Safety, Quality, and Informatics
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BSN-FP4004_TallarineSamantha_Assessment1-1.docxRunning Head: CARE360 SOFTWARE 1
CARE360 SOFTWARE 2
Information Systems in Nursing
Samantha M. Tallarine
Capella University
Nursing Research & Informatics
May, 2019
Technological advancement has seen the digitalization of many sectors, healthcare being one of them. Previously, nurses in many hospitals would record the patient's details in manual files that were getting hectic in the hospital data stores, and had the potential of being lost or stolen. These manual operations were not efficient in hospitals, and it required the nurses to move from their points of work to the doctor's office so that they could convey the patient's medical records before the doctor could administer treatment to the patients. In the current state of affairs, we are heading towards a state where the adoption of technology has become inevitable.
Technology makes it easier to run the affairs of any given institution, and hospitals have become the leading adopters of technology. The idea of having information systems in the hospitals has pushed for the development of the software that will be responsible for the storage and transmission of patients medical records from one clinic station to another in any given hospital. Therefore, as a result of this need, information systems software's were developed that are being used in hospitals, to ease the operations and deliver services as fast as possible to the patients. To be precise, there are various software’s that are in existence and used in Electronic Health Records. They include; Therapy Notes, Care360, Cerner, Epic Care, AdvancedMD and many others. For this paper, the focus will be on the Care360 Software, which has been widely used in most hospitals as information systems software.
Care360 Software is a web-based software that is used for most of the Electronic Health Records work in hospitals, most specifically for ambulatory services. The software is created and marketed by Quest Diagnostic, and includes the patient scheduling module and the medical billing module. The software also avails the patient’s data quickly at any given point and place. (Middel, 2008) It also focuses on the storage of the medical records of the patient. Once a patient visits a hospital, his or her medical information is fed and stored in the software. Once a patient's information is stored in the software, it will be very easy to access between multidisciplinary team members, and the information will also be available if the patient visits the hospital again. The software plays a role in making services easier in the hospital, and also easier to treat patients with their medical history at the healthcare workers fingertips. The errors that were being committed by the nurses in the manual registration of the patients were eased with the arrival of the Care360 software. The software is designed to ensure maximum accuracy since the health of the patient is the main objective of any hospital; any mistake in the records can compromise the patient's health. (Middel, 2008)
Evidence based nursing is an approach that involves taking measures that are well drafted in order to come up with decisions that are well informed so as to give the patient the best treatment. Care360 is an information system software that eases the burden on nurses, and continue to practice evidence-based nursing. The information stored in the Care360 software system will allow the doctors and nurses to review the patient's medical records so as to determine the best treatment approach to use on the said patient.
In most of the hospitals, Care360 acts as the first point of patients’ registration when they check into the hospital. Various details that define the patients are taken by the nurse in-charge to help ease the navigation when the patient reaches the treatment desk. Mainly, the patient's data types that the hospitals are concerned with included; a medical history of the patient, age, gender, immunization details, allergies, results of laboratory tests, weight and even the home address of the patient. These kinds of information are helpful to the doctors since they are able to get an overall picture of the patient’s health situation before administering any kind of treatment. Consideration of information such as past medical records and allergies, as well as up to date notes from other interdisciplinary team members will put the doctor in a good position to understand the health situation of the patient. (DesRoches et al., 2008)
The data in the Care360 software are tracked through the establishment of the patient portal on the Care360 website that is accessible by authorized people only. Once the patient portal has been created for a patient, his or her details will be fed on the portal which will be accessed at any time when the data is needed. The patient is usually given a username and password that they use to access the portal, which contains a number of things like test results, and billing information to name a few. With these patient portals, both doctors and patients are able to view their patient's medical records, the treatment plans and the date of appointment so that the patient's health can be prioritized. The medical records are stored in the patient's portals and trended with the relevant authorities anytime they are needed (DesRoches et al., 2008). The data stored in the Care360 software are confidential between the patient and the hospital. Even though hospitals are allowed to access the data, they must do so with the knowledge of the patient so as not to compromise the security of personal medical records. The Care360 incorporates various security measures within the software that are meant to keep the data safe and secure from access by unauthorized people.
In current times, technology is very essential in ensuring that the safety and security of the patients is guaranteed. The Care360 software is a one of a kind technology in the hospital that is essential in ensuring the safety of the patients in regard to the medical treatment outcome. The Care360 software allows patient follow up which helps to make sure that the medical appointments of the doctor are made possible. Patient safety is made a priority since these forms of information systems that are used in hospitals makes it possible for the patient to book appointments online with doctors. Such facilities make it easy for the patients to be treated since they come to the hospital at the time that they are scheduled to have their appointment with the doctors. (Cohen, 2010)
Also, the Care360 software enables the nurses and doctors to have a quality check on their services. This is because a patient has a tab on their patient portals to rate the services that they receive from the hospitals and doctors, giving patients the sense of autonomy in choosing whom they want to see and when they want to see them. Once the nurses and doctors get such responses, they are able to access their weakness and strengths points which will enable them to improve on service delivery which is very essential on the outcome of the patient. Since the patient's safety is the ultimate goal of every hospital, the Care360 software is very important in actualizing this goal and objective of the hospitals.
At the hospital level, the nurses are the most likely people to handle any health-related technology that is introduced in the hospital. This makes it necessary for nurses to be involved in the development of any form of technology that is intended to be used in hospitals. Nurses have the ability to enhance hospital technology through their participation in the development and use of technology. The involvement of the nurses in the development of Care360 software will ensure that the software that is developed are made easy for the nurses to use, which will increase the efficiency in delivering the medical services to patients.
Resources
Blumenthal, D., & Tavenner, M. (2010). The “Meaningful Use” Regulation for Electronic Health Records. New England Journal Of Medicine, 363(6), 501-504. doi: 10.1056/nejmp1006114
Cohen, E. (2010). Use of Electronic Health Records in U.S. Hospitals. Yearbook Of Ophthalmology, 2010, 271-272. doi: 10.1016/s0084-392x(10)79279-0
DesRoches, C., Campbell, E., Rao, S., Donelan, K., Ferris, T., & Jha, A. et al. (2008). Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care — A National Survey of Physicians. New England Journal Of Medicine, 359(1), 50-60. doi: 10.1056/nejmsa0802005
MyQuest Patient Portal. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.questdiagnostics.com/home/physicians/technology/care360/practice-solutions/Patient-Portal.html
