In contemporary society, the use of social media has increased, covering almost every area of life. Correspondingly, health information and communication technology (ICT) have become indispensable in healthcare for realization, patient-centeredness, enhancing quality, invincible flow of information, and continuity in the care exchange. This essay discusses the history of health information technologies and nursing informatics, explores the areas of practice identified as relevant by the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), and examines the current use of various ICT tools in nursing. In addition, it aims to discuss the appropriate use of multimedia applications in health care, evaluate how technology has influenced the modification of the care plan, and emphasize the importance of nursing involvement in selecting and implementing healthcare technologies. This paper underscores ICT’s profound impact on modern nursing practice and how it fosters positive patient outcomes.
History and Evolution
The history of health information technologies contains a route of transformation through which milestone innovations altered how data for healthcare are collected, maintained, and put into use. Electronic health records (EHRs) were introduced in that period. Subsequently, they formed the base of electronic access to information on various patients, clinical notes, and treatment plans by several health practitioners. Initially, an administrative-oriented EHR was designed and changed towards the design supporting clinical functionalities. Telehealth and mobile health applications extend medical coverage by providing services at a distance, including advisories, monitoring, and health education to address disparities and encourage prevention care. With the rise of information technology, nursing informatics has originated to offer the background support of nursing practice and patient outcomes, initially aimed at automating record accessfor nurses but expanding to encompass a broader scope of roles and responsibilities (Nelson & Parker, 2019). Today’s nurse informaticists leverage one’s own experience to design and implement workflow processes and evaluate them for a nurse-friendly environment that provides nurses with the essential empowerment and resources necessary to lead healthcare IT projects toward innovation and the timely delivery of indispensable solutions.
Relevant Day-to-day Nursing Practices
One relevant practice area from the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) website related to nursing practice is clinical informatics, which is concerned with applying ICTS to improve clinical care delivery, decision-making, and patient outcomes (AMIA, 2024). It is relevant because it directly supports daily nursing practice by influencing clinical bedside use of technology, utilization, workflow efficiency, and communication among care team members, besides influencing evidence-based practice and delivery of patient care. The perfect nursing model should articulate active participation in designing, implementing, and maintaining Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other health information technologies and clinical decision support systems. The nurse is facilitated to access the patient’s real-time data, which will help in assessing the underlying risks or gaps in the level of interventions for better planning and executing the patient’s care optimally with other healthcare providers. Clinical informatics impacts improved outcomes for patients and better degrees of satisfaction among patients through streamlining, collaboration, and focus on the patient in health delivery.
Information and Communication Technologies
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Telemedicine are the two main ICT tools for nursing practice. EHRs, on the other hand, refer to digitized patients’ paper charts on medication but with comprehensive medical information on diagnoses, medications, immunization dates, allergies, and test results. Some EHR components include medication lists, clinician orders, and im for diagnosis, clinical notes, and patient demographics (Khubone et al., 2020). EHRs are systems nurses use to document assessments, interventions, and outcomes regarding their patients and communicate among healthcare staff while keeping track of the changes in their respective patient conditions over time. On the other hand, telemedicine is a way of utilizing communication technology from one site to give health care services to patients at another location. Telehealth services include Videoconferencing, transmitting still images, e-health, remote monitoring devices, and Tethering or tethered patient portals (Amjad, 2023). Telemedicine allows nurses to provide remote follow-up to less accessible and underserved patients, seek consultation from clinical specialists, and assess signs and symptoms from a distance. In this regard, EHRs and telemedicine support important nursing activities and advance the development of improving access to patient information and timely delivery of such information to improve care provision for citizens.
Multimedia Applications in Health Care
Multimedia applications such as educational videotapes and teleconferencing are used in healthcare delivery for better patient education, communication among healthcare givers, and improved outcomes. Educational films can elaborate on details related to the patient’s medical condition, options available for care, and self-care instructions by watching highly graphic, easily comprehensible health data. This can ultimately support greater patient empowerment, treatment plan adherence, and overall care satisfaction. Teleconference calls can allow real-time face-to-face communication between healthcare providers located at different sites, thus helping to enhance interdisciplinary teamwork, complementing care coordination, and aiding timely decision-making (Amjad et al., 2023). Multimedia applications enable health organizations to surmount access issues and improve the engagement of patients by delivering care that is so personal as to be effective for the individual, as well as population, health outcome achievement.
