Value of Best Evidence in Nursing Care

A lot of complexities have been observed in the patient care technology sector. Alotaibi & Federico (2017) argue that patient care technology has caused a lot of transformations in the healthcare sector from the way nursing care is being conceptualized to the way it is delivered. Before the implementation of information and communication technology in the health industry, most nurses and other care practitioners used their senses of touch, smell, sight and hearing to monitor and diagnose the patients. The use of such strategies led to an increase in the medication errors. However, with the advancements in technology, simple technological devices such as catheters to complex medical devices such as electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic medical records (EMRs) have positively affected the quality of care delivery systems being administered to the patients. Most importantly, the patient care systems, information and communication devices are quite significant in the delivery of safe nursing (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017).

Patient care technology, information and communication devices

Bowles, Dykes & Demiris (2015) assert that various patient care technologies can be used to improve the quality of care delivery systems within the healthcare facilities. Although not all hospitals have implemented these useful devices, the few that have successfully made the use of these devices have registered positive changes in the services offered to the patients. Some of these essential technologies include the following:

Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

Electronic health records are digital versions of patients’ charts that are used to store clients’ medical data. According to Bowles, Dykes & Demiris (2015), traditional data storage devices were quite unreliable and led to a lack of patients’ information privacy.

Furthermore, the introduction of EHRs and EMRs has made it easier for the nurses to access patients’ clinical data easily and this has led to safe nursing practices within the healthcare sector. The reduction in medical errors also results from the productive and strategic implementation of information, communication and patient care technologies such as the EHRs. For instance, the use of electronic health records by the nursing care practitioners reduce the cases of false diagnosis, and this is a prerequisite for safe nursing.

Telehealth applications

Telehealth applications are technological devices that are quite significant for home-based management of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and other coronary heart diseases. Bowles, Dykes & Demiris (2015) convey that over the past few years, these applications have been quite successful in enhancing safe nursing practices especially for patients diagnosed with chronic diseases such as HBP among others. For instance, the home-based management of asthma involves the utilization of Internet-based patient care devices such as asthma telemonitoring system (Alotaibi & Federico, 2017). Additionally, Bowles, Dykes & Demiris (2015) assert that for diseases such as diabetes mellitus, telemedicine devices reduce the rate at which health facilities’ employees and employers stay out of the office, and this implies that enough practitioners will be available in the facilities to offer services to the clients.

Pharmacogenomics

Another critical development in the healthcare industry is genome sequencing. According to Alotaibi & Federico (2017), traditional methods of administering treatments and drugs to the patients may lead to an increase in healthcare spending which may result from adverse drug effects, readmissions and misdiagnosis among other factors. Therefore, genome sequencing will help in reducing billions of dollars that a facility may spend as a result of the mentioned health malpractices. Werder (2015) supports that pharmacogenomics has significantly brought changes in the healthcare sectors including improving the nursing care practices ranging from patient diagnosis to quality home and clinical care practices.

My experience with patient care technologies

Over the last few years, nurses used paper records to store patients’ information. However, the health industry has taken advantage of the rising need for technology and implemented certain significant strategies that have effectively improved the care standards provided to the patients. For instance, during my last visit to a healthcare facility, I was not faced with a lot of challenges while identifying my health records due to the use of electronic health records, which allow for easier identification of patients’ data. Furthermore, the care delivery systems that were used during the diagnosis and treatment processes were also of higher quality, and this reduced the cases of false diagnosis and false administration of drugs, which I had experienced earlier on while seeking medical attention. Such an experience allowed me to conclude that patient care, information and communication technologies are quite crucial in care delivery systems.

Value of best evidence in nursing care

The primary responsibility for most nurses within the healthcare facilities is evidence-based practice. This is because the nursing care practitioners are obligated to ensure that such practices such as utilization of best evidence in the delivery of nursing care and that these practices align with the organizational goals and care objectives. Additionally, Werder (2015) articulates that successful implementation of best evidence practices is quite significant in improving the quality of patient care and the promotion of positive health outcomes. This is because best evidence demands that nurses not only become research consumers but also informed research consumers. Such a practice implies that nurses can fully participate in the clinical and medical research activities including detection of any bias that may be associated with a specific study and determining the sensitivity and specificity of the clinical tests. Similarly, determination of adequate sample sizes and identifying the accuracy, precision, reliability, and validity of the obtained test results also define the value of best evidence in improving nursing care.

According to Werder (2015), if patient care is entirely based on the best evidence, then the patients will be administered with the best researched and vetted care that is currently available. Best evidence also adds value to clinical care delivery as it allows the nurses to offer their patients the most current treatment and diagnosis plans by making use of the most effective patient care devices putting factors such as technological advancements into consideration.

Conclusion

The technological advancements in the healthcare sectors have been beneficial to both the patients and the nursing care practitioners. With the strategic implementation of patient care, information and communication technologies, there is an increasing trend in the quality of services administered to the patients. Additionally, patient care technologies such as genome sequencing have significantly impacted the professionalism of the nurses, including their expertise in specific fields and improved nursing experience.

The primary responsibility of the nurses is to apply their skills to an evidence-based practice by offering services to the facility’s clients, as this practice primarily impacts the nursing care practices within the healthcare sectors. As a result, most hospitals should implement these nursing care technologies to enhance the quality of patients’ services and to improve the overall employees’ performance within the health industry. From my experience with a patient care technology device (EHRs), I can attest to the fact that although technology has demerits in the healthcare facilities, the merits associated with these devices have brought more significant changes in the modern facilities. Therefore, the implementation of some of these devices should be considered a national policy as this will maximize the number of health organizations that effectively implement these health designs into their care delivery systems.

References

Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi medical journal, 38(12), 1173.

Bowles, K. H., Dykes, P., & Demiris, G. (2015). The use of health information technology to improve care and outcomes for older adults. Research in gerontological nursing, 8(1), 5-10.

Werder, M. (2015). Health information technology: A key ingredient of the patient experience. Patient Experience Journal, 2(1), 143-147.