The field of nursing provides a wide range and variety of opportunities for an
individual, with each expression of nursing providing a different way of
interacting and engaging with technology.
Within my health system there are quite a wide range of roles and positions
across the continuum of care.
Frontline nursing: a Bedside nurses on the units and departments who utilize
the medical record to help track the care provided and aide in the
communication of information important to patient care. a Processes like
automation of input of vital sign data can help save time and ensure that
numbers are more accurately recorded within the medical record. a At my
current hospital a frequent complaint is the lack of automation on these
processes, and the requirement of having to input vital sign data manually is
another opportunity for incorrect data input that could have adverse
consequences on our patients.
Nurse Case Managers: a we have case managers from both a nursing and
social work background who have a focus on helping with patient flow and
through put; technology systems such as Qventus have been implemented at
interdisciplinary team meetings to help identify barriers to discharge and help
ensure that the right resources are brought to bare in an efficient manner. a
QVENTUS uses logarithms and pulls data from the electronic medical records
to try to highlight possible discharge barriers that might contribute to an
increased length of stay. These might include insurance barriers, family
dynamics, tests that still need to be run, etc.
Quality Compliance Nurses: Nurses within our quality and infection
prevention teams rely on the electronic medical records to run reports on
quality outcomes and utilize safety reporting systems like "safe care" to
understand and track events and identify trends within the hospitals. a Safecare
is a reporting system that any employee can report (even anonymously)
concerning specific events or incidents that occur. a It holds managers
accountable as they are required to follow up on these incidents and report out
on findings. a Quality nursing leaders and others are able to review and access
trends and track other quality data. a (Lowey, 2017). a a
Nursing navigators: a we have nurse navigators who follow up with patients
who have specific diseases and provide specialized support and information. a
Access to medical records is critical for identifying specific patients who
would benefit from interventions and to follow up with them. a Nurse
navigators will follow up with patients following discharge and establish
follow up appointments to reduce the chances of readmission and to ensure
that patients have the resources and information necessary to follow up with
care plan. a
Informatic nursing: a Informatic nursing involves nurses who serve as a
bridge between the frontline care givers and those more deeply involved in the
design and implementation of electronic medical records. a Their functional
knowledge of patient care and understanding workflows is helpful in
providing feedback in the design and implementation of electronic medical
records. a These nurses may be involved with developing processes and
education around the implementation of EMRs a (Lowey, 2017). a
Lowey, Susan. (2017). Nursing Beyond the Bedside: 60 Non-Hospital
Careers in Nursing. Sigma Theta Tau International.
