eliminate risks and application of effective decision analysis to support the decision-making and utilization of information for improving practices. Nursing leadership would enable to assess, prepare, adopt and implement EHR technology for the development of health information technologies. It is because traditional nursing education did not include informatics (Westra & Delaney, 2009).
The provision of leader nurses assesses Informatics competency and nurses executives to lead change using Healthcare information technology. Also, nursing leadership would provide support to the nurses’ executives to conduct their daily duties in an effective way. The nursing leadership would improve assessment of the issues related to the healthcare setting in which the nursing practices may create conflict. It would also provide opportunities to learn different ways that the nurses can make use of the informatics and technologies in nursing practices to gain accurate results (Westra & Delaney, 2009).
Moreover, the nursing leader is a provision that would enhance coordination of information strengthening communication to support the advance health care technology system. It can prevent the errors and promote simplification of the medical data that can be retrieved by the nurses to make adequate decisions. Also, nursing leadership would enable to cater to eliminate barriers to promote EBPs.
Evaluation of strategies for consistency with the leadership vision
For the provision of the quality healthcare, it is important that the nurses adopt new technology in the healthcare organization. Therefore, the first proposed strategy is to gain knowledge and train other to understand the relationship between information technology outcomes in the care process. While the healthcare organization would undergo inter-organizational change, it is important that there should be effective sharing of the information making use of appropriate technology and personnel training. It can be done through initiating training programs to supervise the nursing staff to become familiar with the use of new technology.
The strategy would promote knowledge-based understanding to improve nursing practicing. It suggested strategy can be supported by Boebbeling, Chou, & Tierney, (2006) who stress that training programs should be implemented to deal with the change occurring because of the adoption of new technology in the healthcare settings and it is important for the staff to learn and adopt new ways.
The second strategy that could be recommended for the discussed issue is critically assessing the information management capabilities of the healthcare organization by understanding future needs and increasing participation of the staff. For this, it is important that the trust and system level support should be provided to the leaders with the assistance of the management. The organization should promote the leaders to take the necessary steps to engage individuals in improving their working practices through using IT tools and individualizing training.
There should be a supportive culture that should be developed considering the factors such as flexibility of the IT tools, training, and usefulness to enhance the implementation in a realistic manner. It is important that feedbacks should be timely monitored for the continuous improvement of the rapid application development taking place in the health care. Hunt, Haynes, Hanna & Smith (2009) share a similar view by highlighting that the development of the supportive environment plays an important role in the readiness assessment that leaders need to take charge to take necessary decisions (Hunt, Haynes, Hanna, & Smith, 2009). It aligns with the mentioned nursing vision in which the constant development to improve healthcare remains core focus.
Conclusion/self reflection
It can be concluded from the discussion provided above that the understanding of technology in the healthcare setting is essential for nurses. The traditional nursing practices need to be reinvented as the healthcare trends have changed. The future needs of the healthcare are responsibility for the healthcare professionals that implies on the nursing profession. I believe that nurses need to develop a strong familiarity with the use of the technology, system, and devices in their practices. For this, the role of nursing leaders has eventually evolved and heightened as there is a greater need to spread awareness about the use of the information technology systems and devices in their regular practices. The leaders can develop stronger influence on the nursing executive staff and take charge of the necessary changes that would anticipate the needs of the healthcare setting. I have come to the leader that the role of the nursing leader has become increasingly essential because of the rapid changes and development in the technology used in the health care organizations.
References
Boebbeling, B. N., Chou, A., & Tierney, W. M. (2006). Priorities and Strategies for the Implementation of Integrated Informatics and Communications Technology to Improve Evidence-Based Practice. J Gen Intern Med , 21 (1), 0-57.
HealthIT. (2016). Privacy and Security of Electronic Health Information. Washington DC: Health IT.
Hunt, D., Haynes, R., Hanna, S., & Smith, K. (2009). Effects of computer-based clinical decision support systems on physician performance and patient outcomes: a systematic review. JAMA , 1339-1346.
Westra, B., & Delaney, C. (2009). Informatics Competencies for Nursing and Healthcare Leaders. AMIA , 804-809.
