NUR 514 week 8 Benchmark – Electronic Health Record Implementation Paper

Topic 8 DQ 1

            Communication is a major pillar in nursing practice. Open and effective communication between interprofessional teams is crucial in coordinating the delivery of the best, safe, and quality patient care, which is associated with positive health outcomes. Communication technologies have demonstrated great potential in enhancing care coordination by interprofessional teams. Interprofessional teams can utilize communication technologies to enhance patient care and outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, minimize medical errors, lower incompetency, increase job satisfaction, and enhance relationships between care providers (Wickersham et al., 2018). Communication technologies also enhance the provision of quality and safe patient care by enabling members of interprofessional teams to communicate quicker and more effectively when delivering patient care. Communication technologies can also promote care coordination among interprofessional teams through the facilitation of instantaneous interactive communication between interprofessional teams. Communication technologies can also coordinate care by enabling interprofessional teams to readily update patient data and disseminate it to other providers at the point of care (de Witt et al., 2020). Technologies also play instrumental roles in collaborative decision-making by enabling patients to establish goals, access test results and treatment, and recognize healthcare team members.

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            An example of communication technology is Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is software used for instant communication among members of interprofessional teams (Hubbard et al., 2021). It can easily be utilized from a tablet or a mobile device. This technology enables healthcare providers to stay in touch with their counterparts and update them on critical matters at any time. This technology is also worthwhile in situations where a phone call is not necessary and there is a need to simply send a speedy secure message to other team members for consultation. Microsoft Teams facilitates communication through charts via group and private messages and making announcements and posts in various channels.

References

de Witt, A., Matthews, V., Bailie, R., Garvey, G., Valery, P. C., Adams, J., … & Cunningham, F. C. (2020). Communication, collaboration, and care coordination: The three-point guide to cancer care provision for aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. International journal of integrated care, 20(2). Doi: 10.5334/ijic.5456

Hubbard, M., Bailey, M. J., Hess, D., & Hellebro, M. (2021). Mastering microsoft teams (pp. 57-74). Apress.

Wickersham, A., Johnson, K., Kamath, A., & Kaboli, P. J. (2018). Novel use of communication technology to improve nurse-physician communication, teamwork, and care coordination during bedside rounds. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 11(1), 56-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2018.1431425

Topic 8 DQ 2

            Telehealth refers to the provision of health care services remotely through the use of technology. This technology entails conducting medical visits and monitoring the vital signs of patients remotely through the computer. Although telehealth technology has existed for a considerable time, it gained prominence during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (Hoffman, 2020). During this period, the fear of contracting and spreading the virus through physical medical visits led to a larger interest in the use of technology to deliver and receive health care services.

            Telehealth is associated with various benefits in the collaboration and coordination of care and the role of the advanced registered nurse. It enables healthcare providers to examine the patient remotely, which is crucial in minimizing the risk of exposure and facilitating access to care for patients living in remote and rural locations where access is a problem. It also enables patients in remote areas to consult their physicians frequently. Other benefits include ease of accessing providers, reduction of patients’ office wait times, and eradication of time constraints, which gives providers enough time to care for other patients. It also helps in facilitating access to information, which is vital in care coordination among providers (Alexander et al., 2021).

            Telehealth is equally associated with various downsides. It is practically impossible to make all types of visits virtually. There are situations where patients are forced to visit the facilities for procedures such as blood work, imaging tests, and other diagnoses that need a more practical approach (Hyder & Razzak, 2020). Moreover, telehealth may make some patients to encounter barriers to healthcare. For instance, the technology depends entirely on internet connectivity, which may not be available in some areas or critical times when the connection is needed the most. Also, telehealth is associated with concerns about the security of personal health information that is wired electronically.

References

Alexander, G. L., Powell, K. R., & Deroche, C. B. (2021). An evaluation of telehealth expansion in US nursing homes. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 28(2), 342-348. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocaa253

Hoffman, D. A. (2020). Increasing access to care: telehealth during COVID-19. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 7(1), lsaa043. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsaa043

Hyder, M. A., & Razzak, J. (2020). Telemedicine in the United States: an introduction for students and residents. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(11), e20839. doi:10.2196/20839

NUR-514 Topic 8 DQ 1

Assessment Description
Open and clear communication is critical for the effective functioning of the interprofessional team and the delivery of safe patient care. Discuss the way communication technologies can enhance coordination of care by interprofessional teams. Be sure to discuss a specific communication technology in your response.

NUR-514 Topic 8 DQ 2

Assessment Description
Virtual care and telehealth technologies have the capability to greatly expand access to quality health care. Discuss some benefits and drawbacks of virtual care/telehealth, particularly related to the collaboration and coordination of care and the role of the advanced registered nurse.