Second-Generation HIT Informaticists

Great discoveries can transform the world. In 400 BC, Hippocrates theorized that the body was composed of four “humors”—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. Now think of the impact of the seminal work of William Harvey, who, in the 1600s, accurately described the circulation system and the role of the heart for the first time. It was not until the early 1900s that the Austrian biologist Karl Landsteiner identified four distinct blood groups. Today, knowledge about the nature and properties of blood is so complicated that the entire field of blood chemistry is devoted to its study.

This same type of expansion of knowledge within a scientific field is mirrored within the field of informatics. As new technologies develop, subsequent changes occur in the fiel that are, built upon the earlier work of others. In this Discussion, you examine the continuing evolution of the field of health informatics and assess how researchers built on the work of preceding scientists.

You will focus on the following individuals:

• Joan Ash
• Nancy Lorenzi
• Ben Shneiderman
• Diane Forsythe
• Chuck Friedman
• Sue Bakken
• Patty Brennan
• Diane Skiba
• Danny Sands
• Lucian Leape

To prepare:

• Select and read at least one article from this week’s Learning Resources for at least five individuals listed above.
• Consider how the work of each individual has built upon the work of earlier pioneers in the informatics field.
• Assess the areas of growth in informatics research from the informatics pioneers you researched last week to the individuals you read about this week, and the ways in which health informatics has continued to evolve.
• Select one individual from this week you found to be of particular interest, and read at least one additional article written by him or her from the list provided in the Learning Resources.
• Conduct further research to determine recent contributions or additions to the individual’s research.

By Tomorrow 12/06/16, post a minimum of 550 words in APA format with a minimum of three references from the list provided below. Include the level one headings as numbered below:

1)      A brief summary of key contributions of the individual you selected.

2)      Explain which ideas/accomplishments you found to be most compelling, and why.

3)      Assess the evolution of the field of nursing informatics from the first group of pioneers (Week 1 Discussion) to the second generation of HIT nurse informaticists.

4)      Provide specific examples of how this evolution is evident in the field.

During the nineteenth and the twentieth century, the term “nursing home” was synonymous with long-term care. Although today the exclusive use of the term “long-term care” is no longer accurate for nursing homes, it continues to remain and will not change easily. However, newer terms such as “nursing facilities” will help clarify the role of specific long-term care organizations and will differentiate them from others in the health care industry.

Subacute care is a relatively new but rapidly growing medical service in the continuum of care. Today, it is considered the fastest growing segment of the health care delivery system.

Research the online references such as EBSCOhost, SocINDEX, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), or PubMed for information on nursing facilities and subacute units and respond to the following questions:

• Do you agree with the change in the terminology of nursing homes to nursing facilities? Why or why not? How do the terms relate with each other?
• What impact does the historical perspective of the nursing home have on the stigma related to the quality of care?
• How were nursing facilities developed? What have been the consequences of the change in terminology? Do you think the change in terminology will impact the quality of care in the future? If yes, how? If no, why?
• What changes do you see nursing homes making in the future in order to keep up with the ever changing needs of the demographics of seniors?
• What are subacute units? How did subacute care emerge? What are the strengths and limitations of the emergence of subacute care in long-term care as related to issues in levels of patients’ acuity (various levels of nursing care based on the needs of patients)? Support your answer with relevant examples.
• What is the impact of subacute care on the cost and quality of care? Do you think subacute care needs to be an integral component of hospitals, or should it be an integral part of the long-term care system? Provide a rationale for your answer.

Based on your learning about nursing home care and subacute care, compare their funding, staffing, regulation, and marketing.

Analysis of Research & Technology in Nursing Practice

For this assignment, you will:

• Write a 4–6 page paper and discuss each of the following questions in relation to your nursing practice using APA style and formatting.
• Use APA level headings to develop each of the required elements of the assignment.
• Discuss the importance of research as it informs the future of nursing practice.
• Discuss two specific contributions you make to develop your colleagues in becoming a consumer of nursing research.
• Describe at least two strategies you will use to maintain competency in using nursing research. Examples might include:
  • Perform a literature search on a particular practice issue and share with colleagues.
  • Join a nursing research discussion group.
  • Champion a nursing clinical issue to become a research study in your organization.
• Describe three ways that your understanding of technologies and telecommunication in nursing and health care can have a positive impact on your practice.
• Propose one strategy to increase the participation of the nursing profession in research and lifelong learning.
  • What role might technology and telecommunications play in promoting research participation?
• Conclusion:
  • Prepare the assignment.
  • Follow APA style guidelines.
  • Use 12-point Times New Roman font.
  • Include a title and reference page.
  • Use the following subheadings:
    • Advocating for Research in Nursing.
    • Maintaining Competency in Research Practices.
    • The Future of Technologies in Nursing and Research.
    • Conclusion.
  • Cite all references using APA style and formatting guidelines. – within the paper and as works cited

Discussion: Dissemination of Scholarship Related to the Practicum Project

According to Freemantle and Watt (1994), “effective dissemination encompasses more than just the distribution and diffusion of information. It involves the processes by which target groups become aware of, receive, accept and utilize information.” (p. 133).

Think about your Practicum Project. Which groups would find your project findings, conclusions, and recommendations most valuable? Why? How might your focus differ if you were delivering a presentation at a professional conference versus at your practicum site? What would you emphasize if you were publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal related to your specialization as opposed to in an online forum with a wider healthcare readership?

In this Discussion, you analyze your Practicum Project in terms of conventional means of scholarly dissemination: presentations, posters, and publication.

To prepare:

Reflect on your Practicum Project.

Speak with various individuals, especially those in your practicum setting, about presentations or poster sessions they have given and/or publications they have authored. Ask which organizations or journals they would recommend you consider for dissemination based on your Practicum Project topic.

Consider the following questions related to dissemination:

Who is your target audience? Who would be most interested in your project findings, conclusions, and recommendations? Consider how the needs or dispositions of the intended audience may inform your choice of dissemination method.

Which method of dissemination would you choose to convey the findings, conclusions, or recommendations from your Practicum Project? What are the relative benefits and challenges of giving a presentation, sharing your findings through a poster session, and/or publication?

Consider various nursing, health care, informatics, and leadership and management organizations and journals. What is one organization or journal you would select for your presentation or publication?

What are some potential challenges? Evaluate what you could do to promote the possibility that your presentation, poster, or manuscript would be accepted.

Conduct a search of the literature using the Walden Library and other reliable sources. Locate two or more articles published in peer-reviewed journals within the last five years that relate to your Practicum Project. These articles should demonstrate the significance of the topic for nursing leadership and management or nursing informatics. Note: These articles may also help you determine if your project findings are related to an area that will contribute to a more comprehensive literature base.

Post a brief description of your Practicum Project, including the anticipated outcomes and implications for nursing practice in your specialty area. Explain why your results warrant dissemination. Describe your target audience, and explain which method of dissemination you would use as well as the organization or journal you would choose for sharing findings related to your Practicum Project. Support your response with at least two citations from the literature.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, using one or more of the following approaches:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.

Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.

Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.

Required Readings

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Alspach, G. (2010). Converting presentations into journal articles: A guide for nurses. Critical Care Nurse, 30(2), 8–15.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The authors recognize the value of disseminating evidence-based practice in promoting quality care. They address how this can be done using posters.

Forsyth, D. E., Wright, T. L., Scherb, C. A., & Gaspar, P. M. (2010). Disseminating evidence-based practice projects: Poster design and evaluation. Clinical Scholars Review, 3(1), 14–21.