- Review the Learning Resources for this week and select one term from the following to focus on for this Discussion.
- Usability
- Interoperability
- Decision Support
- Sustainability
- Reflect on the meaning and application of the context of these terms and consider their importance for informational technology and nursing practice.
By Day 4 of Week 2
Post and define the one term you selected explain how you this informatics term is being used in your own practice or in the daily life of your patients? Provide an example.
By Day 6 of Week 2
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who selected different terms than you. Expand upon your colleague’s posting or offer an alternative perspective.
colleague responses
1. Sustainability is defined by Merriam-Webster (n.d.) as the “harvesting or use of a resource so it is not depleted or permanently damaged”. The United Nations Brundtland Commission (1987) identified sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (as cited in United Nations, n.d., para. 1). In my nursing practice, the thing that stands out to me most regarding sustainability is the use of antibiotics.
John Hopkins Medicine (n.d.) highlights that when an antibiotic is given unnecessarily or improperly it increases the chance of bacteria becoming antibiotic-resistant. Also, there are some antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in the infection which is why some infections last longer or the antibiotics do not seem to be as effective (Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d.). Therefore, I always advocate for narrow-spectrum antibiotics that cover the target bacteria. I also profusely educate my patients on the proper use of antibiotics and to complete the entire regimen.
2. Concepts- Decision Support
Decision support in healthcare informatics refers to the computerized applications that improve the decision-making structure within healthcare facilities. Decision-making informatics rely heavily on organizational data to make the recommended decisions for healthcare practice (Vyas et al., 2022). Data systems entail the connectivity of data collection, recording, point-to-point relay, analytics, and predictive software that improves the accuracy of healthcare avenues’ management. Decision support advances healthcare research and innovation by identifying key trends and patterns in healthcare. Computerized decision-making in healthcare is critical to attaining scalability objectives and reducing the chances of medical errors. It enables informed decisions for medication, resources, and healthcare intervention models (Sharma et al., 2022). Decision support systems in healthcare are critical in policy formulation, such as allocating healthcare resources in departments, including nurses’ scheduling and improving toiletry interventions for acute care geriatric patients.
The decision support informatics construct in healthcare entails three definitive aspects: the software, the database, and the user interface. Computerized software is the functional aspect of a decision support system that defines the programmed set of instructions that performs specific tasks according to the predefined desired outcomes (Vyas et al., 2022). Decision support software includes analytics software that analyzes patients’ data, such as medication history and the prevalence of health risks in society. The computerized database refers to the central storage of healthcare information. Healthcare providers adopt centralized databases accessible to specific caregivers to ensure coordination in care interventions. For instance, the French addictovigilance network improves prescription medication screening to reduce the prevalence of prescription medication abuse (Sharma et al., 2022). The computerized interface refers to the access points of the key personnel in healthcare. The user interface provides understandable language and input/output prompts that enable healthcare providers, patients, and stakeholders to coordinate care implementation objectives.
At my healthcare facility, decision support informatics are implemented through the Care Cloud advanced analytics suite. This software improves data analysis in the healthcare facility by collecting data and providing real-time and prospected data reports. The software suite entails remote surveillance of patient health status through connected applications such as MySugr, which monitors HbA1c, and the Apple Watch (Sharma et al., 2022). This interconnectivity complements remote healthcare delivery through telehealth services by offering real-time connectivity with patients to enable decision support. The care cloud advanced analytics suite improves assistant nurses’ monitoring of patient’s health and identification of variations and potential indicators for health deterioration. Further, this software identifies patients at a higher risk for readmissions, higher risk for adverse medical reactions, and potential noncompliance to medication regimes (Vyas et al., 2022). This software is a vital tool for supporting healthcare decisions.
