NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

Student Name

Capella University

NURS-FPX 5005 Introduction to Nursing Research, Ethics, and Technology

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Date

Analysis of Technology in Nursing Practice

This paper delves into various aspects of patient care technology, exploring its applications, advantages, and challenges. Focusing primarily on electronic health records (EHRs), the study examines their implications for patient care and nursing practice, including utility, benefits, limitations, and ethical and regulatory considerations.

Effects of Technology on Patient Care and Nursing Practice

Electronic health records (EHRs) serve as digitized repositories of patients’ medical data, accessible through healthcare organizations’ computer systems or mobile devices (Grewal et al., 2019). These records encompass comprehensive medical histories, including diagnostic information, treatment plans, allergies, infections, laboratory findings, billing details, radiology images, vaccination records, and vital signs.

Effects on Patient Care

EHRs expedite and enhance patient treatment by enabling nursing staff to quickly discern patients’ needs, facilitating more effective clinical interventions (Abul-Husn & Kenny, 2019). They systematically aggregate and disseminate patient data to all caregivers, ensuring comprehensive information sharing.

Effects on Nursing Practice

Nursing professionals view EHRs as tools to contextualize patient data and facilitate interprofessional communication, especially for patients in critical conditions or under close observation (Wisner et al., 2019). Accessible through a secure portal, EHRs empower nurses to efficiently retrieve patient information, leading to improved intervention planning.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages of EHRs include facilitating evidence-based medicine, precise documentation, streamlined preventive care, secure storage of medical records, and enhanced data management. However, concerns about malpractice liability, high implementation costs, and potential decreases in overall productivity remain (Upadhyay & Hu, 2020).

Communication of Data

EHRs facilitate both structured and unstructured communication channels. Structured pathways, such as computerized provider entry (CPOE), convey medication and allergy information, while unstructured pathways employ clinical notes (Zhang et al., 2020). Additionally, EHRs contribute to secure communication by integrating encryption algorithms into conventional medical cloud models.

Identifying Criteria to Evaluate Data

EHRs benefit from the commercialization and development of 5G technology, enabling nurses to communicate with patients via messages, emails, or phone calls from anywhere (Zhang et al., 2020). Healthcare organizations establish online portals to engage patients, particularly those from remote areas, collecting and evaluating patient data before disseminating it to the broader medical team.

Controls and Safeguards to Maintain Patient Safety and Confidentiality

Modern technologies deepen nursing staff’s understanding of patients’ conditions and facilitate patient-staff communication and access to intervention updates. Safeguarding data entails granting portal access credentials to relatives or family members of patients with mental or visual impairments (Lee, 2017). Open dialogues with patients regarding privacy concerns are necessary to prevent unauthorized data use. Proper staff training in data storage and monitoring is essential for ethically optimizing patient health information within EHRs.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Improve the Application of Patient Care Technology

Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 ensures patient consent before data disclosure, thereby enhancing patient care technology (Shachar, 2022). Upholding HIPAA principles improves health insurance portability and safety standards.

Conclusion

Patient care technology, including devices like blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, and patient location trackers, plays a crucial role in healthcare by fostering communication between healthcare organizations and patients. While offering benefits, challenges such as staff training, data security, and patient privacy considerations must be addressed to ensure ethical and effective utilization.

References

Abul-Husn, N. S., & Kenny, E. E. (2019). Personalized medicine and the power of Electronic Health Records. Cell, 177(1), 58–69.

Bani Issa, W., Al Akour, I., Ibrahim, A., Almarzouqi, A., Abbas, S., Hisham, F., & Griffiths, J. (2020). Privacy, confidentiality, security, and patient safety concerns about Electronic Health Records. International Nursing Review, 67(2), 218–230.

Grewal, D., Hulland, J., Kopalle, P. K., & Karahanna, E. (2019). The future of technology and marketing: A multidisciplinary perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 1–8.

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology

Lee, L. M. (2017). Ethics and subsequent use of Electronic Health Record data. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 71, 143–146.

Shachar, C. (2022). HIPAA, privacy, and reproductive rights in a Post-Roe era. JAMA, 328(5), 417.

Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2020). Clinicians’ lived experiences on the impact of Electronic Health Records (EHR) on quality and safety. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020(1), 12928.

Wisner, K., Lyndon, A., & Chesla, C. A. (2019). The Electronic Health Record’s impact on nurses’ cognitive work: An integrative review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 94, 74–84.

Zhang, J., Liu, H., & Ni, L. (2020). A secure energy-saving communication and encrypted storage model based on RC4 for EHR. IEEE Access, 8, 38995–39012.

NURS FPX 5005 Assessment 4 Patient Care Technology