The nurse leader is a key player in the decision-making processes associated with the purchase and practice application of health information technology and any subsequent upgrades and system improvements. It is therefore essential that the nurse leader be familiar with what kinds of tech

Assess the healthcare technology and organizational readiness of your site for implementing a new or improved piece of healthcare technology. Then, present a 4–6 page executive summary of your findings and recommendations regarding a new or upgraded telehealth technology for your organization or practice setting.

Introduction

Note: Each assessment in this course builds upon the work you have completed in previous assessments. Therefore, complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.

The nurse leader is a key player in the decision-making processes associated with the purchase and practice application of health information technology and any subsequent upgrades and system improvements. It is therefore essential that the nurse leader be familiar with what kinds of technologies are needed to support nursing and improved patient care. Additionally, it is vital that the nurse leader knows what to expect in all decision-making processes and how to organize the use of all available resources, including human resources, when it is time to implement an innovative technology and engender a smooth transition for the nursing staff.

Assessing technology needs and organizational readiness will help you determine the information needed to make the right decisions about which technology will help an organization meet its goals and examine the organization’s readiness to implement a new health information technology.

Professional Context

Nurse leaders must be able to evaluate the needs of various aspects of their organization, department, and team. By evaluating needs, nurse leaders can identify opportunities to drive improvements that have positive impacts on patients and practitioners. Also, this type of evaluation or needs analysis is a critical step in strategic planning, which is a critical skill for nurse leaders to develop.

Instructions

For this assessment, use your site as the basis to begin your research for this assessment.

Conduct a needs assessment and evaluation of the technology used. This assessment can be at the organizational or department level. The goal of the evaluation is to identify an area where improving an existing technology or implementing a new technology tool could drive improvements in outcomes for practitioners and patients. To accomplish this, consider reviewing the technology already in use, interviewing relevant roles within the organization or department, and reviewing any relevant available data about the performance or use of the technology.

Once you have completed your research, you will assemble a 4–6 page report that assesses the technology and organization infrastructures and begins to apply aspects of strategic planning for recommending an improved or new technology to be implemented.

Note: For the purposes of this assessment, you cannot choose electronic health records or patient fall alarms as the technology.

Some potential ideas of technologies to look into within the context of your site are:

• Smart assessment technology.
• Virtual exam rooms.
• Web-based or mobile apps for uploading data to your provider or healthcare team.
  • For example, if you have diabetes, you may upload food logs, blood sugar levels, and drugs that a nurse checks.
• Devices that measure and wirelessly send data, such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and oxygen levels.
• Wearable devices that automatically record and send data.
  • For example, the devices may record data such as heart rate, blood sugar, how you walk, your posture, tremors, physical activity, or your sleep.

Your assessment submission will be assessed on the following criteria in the rubric:

• Explain the relevance and importance of a needs assessment.
  • How do nurse leaders use needs assessments to identify gaps and opportunities related to technology within their department or team?
  • Why is it important for nurse leaders to understand effective processes for conducting needs assessments, as well as how the findings of needs assessments can be used to inform decision making?
  • What assumptions did you make prior to conducting your needs assessment that suggested a needs assessment was necessary?
• Assess the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization.
  • What are the current technology resources and practices at your site within the context of a specific department or the organization as a whole?
  • Are the available technology resources sufficient to provide efficient, effective, and equitable healthcare for diverse patients? Why or why not?
  • Are the current technology practices sufficient for providing efficient, effective, and equitable healthcare for diverse patients? Why or why not?
  • What area(s) for the technology infrastructure is most in need of an improved or new technology?
• Identify how an improved or new implementation of technology would address key issues impacting patient outcomes and the effectiveness of nursing care within the context of a department or healthcare organization.
  • Identify new or improved technology that is available.
    • If this is an improvement upon a currently used technology at the practicum site, how will the improvement need to be implemented so that it seamlessly replaces the current technology?
  • Identify how this technology will improve patient healthcare outcomes, department/organizational outcomes, and the effectiveness of nursing care.
• Explain how the chosen technology will improve collaboration across department or organizational structures, support patient safety, and efficiency.
  • Explain how the identified tech will improve collaboration and other benefits it may provide.
    • If this technology is replacing a currently used technology, what are the specific benefits when compared to what the practicum site is currently using?
  • How does this technology support patient safety?
    • If this technology is replacing a currently used technology, what are the specific benefits when compared to what the practicum site is currently using?
  • How does this technology support efficiency?
    • If this technology is replacing a currently used technology, what are the specific benefits when compared to what the practicum site is currently using?
  • Explain how the chosen technology aids the department or healthcare organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for diverse patient population.
    • How does this technology aid in providing equitable care?
      • If this technology is replacing a currently used technology, what are the specific benefits when compared to what the practicum site is currently using?
    • How does this technology help ensure equitable care outcomes?
      • If this technology is replacing a currently used technology, what are the specific benefits when compared to what the practicum site is currently using?
    • How does this technology help ensure equitable access to healthcare resources?
      • If this technology is replacing a currently used technology, what are the specific benefits when compared to what the practicum site is currently using?
    • Address all components of the prompt and use the assignment description to structure text.
    • Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

Submission Requirements

• References:In addition to the weekly readings, include references from at least two peer-reviewed journal articles that are less than five years old or any interviews you may have conducted, cited in proper APA format. Visit Nursing Master’s Program (MSN) Library Guide for help with this research.
• Length of paper:The paper should be 4–6 pages in length, not including the title page and the reference page, and it must follow proper APA style and formatting. Use Academic Writer for guidance in citing sources and formatting your paper in proper APA style. See the Writing Center for more APA resources specific to your degree level.
• Font and font size:Any APA-approved font, 12 point.

