Title: How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care - Electronic Health Reporter
Headings: How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care
How Nurses Are Using Health Informatics to Improve Patient Care
Improved Documentation
Reduced Medical Errors
Reduced Costs
Improved Coordination of Care

Content: In fact, in a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a majority of nurses reported that when they have access to EHRs, they have fewer problems with getting patients ready for discharge, fewer medication errors, and better quality of care. And when it comes to transfers between departments, nearly 15 percent of the nurses surveyed reported that information was more likely to be shared and less likely to “fall between the cracks” when electronic systems are used. Reduced Costs
Medical errors cost nearly $40 billion every year, and many of those errors are preventable with informatics. Not only does information provide nurses with alerts to avoid errors, it also helps to automate certain tasks, such as doctor note templates creation, both improving nurse productivity and preventing some of the costs associated with healthcare. Improved Coordination of Care
Nurses are often called upon to help coordinate the care of their patients. This often means relaying information from physicians, therapists, pharmacy, billing, and more, both during care and at discharge. Without all of the necessary information, patient care could suffer. Informatics improves the coordination of this information, allowing nurses to give their patients all of the information they need, improving both outcomes and the satisfaction with care. While there are some who criticize the use of informatics and technology to help manage care, arguing that it makes health care more impersonal, with the provider-patient relationship being replaced with data and algorithms, there is actually overwhelming evidence that informatics actually improves care. Nurses who are trained in this technology and how to best incorporate data into their workflow are often more productive and able to provide better care than ever before.