Introduction
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework to draft, create, and execute complex information technology systems, such as network, software, and hardware systems (McBride & Newbold, 2018). In care delivery, SDLC is used to device and advance healthcare information systems critical for patient care, such as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems, Electronic Health Records and Clinical Decision Support Systems. SDLC is a phased process applied to explore and develop an information system that is broken into varied stages, from the concept phase to the actual implementation and maintenance. This paper describes the role description of a graduate-level nurse in the implementation of a new nursing documentation system based on the SDLC framework.
Planning and Requirements Definition
This is the first phase of SDLC, and it entails establishing the need to adopt a new system and outlining the benefits of the proposed system to an organization. It is crucial during this phase to ascertain whether an institution’s existing architecture can support the proposed information technology system. During this phase, the graduate-level nurse will be required to collaborate with the other implementation team members in investigating and documenting the needs and benefits of the new nursing documentation system. Consequently, they should recommend staff training and requirements needed to implement the new system (Farokhzadian et al., 2018). Their input at this stage is highly valuable since it can help prevent resistance to the change by suggesting recommendations that support all the nursing staff’s welfare and those of patients.
Analysis
This is the second stage in the SDLC phase and usually involves assessing end-users’ needs to ensure the proposed technology meets their needs. This phase is critical since it helps to determine the project’s needs, how the needs will be met, and their anticipated timelines. The graduate-level nurse’s role during this phase will be to identify the system needs, assess workflow processes, and probe organizational policies regarding the new system implementation. Likewise, they must evaluate whether the proposed technology will meet the end user’s needs by ascertaining if it promotes care coordination at various organizational levels, including whether it supports patient and staff education (Powell et al., 2019).
Design of the New System
At this stage, the project’s specifications, features, and functions are developed. The graduate-level nurse’s role during this phase will be to highlight and elucidate the new system-unique patient care features. Also, they will be responsible for ensuring the proposed technology configures patients’ needs. Furthermore, they should ensure the technology is user-friendly to promote its acceptance and applicability. Lastly, they must investigate the potential risks posed by the proposed technology to ensure patient safety, including contributing to advancing the system’s safety (Mathews et al., 2019).
Implementation
This phase involves testing, training users, and installing the proposed technology. End-users interact with the technology in care delivery during this phase. At this stage, the graduate-level nurse will be required to oversee the transfer of health data from the old system to the new documentation system. Likewise, they should use this opportunity to interact with the old documentation system to identify its shortfalls and make appropriate improvements to the new documentation system. Lastly, they will need to be actively involved in other staff education and training on the application of the new documentation system.
Post Implementation Support
This is the last stage of SDLC, which comprises modifying and updating a new technology. Specifically, it involves activities such as on-site or virtual support. This stage is continuous and takes a long period since it involves modifying the new system based on the recommendations that were provided in the implementation phase and making it user-friendly. The graduate-level nurse will be required to collaborate with the implementation team to advance the system’s efficiency. For instance, they will be required to provide timely technical assistance to other staff with day-to-day issues experienced in the application of the new documentation system.
Conclusion
Currently, medical informatics is an integral element of healthcare systems that are promoting medical care operations. Technological advancements such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly unwind their potential in care delivery to help clinicians and patients. Consequently, clinical decision support systems (CDSS) can effectively advance patient safety and diagnostics and ensure cost containment. On the other hand, graduate-level nurses can significantly contribute to the implementation of information technology to advance a healthcare system’s efficiency. As the most trusted profession in America, nurses are better positioned to suggest suitable healthcare systems to adopt, including contributing to the system’s design and implementation. As highlighted in this paper, graduate-level nurses can play a vital role in all SDLC phases to maximize a system’s potential and increase its efficiency.
References
Farokhzadian, J., Dehghan Nayeri, N., & Borhani, F. (2018). The long way ahead to achieve an effective patient safety culture: Challenges perceived by nurses. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3467-1
Mathews, S. C., McShea, M. J., Hanley, C. L., Ravitz, A., Labrique, A. B., & Cohen, A. B. (2019). Digital Health: A path to validation. Npj Digital Medicine, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0111-3
McBride, S., & Newbold , S. k. (2018). Systems development life cycle for achieving meaningful use. Nursing Informatics for the Advanced Practice Nurse. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826140555.0008
Mohammad Ikbal. (2023). Software development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies for Information Systems Project Management. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research, 5(5). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i05.6223
Powell, B. J., Fernandez, M. E., Williams, N. J., Aarons, G. A., Beidas, R. S., Lewis, C. C., McHugh, S. M., & Weiner, B. J. (2019). Enhancing the impact of implementation strategies in healthcare: A research agenda. Frontiers in Public Health, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00003
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