Anticipatory...

The emphasis from this weeks readings and assignments in N6004 - Intro to Information Technology center on the use of technology to access and manage information resources especially those related to the development of evidenced based practice.
The assignment for this weeks blog is to discuss how I anticipate this information will help me in my graduate coursework. I jumped right into the readings before I looked at the assignments so I've already developed a pretty good idea, based on prior experience and the course reading how information management and storage systems are going to benefit me throughout my coursework.
1) Efficient storage and retrieval systems are essential to manage the massive amount of data and information available to us via the electronic databases currently available. Learning the specific tools and rules of operation that each database employs means I will be able to spend less time digging and more time synthesizing information. Getting back 25 hits on a search topic rather than 2500 makes all the difference in the world.
2) Personal use reference management software such as EndNote, Biblioscape or Qiqqa  makes the writing, citation and referencing process smoother. There is a learning curve but I can see the benefit of a good program that applies the right citation and reference format as I type, leaving me free to focus on the analysis of information rather than what APA 6th edition says about the third citation in the same paragraph of an article written by 12 authors and 1 organization published on a website that no longer exists. Ok, probably even EndNote couldn't handle that scenario but you get the idea. I've tried two different strategies for hand insertion of references, the 'type citations as I go and edit later' option; as well as the 'go back and figure out the citations later' method. They are both tedious, produce iffy results and don't quite get to what the APA had in mind with regard to consistency in citation, at least, not without a lot of work.
With these ideas in place and anticipating the benefit that comes from understanding information management I am going to take the opportunity to explore some of the reference management software out there. I was required to use EndNote two semesters ago and was only moderately impressed with the user interface. It seemed like a powerful platform in desperate need of an update. I hope to take the time to look at a couple of the different software options although, truth be told I probably will stick with EndNote, at least for now as my schedule doesn't really accommodate learning curves very well right now.

Getting Involved - Module 2

The question posed at the close of this weeks module is What is one way you could become involved in designing, selecting, evaluating, or implementing an information system in your workplace?

I have known two people who have been actively involved in the design/selection/evaluation of an information system:

The first was a nurse that I worked with for maybe a month when I was a brand-new LPN. I have no idea how he was selected, all I know is he left for what he described as a cush corporate level job that would last at least 5 years. During that time he planned on pursuing a degree in informatics and leveraging the degree along with the hands-on experience of five years into a string of cushy system design/implementation jobs. At least, that was the plan. I guess I just answered at least part of the question. as to how he was selected - expressed interest in informatics. I'm pretty sure not very many of the nurses he worked with even really know what that was. I know that my brand new, temporary DOPL licensed LPN self had no idea what he was talking about at first.

The second individual is my wife who is on a CPOE committee for Intermountain Healthcare. Despite being a very part-time employee her attention to detail and follow through came to the attention of the director during the most recent round of Joint Commission preparations and it just so happened he had been requested by the corporation to furnish one Radiologic Technologist to the committee. Viola - my wife the CPOE committee member.

Since all my managers know about my current battle with the space-time continuum It is unlikely that I will be selected in this sort of fashion...Wait, wrong battle - this is the one... (Well actually, side by side these aren't that different are they?)

The truth is, almost every nurse practicing is going to be or already is involved in implementing information systems. The complex and intense process of getting these systems up and running necessitates (in most instances) a gradual role out or integration with the systems already in place. In the Emergency department that I work in we have reveled in the simplicity of paper based charting by exception for far too long. Over the last year we have been slowly incorporating more and more aspects of an electronic charting system with an announcement that this fall we will complete our transition and begin bedside computerized charting in the ED.

A few years ago we switched over to a barcode scanning system. I vaguely remember the days of having only a med cup in the one hand, the patient's wristband in the other and the five rights on the tip of my tongue (my LPN clinical instructor was famous for bedside pop-quizzes). No juggling the med cup, and wrist band with the addition of a (set your phaser to 'wristband') scanner in hand. Anyone who has been through this kind of transition and says that they weren't intimately involved with the integration process should have their narcotic wastes triple checked. The bedside nurse is the key player in the final product rolling out and actually making a difference in the clinical setting. In the end we all get to be involved.