The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation

The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development and Implementation

Walden University

NURS 6051 Transforming Nursing and Healthcare Through Technology

As a nurse manager in an organization where a new documentation system is going to be implemented, a good plan and a good team are necessary for the systems development life cycle (SDLC) to be completed successfully. Having a nurse leader on the development team would prove beneficial for the organization as nurses spend the majority of their time utilizing the systems and nurses make up the majority of the health care professionals. The SDLC is similar to the nursing process, in which the nurse must assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate, and revise (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). 

Planning and Requirements Definition

The key to any successful project is having a good plan, even if the team is great and the plan is poor the project will ultimately fail. The plan will help team members see the strengths and weaknesses of the project. The point where the model or framework that will guide the development process is chosen is a central strategic aspect that will undeniably have an impact on the effectiveness of the system in the long run (Isaias & Issa, 2014). The nurse leader should be aware of the different type of models available, no need to be an expert, but be aware of models that can work more efficiently with the organization’s needs. The team should also be chosen carefully; there should be varying degrees of nursing represented. Bedside nurses who spend the majority of their time with the patients and in the system documenting should have high volumes of input. Nursing informaticist can help those nurses who are not very good at explaining technology but have years of wisdom and experience translate their improvements into better system flow. The plan will allow the nurse leader to understand their role at every level of the SDLC. Requirements for the system must be defined; this includes integration with preexisting software and operating systems. As technology advances, most systems are able to be integrated without much effort where previously companies made their systems specifically for their software. 

Analysis

The nurse leader must analyze the system project and ensure that it not only is cost-efficient but, follows the mission of the organization. During the analysis phase, the requirements for the system are teased out from a detailed study of the business needs of the organization (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The nurse leader will make sure the software can perform all the nursing functions that are required across the organization. This is why it will be important for the nurse leader to choose nurses from each specialty, to ensure flow sheets and documentation is unit specific. The analysis will allow additional changes to be made at the various steps throughout the process.

Design of the New System

After the analysis is complete, the design of the system begins. In designing the system, the nurse leader is the architect of the project and must ensure that all components of the system will perform the duties necessary for all the participating team members. Mockups or prototypes of screenshots, reports, and processes may be generated to clarify the requirements and get the team or stakeholders on the same page, limiting the occurrence of glitches that might result in costly software development later in the project (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). This is the time for the nurse leader in making sure that all the flow sheets are fully functional and user-friendly for the specific departments. Communication with the bedside nurses involved and feedback about streamlining the process to ensure no duplication will increase productivity and allow more time for patient care increasing efficiency. 

Implementation

The systems implementation phase of the life cycle at the highest level essentially concerns the process of taking a well-designed system and getting that system into a meaningful use state across all of the stakeholders within a particular enterprise whether small or large (2018). The nurse leaders role will entail finding super users who will be able to train staff on the system and can be available to support the new system. Policies and procedures must be incorporated into the implementation process assuring the organization upholds its regulations. Real-time support must be available at all times for the staff once the system is implemented. The nurse leader should ensure that persons trained in the system can be available and that the company that created the software is available. Coordinating care will assure that multidisciplinary teams are available to answer questions, troubleshoot problems, and resolve issues quickly. 

Post-implementation Support

In a perfect world, the rollout would go smoothly, and there would be zero issues. Even with the best planning, there will be glitches, unseen issues, and opportunities for improvement. Realize once you put this system into place, the world will not operate perfectly. It takes an adjustment period. So be patient and be rapid. When people say, this isn’t working, go rapidly and fix it (2018). The plan must be followed through completely for the project to be considered a success. The nurse leader must listen to all the feedback from the staff and act accordingly, resolving issues and communicating with the other project team members on how to resolve the issues. 

Conclusion

SDLC from inception to rollout and maintenance is an arduous process, with the right model and team the process can be simplified and the project can be a success. Nursing should be involved in every step to fortify the SDLC process; nursing spends more time using the system than any other discipline and accounts for more of the health care workforce. Communication is key, between SDLC team members, software developers, informatics, and all staff, issues must be discussed and resolved. The nurse leader must communicate through each phase of the project the majorities views for improvement and accessibility. The nurse leader must provide availability for feedback once the system project rollouts; a lack of support will begin an avalanche of negativity that can be avoided. The team should develop a list of recommendations to improve the current software when the project is complete (2018). With proper planning and support, a successful system can be implemented and supported as long as team members communicate and provide availability.

References

Isaias, P., & Issa, T. (2014). Information System Development Life Cycle Models. High Level Models and Methodologies for Information Systems, 21-40. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-9254-2_2

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Managing Health Information Technology [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.