View the rubric to ensure you fulfill all grading criteria and understand how you will be evaluated.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Evaluate technologies used to gather patient data; inform diagnoses; and enhance care quality, safety, and outcomes.
  • Explain the relevance and importance of a needs assessment.
  • Assess the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization.
  • Identify how an improved or new implementation of technology would address key issues impacting patient outcomes and the effectiveness of nursing care within the context of a department or healthcare organization.
  • Explain how the chosen technology will improve collaboration across department or organizational structures, support patient safety, and improve efficiency.
• Competency 3: Develop a strategy for managing technology use that protects patient confidentiality and privacy as well as enhances patient care and organizational effectiveness.
  • Explain how the chosen technology aids the department or healthcare organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for a diverse patient population.
• Competency 4: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.
  • Address all components of the prompt and use the assignment description to structure text.
  • Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

Scoring Guide

Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.

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Criterion 1

Explain the relevance and importance of a needs assessment.

Distinguished

Explains the relevance and importance of a needs assessment, and identifies assumptions underlying the suggested needs assessment.

Proficient

Explains the relevance and importance of a needs assessment.

Basic

Attempts to explain the relevance and importance of a needs assessment, but omits some obvious consequences of doing or not doing the needs assessment.

Non Performance

Does not explain the relevance and importance of a needs assessment.

Criterion 2

Assess the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization.

Distinguished

Assesses the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization and impartially considers conflicting evidence and/or other perspectives.

Proficient

Assesses the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization.

Basic

Provides an incomplete explanation of the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization.

Non Performance

Does not explain the technology infrastructure within the context of a specific department or healthcare organization.

Criterion 3

Identify how an improved or new implementation of technology would address key issues impacting patient outcomes and the effectiveness of nursing care within the context of a department or healthcare organization.

Distinguished

Identifies how an improved or new implementation of technology would address key issues impacting patient outcomes and the effectiveness of nursing care within the context of a department or healthcare organization. Notes specific aspects of the technology and their relation to specific issues and patient outcomes.

Proficient

Identifies how an improved or new implementation of technology would address key issues impacting patient outcomes and the effectiveness of nursing care within the context of a department or healthcare organization.

Basic

Identifies an improved or new implementation of technology within the context of a department or healthcare organization, but fails to consider how the technology would address key issues impacting patient outcomes or the effectiveness of nursing care

Non Performance

Does not identify an improved or new implementation of technology within the context of a department or healthcare organization.

Criterion 4

Explain how the chosen technology will improve collaboration across department or organizational structures, support patient safety, and improve efficiency.

Distinguished

Explains how the chosen technology will improve collaboration across department or organizational structures, support patient safety, and improve efficiency. Identifies knowledge gaps, unknowns, missing information, unanswered questions, or areas of uncertainty.

Proficient

Explains how the chosen technology will improve collaboration across department or organizational structures, support patient safety, and improve efficiency.

Basic

Attempts to provide an explanation related to the chosen technology, but fails to address one or more of: how the chosen technology will improve collaboration across department or organizational structures, support patient safety, and improve efficiency.

Non Performance

Does not explain the chosen technology.

Criterion 5

Explain how the chosen technology aids the department or healthcare organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for a diverse patient population.

Distinguished

Explains how the chosen technology aids the department or healthcare organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for a diverse patient population. Identifies assumptions upon which this explanation is based.

Proficient

Explains how the chosen technology aids the department or healthcare organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for a diverse patient population.

Basic

Provides an incomplete or unclear explanation related to how the chosen technology aids the department or healthcare organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for a diverse patient population.

Non Performance

Does not explain how the chosen technology aids the department or health care organization in providing equitable healthcare, care outcomes, and access to care resources for a diverse patient population.

Criterion 6

Address all components of the prompt and use the assignment description to structure text.

Distinguished

Appropriately addresses all components of the assignment prompt and uses the prompt to guide organization. Additionally, shares information relevant to all assignment components at a level that communicates clear meaning.

Proficient

Appropriately addresses all components of the assignment prompt, using the assignment description to structure text.

Basic

Writing lacks a clear purpose or message that inhibits effective communication with the intended audience.

Non Performance

Does not address the assignment prompt.

Criterion 7

Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

Distinguished

Applies APA style and formatting to scholarly writing. Exhibits strict and nearly flawless adherence to stylistic conventions, document structure, and source attributions.

Proficient

Applies APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

Basic

Applies APA style and formatting to scholarly writing incorrectly and/or inconsistently, detracting noticeably from good scholarship.

Non Performance

Does not apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.