BLOG ENTRIES FOR MODULE 1

Well...I did not finish the real blog assignment so I better get on it ! I sincerely believe that proper use of IT resources and good information management systems are critical to success in any health-related field (medicine or nursing). As the complexities of our health care system increase, we must acknowledge that the capabilities of human information processing are going to fall short. Our brain can only synthesize so much data and it will inevitably cause a significant gap between what we need to know- and what we are capable of integrating. Well designed systems must take over where the limits of our brain fail. I think this is true of many professions and not just nursing.
In my particular clinical setting (Expresscare) we use a database developed specifically for our clinics (5 of them) that is integrated (we can see and utilize each others data). We have templates that standardize what information is placed in the patient record and fields in in our coding areas (ICD 9 diagnoses) and service levels that limit our options. You are unable to get past certain fields without filling them out so it does force certain data points to be completed. The fundamental problem with this system is that it is not integrated or linked to the other (IHC) systems that contain patient data. The implication for pt care is that critical information may be missed and other service providers may have no knowledge of our interventions. At some future point this issue will be resolved and pt interactions will be accessible to a greater number of providers. This does not completely solve many of the quality concerns, but it does move us closer to an integrated health record. Standardization of evidence-based practice models (or care process models) becoming more formalized within the system can significantly improve patient care (because it can decrease variability between treatment regimens and diagnosis between providers).