“The use of information technologies is essential in the daily work of
nurses in the health care process” (Cvetkovic-Jovanovic, 2020). In my
experience, nurses only have the appropriate amount of access they
will need for their everyday workload. Because of HIPPA, health care
workers are not allowed to look into a person’s chart that is either not
in their unit or not in charge of it.
But of course, there is always an exception to every rule. c For
example: a nurse in risk management has more access than a nurse in
the oncology department. And a nurse that works at a doctor’s office
does not need access to every patient in the hospital. With that said,
it is inappropriate for a nurse (or anyone in healthcare) to look up and
see how a family member or friend is doing.
Since I work in a lab, nurses often treat us like IT support when
ordering tests or blood products for their patients. And as much as
we try to help, every department has a different field on how to order
a test or how to administer a blood product. I wish that some nursing
floors could have a more universal way to access lab results and
ordering, or at least given the proper training. I believe that this little
improvement could improve patient care. Another thing that I have
noticed is that a nurse in labor and delivery cannot scan documents
into a patient’s chart, but a nurse in the trauma room has full access to
scan all documents. c This can affect the management of information
because of human error. If a nurse is busy helping their patients, it is
possible for them to forget to send medical records and the proper
documentation that needs to be in a patient’s chart. An example of
this is when a patient signs consent to either have a procedure done
or if they are signing consent to receive donated blood. In a hospital
setting, everything must be documented.
Reference
Cvetković-Jovanović, М., Ivanović, S., Trgovčević, S., Kilibarda, T.,
Stanković, M., & Milutinović, S. (2020). The Application of
Information Technologies in the Process of Nursing Care. Acta Medica
Medianae, 59(1), 164–169. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.5633/amm.2020.0125
