Technology Needs Assessment

Healthcare technology plays a significant role in healthcare organizations to provide better care and improved medical services to patients. Technology advancements raise the need for telehealth technology to meet the required changes in healthcare services and developments in current technology. To implement the changes or to introduce the new telehealth technology, a need assessment is carried out to evaluate the integration and improvement factors required in the current technology healthcare system (Vukovic et al., 2018).

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 1 Technology Needs Assessment

This summary analyzes the challenges healthcare settings face via old patient information systems, technological gaps, and improvement solutions to address those gaps. Since the last decade, telehealth technology has been the new norm in healthcare organizations to promote patient care and clinical benefits by providing advanced solutions to problems and reducing medical errors (Angelis et al., 2017). For example, Regions Hospital in the United States is upgrading its healthcare information system to manage healthcare and patient data more efficiently.  The hospital has adopted an integrated patient portal software within the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. The updated telehealth technology will offer telemedicine, clinical flowchart, and online 2-way communication with patients. This will facilitate nurses, physicians, and patients within one healthcare setting or multiple healthcare organizations to improve health outcomes. The need assessment on the use of telehealth and EMR will provide insight for all stakeholders to improve the hospital’s workflow, patient care, and quality of care.

Relevance and Importance of Needs Assessment

The use of telehealth technology has revolutionized health delivery services and developed treatment strategies with accurate diagnosis and improved medication techniques. Nurses and physicians play a significant role in enhancing the quality of healthcare services via technology in their daily medical practices. The assessment of these technological healthcare services and medical frameworks is necessary to address the shortcomings and identify the competency of health professionals, especially for remote patients and pandemic emergencies (Wilhite et al., 2021). The needs assessment for the current healthcare system in Regions Hospital is necessary to understand the concerns of diabetes patients and deploy the changes according to the new telehealth portal (Sim & Lee, 2021). The healthcare organization will be able to implement the telehealth technology with the nurses’ perceptions and other stakeholders’ opinions to ensure the safety of patient information (Ayatollahi et al., 2022).

The suggested needs assessment of the technology will help the Regions Hospital authorities to assess the effectiveness of digital tools by conducting patient feedback activities and analyzing the patient experience and satisfaction. User or patient satisfaction allows the authorities to examine the advantages and possible shortcomings of the healthcare system. The use of technology and telehealth in healthcare systems at a large scale can lead to unfamiliar situations and health risks for diabetes patients (Appuswamy & Desimone, 2020). The University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics, and Technology (UMIT) have developed a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This technology assessment model focuses on the user’s experience and addresses the key points and directions to improve user satisfaction.

Critical Issues in Nursing Care

Nurses are vital healthcare personnel who ensure patient care with all possible means in the healthcare setting. The primary purpose of deploying improved telehealth technology is to facilitate nurses in providing patients with safe healthcare services and developing treatment strategies. The use of manual patient management tools in the concerned healthcare organization does not meet the challenges of today’s complex medical problems. It is not enough to comply with patient outcomes. The nurses cannot fight the modern-day competencies and coordinate with other healthcare settings while technology-based healthcare systems are in practice. The fusion of smart technology with professional medical practices via integrated patient portals is the solution for nurse practitioners to ensure patient quality care (Dautov et al., 2019).

The best practice approach of incorporating the telehealth system to reduce Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) is described in a research study at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The study shows that the Hospital developed CAUTI Best Practice Alert (BPA) (a reminder alert) in 2013 for EMR. This digital tool has been in daily practice by nurses during diagnosis, medication prescription, vaccinations, and testing purposes to employ improvements at different levels. The mentioned alert has been focused on health professionals to acquire the goal of reducing the disease prevalence. The alert required an authorized nurse appointed for patient care to renew the process and assess the medical justification of the process (Gnade et al., 2020).

Benefits of Upgraded Telehealth Portal

The incorporation of telehealth at Regions Hospital will help nurses to manage, organize and communicate with multiple diabetes patients at the same time through the integrated patient portal using system or software access. Technology has introduced cloud computing in healthcare records, allowing medical professionals quick access to patient data in emergencies through any device registered with the information system. Multiple data links are created to improve the proficiency of patient care like cloud-based data charts, online access to the system, electronic devices linked with the patient, and laboratory diagnostic reports (Brundin-Mather et al., 2018). The in-use EMRs are integrated systems that provide real-time access to patient data to ensure timely diagnosis and planning of patient care strategy, which is clinically optimized. Integrated EMR enhances user satisfaction and is considered an essential key factor in analyzing the efficiency of healthcare services and patient outcomes (D’costa et al., 2018).

