Importance of Information Technology

This article discusses the importance of information technology in nursing education and practice. It explores how information technology can improve personal, academic, and professional development of nurses. The integration of modern technology in nursing education is essential for the delivery of quality services. Various technologies such as robotics, biometrics, electronic health records, and computerized physician order entry are transforming the nursing profession. Find relevant study material and assignments on Desklib.

Running head: IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1
Importance of Information Technology
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IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 2
Importance of Information Technology
Introduction
Information technology is a fundamental part of contemporary healthcare as an essential
piece of support used in tracking and improving the patients and healthcare organization
outcomes. Ensuring nurses have the capability to integrate information technology through
continued learning is key to promoting their readiness to practice accurately and safely in the
technologically based work setting (Miriovsky, Shulman & Abernethy, 2012). Information
technology is key to the provision of opportunities for knowledge sharing across the globe,
which consequently helps the educators and the students to experience firsthand up to date
knowledge and information. Information technology is vital in nursing professional
development, as they can collect, analyze, and leverage data more effectively. Also, nurses are
required to be tech-savvy to navigate charting systems, update the health records, schedule care,
among others (Miriovsky et al., 2012). Numerous changes have been witnessed in the healthcare
system where powerful software and hardware are used in the management of patients' records
and enhancement of care, which necessitates gaining of skills in nursing (Alaei, Valinejadi,
Zarein & Salar, 2018). The need for integration of modern technology in the teaching and
learning process has grown significantly due to the availability of knowledge and provision of
sound and unmatched feasibility for information exchange, discovery, exploration, and the
strengthening of the teaching and learning process. This paper will discuss the importance of
information technology in learning and how information technology can improve the personal,
academic, and professional development of the nurses.

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Application of Information Technology
Healthcare setting is majorly motivated by information, and therefore patient care
requires effective management of information. Information obtained is key as it is used in
making an evidence-based decision in the healthcare setting (Alaei et al., 2018). Information
technology has a major impact on almost every aspect of human activity and has a significant
potential role to play in the field of training and education, mainly in the enhancement of an
individual’s personal, academic and professional development in their different professions
(Rouleau, Gagnon & Côté, 2015). In the present century, there is are significant changes in the
healthcare professions, including the nursing profession attributed to information technology,
which has been documented as a significant player in the transformation (Rouleau, Gagnon,
Côté, Payne-Gagnon, Hudson & Dubois, 2017). Technological and economic influences are
driving the profound transformation towards the delivery of safe, superior, and low-cost care.
The fundamental changes witnessed in the healthcare system have significant implications in the
delivery of enhanced quality and secure healthcare services (Rouleau et al., 2017). The modern
healthcare setting is at a state of transformation with rapid changes being witnessed due to
advances in technology. Therefore, the integration of information technology in nursing
education is essential in promoting the delivery of quality services.
Information technology is critical in the digital era in preparation for future nurses for the
information technology-rich workforce. Information technology is a valuable tool used in
support of education and enhancing students to be more obliging in the education process
(Darvish, Bahramnezhad, Keyhanian & Navidhamidi, 2014). Information technology changes
how nurses plan, document, deliver, and review clinical care, which continues to improve with
the advancement in technology. The integration of information technology in academic teaching

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 4
and learning has a significant influence on the performance and experience of the learners, which
consequently will promote the delivery of improved services in the hospital setting (Darvish et
al., 2014). Interaction of information technology will facilitate numerous opportunities for
enhancement in the nursing profession and can also affect the quality of care of patient
wellbeing.
Nurses are the largest part of the healthcare professional groups, with most of their time
being spent on patients, monitoring, assisting, and training the patients as well as offering
primary care. Being encompassed with many duties requires an effective platform to help with
patient management (Alaei et al., 2018). To meet the present expectation of the nursing
profession, nursing education requires to be progressed in parallel with the integration of
informatics as a critical element to enhance job performance (Hung, Tsai, & Chuang, 2014).
Integration of information competency and informatics is vital in preparing the nursing students
to meet the ever-changing technological demands in health care customers hence ensuring they
are comfortable using information technology throughout their education and profession.
The integration of informatics in nursing education and practice has numerous benefits in
their education and career. For instance, the nurses can rapidly access and navigate quickly to
acquire essential data including patients' present vital signs, drug history, and alerts to
medication allergies, systemic patients’ evaluation as well as access to critical policymaking data
(Friganović, 2016). Patients' health data is stored un computers as accessed by medical
practitioners quickly and conveniently. The information, for instance, patents x-rays, CT scans,
can be easily transferred from one department to another and can be accessed on any computer
(Friganović, 2016). The interchange of the information between departments enhances faster
patient care and accessing patients' data from one location. The burses can use information

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 5
communication for resources and personnel management so that manpower and other resources
required can be effectively distributed for the enhanced patient management and care
(Friganović, 2016). Information technology benefits to the nursing profession are mainly linked
to the outcomes, for instance, high quality of nursing care, enhancement of patient care,
standardized nursing language as well as evidence-based practice (Buntin, Burke, Hoaglin &
Blumenthal, 2011).
Informatics applications, for instance, electronic health records, command entry,
electronic drug administration, and encompasses certification systems, enhance timely access to
reliable and accurate patient data (Piscotty, Kalisch, & Gracey‐Thomas, 2015). These types of
evidence-based resources are important in medical decision making at the point of healthcare
service delivery (Piscotty et al., 2015). Using the electronic health data sets, the nurses can
capture patients’ outcomes, for instance, the extent of stay and adversative events that are
significant to evaluating the efficiency of care offered (Hasanain, Vallmuur & Clark, 2015).
Information technology has created numerous opportunities in an academic study that
nurses are likely to benefit from (Buntin et al., 2011). Through information technology, the
nurses will benefit in training services, patients' education, public education, prevention,
treatment, and rehabilitation as the information is easily accessible through the web (Miriovsky
et al., 2012). Access to educational content and resources at any given time and place helps the
nursing learners and the practicing nurses to save on cost and time and offer more opportunities
in which they learn and improve the quality of education which consequently be applicable in
their professional practice (Piscotty et al., 2015).
Numerous emerging technologies are likely to change nursing practice in the future,
which necessitates the integration of information technology in nursing education (Piscotty et al.,

