How do we determine what impacts nursing informatics and practice? How do we analyze the impact of nursing informatics terminology and concepts for nursing practice?

Through your nursing practice and education, you have developed a clear understanding that nursing practice and healthcare is constantly evolving. Whether through the use of new technologies or new research, the constant that remains in the practice of nursing is change. This week, you will explore the importance of nursing informatics terminology and concepts related to nursing practice, as well as explore non-functionality and barriers on nursing practice.

You will also explore the importance of project management concepts related to your advanced role in nursing practice. While this is not a project management course, you will explore why these techniques and strategies may be important to your nursing practice, as well as in the potential implementation of your small nursing informatics project.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze competencies related to advanced nursing practice roles
• Analyze how project management concepts relate to advanced nursing practice roles
• Apply project management concepts for DNP doctoral projects and dissertations
• Evaluate project management processes and techniques in supporting planning for DNP doctoral projects and dissertations
• Analyze how project management strategies facilitate nursing research
• Analyze key terms and functions for information technology and nursing practice
• Analyze impact of key terms and functions on nursing practice
• Analyze impact of barriers of key terms and functions resulting in non-functionality for nursing practice
• Develop a project scope and charter for a small nursing informatics project*
• Perform a SWOT analysis related to a small nursing informatics project*

* Assigned in Week 2 of Module 1 and submitted in Week 5 of Module 3

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Learning Resources

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)

Required Media (click to expand/reduce)

Optional Resource (click to expand/reduce)

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Discussion 1: Case Studies: Professional Role Development

• “Nursing research involves much planning and attention to details, yet novice and seasoned nurse researchers often overlook the day-to-day operations required to conduct research studies. Project management is a set of iterative steps that can facilitate the process of conducting nursing research” (Rew et al., 2020).

• Photo Credit: [Ariel Skelley]/[Blend Images]/Getty Images

As you begin working on your small nursing informatics project, consider how this project will plant the seed for your future work (in and out of an educational setting). How might what you do in this course lend itself to what you will need to do in nursing practice on a day-to-day basis? Why might it be important to consider this now versus later in your education or practice?

Throughout this course, you are tasked with implementing, or proposing an implementation, of a small nursing informatics project. This project is steeped in project management concepts to drive your work.

For this Discussion, you will  explore why this approach might not only will assist you in this course, but how it might assist you in nursing practice beyond your studies.

Reference:

Rew, L., Cauvin, S., Cengiz, A., Pretorius, K., & Johnson, K. (2020). Application of project management tools and techniques to support nursing intervention research. Nursing Outlook, 68(4), 396–405. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2020.01.007

To Prepare

• Review the Learning Resources for this week and reflect on the roles of advanced nursing practice as it relates to project management.
• Select one of the roles described in Chapter 8 of the Sipes text to focus on for this Discussion.
• Review the article by Rew et al. (2020) and reflect on the steps and processes used by the team described in the article.
• How might you use a similar approach for the completion of your DNP doctoral project or dissertation? What project management strategies might be most appropriate for your nursing research?

By Day 3 of Week 2

Post a brief description of 4–5 major competencies required for the advanced nursing practice role that you selected.

• Explain how the project management concepts you have examined thus far in the course might align with this advanced nursing practice role and why. Be specific.
• Based on the steps and processes used by Rew et al. (2020) and the resources on techniques and tools for nursing research, how might you use these same concepts and a similar approach for completing your DNP doctoral project or dissertation?
• Explain which processes and techniques you believe will provide the most guidance to assist you plan and develop your DNP doctoral project or dissertation. Be specific and provide examples. Then, describe how the project management strategies you will learn as a nurse leader may be applied to facilitate nursing research or nursing practice for your DNP doctoral project or dissertation.

By Day 5 of Week 2

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who selected a different advanced nursing practice role than you. Expand upon your colleague’s posting or offer an alternative perspective on the alignment between the project management concepts and the advanced nursing practice role described by your colleague.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 2 Discussion 1 Rubric

Post by Day 3 of Week 2 and Respond by Day 5 of Week 2

To Participate in this Discussion:

Week 2 Discussion 1

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Discussion 2: Important Terminology and Concepts

• The field of nursing requires an understanding of many terms and concepts. You may find there are some you are familiar with, and you may find you are learning something new every day. How might the exploration of nursing informatics terms and concepts help you improve your practice? What is required to stay up to date with new terminology and concepts in the field? How might you approach the ever-changing landscape of nursing practice as it relates to information technology?

• Photo Credit: WavebreakmediaMicro / Adobe Stock

For this Discussion, you will focus on two selected terms to explore their impact on nursing practice. You will also explore barriers and non-functionality related to your selected terms. Consider your specific experience and nursing practice to share with your colleagues.

To Prepare

• Review the Learning Resources for this week and select two terms from the following to focus on for this Discussion.
  • Usability
  • Interoperability
  • Decision Support
  • Sustainability
• Reflect on the meaning and application of the context of these terms and consider their importance for informational technology and nursing practice.

By Day 4 of Week 2

Post and define the two terms you selected. Explain why it may be important to understand how these terms function for the application of information technology and nursing practice. How might these terms impact your nursing practice? Be specific. Then, explain the potential impacts of non-functionality that may arise in your nursing practice if barriers exist for the proper application of these terms.

By Day 6 of Week 2

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who selected different terms than you. Expand upon your colleague’s posting or offer an alternative perspective on how the terms identified by your colleague may contribute to non-functionality in your practice if not properly aligned.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 2 Discussion 2 Rubric

Post by Day 4 of Week 2 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 2

To Participate in this Discussion:

Week 2 Discussion 2

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Assignment: Developing a Small Nursing Informatics Project for Your Organization, Part 1

• You will use project management tools and strategies to propose how you would support and potentially implement a small nursing informatics project. While you may not have the opportunity to implement this proposed project, this project will allow you to apply the skills needed and the considerations that are required in deducing how a project of this scope might take place in your nursing practice. To complete this project, you will define a small informatics project that would be beneficial to your healthcare organization or nursing practice. You can discuss this with upper leadership, in your practice or organization, explaining that you will need to design, plan, and propose how to implement and evaluate a small informatics project that can be completed within a 9-week time frame during this course. This project will be completed in two parts.

• Photo Credit: auremar / Adobe Stock

To Prepare

• Continue working with a manager, or consider how you will work with a manager, to finalize a small informatics project for your organization. If time allows based on the type of project, you will also implement and evaluate the outcomes. Each week, you will develop and apply a component needed to complete the project.

By Day 7 of Week 5

Continue working on theScope, Charter, and SWOT Analysis, as assigned thus far.  You will add Gap, WBS, Project Timeline in the coming weeks (six tools; 8–9 pages including application and rationale for tools) to be submitted in Week 5.

For Week 2, conduct a SWOT analysis.

• Project Design: Conduct a SWOT analysis which will provide information for the Scope and Charter. You can use a Word document and insert a table. Directions can be viewed in the video, How to Perform a SWOT Analysis. Some of the content is relevant to both the project for this course as well as organization for your DNP Project or dissertation. Overall, the first step for any project, work, or your DNP Project/dissertation requires a plan: what you will and will not do. That information is defined in a project scope and charter.

You are not required to submit this assignment this week.

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What’s Coming Up in Module 2?

• Photo Credit: [BrianAJackson]/[iStock / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

In the next module, you will explore how technology is transforming the landscape of nursing practice and healthcare. You will also examine the role of emerging technology in facilitating change and growth in nursing practice.

Next Module

To go to the next module:

Module 2