Safety Requirements and Regulatory Considerations

The use of healthcare information technology has facilitated patients and healthcare organizations in promoting viable health services and remote access to patient data. However, it has also been prone to various risks and requires safety. Since a report regarding patient safety, “To Err Is Human in 1999,” has been published, the concern regarding patient safety and data security has grown among health professionals and patients (Sharma et al., 2018). Using an integrated patient portal in providing telemedicine and online healthcare services can be challenging when safety requirements for patient data are in concern. The care and coordination strategies, emergency admittance in the hospitals, and shared and exchanged data among multiple healthcare settings for improved treatment strategies are concerns in the safety context. The current trend of outpatient and inpatient care is a new factor adding to the issue. Primary Care (PC) is associated with telehealth within EMRs amid technological advancements to evaluate patient safety requirements and fulfill regulatory considerations. The International Journal of Medical Informatics has published a study describing how Digital Health Competencies (DHC) are analyzed in healthcare professionals using digital health records. The article has assessed 17 DHC domains that enforce the efficiency of eHealth services. These health competencies can be applied to analyze whether safety and regulatory criteria are fulfilled (Jimenez et al., 2020).

Patient Confidentiality and Privacy Protections

Patient confidentiality and safety protection are significant concerns while incorporating telehealth technology. Since patient data is stored and managed through cloud computing in EMR technology, it gets exposed to several security risks and cyber-attacks. Nurses and other healthcare staff are responsible for ensuring data privacy and protection since they handle patient information at online portals and incorporate it into daily treatment strategies. Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance the rules and regulations for healthcare professionals to practice safeguard techniques while sharing and exchanging data with other healthcare organizations (Mbonihankuye et al., 2019). Regions Hospital authorities will also ensure the confidentiality of patient data and protect the privacy of the patient during the compliance of advanced telehealth tools, which are allowed legally and protected by law.

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 1 Technology Needs Assessment

Unknown Factors

Various research studies have revealed that several unknown factors are also involved while implementing the new healthcare information system, which hinders data safety. A study was carried out to analyze four healthcare organizations in England to study the technical and behavioral threats that have developed with the growing use of EMR and other health record systems. The risks and concerns are also associated with IoT devices and gadgets adopted to prompt healthcare services (Graham, 2020).

Potential Impact of Stakeholders and End Users on the Acquisition of Telehealth

Internal and external stakeholders in a healthcare organization are the primary concern when incorporating a new telehealth technology or changing the current information system. Stakeholders and end users are the ones who decide the success or failure of a particular healthcare technology and potentially impact its safe use and efficiency. At Regions Hospital, the authorities, health information management, health informatics, and end users, including nurses, physicians, and other healthcare staff, are the stakeholders who substantially affect the acquisition of telehealth technology (Lock et al., 2023). The assessment of end users, especially healthcare consumers, will define the expertise and efficiency of EMR at the Regions Hospital. At the same time, patient satisfaction and data safety are prioritized in this case.

Impact of stakeholders

In any healthcare organization, there are internal and external stakeholders who can have an impact on the acquisition of telehealth technology. The first group consists of those within the organization, such as clinicians, senior executives, and the Board of Directors. They may be supportive or resistant to change, considering the patient’s concerns, and their perspectives must be considered when making decisions about technology adoption. The second group includes payers, government agencies, accrediting bodies, and other external organizations that can influence the implementation of telehealth initiatives regarding financial perspectives. Therefore, it is essential to consult with them to ensure that the new telehealth program meets their requirements and expectations (Garcia & Adelakun, 2019).

Conclusion

Technology needs assessment is carried out to analyze the implementation of telehealth at the Regions hospital to improve patient outcomes. The needs assessment is carefully performed to prove its relevance with the organization to address the key issues nurses face with the previous technology. The integrated patient portal software will ensure effective communication between patients and nurses while following regulatory guidelines and protecting patient confidentiality and privacy. Stakeholders and end users significantly impact the successful implementation of the new telehealth technology and advanced digital tools.

