As the Nursing Informatics Master and Project Manager at Vila Wellbeing, I am tasked with the responsibility of implementing changes to the organization’s information system. This initiative is aimed at improving healthcare accessibility for patients facing barriers, alleviating the workload on healthcare professionals, and ultimately enhancing overall health outcomes. The projected timeline for this project spans approximately five to six months, encompassing training sessions, pilot testing, and various stakeholder engagements.
Factors Driving Change
Vila Wellbeing faces external pressures due to factors such as the aging population, escalating rates of chronic illnesses, and the persistent challenges posed by the ongoing Sars-Cov-2 pandemic (Milella et al., 2021). Consequently, the imperative for change at Vila Wellbeing is to deliver cutting-edge medical care within a welcoming and conducive environment.
Key Questions and Stakeholder Feedback
During the stakeholder meetings, several concerns were raised regarding the existing health information system’s efficacy in supporting nurses and healthcare professionals. Stakeholders expressed apprehensions that the current system impedes patient tracking, thereby compromising patient safety. Additionally, they highlighted the lack of seamless communication with patients leading to treatment delays.
While acknowledging the current system’s successes in cost management, reduction of medication errors, and enhanced accessibility of patient data to nurses, stakeholders emphasized that with adequate resources and system upgrades, Vila Wellbeing could offer superior healthcare, ensuring a comfortable and satisfactory experience for patients.
Identification and Mitigation of Risks
Healthcare providers underscored the challenges faced by patients due to the absence of remote patient monitoring (RPM) and patient portals in the current health information system. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Vila Wellbeing’s ability to triage patients efficiently, especially in rural areas where individuals with chronic conditions often struggled to access timely care (Annis et al., 2020; Noah et al., 2018). Furthermore, healthcare staff highlighted the difficulties in providing continuous care to patients with conditions like diabetes and hypertension due to the lack of RPM integration.
Defining Best Practices for Data System Users
Published research supports the efficacy of RPM in ensuring treatment continuity, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Malasinghe et al., 2018). Additionally, patient portals have been shown to enhance patient self-management and satisfaction, facilitating early detection of patient needs or concerns (Chu et al., 2022).
Utilization of Technology
Stakeholders agreed on the necessity of installing RPM applications on their devices and ensuring easy access to patient portals. Implementing RPM technologies is anticipated to streamline workflows, enhance patient engagement, and improve communication between patients and healthcare providers (Leon et al., 2022).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the pressing need to expand evidence-supported RPM technologies is underscored by the escalating COVID-19 cases and the emergence of new strains. RPM holds immense potential in augmenting healthcare delivery, enabling timely support for symptomatic patients and ensuring treatment continuity beyond hospital settings.
References
Annis, T., Pleasants, S., Hultman, G., Lindemann, E., Thompson, J. A., Billecke, S., Badlani, S., & Melton, G. B. (2020).
Rapid implementation of a COVID-19 remote patient monitoring program. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(8), 1326–1330. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocaa097
Chu, D., Lessard, D., Laymouna, M. A., Engler, K., Schuster, T., Ma, Y., Kronfli, N., Routy, J.-P., Hijal, T., Lacombe, K., Sheehan, N., Rougier, H., & Lebouché, B. (2022).
Understanding the risks and benefits of a patient portal configured for HIV care: Patient and healthcare professional perspectives. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 12(2), 314. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12020314
Farias, F. A. C. de, Dagostini, C. M., Bicca, Y. de A., Falavigna, V. F., & Falavigna, A. (2019). Remote Patient Monitoring: A systematic review. Telemedicine and E-Health, 26(5). https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2019.0066
Leon, M. A., Pannunzio, V., & Kleinsmann, M. (2022). The impact of
Struggling with online classes or exams? Get expert help to ace your coursework, assignments, and tests stress-free!