Reflection
Technological advancements in the field of nursing have led to a shift in the record-keeping method from the traditional paper-based method to the emerging electronic media records (EMR). Since the new technology has considerable impacts on patient outcome and safety, having a clear understanding and knowledge on how to use EMR is an essential skill for all nurses, including novice nurses. A study by Miller et al. (2014) was conducted to identify the presence, if any, of a knowledge gap between acute care novice nurses’ skills and knowledge and the skills required to maintain records using EMR. The study concluded that despite the importance of EMR in acute care, there are knowledge and skill gaps in close to half of all areas covered by EMR. The results indicate the need for a collaborative approach between all concerned parties in providing knowledge and training to the novice nurses where needed (Miller et al., 2014).
Introduction of EMR in healthcare has revolutionized the way operations are undertaken in the industry and has been associated with numerous benefits and challenges. The benefits of EMR include increased ease in accessibility to patients’ medical records, improving communication between the various healthcare personnel, and an overall improvement in the quality of care (Krawiec, 2019). Alternatively, the anticipated challenges of EMR systems include temporal disruption in the workflow as the novice nurses learn how to operate the system, which could lead to a loss in productivity, violation of privacy and patient information, and the system resulting to unintended mistakes like medical errors. To overcome these challenges, the medical personnel may employ several strategies that facilitate a smooth transition from paper-based to EMR. One strategy that can be used is employing a gradual transition (Paepke & Miller, 2014). Making abrupt changes can be cumbersome; therefore, a gradual transition in documentation is generally advisable. Another strategy that can be employed is encouraging teamwork among the personnel. While the shift can spark resistance among the staff members, teamwork helps in streamlining the process and taking care of the opposition.
References
Krawiec, C. (2019). Beyond Electronic Health Record Adoption. Methods of Information in Medicine, 58(06), 235-236.
Miller, L., Stimely, M., Matheny, P., Pope, M., McAtee, R., & Miller, K. (2014). Novice nurse preparedness to effectively use electronic health records in acute care settings: Critical informatics knowledge and skill gaps. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics (OJNI), 18(2).
Paepke, B. M., & Miller, J. R. (2014). Smooth your transition to EHR: it’s been a shotgun wedding. Could a little more attention make it a happy marriage? Here’s how to get through the rough patches. Review of Optometry, 151(10), 48-53.
Discussion Prompt
For centuries now, scientists and philosophers have believed that free will does not exist and that human decisions are affected by pre-existing situations and conditions. Based on past experiences, the brain programs itself to respond in specific ways when faced with similar situations. According to Anderson (2017), chemical reactions in the brain, like docking of adenosine on receptors determine the action of the body. Additionally, research has found that signals in the brain, referred to as the readiness potential, usually precede self-initiated human actions. The signal is triggered even before individuals conclude on whether or not to make a move. However, despite this discovery, many questions still linger concerning free will. For example, how early does the readiness potential occur before the action and does brain activity only predict the possibility of an action taking place or does it predict the specific response (Gholipour, 2019).
When we speak of free will, the first thing that comes to mind is the ability to exercise some level of control over our actions. Our social codes of ethics and even traditions and cultures are founded on moral liberties, which is the ability of human beings to make decisions and choices consciously(Gholipour, 2019). However, this belief has raised questions, with regards to the influence of factors such as causation, laws of nature, and ontological reduction on human decisions. From a scientific perspective, human behaviour is a factor of pre-existing factors, both within and outside the person, which influence how the person will react to situations. Therefore, as a scientist, I believe that human actions are influenced by brain chemistry. Technological advancement has helped the scientific faction to better present its arguments on the absence of a free will, with equipment such as brain scanners allowing scientists to look into the human brain and identify reactions that occur before any actions are taken (Cave, 2016). Research has established that changes in brain chemistry affect human behaviour, as is the case of the effects of alcohol on brain action.
References
Anderson, A. (2017). How does Caffeine keep us Awake? Ted-Ed. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs&feature=youtu.be
Cave, S. (2016). There’s No Such Thing as Free Will. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/theres-no-such-thing-as-free-will/480750/
Gholipour, B. (2019). Philosophers and neuroscientists join forces to see whether science can solve the mystery of free will. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved from https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/03/philosophers-and-neuroscientists-join-forces-see-whether-science-can-solve-mystery-free