References

Angelis, A., Lange, A., & Kanavos, P. (2017). Using health technology assessment to assess the value of new medicines: results of a systematic review and expert consultation across eight European countries. The European Journal of Health Economics, 19(1), 123–152. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-017-0871-0

Appuswamy, A. V., & Desimone, M. E. (2020). Managing diabetes in hard-to-reach populations: A review of telehealth interventions. Current Diabetes Reports, 20(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-020-01310-2

Ayatollahi, H., Hemmat, M., Nourani, A., & Saviz, P. (2022). Staff and students’ perceptions about using telehealth technology in a medical university: A qualitative study. Journal of American College Health, 1–9. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2082842

Brundin-Mather, R., Soo, A., Zuege, D. J., Niven, D. J., Fiest, K., Doig, C. J., Zygun, D., Boyd, J. M., Parsons Leigh, J., Bagshaw, S. M., & Stelfox, H. T. (2018). Secondary EMR data for quality improvement and research: A comparison of manual and electronic data collection from an integrated critical care electronic medical record system. Journal of Critical Care, 47, 295–301. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2018.07.021

Dautov, R., Distefano, S., & Buyya, R. (2019). Hierarchical data fusion for smart healthcare. Journal of Big Data, 6(1). 

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-019-0183-6

D’costa, S., Sinha, R., & Head. (2018). Usability assessment of hospital information system integrated electronic medical record. Online J Health Allied Scs, 17(3). https://scholar.archive.org/work/kjdo6yrqjjhvhi4evravb3lixy/access/wayback/https://www.ojhas.org/issue67/2018-3-5.pdf

Garcia, R., & Adelakun, O. (2019). A conceptual framework and pilot study for examining telemedicine satisfaction research. Journal of Medical Systems, 43(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-019-1161-4

Gnade, C., Wu, C., Ten Eyck, P., Leder, L., & Storm, D. (2020). The influence of an electronic medical record embedded best practice alert on rate of hospital acquired Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections: Do best practice alerts reduce CAUTIs? Urology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2020.02.028

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 1 Technology Needs Assessment

Graham, C. (2020). Fear of the unknown with healthcare IoT devices: An exploratory study. Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393555.2020.1810369

Jimenez, G., Spinazze, P., Matchar, D., Choon Huat, G. K., van der Kleij, R. M. J. J., Chavannes, N. H., & Car, J. (2020). Digital health competencies for primary healthcare professionals: a Scoping Review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 143, 104260. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104260

Lock, L. J., Diaz, A. T., Giangiacomo, A. L., & Liu, Y. (2023, January 1). Chapter 12 – Principles of Ocular Telehealth Implementation (A. Maa, Ed.). ScienceDirect; Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323832045000123

Mbonihankuye, S., Nkunzimana, A., & Ndagijimana, A. (2019, October 17). . Wireless communications and mobile computing Healthcare Data Security Technology: HIPAA Compliance. 

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/wcmc/2019/1927495/

Sharma, A. E., Rivadeneira, N. A., Barr-Walker, J., Stern, R. J., Johnson, A. K., & Sarkar, U. (2018). Patient engagement in health care safety: An overview of mixed-quality evidence. Health Affairs, 37(11), 1813–1820. 

https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0716

Sim, R., & Lee, S. W. H. (2021). Patient preference and satisfaction with the use of telemedicine for glycemic control in patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A review. Patient Preference and Adherence, Volume 15, 283–298. 

https://doi.org/10.2147/ppa.s271449

Vukovic, V., Favaretti, C., Ricciardi, W., & de Waure, C. (2018). Health technology assessment evidence on e-health/m-health technologies: evaluating the transparency and thoroughness. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 34(1), 87–96. 

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266462317004512

Wilhite, J. A., Altshuler, L., Fisher, H., Gillespie, C., Hanley, K., Goldberg, E., Wallach, A., & Zabar, S. (2021). The telemedicine takeover: lessons learned during an emerging pandemic. Telemedicine and E-Health. 

https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2021.0035

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