In recent years, the nursing field has evolved significantly, leading many nurse leaders to assume the role of knowledge workers, reduce medication errors and improve patient health outcomes. Many healthcare facilities are now concerned about how to improve patient care for those suffering from Myocardial Infarction. The primary goal is to enhance patient care outcomes, reduce lengthy stays in the facilities, and reduce readmission rates. Advancement in information and communication technologies has enabled remote monitoring of vital signs and symptoms of Myocardial Infarction and enhance effective doctor-patient contact to improve patient care (Walden University, 2018). For instance, nurse leaders are adopting the use of smartphone-compatible wearables to enhance the effective measurement of a number of medical steps taken, weight, blood pressure, and recording electrocardiograms. The results of these measurements are communicated using smartphone applications developed for specific devices. The data recorded is uploaded through the internet to the healthcare facility servers, enhancing effective treatment of the diseases.
Research by Treskes et al. (2017) showed that telemedicine improves clinical effectiveness and patient satisfaction care. As such, remote and close monitoring and follow-up with subsequent therapies by nurse leaders improve clinical outcomes among patients suffering from myocardial Infarction. Telemedicine with smartphone-compatible wearables helps to reduce queuing time and ensure patients receive quality and timely diagnosis and treatment. While this technology is still new in the healthcare sector, many nurse leaders are adopting it to reduce the time taken to diagnose and treat the patient and also lives, enhancing patient satisfaction.
The development of smart technology, such as smartphone-compatible wearable devices, has led to the evolution of the role of nurse leaders as knowledge workers. First, nurse leaders are mandated to research and practice the new technologies used in healthcare facilities to acquire knowledge on how to use technologies to provide medical care to patients (Nagle, Sermeus & Junger, 2017). For instance, for treating myocardial Infarction, smartphone-compatible wearable devices connected to computer desktops consist of scanners to scan patients remotely before administering medication. The remote devices are connected with MEDITECH EMR located at the hospitals where patients visiting the hospital are given a wristband with a barcode. To use these technologies, nurse leaders should learn how to use five rights to medication administration: patient, drugs, time, route, and dose. Adopting these advanced technologies in healthcare facilities helps reduce medication errors, reduce patient waiting time, and enhance patient satisfaction.
While myocardial Infarction has remained one of the leading causes of increased mortality rate globally, computing power advancements and wireless technologies have improved patient monitoring through a compelling collection of patient data. This implies that the evolution of technology in the healthcare sector helps nurse leaders to analyze patient data to determine the gaps in care and propose the best methods to fill the gap. Additionally, these technologies also help to provide a patient’s health history, which is important in providing insights about risk factors that can place patients into increased health risks and constraints. The data collected through advanced technologies can help nurse leaders implement better healthcare approaches to reduce unnecessary readmissions, hospital stays, mortality rates, and long queuing, hence improving patient health outcomes.
References
Nagle, L., Sermeus, W., & Junger, A. (2017). Evolving Role of the Nursing Informatics Specialist. In J. Murphy, W. Goosen, & P. Weber (Eds.), Forecasting Competencies for Nurses in the Future of Connected Health (212-221). Clifton, VA: IMIA and IOS Press. Retrieved from https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_4A0FEA56B8CB.P001/REF
Treskes, R. W., van Winden, L. A., van Keulen, N., Atsma, D. E., van der Velde, E. T., van den Akker-van Marle, E., … & Schalij, M. J. (2017). Using smart technology to improve outcomes in myocardial infarction patients: rationale and design of a protocol for a randomized controlled trial, the box. JMIR research protocols, 6(9), e8038.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2018). Health Informatics and Population Health: Trends in Population Health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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