Module 2: ' Being One with the System'

As I'm getting deeper into 'the woods,' it's fascinating that I'm actually finding that there is a vast clearing within. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that despite the vastness of technology where I oftentimes  feel so handicapped due to my unsavviness in computers, I am continually amazed at what I am learning each day that are so beneficial to me. I worked at a small community hospital in Hawaii 31 years ago where we utilized paper charting; I proceeded to Utah where I worked at two facilities that did the same. From there our young family moved to New Jersey and then to Pennsylvania where the  4 medical facilities I worked at had utilized computers at very limited levels. Studying about healthcare information systems now, including the utilization of the electronic health record, simply just faze me. The access to pertinent data to improve patient care is simply exciting.

What I'm so enthused about now is that my current work place has been working on obtaining an electronic charting/information system that will synchronize all the various aspects of our nursing care. Because I work closely with our nursing management, I have the opportunity to become involved in evaluating the information system being proposed and hopefully provide some insights that will help in customizing such system to fit our unique needs. Implementing the Infection Prevention & Control Program in a school setting is different from that of a hospital setting because of the type of clientelle being dealt with- ours is a well population where I focus on preventive measures whereas the hospital deals with sick clients who's already dealing with a compromised medical condition. Nevertheless, the implementation of an information system at my school will be very beneficial so that surveillance measures can be streamlined and interfaced with student data. I need to get involved in the designing and selection of such information system because the program I am involved in is part and parcel of the medical and nursing care of the students.

This module is actually the impetus behind my increased interest in evaluating an information system that we can use at my facility--I need to be one with the system.

Mod. 2 Save the trees!

I can't imagine how many thousands of trees we've been salvaging every year just by switching to electronic systems. I don't know how the paper industry is being impacted by the shift to electronic correspondence or e-systems pervading the country but what I know is that such change has brought efficiency into the health care system. Time is of the essence; it has a value and utilizing information systems in the healthcare industry has revolutionized so many vital aspects of caring for a patient that would normally entail so much time to access. Having such information at your fingertips is simply amazing. All of these translate to the bottomline of improved quality of care.

My facility is heading towards utilizing an information system that will help the nurses in nursing documentations and other aspects of care. I realize that switching from the old school of paper-and-pencil system may cause anxiety among staff that are used to the traditional charting but I believe that familiarity with the system will alleviate such initial stress, just like the transformation happening within me as I get more used to online instruction.

'Going green' is the key word and utilizing information systems is definitely helping the planet!

Mod. 1 Social Media-It Works for me, too!

If there's anything that at this point has enthused me about Nursing Informatics, it is learning about the social media and its impact upon the health care industry. I am enthusiastically realizing that the social media can be utilized to help both the providers and consumers of health care. I don't use Facebook despite its popularity- simply because I don't have time for it (it sounds like it can really preoccupy people's time in keeping up with what's happening with friends and associates!) . But I'm quite impressed with Mayo Clinic's initiative to utilize social media to interact with their patients, their families, staff and community members through interesting updates and information about health. It gave a 'face' and a 'heart' to a very reputable hospital known for its valuable researches and high end treatments.

I guess that in this age of financial pressures augmented by illnesses that we experience, it's gratifying to know that slowly hospitals out there are realizing that they need to 'interact' with people outside their walls and promote humanism. Utilizing the social medial enable them to connect to people and send a message of genuine concern.

Module 1 continuation Stepping into the world of Nursing Informatics

Coming from a 3rd world country over 30 years ago but actually working in Hawaii right after graduation in 1979, I wouldn't have imagined that nursing will grow in leaps and bounds in terms of utilizing information technology. As I contemplate the voluminous materials out there rich with information that can be utilized for providing patient care, I am just fazed. I didn't know about Nursing Informatics until a college classmate of mine specialized in it for his PhD. Our Nursing Dept. director has been pushing for electronic charting to manage the care of our over 150 students and I hope that this gets realized soon. I understand the reason behind Curran's push for informatics competency levels among nurses and the need to manage information skillfully. Just  to be able to track a patient's status based on his vital signs or labwork and utilizing such data to determine his nursing management is a way of optimizing his health care. As 'knowledge workers' we have the leverage to process information and utilize it to make logical decisions. The interfacing of IT with nursing practice is definitely a wave that we need to ride on-it will never subside but will strike stronger well into the future.

'Henrietta the Duck'

I'm on the 2nd week of school- 14 days to be exact! By this time I should be better acquainted with the expectations in my 4 courses, be able to understand what I'm supposed to do in each of them and should be chugging along to submit the requirements. Right? Not really. I color coded my binders to identify which notes belong to what but it's funny because it's just like going through my kids' names- I know who I am supposed to call but I end up rattling the rest of the kids' names before I get the right one! I really have to think twice or even more for which class I am submitting a particular assignment or participating in a discussion. I guess that I should also take off this invisible 'post-it' on my forehead stating: 'Come to me for questions-I have answers!' or 'I am the Lost-and-Found!'  No wonder we have a dearth of nurse educators or nurses who proceed to grad school-how do you balance work inside the home with work outside the home + so many other things that have to be juggled in between?!

As I was contemplating  that last sentence the other day, a favorite bedtime story that I read to my kids is 'Henry the Duck.' He wanted to impress Daisy so he invited her for dinner. However as he was busily preparing the table, he saw an ant crawling on the wall. He didn't want Daisy to think that he his house was unclean so he had to get rid of the ant. He followed it  but  it crawled inside a crack-he wacked it so hard that  a water pipe got exposed.  He was so focused on that ant and wacked the area even harder and the pipe burst! Poor Henry-the dinner was ruined and so was his house. Well, he moved to another house and invited Daisy again for dinner. But on a wall  he saw the same ant crawling again! But this time, he looked the other way!

I have to say that for the last several days, I have to look the other way or I couldn't cope with my school work. However I think that I am steps ahead from when I first posted my blog. I can't even believe that I was able to make one by following the steps described by my teachers! The world of Nursing Informatics is so abstract to me- perhaps just like trigonometry or calculus. However, as I'm immersing myself in it, I realize that it's just like the galaxy-there's just a vast array of knowledge waiting to be discovered and I need to know how to operate a high-beam telescope to appreciate it. I remember 'Back to the Future III' with all those sophisticated gadgets-can you imagine the trepidation of coming from 3 decades ago from a world of typewriters, index cards and teachers with bodies that you can see to this present virtual learning experience I'm going through? Nursing Informatics is such a young specialty that holds so much promise. The acquisition of knowledge through diverse sources of information and skilfully managing them to effect excellent nursing care is what it means to me at this point. I hope to navigate my way through this maze.