Introduction
A health information system (HIS) integrates data collection, processing, reporting, and utilization to improve health service efficacy and efficiency at all levels in the health sector. Health information system and computer technology in nursing has positive impacts including improved communication, patient monitoring, access to electronic consultations and ease in monitoring patients. This has contributed to a rise in the overall quality of healthcare (McCoy et al., 2019). Computer technology and health information systems have significantly helped to improve services provision in healthcare and nursing practice specifically as will be discussed below.
Enhanced Handling Over of Patient Information by Health Workers
With the use of technology, it is now easy to send patient-specific data from one caregiver to another, from one group of caregivers to another, or from nurses to the patient’s family and friends. This is done to confirm that the patient’s therapy is consistent and safe (Papautsky & Patterson, 2021). An example of this is the use of electronic sign-out devices, which may function alone or in conjunction with an electronic medical record to guarantee the orderly transfer of patient information if a healthcare practitioner relocates.
Ease in Medication Administration
An example of this is the application of a barcode. Electronic barcode medication administration systems combine barcode technology with electronic drug administration records. These systems prevent medication mistakes by ensuring that the right patient receives the right medicine at the right time. Additionally, there are various levels of sophistication among the present barcode systems. For example, some software alerts when drugs with similar form or looks can be confused. Others may assist with paperwork, while others, when scanned, provide clinical suggestions for specific medicines.
Ease in Medication Dispensing, Thus Promoting Safety
An example is ADCs, or automated dispensing cabinets, which are electronic drug cabinets that store medications at the point of care and provide controlled dispensing and oversight of medication distribution. It has proven effective in controlling drug inventories using automated medicine cabinets. By reducing the amount of labor required by the central pharmacy, these cabinets help automate the medicine distribution process (Papautsky & Patterson, 2021). These cabinets also make it possible to charge patients and dispense medications more accurately.
Led to Easy Patient Management
Patients may get access to their personal health information and engage in two-way electronic communication with their care providers via a secure web program known as a patient portal (Wager et al., 2021). Patients can use the patient portal on their computers or mobile devices. Patient portals boost the efficacy of preventative care, illness awareness, and patient’s ability to self-manage their conditions.
Ease of Communication Using the Telemedicine
Through network technology, telemedicine provides a platform for communication between patients and medical professionals and between medical professionals. The usage of telemedicine also has the potential to improve patient’s ability to communicate with one another (Wager et al., 2021). The link may be synchronous, which would include a real-time video with two-way communication, or it could be asynchronous, involving the distribution of patient clinical information. Telemedicine can deliver health information that has been remotely obtained from medical equipment or personal mobile devices, in addition to its ability to speak with patients. This information may come from either medical devices or personal mobile devices. It is possible to make use of this information to monitor patients, maintain track of their behavior, or make an effort to improve their behavior.
Enhanced E-Consultation
Through virtual visits, a patient and a medical professional can engage in real-time, two-way voice and video communication. Patient care has been improved as a result of the impact that virtual visits have had on patient outcomes in critical care, care for chronic illnesses, and mental treatment (Jess et al., 2019). During an electronic consultation, the patient’s primary care physician and the specialist use a safe communication platform to exchange information. The professional can now more easily provide advice on treating the patient without referring the patient to another specialist through this kind of technological advancements (Papautsky & Patterson, 2021). The implementation of synchronous telemedicine is one illustration of this concept in practice.
Promoted Remote Patient Monitoring
Patients who undergo remote patient monitoring, also known as telemonitoring, have a greater chance of recovering from chronic conditions such as heart failure, stroke, COPD, asthma, and high blood pressure. Patients also have a better chance of surviving (Papautsky & Patterson, 2021). A patient data management system sometimes called a PDMS, is a kind of information technology that can automatically collect data from various bedside medical devices, such as patient monitors, ventilators, intravenous pumps, and so on. Its acronym frequently refers to PDMS.
Conclusion
To summarize, using technology such as an electronic medical record would reduce the number of mistakes in medical care and increase patient safety. CDS and computerized physician order entry are two health information technologies that are among the most successful in enhancing patient safety. In addition, PDMS and ADC systems can increase patient safety in an emergency and critical care settings (McCoy et al., 2019). As a result, the technologies discussed above make medical procedures and patient outcomes safer. Additionally, it has improved quality and efficiency in nursing practice.
References
Jess, M., Timm, H., & Dieperink, K. B. (2019). Video consultations in palliative care: a systematic integrative review. Palliative medicine, 33(8), 942-958.
McCoy, A. B., Wright, A., & Sittig, D. F. (2019). Multi-institutional, large-scale, international applied clinical informatics research through the clinical informatics research collaborative (CIRCLE). In MedInfo (pp. 1730-1731).
Papautsky, E. L., & Patterson, E. S. (2021). Patients are knowledge workers in the clinical information space. Applied Clinical Informatics, 12(01), 133-140.
Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2021). Health care information systems: a practical approach for health care management. John Wiley & Sons.