Identifying Vital Patient Information
As a nurse, it is critical to identify vital patient information that should be maintained in a common database since this information leads the decision-making process of the health professionals working on the patient's case. Despite the fact that most hospitals employ structured data input forms to collect patient information, the nurse is frequently expected to record additional information that they think necessary in the treatment process. Recognizing this type of information is difficult for me, and I have previously been told that I record too much unnecessary patient information, and these errors have had a substantial influence on my practice. To improve my understanding of this competency, I will require several resources, primarily literature on prioritizing patient information in a hospital setting. This literature includes books, journal articles, and research publications on informatics and its application to nursing care. With this information, I will be able to gain a better understanding of what constitutes key patient information especially in a hospital setting. In addition, I will need to practice how to apply this knowledge through the help of a mentor at the institution. Finally, I will need to acquire various database systems utilized in the hospital which I will use to create dummy records for practice. I anticipate that I will have improved my knowledge by the end of three months. I will assess myself by noting the frequency of making similar errors in the future.
Skills: Employ communication technologies to coordinate care for patients
Clear communication is essential in the provision of health care, especially when several health professionals are working on the same patient case (Rider et al., 2014). I find this kind of communication challenging in my routine practice as there are usually many patients with different conditions, which makes coordination difficult. However, I have learned from senior nurses that it is possible to coordinate care efficiently as long as one is skilled in this task and utilizes the available technology. To improve this competency, I will require several resources including: lessons in time management and communication skills, support from colleagues on ways that I can improve my communication skills, and allocating more time working on this task. I anticipate that in six months time, I will be more skilled in communication and patient care coordination. My self-assessment practice will involve recording fewer mistakes in this particular task in addition to feedback from my immediate supervisor.
Attitudes: Appreciate the necessity for all health professionals to seek lifelong, continuous learning of information technology skills
Information technology changes at a very fast rate, making common routine practices obsolete within a short time. As such, it is essential that nurses stay up-to-date with the latest developments on health information technology to prevent instances where the patient's safety or quality of care may be compromised by outdated systems (Agha, 2014; Magrabi et al., 2015)). Personally, I face difficulty engaging in this attitude as most of the new technology requires training before one can use it, and it may be phased out before one has understood the system adequately. To overcome this challenge, I will require several resources including: access to health information technology journals, support from the information technology department as I get acquainted with emerging technology, and developing an interest in health care technologies. I expect to be more competent in this regard in three months time. My self-assessment practice will involve evaluating my interest in health technology and how fast I learn how to use new technologies in my area of practice.
References
Agha, L. (2014). The effects of health information technology on the costs and quality of medical care. Journal of health economics, 34, 19-30.
Magrabi, F., Liaw, S. T., Arachi, D., Runciman, W., Coiera, E., & Kidd, M. R. (2015). Identifying patient safety problems associated with information technology in general practice: an analysis of incident reports. BMJ quality & safety, bmjqs-2015.
Rider, E. A., Kurtz, S., Slade, D., Longmaid, H. E., Ho, M. J., Pun, J. K. H., ... & Branch, W. T. (2014). The International Charter for Human Values in Healthcare: an interprofessional global collaboration to enhance values and communication in healthcare. Patient education and counseling, 96(3), 273-280.