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 6
2015). Robotics, biometric, electronic health records, less invasive and more precise tool for
disease diagnosis and therapy, three-dimension printing, and electronic doctor order entry and
medical decision support are among the contemporary technologies that are critical to the
practice of nursing in the modern healthcare setting (Sermeus, 2016).
Robotics is an essential field in healthcare that has a significant implication on how
nursing is practiced not only now but also in the future. The increased in the use of robotics is
expected to increase due to the rise in the aging population and a decrease in the workforce
(Sermeus, 2016). The application of nanotechnology is one of the examples that are likely to
impact the practice of nursing. Nanotechnology will help in the delivery of services whereby,
through machine learning, medication can be delivered to the patients hence reducing the work
of the nurses as well as alleviating medical errors (Sermeus, 2016). The robotics offer improved
diagnostic capacities with a less invasive and comfortable experience for the patients. Therefore,
the use of robotics, for instance, nanotechnology, necessitates the study of information
technology to determine the extent of human interaction required and how to use the technology
to help service delivery (Ismailzadh & Mahmoudifar, 2015).
Confidentiality and security of patient’s information are crucial, and medical practitioners
have access to information that is required in their performance of different services. Access to
the patient’s information should, therefore, be appropriate and targeted (Sermeus, 2016). The use
of biometrics is one of the most suitable solutions for information access. Biometrics offers the
required security for medical records of the patients. Biometrics enhances the security of private
healthcare data and reduce the expense of handling lost passwords (Ismailzadh & Mahmoudifar,
2015). Therefore, nurses require relevant information technology that will enlighten them in the
process of data access to ensure efficiency and limit breach within the system.

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 7
Health records have continued to evolve with technological transformation, where
deviations in the documentation of care have substantial implications on nursing practice
(Rouleau et al., 2017). The electronic health record is a digital record of the medical history of a
patient that is available at any time when needed regardless of location. Part of the nurses'
workflow is the capturing of relevant information electronically, which is attributed to the
improvement of patients’ outcomes (Kleib, Simpson & Rhodes, 2016). Electronic healthcare
records offer nurses, and other practitioners’ access to critical information of the patients from
different departments without the hustle of moving from department to locate the files (Kleib et
al., 2016). Nurses are therefore required to exhibit knowledge in information technology, which
is essential is capturing accurate information to alleviate human errors.
The use of more accurate and less invasive tools for patient’s diagnostic and treatment is
another major technology that leading to increased demand in the integration of information
technology in nursing academics. Various tools have been integrated into the treatment of
patients; for instance, magnets are used in the treatment of depression. The electromagnets are
placed on the scalp and have been identified as an effective treatment approach for depression
(Khalifa, 2013). Scanning technology is an integral part of medicine, which has helped in the
reduction of invasive procedures as it helps in the enhancement of images hence helping in the
diagnosis and detection of diseases such as cancer (Khalifa, 2013). The use of this technology
requires the necessary skills in information technology.
Advancement in technology has offered a platform for the use of 3- dimensional printing.
3-dimensional printing is used in the creation of organs and tissues form. The technology can
print simple tissues, for instance, the skin, heart muscle patches, and blood vessels with more
advancement in the technology being expected in the future (Wahoush & Banfield, 2014). This

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 8
technology is critical in organ treatment; hence, the integration of the field in nursing education
will be of significant help in the advancement and use of the technology in dealing with patients’
conditions that require such technology.
The use of computerized physician order entry has significantly grown in use due to its
efficiency and accountability. The software is mainly used by patients in writing of patients'
orders electronically instead of writing manually (Wahoush & Banfield, 2014). The software is
critical in enhancing patient outcomes as it produces legibly typed orders, reducing medical
errors that are brought about by improper transcription (Huston, 2013). The platforms offer
nurses with clinical decision support through the access of the information that promotes a
healthcare provider in decisions associated with diagnosis, treatment, and offering of care of
every patient (Huston, 2013).
Conclusion
The healthcare setting has witnessed significant changes in the nature and extent of
information technology use across the globe. There is conclusive evidence linking information
technology with enhanced patient care quality, safety, access, and competence. The positive
implications brought about by information technology necessitate the need for its integration in
the nursing curriculum. This is essential to the use of information technology for practice,
research, and education. Nursing practice has developed information technology competencies
for all practicing nurses that are important in the delivery of different services in the healthcare
setting.
The need for nursing students and practicing nurses to be well prepared for the
application and use of data technology in the delivery of their services is paramount in the

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 9
promotion of health outcomes. Information technology supports primary and advanced nursing
practices within the healthcare setting. The integration of modern technology in nursing practice
increases the efficiency of nurses' service delivery. Different techniques including robotics,
biometric, electronic health records, less invasive and more precise tool for disease diagnosis and
treatment, three-dimension printing and computerized physician order entry and clinical decision
support are applicable in modern medicine contemporary medicine necessitates the integration of
information technology in order to gain the knowledge that is key in defining how to use
different technologies in nursing practice.

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 10
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