Final Project Submission Problem Of An Nonintegrated System Carlos Jaen Frostburg State University

NOINTEGRATION OF COMPUTER SYSTEM

NONINTEGRATION OF COMPUTER SYSTEM Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture (VISTA) These are the two current systems used in the operating room to perform electronic health record (EHR).

Overview CPRS is a graphical user interface used by nurses and other health care providers it allows you to enter, review, and continuously update patient information, record patient’s allergies, enter progress notes, look up medications, labs and radiology tests can be ordered through it, and document nursing care plans. There are templates and windows like features in this software. VISTA is a character based electronic medical record system, the graphical user interface is on top of a character based electronic medical record that resembles a patient chart. This is a ms-DOS operating system with a blue screen in which special characters such as (^, …, @, *,<, num lock ) need to be used in order to enter data into the system. You can enter patient allergies, progress notes, medications used, and document nursing care plans.

Problems of an nonintegrated system Double entry of documentation. Potential omissions of important information as data is entered from one system into another. Nurses spend more time charting.

Problems The use of two different computer systems for patient documentation leads to double entry of patient data. In CPRS you can look up patient allergies, medications, order tests and document the nursing care plan. In order to complete a patient chart you’ll need to reenter all of this aforementioned information into VISTA and you do this by login into VISTA enter those data's and then login back to CPRS to complete your chart. Every time you do this you are risking the chance of entering the wrong data as you going from one system into another “The cost to organization for duplicate and redundant documentation by nursing can range from $6,500 to $13,000 per nurse, per year” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012, p. 265). Potential omission of important information can be left out as you going from one system into another. When documenting your nursing care plan into both CPRS and VISTA you need to free text your care as you go from one system to another, so the risk of leaving information out increases greatly because you need to remember what you previously wrote on your initial care plan.

Problems Nurses spend more time charting, due to the use of these two nonintegrated systems for documentation. The duplication of data is time consuming and forces nurses to spend additional time with a computer documenting instead of with patients. “ A recent study at the University of Maryland indicated that nursing is spending the equivalent of one full-time equivalent (FTE) per year at a computer instead of on direct patient care” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012, p. 265).

Solution The solution to this problem should be the integration of VISTA and CPRS for EHRs

The integration of the computer system solution The integration of the computer system Will eliminate the need of double data entry The integration of one system will allow you to enter all pertinent patient data into one computer; allergies, medications, ordering of tests, and documentation of the nursing care plan can be accomplish by the use of one system. Will allow nurses to spend less time documenting Will eliminate potential omission of important information that can accidentally be left out when going from one system to another. The potential for leaving important data out is going to be solved because nurse will no longer need to write their nursing care plans into two different systems.

Workflow Analysis Workflow Analysis is a visual depiction of the process which is called a process map (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012, p. 266).

Benefits “Technology should be designed to meet the needs of clinical workflow”(McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012, p. 266). Having one system for EHRs will allow for better workflow, nurses will be able to utilize currently available technology to execute their jobs in a more efficient manner. Improved workflow means nurses will have more time devoted to meeting the needs of their patients. Lastly because “Technology provides a mechanism to improve care delivery and create a safer patient environment” (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2012, p. 264). An integration of an EHR; eliminates the duplication of documentation while switching from one system into another and thereby the potential errors in documentation, creating a safer environment for patients and their caregivers.

Conclusion I believe that by integrating these two systems nurses and other clinicians will be able to utilize the available technology more effectively and be able to provide faster and safer care to patients and their families.

References McGonigle, D., & Mastrain, K. (2012). Nursing informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.