Sample essay on health informatics

Introduction

Health informatics is an important field in nursing, integral in the conduct of nursing activities on patients by nurses by use of information. Information used by nurses in their practice has got to be of the highest quality in terms accuracy and effectiveness. The management of information in the nursing profession has been one of the major hurdles that nurses have to handle over the years as part of their occupation (Haux, R. 2006). Nurses have the duty of generally monitoring patients and determining, through the information they gather, whether the patient is moving towards recovery, or is moving in the other direction. The implementation of systems and technologies that help in the efficient and dependable management of this information is crucial for a nurse. In healthcare nursing aims at reducing discomfort and pain for patients. (Jack Needleman, & Et. al, 2002) This paper will focus on application of evidence based practices in stress management.
For a long time, stress management has not been considered a serious issue in health care. Much has not been done to help those who are affected by stress. In fact, these people have been subjected to theoretical counseling techniques that mostly do not offer the necessary solutions to stress management. However, this should be the right time that researchers and technology experts collaborated to come up with systems and equipments that offer the much needed relieve and solutions for stress patients. Nurses have for a long time borne the blunt of poor training and lack of enough equipment for handling these cases. (Jack Needleman, & Et. al, 2002)
Electronic biofeedback stress management systems should be incorporated with evidence based practices to ensure that patients receive up to date health care in this sector. Currently, stress has been treated by focusing on cognitive representations and habit memory systems which have proven hard when it comes following up on patient progress after treatment.
Combining biofeedback systems with evidenced-based practices, means that innovations will come up with a device that will be capable of regulating and reducing stress while relying on previous techniques that have proven to be successful. (Ann Hendrich, A., Marilyn P Chow, & Boguslaw A Skierczynski 2008) The device should not only offer real time up date of an individual’s stress levels but should also be able to relay the data it gathers about an individual to a healthcare institution information system where the patient receives regular health checkups. Once this information about an individual is relayed by the biofeedback device into the system, the system should be able to compare the information with other previous cases available.
Once this comparison has been done, the system should analyze the information and relay solutions to the patients through a notification on the device. If the system indicates the patients’ situation as critical, it should be able to notify the emergency department within the healthcare facility to immediately reach the patient and offer emergency treatment. This would be very effective especially for patients who suffer chronic stress. The device would provide them with information that would prevent severe medical complications as it will monitor the current body conditions and provide accurate information as to the most probable reaction by the body in the near future.
The device should automatically check for the patient’s body conditions after a reasonable amount of time say five minutes and use the data to determine what probable measures the patient should take. By using previous proven records of data, the chances of accuracy are high especially since most of the times the patient will be expected to offer self treatment as per the instructions relayed by the device.
This technology would reduce the burden placed on nurses to treat and advice stress patients as these techniques fail to address real time solutions for patients.

References

Ann Hendrich, A., Marilyn P Chow, & Boguslaw A Skierczynski (2008). A 36-Hospital Time and Motion Study: How Do Medical-Surgical Nurses Spend Their Time? Retrieved from http://www. thepermanentejournal. org/issues/2010/summer/230-time-study-medical-surgical-nurses. html
Jack Needleman, & Et. al, (2002, May 30). Nurse-Staffing Levels and the Quality of Care in Hospitals. Retrieved from http://www. nejm. org/doi/full/10. 1056/NEJMsa012247
Haux, R. (2006). Health Information Systems – Past, Present, Future☆. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 75(3-4), 268-281.