I have completed the AACN Essentials Self-Assessment and gave myself a current score of 33.
Information systems are geared to help the common user and pass information.
Information system uses informatics to process engineer and pass information in the form of
data. As a professional medical nurse, I find information system as the most troubling area that I
struggle with especially if new technology is being developed and implemented. Technology is
vital in the running of the hospital. The interpretation of information helps the various personnel
to integrate and work together. If improper technology is not implemented, it may lead to the
collapsing of a hospital. It may also cause confusion and misdiagnosis of the patient. In my score
information system turned out to be the most significant barrier. The area that I scored
significantly was the ethical standard. I will focus mostly on the are that needs constant
improvement. Similarly, I will also look at the area I scored well.
I work in the surgical room, and there are constant changes in the system. The system
has not yet incorporated electronic charting. There is difficulty in finding the required
information since the rest of the hospital has already included electronic charting. Patient
charting is vital in analyzing data about the patient to give the right medication and correct
diagnosis. The issue has been forwarded to the hospital management and their reply is the need
more time to develop the perfect program that will incorporate the billing department. Electronic
Charting is essential in providing care for one patient by different providers (Thede, 2008).
Electronic charting enhances this care between medical practitioners. In my previous place of
work, the system incorporated the entire patient’s chart. Epic was the system that was used by
the surgical department to asses a patient’s information. It was better than my current workplace
system called SORAN. The system has not fully been developed and does not incorporate all the
AACN Essentials Self-Assessment 3
patient information. There was no problem in locating patient information. Different medical
officers were able to give the patient the required medical services.
The area I excelled in is ethical standards where I had a high score. I take patients
information confidentiality very seriously. In the surgical department, we have private fax and
shredder. We ensure that patients’ information does not fall in the wrong hands. the information
is restricted to certain personnel only. Security is key as employee’s information, or a patient
may fall into the wrong hands, and this may lead to the hospital been sued. Due to the recent
breaches in the federal government, it is very had to measure the strength of security (Hebda &
Czar 2013)
In conclusion, information systems are essential in the running of a hospital. Informatics
help display patient charting which displays all information. Improper display of patient charting
may lead to delayed service delivery. Similarly, poor patient charting may cause miss diagnosis
by the medical practitioner. Ethical behaviors are key in the hospital. Information needs to be
secure and upheld with the care it needs. If the wrong information falls into the wrong, it may
lead to serious implication. Each nurse has to carry all the patient information with the ideal it
needs. Informatics is key in all hospitals and need to be given the proper seriousness it needs. Al
hospitals should develop a system that incorporates the patient’s chart and other information
AACN Essentials Self-Assessment 4
References
Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of informatics for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.
Thede, L. (2008, August 18). Informatics. The Electronic Health Record: Will Nursing Be on
Board when the ship Leaves? Retrieved from The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing:
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals
OJIN/Columns/Informatics/ElectronicHealthRecord.html