Examine the needs of a population and explore how technology could help to improve outcomes for the population. Your 3–6-page assessment submission will succinctly demonstrate a mastery of gathering and requesting appropriate data, suggest technological solutions, and explain the rationale for your proposed solutions.
One of the ultimate goals for applying nursing informatics in health care is to promote health and improve the care provided to the population served. An important aspect is to identify the appropriate services that can be provided to the population and increase the availability of the services. Through the analysis and interpretation of data, as well as the introduction of new technologies that improve patient access to care, the nurse information can prove invaluable to a health care organization and its population. In this assessment, you will discover how nursing informatics supports population health programs in health care organizations.
For this assessment you will explore ways in which informatics could be leveraged to improve the outcomes and quality of care for a target population.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
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- Competency 1: Apply theoretical frameworks and models of nursing informatics to personal nursing practice.
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- Interview appropriate members of a health care team to gather initial information on the needs of a target population suffering from chronic illnesses and the services provided within a hospital for the population.
- Competency 2: Apply standards of practice in nursing informatics to address gaps in practice in a health care organization, practice setting, or community.
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- Provide a comprehensive analysis of the health needs of a target population by identifying a chronic health condition that requires an intervention and the rationale for its selection.
- Competency 3: Analyze how regulatory bodies, rules, regulations, and requirements impact the use of health information technology in nursing practice and organizational operations.
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- Request appropriate health reports, specific to a population with chronic illnesses, from a data analytics team.
- Explain the rationale and interoperability considerations for a proposed technology solution related to patients with chronic illnesses and the ways in which the technology solutions meet regulatory compliance for privacy and security.
- Competency 4: Integrate ethical and legal practices into delivering quality health care using technology in various environments.
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- Create potential technology solutions that address the limitations in specialty services for patients with chronic illnesses, as well as ways to improve the quality of care provided to these patients.
- Competency 5: Communicate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure accurate and efficient transmission of data, information, and plans.
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- Write clearly and logically with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and correctly format citations using current APA style.
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Context
Chronic illnesses have become a major priority for communities and health care systems. They are complex to manage, costly, and often result in significant disability for the patients. The science of chronic illness care is swiftly advancing, and there is collective pressure to improve the efficiency and quality of care for these disorders. Identifying and understanding health concerns for specific populations being served and the services that need to be provided is essential for the informatics professional. This assessment is designed to heighten your awareness of the rapid evolution in health informatics tools that can help improve chronic illness care.
Questions to Consider
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
This assessment will be based upon looking for ways to leverage informatics to help promote health within a specific population. Think about experiences you have had using informatics within a population health and quality improvement and health promotion context.
Is there a population you are particularly interested in studying further?
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- If not, consider using the population and information from the Vila Health: Promoting Health With Informatics simulation.
- How can understanding population health assist a health care organization in determining the types of services needed?
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- In what ways can informatics professionals contribute to population and community health analyses and initiatives?
- How can data be collected and analyzed to help promote improved health outcomes for a population?
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- Which data would need to be collected to determine the success of a program?
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Resources
Suggested Resources ( OPTIONAL RESOURCES- YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN)
MSN Program Journey
Please review this guide for your degree program. It can help you stay on track for your practicum experience, so you may wish to bookmark it for later reference.
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid.
Health Promotion and Quality Improvement
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- McBride, S., & Tietze, M. (2015). Nursing informatics for the advanced practice nurse. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
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- Chapter 21, “Quality-Improvement Strategies and Essential Tools.”
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Informatics
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- Gartrell, K., Trinkoff, A. M., Storr, C. L., & Wilson, M. L. (2015). Electronic personal health record use among nurses in the nursing informatics community. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 33(7), 306–314.
- Wah, R. (2014). Healthcare information technology and United States healthcare. Japan Medical Association Journal, 57(2), 84–92.
Population Health
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- Gopalan, A., Makelarski, J. A., Garibay, L. B., Escamilla, V., Merchant, R. M., Wolfe, M. B, Sr., . . . Lindau, S. T. (2016). Health-specific information and communication technology use and its relationship to obesity in high-poverty, urban communities: Analysis of a population-based biosocial survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(6), e182.
- McBride, S., & Tietze, M. (2015). Nursing informatics for the advanced practice nurse. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
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- Chapter 22, “National Prevention Strategy, Population Health, and Health Information Technology.”
- Velianoff, G. D. (2014). Advancing the evolution of healthcare: Information technology in a person-focused population health model. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(7/8), 381–387.
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Practice Implications
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- Kaye, S. P. (2017). Nurses’ attitudes toward meaningful use technologies: An integrative review. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 35(5), 237–247.
- Piscotty, R. J., Kalisch, B., & Gracey-Thomas, A. (2015). Impact of healthcare information technology on nursing practice. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 47(4), 287–293.
