NUR 701 WA 2 with Update

What I Learned

 The world of healthcare is changing and so are the tools we use to care for patients.  The nature of documentation is a prickly one as there are so many different facets that require accurate notation.  This is especially apparrent in the care of pressure ulcers.  These skin problems are costing hospitals millions of dollars for care because of inaccurate documentation.  The need to educate the young nursing students about importance of documentation and accuracy is essential for the future.  I am actually surprised that the focus of nursing school was not completely on what costs the hospitals the most money but a complete caring, holistic approach.  I fear that in the future school will be focused on the more cost cutting, the better.

Siu Bong Wan

Module 2 Nur 701

Teaching Home Care Electronic Documentation Skills to Undergraduate Nursing Students

Kathleen M. Nokes, Judith Aponte, Donna M. Nickitas, Pamela Y. Mahon, Betsy Rodgers, Nancy Reyes, Joan Chaya, and Martin Dornbaum

Nursing Education Perspectives

NOKES, K. M., APONTE, J., NICKITAS, D. M., MAHON, P. Y., RODGERS, B., REYES, N., & ... DORNBAUM, M. (2012). Teaching Home Care Electronic Documentation Skills to Undergraduate Nursing Students. Nursing Education Perspectives, 33(2), 111-115. doi:10.5480/1536-5026-33.2.111

Why was this article, blog, post, or multimedia chosen?

             I chose this article because it interested me.  I went through my nursing curriculum without a class in EHR documentation.  Everything was examples of paper charts and school related template documentation.  This is not how EHR is represented in the real world.  EHRs vary so wildly and many are not standardized.  I wanted to see how effective electronic documentation classes could affect undergraduate nurses. 

What makes it interesting, appropriate, or reputable?

             I found it interesting because this is a new occurrence in the field of undergraduate nursing.  I did not have classes in computer documentation and home care especially.  This kind of field was not a focus for my school and I am curious as to why it was a class offered in this article.  This is a new occurrence and many undergraduate nurses I think could benefit from looking at EHRs in class, instead of orientation when hired.

Is it an opinion? Case study? Research study? Product review?

             This is a literature review of EHR content being taught in nursing schools and the home care settings.  The articles are searched and reviewed to analyze and formulate data for effectiveness.  The research was trying to understand what elements are needed for a competent education the the field of EHR and what is some basic templates in the home care setting of documentation.

What was the need, problem, issue or trend addressed in the article, blog, post, or multimedia?

            The trend being addressed is why are we teaching documentation skills to undergraduates?  This is an important article because it may lead to teaching documentation of EHRs in the classroom, not just for home care either.  These kinds of classes are becoming a trend because of the revolution of electronic charting.  This is being formally introduced in home care with mobile laptops and tablets.  The electronic documentation phenomenon allows less paperwork but more precise documentation of patient data, which is stored digitally.  

What was the solution for which technology had an answer?

            The solution was to introduce OASIS, a government funded reimbursement ready EHR system.  The students are to learn to use the standardized systems that are subsidized by the government and its beneficiaries.  The technology is for students to learn for future reference.  

What implications might this have in healthcare delivery?

             The healthcare system could learn a great deal from EHR introduction in the undergraduate program.  Programs that are standardized by the government for documentation are the most accurate for use in the real world.  This can prove useful because undergraduate students could have a reduced orientation to the computer system or it could help standardize a hospital wide government established EHR system.  The delivery of healthcare is already well into electronic documentation and students rarely see the EHR before being hired by a healthcare facility.  The trend of the curriculum should reflect how the healthcare field is changing and introduce elements that EHRs offer and what they can hope to expect when entering the healthcare world.  

What did you learn from it that might have application for your practice?

            I learned that the undergraduate populations of nursing students are still not introduced to electronic documentation.  This is the fault of a stagnant curriculum that does not reflect the processes of the real clinical world.  Electronic documentation is the new standard and students have to be introduced to the core components of documentation for home care or hospital care.  These kinds of classes could help students adjust to the EHR templates that are required for documentation.  This can affect my practice if I intend to go into a teaching position in undergraduate education.  I could introduce the core components of EHRs and what makes them similar versus different.  The government can facilitate change by standardizing much of the systems that are in use now so it could be easier to teach.  The EHRs currently vary so much and change so rapidly that students may become disenchanted because it may not be the system the students were introduced in school.  Technology advances so fast that hopes of a standard EHR system would prove beneficial for the education of the undergraduate classes.