Patient, Nurse, and Technology Advocate.
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It’s been a few weeks since I was selected to be a Google Glass Explorer and ever since my brain has been humming with thoughts and ideas on how nurses could utilize the technology. How could nurses improve the care they deliver? How could HIPAA be a non-issue?
Robert Rowley downloaded the CMS data on Meaningful Use and did an interesting analysis in his article about EHR vendor strength. I was intrigued, so I downloaded the same data, created a pivot table or two, and did my own analysis.
As the CEO of a growing EMR business, I was curious to see how we did. What I found was quite scary. 74% of the providers who attested for CMS funds using our system were NOT OUR CUSTOMERS. Attesting for Stage 1, in some cases, only requires the provider to show they signed an agreement with an EMR vendor to install their products. Yet, I did not expect the results to be this fraudulent.
Do you know Certified Nurses Day is on March 19? Many still ask, “What are the differences between licensure and certification?” Some use the terms interchangeably, but they both are quite different. Licensure is mandatory and signifies that the licensee has met the minimum standards to practice nursing in a particular state. In contrast, certification is voluntary. By taking and passing a specialty examination offered by a nongovernmental professional nursing or other interprofessional agency, the nurse or other healthcare professional has now validated his knowledge, skills and abilities in a defined role and clinical area of practice, based on predetermined standards.
American Sentinel University understands the numerous issues confronting health care organizations. As a leader in online health care education, the university is proud to offer qualified individuals currently employed by a health system or health system support provider located in the United States the opportunity to apply for one of five full-tuition scholarships in its Master of Health Care Informatics (MHCI) program.
When I discovered nursing informatics, it was like a dream come true. I was completing my BSN coursework, and I began researching options to further my education in nursing. I realized fairly quickly that I wasn’t interested in most of the education pathways that many of my nursing peers were following. Somewhere in the midst of that research I stumbled onto “Nursing Informatics” and I knew it was for me. The stars aligned, the angels sang, and the fascinating world of healthcare information technology became my goal.
As a nurse, long hours are all too common. With sometimes-mandatory overtime and staff shortages, nurses make up some of the hardest working professionals in the world. Being largely responsible for patient education, engagement and satisfaction, many nurses are left to wonder how they can accomplish all that is expected of them. With mobile health, and applications on their phones and tablets, iTriage helps to ease nurses’ workflow.
As a registered nurse, you may have career aspirations that surpass what your RN or BSN degree has prepared you for. You may be aware that the demand for nursing professionals with advanced skills continues to increase nationwide. The U.S. Department of Labor recently reported that demand for MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) degreed professionals in medically underserved areas is at an all-time high.
If you are are interested in advancing your nursing career, there single, most effective method, would be furthering your education. As nurses we have many assets that we utilize to provide patient care. These range from technical skills, knowledge, critical thinking skills, and leadership abilities. But we can always stand to have more tools in our nursing toolbox.
Over 90,000 deaths occur annually due to hospital acquired infections. Most of these deaths could be prevented with simple solutions, like adequate hand washing. An innovative technology called Hyginex seeks to assist healthcare workers everywhere in ensuring they are meeting the standards for hand hygiene. To view a demo of Hyginex click here.
Every healthcare worker knows the importance of adequate hand hygiene. Unfortunately there are many nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers who do not wash their hands as often or as long as is required to adequately protect patients from the potentially deadly viruses and bacteria that exist in hospitals everyday. And it’s not that we’re not all trying. We strive to provide the best care possible and take care of our patients properly. We all know this means proper hand hygiene.
While most surveys focus on how physicians interact with patients using technology, the simple truth of the matter is that physicians often see patients the least compared to other members of the healthcare team. Healthcare extenders are non-MD healthcare professionals who work directly with patients. The primary focus would likely be on providers like nurse practitioners.
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