Resources and Templates
- Assessment Instructions
Scenario
Note: If you prefer to use a care environment or scenario that is more closely tied to your personal practice environment, that is acceptable, just make sure that you can fully address all the assessment criteria.
As part of the integration of Dade Valley Regional Hospital, the chief executives want to ensure that the preventive services being provided align with the needs of the population. Of major concern are the services being provided to the elderly population, as the organization is in a rural setting with limited specialties in the area. As part of the informatics team, you are charged with assessing and analyzing demographic data for the serviced area in order to identify potential areas that can be improved and to identify potential new services.
Consider the following:
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- Interview appropriate members of the health care team to gather initial information on the needs of the population and the services provided within Valley City Regional Hospital.
- Request from the Vila Health data analytics team a population health report specific to a population served by Valley City Regional Hospital.
- Provide a comprehensive analysis of the needs of the population.
- Select one condition that requires an intervention and provide your rationale for its selection.
- Provide potential technology solutions that can address the limitation in specialty services for the targeted population, as well as improve the quality of care provided to diabetic patients.
- Discuss the rationale and interoperability considerations for the proposed technology solution.
- Explain how the technology solution will meet regulatory compliance for privacy and security.
Instructions
Your submission should demonstrate a mastery of gathering and requesting appropriate data to help inform an in-depth analysis of the needs of a specific population. Additionally, you will need to suggest technological solutions and explain your rationale for why the proposed solutions are relevant and compliant. The bullet points below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure that your work addresses all of the bullets below. Interview appropriate members of a health care team to gather initial information on the needs of a target population suffering from chronic illnesses and the services provided within a hospital for the population.
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- Request appropriate health reports, specific to a population with chronic illnesses, from a data analytics team.
- Provide a comprehensive analysis of the health needs of a target population by identifying a chronic health condition that requires an intervention and the rationale for its selection.
- Create potential technology solutions that address the limitations in specialty services for patients with chronic illnesses, as well as ways to improve the quality of care provided to these patients.
- Explain the rationale and interoperability considerations for a proposed technology solution related to patients with chronic illnesses and the ways in which the technology solutions meet regulatory compliance for privacy and security.
- Write clearly and logically with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and correctly format citations using current APA style.
Additional Requirements
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- Length of submission: 3–6 double-spaced, typed pages, not including the title and reference pages. Your plan should be succinct yet substantive.
- Number of references: Cite a minimum of 3–5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that supports your goal setting, proposed change strategies, quality improvement and interprofessional considerations. Resources should be no more than five years old.
- APA Formatting: Format your paper and citations using current APA style. You may use the APA Style Paper Template linked in the Resources. An APA Style Paper Tutorial is also provided in the Resources to help you in writing and formatting your analysis. No abstract is required.
GRADING CRITERIA
– FOR MASTERS LEVEL -MUST BE PROFICIENT OR HIGHER
| CRITERIA | NON-PERFORMANCE | BASIC | PROFICIENT | DISTINGUISHED |
| Interview appropriate members of a health care team to gather initial information on the needs of a target population suffering from chronic illnesses and the services provided within a hospital for the population. | Interviews appropriate members of a health care team to gather initial information on the needs of a target population suffering from chronic illnesses and the services provided within a hospital for the population. | Interviews appropriate members of a health care team to gather initial information on the needs of a target population suffering from chronic illnesses and the services provided within a hospital for the population. Evaluates information acquired by the collection and processing of population health data, and makes the information the basis for knowledge in the field of public health. | ||
| Requests appropriate health reports, specific to a population with chronic illnesses, from a data analytics team. | Requests appropriate health reports, specific to a population with chronic illnesses, from a data analytics team, and applies informatics methods to public health surveillance. | |||
| Provides a comprehensive analysis of the health needs of a target population by identifying a chronic health condition that requires an intervention and the rationale for its selection. | Provides a comprehensive analysis of the health needs of a target population by identifying a chronic health condition that requires an intervention and the rationale for its selection. Ensures that the analysis includes demographics, population health data, and provider mix for the community. | |||
| Creates potential technology solutions that address the limitations in specialty services for patients with chronic illnesses, as well as ways to improve the quality of care provided to these patients. | Creates potential technology solutions that address the limitations in specialty services for patients with chronic illnesses, as well as ways to improve the quality of care provided to these patients. Provides real-world examples to support the solutions. | |||
| Explains the rationale and interoperability considerations for a proposed technology solution related to patients with chronic illnesses and the ways in which the technology solutions meet regulatory compliance for privacy and security. | Explains the rationale and interoperability considerations for a proposed technology solution related to patients with chronic illnesses and the ways in which the technology solutions meet regulatory compliance for privacy and security. Evaluates the ways in which interoperability and technology can be hindered in nursing informatics. | |||
| Writes clearly and logically with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and correctly formats citations using current APA style. | Writes clearly and logically with no errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or mechanics; correctly formats citations using current APA style; and ensures that all information is accurate and up-to-date. | |||
