Introduction
Technology has vastly developed to provide practitioners, nurses, and patients with information regarding treatment processes and health history and inform future decisions. In this scenario, documentation systems facilitate a smoother operating system for nurses. They can access it to determine factors such as the seriousness of an illness and underlying conditions, thus offering quality care. Implementing new documentation systems requires support from nurse leaders as guided by the system development life cycle (SDLC), which highlights guidelines on implementing new technologies into healthcare institutions (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2024). This is more so due to the extreme need for data control and access, enabling better service provision and information protection.
Therefore, this paper offers a role description for a graduate-level nurse leader in implementing a new documentation system as guided by SDLC.
SDLC Processes
The application of SDLC steps depends on the type of software being developed and incorporated in an industry. Developing a documentation system for nurses depends on three significant steps: planning and requirement definition, analysis and design of the new system, and implementation and post-implementation support (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2024). Every step requires nurses’ contributions to increase the possibility of success, which can be facilitated by nurse leaders who guide the designing, troubleshooting, and implementation. Thus, understanding their role description at each stage is salient.
Planning and Requirement Definition
At this stage, the implementation team analyses the present system, researches possible improvements, and presents an overview of what the proposed systems offer and what they might require to work smoothly, that is, resources such as finances, expertise, time, infrastructure and their benefits or possible losses (Sipes, 2019). At this stage, the nurse leader’s involvement involves enhancing nurse engagement by providing insight into the old and proposed systems to increase the chances of developing an efficient and acceptable alternative (Yen et al., 2017). They are responsible for generating a plan involving nurses, be it using questionnaires or engaging team leaders for assistance. From this information, they can guide the implementation team into developing a strategy by choosing possible solutions, the timeline required, resources, and expertise (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2024), thus creating a conducive and systematic environment where the generation and implementation of the new documentation system can begin.
Analysis and Design Stage
The analysis phase involves evaluating the collected information, and conclusions are made regarding what the new documentation system should include and what should be eliminated (Verma & Gupta, 2017). The nurse leader is tasked with assisting the implementation team where required, such as arranging for further inquiries with nurses. They can also offer input to system developers based on the knowledge gained at school about analysis and discuss how to meet the concluded requirements.
The design phase is where the new system is modeled with attention given to core components, including the system, applications, databases, and user interfaces that will be used by the organization (Ronquillo et al., 2016). The nurse can follow up on the processes applied in design in that they produce a system that ensures a proper flow for interoperability within the institution (Verma & Gupta, 2017). The nurse is also responsible for evaluating the generated template and scrutinizing the flowcharts to ensure they generate the expected output.
Implementation and Post-Implementation Stage
The implementation stage involves the application of Everett Rogers’ approach of five phases: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation (Schoville & Titler, 2015). These enhance nurses’ ability and willingness to adopt the new technology with the promise of a more efficient method of documentation and information access (Yen et al., 2017). The graduate-level nurse’s role in facilitating implementation involves arranging meetings to engage the staff on their experience and gain feedback on the system’s quality. Also, the nurse can take part in troubleshooting them (if they have coding knowledge) and take part in training and easing the transition for more positive outcomes.
During post-implementation, the implementation team is responsible for testing and maintenance of the new system. After all the modifications and bug removal processes are done, the system is tested to ensure that no issues arise and that it efficiently solves the existing issues for which it was designed (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2024). The nurse is responsible for enhancing a smoother integration and correcting upcoming issues with the system.
Conclusion
The paper demonstrated the role of a graduate-level nurse leader in developing a new documentation system as per guidelines by SDLC. It supports the essentiality of developed information technology in healthcare and showcases three significant stages that the implementation team follows to create a new system. The paper shows that the leader is responsible for engaging nurses in planning, creation, and implementation by requesting participation and feedback for efficient results. The nurse is also responsible for guiding the implementation team through the process and examining their work process to ensure it flows efficiently while offering advice and guidance where necessary. By accomplishing these roles, there is a promising chance of generating a system that is acceptable to all applicants, thus fulfilling its purpose of easing healthcare.
References
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2024). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. In Google Books. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Ronquillo, C., Currie, L. M., & Rodney, P. (2016). The Evolution of Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom in Nursing Informatics. Advances in Nursing Science, 39(1), E1–E18. https://doi.org/10.1097/ans.0000000000000107
Schoville, R. R., & Titler, M. G. (2015). Guiding Healthcare Technology Implementation. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 33(3), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1097/cin.0000000000000130
Sipes, C. (2019). Application of Nursing Informatics: Competencies, Skills, and Decision-Making. Springer Publishing Company.
Verma, M., & Gupta, S. (2017). Software Development for Nursing: Role of Nursing Informatics. International Journal of Nursing Education and Research, 5(2). https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijner&volume=5&issue=2&article=019
Yen, P.-Y., Phillips, A., Kennedy, M. K., & Collins, S. (2017). Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment for the Nurse Leader. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(5), 271–277. https://doi.org/10.1097/nna.0000000000000478
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