Running head: ESSENTIAL IV

Essential IV Daniel DeLauter Frostburg State University

ESSENTIAL IV ESSENTIAL IV The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) essential for Nursing Informatics is Essential IV: Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology. This essential outlines the issues that concern professional nursing. These issues have to do with the use of computers, as well as the application of patient care technologies such as monitors, data gathering devices, and other technological supports for patient care

interventions (AACN 17). Being able to use this technology allows for nurses to give people the most efficient and collaborative care possible. Essential IV also gives the standards for baccalaureate prepared nurses to be able to communicate with standard terminology that is used throughout the nursing profession. The essential outlines the importance of being able to use technology to lower costs, provide evidenced-based care and easily communicate with other disciplines in healthcare. Assignment This semester, an innovation project was completed that encompassed this essential. This project was about transferring a long term care facilitys documentation system from paper to electronic. The current paper documentation system has long work flows, too many different places to document which creates double documentation. The new electronic documentation system would shorten and simplify documentation. This assignment shows the importance of a nurse to understand essential IV. Reflection This assignment fulfills this essential by putting into action the use of computers and gathering data. It shows awareness that new technology often requires new workflow patterns

ESSENTIAL IV and changes in practice approaches to patient care prior to implementation (AACN 18). The assignment also explains of the improvement made to the efficiency of work and patient care. The efficiency will lower costs for the facility (in the long term) and improve patient outcomes.

ESSENTIAL IV References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008). Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology. In The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. (17-20).