Nursing Informatics Best Practices

Imagine an organization asks you to contribute to the development of an information system best-practices policy to help maintain patient safety and patient confidentiality in their practice setting. The organization wants you to create a document to help the group better understand why an informatics policy is needed and the practices that should be included in the policy.

Preparation

A nursing informatics best-practices document can serve multiple purposes, such as a handout for new-hire orientation or as a background report given to a committee tasked with creating or updating a nursing informatics best-practices policy.

To expand your understanding of nursing informatics best practices within the industry, research the most current information about the topics of nursing best-practices documents and nursing informatics best practices.

Using the Capella library, the suggested resources, and other methods (Web search, for example), locate 4–6 scholarly articles related to best practices designed to support positive patient outcomes related to the following areas:

• The meaning of secure data practices.
  • Ethical standards needed to promote and support data security.
  • Patient confidentiality.
  • Regulatory requirements.
  • Behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes.

Directions

Create a description of a nursing informatics best-practices policy document designed to define and encourage effective and safe data use in a practice setting or organization.

• Purpose Statement: Statement of why an organization would create the policy. Include any reasons and intent that supports the creation of an informatics best-practices policy.
  • Best Practices Definitions and Descriptions:
    • Definitions of secure practices, data security, and patient confidentiality.
    • Ethical standards.
    • Regulatory requirements.
  • Implementation:
    • Behaviors – describe the behaviors nurse leaders will need to demonstrate that will guide implementation of the policy.
    • Skills required – describe the skills needed to ensure policy adherence.

Format your document using the professional format and style (corporate identity) used in your organization or practice setting. Note: If you are not currently working in an organizational setting, follow the formatting instructions below.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
  • APA formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
  • Number of resources: Cite a minimum of four peer-reviewed resources.
  • Length: Submit 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages.
  • Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.
• Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

• How do nurses develop best practice?
• How does research support best practice?
• What are best practices in your organization that you think are exemplars for improving patient care?
• What nursing roles should be in place to support the use of evidenced-based practice?
• How would you describe the concept of meaningful use and technology adoption stages: electronic health records (EHR) incentive programs, and how does this fit within the context of best practice?
• What are the main points to consider as you review The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and why is this best practice?
• How does the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA) support patient safety and improved patient outcomes?

• Overview

Write 3–5 pages in which you describe a nursing informatics best practices policy for effective and safe data use in a nursing practice setting or organization.

Today’s health care professionals need to be accountable for the use of information systems that are repositories for copious amounts of protected health information (PHI).

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 2: Identify strategies and best practices for using informatics in nursing and health care.
  • Describe the best practices needed to promote and support data security.
  • Describe the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality.
  • Describe regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population.
  • Describe the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes.
  • Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is consistent with expectations of a nursing professional.
    • Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar,usage, and mechanics.

Competency Map

Nursing Informatics Best Practices Scoring Guide

Nursing Informatics Best Practices Scoring Guide Grading Rubric
Criteria	Non-performance	Basic	Proficient	Distinguished
Describe the best practices needed to promote and support data security.	Does not describe the best practices needed to promote and support data security.	Describes the best practices needed to promote and support data security, but the description is unclear or incomplete.	Describes the best practices needed to promote and support data security.	Analyzes best practices needed to promote and support data security, and identifies situations or settings where these best practices may be difficult to implement.
Describe the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality.	Does not describe the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality.	Describes the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality, but the description is unclear or incomplete.	Describes the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality.	Describes the ethical standards needed to promote patient confidentiality and describes real-world situations where the ethical standards support and enhance communication between all parties involved.
Describe regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population.	Does not describe regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population.	Describes regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population, but the description is unclear or incomplete.	Describes regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population.	Describes regulatory requirements that promote and support positive patient outcomes related to a specific population, and impartially explains the pros and cons of the requirements.
Describe the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes.	Does not describe the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes.	Describes the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes, but the description is unclear or incomplete.	Describes the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes.	Describes the types of behaviors and skills nurse leaders need to guide the use of information technology and research for improved patient-care outcomes.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.	Does not write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.	Writes to support a central idea in appropriate format, but with errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics.	Writes coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.	Writes coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics. Citations are free from all errors.