NURS FPX 6400 Assessment 4 Exploration of Regulations and Implications for Practice
NURS FPX 6400 Assessment 4 Exploration of Regulations and Implications for Practice Student Name Capella University NURS-FPX6400 Nursing Informatics Fundamentals Professor Name Submission Date Exploration of Regulations and Implications for Practice Healthcare providers are never short of techniques when it comes to seeking innovative solutions for the challenges they face in ensuring the safety of their patients, while simultaneously enhancing the standards of patient care in their healthcare organizations. The adoption of information technology from paper to electronic to develop and maintain electronic health records (EHR) has been identified as one of the largest patient safety challenges. Many errors associated with administering medication to patients are created as a result of illegible handwriting, failure to place the order for medication on time, and/or failure to document medication administration events on time (Shahbodaghi et al., 2024). Those who participated in this transition included bedside nurses, physicians, and administrative personnel, IT staff, patients, family members, and other stakeholders supporting the patients that were cared for by this facility. The number of medication administration errors decreased significantly within the 3 weeks, and documentation of medication administration improved from 55% to 93% across 10 patients (no names or identifiers were used) who participated in this study. With the evidence-based nature of this project, measurement of improvements that can be attributed to the implementation of EHRs is possible, not just with respect to patient safety, but also in terms of overall quality of the facilities being evaluated. Analysis of the Informatics Project Using a Framework One approach to measuring the outcomes of any healthcare technology initiative is to use a “standard informatics model” from which to develop a measurement system to evaluate the outcomes of your project. At this site, we selected the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) Model to assess and test our plan for the implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) and decrease medication errors. Lighterness et al. (2024) note that PDSA helps to implement quality improvement that is iterative and based on data, by testing a change on a small scale before attempting to implement it on a larger scale. During the planning phase of our project, medication error rates were documented and analyzed, and the education/training requirements of our staff were determined. This initiative was integrated into the facility’s strategic direction and priorities for patient safety, given the structured planning process from the start of the project. PDSA Implementation and Study Phases During the ‘Do’ phase (Implement “EHR” system), an “EHR” was implemented in all care units, and each member of the staff and informatics champion was trained on how to use the new software and how to assist others in doing so. A weekly data-gathering process (one week, two weeks, three weeks) was used to obtain data about medication errors and document compliance, to establish a progress report for a system. Nickel (2025) states that data gathering is a critical component of evaluating outcomes of PDSA cycles, as it is used to identify trends and ensure quality improvement. The ‘Study’ phase showed a decrease in errors of each of the 10 patient cases when compared to the previous three PDSA cycles, and an increase in compliance rates for each. The outcomes evaluation, through PDSA, showed that the initiative was based on evidence, responsive, and maintained safe operational standards at all times. PDSA Act Phase and Sustainability The “Act” phase is intended to develop standardized workflow procedures for the successful use of EHRs that can be incorporated into the existing QI system. In the three weeks, lessons learned were used to update staff training protocols and areas of documentation. Neutze and Wiggs. (2023) determined via study that formalization of changes made during the Act phase of the PDSA would greatly improve the sustainability of quality improvement results. Continued monitoring plans were put in place in order to sustain reduced medication errors beyond initial implementation. The PDSA model has proven to be very effective in leveraging informatics data to inform actionable changes in the practice of patient safety for sustainability. Technology Acceptance Model and Staff Adoption The PDSA model was supplemented by the technology acceptance model (TAM), giving emphasis to the human component to forecast the willingness of healthcare providers to accept and/or engage in the implementation of EHR in their respective practices. According to research by FakhrHosseini et al. (2022), perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have been found to be important factors in technology acceptance in various situations. The EHR was designed with user-friendliness in mind, and resulted in immediate staff time savings, which encouraged staff to accept the new system eagerly. In applying the TAM model, we created our staff engagement strategies focusing on evidence-based and focused implementation in the implementation phase. Standards of Practice and Safe Practice Application The ethical and clinical basis of nursing informatics initiatives is determined by professional practice standards. The implementation of EHR was based on the Scope and Standards of Nursing Informatics from the American Nurses Association (ANA). As noted by McGrow. The aim of nursing informatics is to provide safe and effective nursing care through the framework of data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. Safe practices have been used throughout the successful EHR implementation process, including the guides for data collection, trends, and interpretation, which help identify data collection deficiencies, an essential component of quality improvement that is required to meet ANA Informatics standards. Data systems within the context of nursing informatics will have to be created with the intent of providing the necessary support for clinical decision-making while simultaneously reducing the risk of a preventable error occurring. In the electronic health record system used in the facility, Clinical Decision Support (CDS) alerts are used to flag possible medication interactions, missed doses, and missing documentation, all in real time. The use of CDS tools directly embedded in the clinical workflow has led to substantial gains in adherence to safe practice standards (Zhao et al. 2023). Medication error incidences were significantly reduced for the 10 patients who participated in the




