Authors and informatics experts, Dr. Dee McGonigle of Chamberlain University and Dr. Kathy Mastrian of Pennsylvania State University and discussed the importance of educating all healthcare professionals on informatics. Here are the top 5 takeaways from their presentation.
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- The Healthcare Professional as Knowledge Worker
“Nurses do not often think of themselves as knowledge workers, but whoever works with data, the information generating knowledge as a by-product is a knowledge worker.” Dr. Kathy Mastrian
- The DIKW Paradigm at the Forefront of Informatics
The data, Information, Knowledge (DIKW) framework is one of the core conceptual frameworks for teaching the practice of informatics. The authors highly praise this framework and incorporate it into their texts.
- Personal Health Management for Patients
Informatics helps to educate, connect and engage patients in personal health management. From EHR systems to wearable technologies, patients are taking control of their health and using a variety of tools to do so. This means that nurses and other health professionals too must be knowledgeable about these devices, what they can do as well as how patients are using them to track their health every day.
- Informatics Education Contributes to IT Tool Development and Implementation
Informatics education helps students build the confidence to have a voice which is especially critical when they enter the workforce. It’s incumbent upon nurses and healthcare professionals to be fluent in the systems they’re using and voice concerns if they’re not meeting clinical needs. Furthermore, their knowledge and expertise are critical to the development and implementation of new tools.
- Informatics Supports Patient Safety
We know that hospitals and health organizations alike are constantly taking measures to ensure patient safety and quality improvement. Informatics tools and practices are used to track and analyze safety issues and near-misses in terms of errors.
Informatics Resources for your Course
Dr. McGonigle and Dr. Mastrian author two distinct texts on informatics. One is geared to the general health professional while the other is focused on the needs of nursing. Review the resources below to determine which text best suits your course.
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