Nursing Informatics

     I believe that I mentioned earlier in a blog that I am an Rn at a local hospital.  Being new on the job, I think I have a fresh perspective and am often thinking of ways that things might run smoother.  I would like for my floor to have about a 5 to 10 minute staff meting at the beginning of each shift.  Perhaps the charge nurse or assistant director could head this with all the oncoming staff. Current issues of the floor could be mentioned, prayer requests, or anything pertinent to the upcoming shift.  This could also be used as a rally time for floor morale!

     Secondly, I feel like so much of an Rn’s time is spent charting at the computer instead of giving hands on care for our patients.  I would love to see hospitals have a system where an Rn could go in a room and do her assessment on a patient verbally and be able to plug this drive into the computer and have it record all her assessments.  I believe the assessments would be more accurate and timely.  It would also hold Rn’s more accountable for “complete” assessing.  This devise could be used for virtually all encounters with patients…this would eliminate the whole “he said/she said”  problem in court as well.  Charting is my least favorite part of my job…someday, I hope technology will come save me!!!:)

Stroke Recovery Webliography

     Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of adult disability.  As an Rn working in the neurology department of  a local hospital, helping patients and families cope with the results from a stroke is challenging.  Some of the effects begin to resolve within hours, while others last for months and even permanently.  Stroke patients need skilled therapy from a very early stage of their stroke to maximize their recovery. Stroke patients often have to change or relearn the way they once did daily activities.  This webliography  is comprised of reputable websites for patients and their families to help with the recovery from a stroke and adopt lifestyle changes to help prevent another stroke from occurring. 

     These sites have been evaluated carefully to ensure their validity and sensitivity to this topic.  The leading organizations involved with stroke recovery and prevention are included in this list.  All the data is the most current available and most of these sites have links that are worthy of following with valuable information. 

The International Stroke Database

http://www.strokedatabase.org/index.html

The International Stroke Database is dedicated to providing the international stroke research community with access to clinical and research data to accelerate the development and application of advanced neuroinformatic techniques in clinical settings to improve patient management and ultimately outcome. This database is very clinical, and on a higher level of learning.

The National Stroke Association

http://www.stroke.org/

This is a good summary of stroke information, prevention, and recovery and care. There is also a good link to a stroke recovery guide. This is a good site for patients, friends and family put very simply and easy to follow.

The American Stroke Association

http://www.strokeassociation.org/

This site is very easily understood and has some great links for stroke support and information. 

Wikipedia

Stroke Recovery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/stroke_recovery

This is a great site for initial understanding of stroke and stroke recovery. It is very easy to understand and concise.  This would be a great first site to read for family and friends.

The Volunteer Stroke Scheme

http://www.strokescheme.ie/articles/q_a.htm

This is a great site set up in a question and answer forum for patients, family and friends.  It is very informative and easily understood. 

The Stroke Recovery Association of Canada

http://www.strokerecovery.org/

Although this site is actually from Canada, it is focussed on stroke survivors, and with the day and age of the internet it is a valuable tool for stroke survivors and their families. This site would be good for families and caregivers as the process of recovery and discovery continues.

Health Care Informatics

     What is Health Care Informatics?  According to Wikipedia:  Health informatics, Health care informatics or medical informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care. It deals with the resources, devices, and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. Health informatics tools include not only computers but also clinical guidelines, formal medical terminologies, and information and communication systems. It is applied to the areas of nursing, clinical care, dentistry, pharmacy, public health and (bio)medical research.  Health Care Informatics began to take off in the 1950′s in the United States with the development of computers. 

     Why is Health Care Informatics important?  All aspects of health care rely on appropriate and timely information in order to provide the best care possible for our patients.  It is clear that we need to understand computer, information, and cognitive sciences in order to advance health care to the next level.  The advances in technology allow health care systems the opportunity to offer standardized, evidence-based care, avoid medication errors, view patient’s medical histories, and participate in timely, exciting advances in health care!