Impact of Technology on Care Plan
Technology significantly influences the modification of the care plan for patients in various ways. For example, with electronic health records (EHRs), nurses can monitor the status of patients’ health, noting changes in vital signs and keeping clinical information updated in real-time (Khubone et al., 2020). This makes the nurses capable of basing their decisions regarding administering medications and interventions to a minute, as well as care priorities that keep the plan of care current and in agreement with changes the patient is going through. In addition, telehealth and remote monitoring devices enable nurses to keep track of patients’ health remotely outside of traditional healthcare settings. For instance, telehealth and wearable devices enable one to keep track of patients’ activity, heart rates, and blood sugar (Amjad et al., 2023). The software will enable virtual assessments for the nurses following the provision of care at home while making virtual follow-ups such as assessments. This helps nurses make predictions about possible complications, early interventions, and related hospital readmissions, thus raising the performance outcomes of the patient and being effective with the care plan. In addition, decision-support systems integrated within the electronic health record may provide nurses with evidence-based recommendations, clinical pathways, and alerts aimed at adopting maximum clinical decisions and tending to a plan of care based on the provided best evidence.
Nursing Engagement in Planning and Selection
Nurses play a crucial role in delivering quality care and patient education, making them vital in planning and selecting healthcare technologies. In addition, nurses possess crucial insights about clinical workplaces, patients’ needs and organizational priorities, making them essential stakeholders in planning and selecting healthcare technologies crucial for the smooth running of healthcare operations. Actively engaging the nurses in the decision-making processes will enable the organizations to ensure technology solutions that are in sync with the practical realities of nursing and help produce safe, efficient, and patient-centred care delivery (Farokhzadian et al., 2020). It will also get opinions on the usability and effectiveness of ICT tools in inputting patient care in terms of feedback on user interface design, workflow integration, and overall experience. Such information will identify potential roadblocks to technology adoption, areas of improvement, and strategies to optimize the application of technology further to enhance clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Hence, nurses’ involvement in planning and selecting healthcare technologies is crucial for nursing innovations. This promotes user-centered development and optimization of care delivery.
In conclusion, this essay investigates the evolution of health information technologies and nursing informatics, focusing on ICT tools in nursing practice, namely electronic health records, telemedicine, and multimedia applications. Health care is increasingly being driven by technology to support better workflow, communication, and an evidence-based delivery of care in nursing. Information obtained from ICT also makes it possible for nurses to communicate through multidisciplinary collaboration and design individualized care plans to meet the various needs of the patients and society in general.
References
AMIA. (2024). Informatics: Research and Practice. AMIA – American Medical Informatics Association. https://amia.org/about-amia/why-informatics/informatics-research-and-practice
Amjad, A., Kordel, P., & Fernandes, G. (2023). A Review of Innovation in the Healthcare Sector (Telehealth) through Artificial Intelligence. Sustainability, 15(8), 6655. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086655
Farokhzadian, J., Khajouei, R., Hasman, A., & Ahmadian, L. (2020). Nurses’ experiences and viewpoints about the benefits of adopting information technology in health care: a qualitative study in Iran. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 20(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-020-01260-5
Khubone, T., Tlou, B., & Mashamba-Thompson, T. P. (2020). Electronic Health Information Systems to Improve Disease Diagnosis and Management at Point-of-Care in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Narrative Review. Diagnostics, 10(5), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10050327
Nelson, T. L., & Parker, C. D. (2019, March 12). Nursing informatics: The EHR and beyond – American Nurse. American Nurse. https://www.myamericannurse.com/nursing-informatics-ehr-beyond/
Zhang, X., & Saltman, R. (2021). Impact of Electronic Health Records Interoperability on Telehealth Service Outcomes (Preprint). JMIR Medical Informatics, 10(1), e31837. https://doi.org/10.2196/31837
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