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Saturday, 29 October 2011
Learning Objective 1: relate the importance of information technology in baccalaureate nursing education
Learning Objective 2: describe how to create simulated electronic systems on a limited budget.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has asserted that information technology must play a central role in improving the quality of healthcare. Many healthcare institutions have instituted electronic health records for their patients. Student nurses are expected to navigate the electronic health records of the patients that they care for in the clinical setting and to document care given electronically. Academic institutions are being challenged to provide the learning tools necessary to teach information technology skills. A major obstacle in meeting this challenge is the high cost of proprietary electronic systems and a dwindling academic budget. To provide Bradley University nursing faculty with a means to teach the basics of information technology, a simulated electronic medication dispensing system, health record, and documentation system was created utilizing laptop computers and basic word processing software. This system allows students to access simulated patient information and document medication administration, patient vital signs, and assessment data. The goal of this clinical innovation is to increase the competence and confidence of students to practice in a computer-based clinical environment.