Read on to examine the role of technology in healthcare and how aspiring nurses can learn how to leverage the most advanced technology to enhance their care practices.
Nursing informatics refers to the application of data analytics and data science to the field of nursing. While nearly every nurse will work with technology during their time in healthcare, nursing informatics specialists are responsible for optimizing the use of data in order to improve evidence-based care strategies.
According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), nursing informatics is defined as a data-based approach to healthcare that blends nursing science, computer science and information science. Nursing informatics specialists work to harvest and analyze data to improve healthcare communication, boost patient care strategies and share knowledge within the field.
Data analytics is integral to today's global economy, including in the healthcare industry. According to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, collecting and analyzing healthcare data allows healthcare providers and administrators to gain insight into their patient populations and the trends taking shape within their facilities. Data analytics helps these professionals:
• Improve clinical decision support.
• Better manage population health.
• Enhance patient monitoring.
Within nursing practice, data analytics plays a powerful role. Nurses can rely on actionable insights to provide patients with more precise and personalized care. In addition, they can use clinical data to streamline operations and maximize their use of resources, ensuring that high-priority patients receive the prompt care they need.
Data analytics influences nursing informatics in several areas — requiring nursing informatics specialists to be well-versed in the best nursing practices as well as the most recent advances in information science and computer science. The key areas impacted include:
Predictive analytics is defined by IBM as a branch of data analytics focused on collecting historical data and predicting future outcomes. Patient care can be elevated by predictive analytics by:
• Improving early detection and preventative interventions. As the healthcare industry continues to emphasize the importance of preventative healthcare, predictive analytics will play a crucial role in developing patient care plans.
• Personalizing treatment plans based on data trends. Nurses can use historical data from the patient to personalize their treatment plans and improve their outcomes.
Both administrative and clinical data can be used to better understand clinical workflow and improve operational efficiency. At a time when the nursing shortage crisis continues to impact day-to-day life in clinical settings, being able to streamline efficiency without compromising the quality of care provided is critical.
Data analytics enables nurses and other healthcare providers to rely on factual data to make precise and informed decisions. Seeing as each patient needs to be considered individually, data analytics is essential to responsible and effective clinical decision-making.
When relying on data to support clinical decision-making, nurses and healthcare providers should be sure to integrate data from multiple sources to develop a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Electronic health records, referred to as EHR in the healthcare field, offer a wealth of insight into patient data. EHRs are defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as the electronic version of a patient's health history that provides insight into the their health, diagnostic test results and screening results.
When EHR systems were first developed and implemented, they were primarily used to store patient data — yet that data was rarely evaluated and analyzed. Today, according to research published in Lancet Digital Health Journal, nurses leverage EHR data in order to better understand their patient population, improve clinical decision-making and reduce overall administrative costs.
Decades ago, healthcare providers kept paper charts to maintain patient records. However, these paper charts were vulnerable — subject to being lost, destroyed or mistakenly placed in the wrong spot. Transitioning from paper to digital records, nurses and healthcare providers were able to improve the safety and security of patient records as well as develop a better understanding of the needs of their patient populations.
The difference between EHR data and other data analyzed by nursing informatics specialists is that this data was not specifically collected as part of a study or for research. This is real-time clinical data that can provide nurses with insight into how they may provide more personalized treatment plans and improve patient outcomes.
You can leverage EHR data by:
• Tracking the trends that are taking shape regarding patient health, safety and well-being at your healthcare facility.
• Streamlining documentation to improve the accuracy of your data and ensure that patients are receiving the precise care they need.
Population health management is defined by the American Hospital Association as the process of identifying factors that impact the health of a specific population and developing insightful strategies to improve overall care coordination for that particular population. Given that healthcare providers and administrators must have an advanced understanding of the population they are working with, it's not surprising that data analytics plays a central part in population health management.
Harvesting population data can help healthcare providers understand the various factors that influence the health and well-being of a given population. Clinical data and demographic data need to be collected in order to implement population health strategies. Thus, data analysis enhances population health management by:
• Allowing healthcare providers to identify the most at-risk patient groups within their population. Population health management relies on comprehensive data, giving them the ability to identify the most vulnerable groups and improve care coordination for those groups.
• Giving healthcare providers the opportunity to identify and analyze community health trends. This is particularly important during cold and flu season, when rampant disease spread can put a strain on hospital resources.
By relying on comprehensive data sets that include socioeconomic and demographic factors, population health management experts are able to begin identifying and addressing health disparities. Data analytics can help improve population health management efforts because:
• It allows healthcare providers to monitor the social determinants of health. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the social determinants of health include economic stability, education access, healthcare access, community environment and social context.
• It gives healthcare providers the opportunity to create targeted interventions for vulnerable populations. Through data analysis, it is easier to determine what the needs of the population are and what barriers must be overcome to improve both access and outcomes.
Nursing informatics is becoming one of the most sought-after areas of expertise in the healthcare field. Emerging trends show that nursing informatics will play an integral role in the evolving healthcare landscape through:
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are reshaping the world around us, and these rapidly advancing technologies are sure to have an impact on healthcare practices. Nurse informaticists can leverage the power of AI and machine learning technology through:
• AI-driven predictive analytics in nursing, which automates the process of collecting and analyzing historical data in order to give nurses quicker access to the insights they need to make precise clinical decisions.
• Machine learning that offers real-time decision support. Machine learning can provide nurses with automatic analysis, allowing them to leverage the power of data in real time.
Although new and advanced technology offers endless potential for those in the healthcare field, it is also essential to consider the challenges that may arise along with ethical considerations, such as:
• Ensuring data privacy and security in healthcare. Healthcare providers need to invest in secure technology, especially because they are harvesting confidential data about the health of the individuals that they serve.
• Addressing bias and ethical issues in data use. One of the most prevalent problems with AI technology today is that many algorithms feature an inherent bias. This bias can compromise the integrity of datasets and can actually prevent healthcare providers from effectively creating targeted interventions for the most vulnerable populations they serve.
While data-based decision-making has played a prominent role in the healthcare field for many years, new and advanced technology can be intimidating to nurses at all levels. Nurse informatics specialists can work to cultivate a data-driven culture in nursing by:
• Providing nurses with personalized and supportive training opportunities that teach them how to effectively use analytics tools as well as identify the impact these tools can have on the lives of their patients.
• Fostering interdisciplinary collaboration for better outcomes. Nurse informatics specialists can highlight the ways that nurses can collaborate across specialty areas through the use of these advanced tools — allowing nurses to see the potential uses for clinical data.
The field of nursing informatics will continue changing in the years to come, particularly as technology becomes more advanced.
Data analytics has transformed the nursing profession at all levels. Today, nurses can leverage the power of data in real time, enabling them to provide patients with the type of personalized care required to improve outcomes.
Due to the fact that nursing informatics relies heavily on technology usage, nurses should be committed to continuous learning and ongoing training in order to stay abreast of emerging trends and new, advanced tools.
As the healthcare landscape evolves to meet the dynamic needs of modern patients, technology will maintain a critical role in the field. At Nebraska Methodist College (NMC), we offer flexible, online nursing informatics programs that explore the role of technology in healthcare and allow students to develop the practical, clinical and technical skills required to pursue nursing informatics positions.
Apply now, or request more information about our programs that cover nursing informatics — including a Master of Science in Nursing and a post-master’s certificate.