The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay

The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation

The potential for information and communication technology application in nursing is limitless. The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is an iterative process or a series of actions used for planning and implementing change within an organization (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018). According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2018), this conceptual model is particularity useful in project management and the development of new health information technologies (HIT) or systems. The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of a graduate-level nurse to guide their participation on the implementation team during the execution of a new nursing documentation system. Additionally, this paper will clearly define how this individual will participate in and impact each of the five steps in the SDLC which are as follows; planning, analysis, design, implementation, and post-implementation support (Laureate Education, 2018).

It is important for the nurse manager to consider both the benefits and challenges associated with involving a nurse leader on an implementation team for HIT to ensure that the new system will be usable and acceptable for the nurses impacted. Nurse leaders can be instrumental in facilitating the SDLC for informatics in health care, as their role includes synthesizing knowledge of how technology can enhance the quality of care (McKay & Vanaskie, 2018).

Role Description

Planning. The planning stage, the first and most critical of the SDLC stages, provides direction to the entire project that will ultimately affect the outcomes of successive stages (Rehani, n.d.). In this stage, the role of the graduate-level nurse collaborates with the interdisciplinary team members to accomplish the following tasks; define the scope and problems, explore and select potential solutions, assimilate required resources, determine a project schedule and timeline, and launch the project (Rehani, n.d.). Clinical knowledge of the workflow and processes, in conjunction with critical thinking skills, allows nurses to help identify objectives, establish project goals, and set realistic expectations (Rehani, n.d.). Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay. Nurse involvement in this stage is necessary to provide a clinical nursing perspective to assist in the development of safe and effective systems (Rehani, n.d.).

Analysis. During the analysis phase, the role of the nurse is to help prioritize project requirements, generate and evaluate possible alternatives, and make recommendations for management (Weckman & Janzen, 2009). As stated by Thomas, Seifert, and Joyner (2016), failure to complete these tasks efficiently and meet organizational and user needs could result in project delays, data loss, errors, and breakdown of communication processes. According to Rojas and Seckman (2014), an internal part of the analysis process includes analyzing the workflow processes, communication, and decision-making tools. Another important component of the analysis stage is to analyze technical requirements and additional demands such as hardware, software, staffing and space needs (Rehani, n.d.). Nurse involvement in this stage is also imperative to review relevant organizational policies and changes required to accommodate new work processes and new technology (Dennis, Wixom, & Roth, 2015) Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay.

Design. The nurse plays a vital role in the design phase, which is a critical part in the SDLC. It ensures that the software’s overall configuration is defined properly and determines the architecture and operation of the system with regard to the following; processes, hardware, software, networking, data retrieval, archiving and use, and user interface (Rehani, n.d.). Nurses play an integral role in reinforcing the primary purpose of the system, to improve patient safety (Rehani, n.d.). The nurse will assist in customizing the system to provide clinical decision support to accommodate practices in different specialties (Rehani, n.d.). Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay.

Implementation. In the implementation stage, the nurse works closely with the team to further customize, test, and install the system (Rehani, n.d.). The role of the nurse in this phase is critical because it involves staff training, system maintenance, and evaluation of outcomes (Rehani, n.d.). The nurse is also responsible for ensuring two-way communication between the staff and management to solicit feedback that may be useful when redesigning the system for better outcomes (Rehani, n.d.). According to Rehani (n.d.), “the feedback received from users is critical to the adaptive process of SDLC for customization and optimization of HIT.” Making safety rounds to identify workflow and system issues have been found to be an effective strategy the nurse can engage it (Rehani, n.d.).

Post-implementation Support. In this phase, the nurse is involved in providing continual support and adequate training, including understanding of the technology and its implications, to ensure there is acceptance and compliance of the new system by the staff (Rehani, n.d.). This will also help increase satisfaction and adherence to the best practices (Rehani, n.d.). Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay. As a result, it will minimize any potential negative effects caused by technical failures (Rehani, n.d.). Nurse involvement in this stage is important to identify flaws, thus reinforcing the need for constant upgrade and maintenance of databases (Rehani, n.d.).

Conclusion

In conclusion, nurse leaders are valuable members of the implementation team and play a key role in facilitating the SDLC for informatics in health care; their role includes synthesizing knowledge of how technology can enhance the quality of care (McKay & Vanaskie, 2018).

It is imperative that nurses maximize this opportunity to collaborate with technologists and informaticists to create efficient and effective programs that have a positive impact on patient care and population management (Blahna, 2015). Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay

References

Blahna, B. L. (2015). How nurses can collaborate with EHR design. Nursing, 45(12), 25-26. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000473404.97294.02

Darvish, A., Bahramnezhad, F., Keyhanian, S., & Navidhamidi, M. (2014). The role of nursing informatics on promoting quality of health care and the need for appropriate education. Global Journal of Health Science, 6(6), 11–18. doi:10.5539/gjhs.v6n6p11

Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., & Roth, R. M. (2015). Systems analysis and design (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Managing Health Information Technology [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

McKay, C., & Vanaskie, K. (2018). Partnering for success: The role of the nurse leader in Health information technology implementation for coordination of care. Nurse Leader, 16(6), 385–388. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2018.07.012

Rehani, N. (n.d.). Using SDLC methodology to implement HIT. [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7fbd/35017b7085209694cd56373e8eab62b84b2a.pdf

Rojas, C., & Seckman, C. (2014). The informatics nurse specialist role in electronic health record usability evaluation. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 32(5), 221–222. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000000042

Thomas, T. W., Seifert, P. C., & Joyner, J. C. (2016). Registered nurses leading innovative changes. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(3). doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol21No03Man03

Weckman, H., Janzen, S. (2009). The critical nature of early nursing involvement for introducing new technologies. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(2), 1-13. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol14No02Man02 Portfolio Assignment: The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation Sample Essay