The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development
The Role of the Nurse Informaticist in Systems Development
Please delete the running head
- The point of this assignment is to determine whether or not YOU understand the SDLC process enough to instruct someone
- Please re-read the Announcement posted –again…this is not to be a rehash of what we have already done.
Research supports, as well as every one of your colleagues, that nurses NEED to be involved with any new technology that we will ultimately be used for patient care. In order to do this efficiently and effectively, we must understand the SDLC process. We are not data analysts, we do not write code, we do not read/correct code as some of your colleagues alluded to….what we bring to the table is the understanding of patient care. The more we understand the SDLC the more amenable the IT/Sr Leadership is to invite nurses to the table. By understanding the goals of each of the steps we can actively participate ensuring nurses needs are met which filters down to patient outcomes.
Ask yourself, what do you think is the number one reason nurses aren’t at the table? Techy guys don’t like having to spend time explaining a process that is as second nature to them as patient care is to us. So, we change this paradigm and start understanding their language and a little bit about their world—this is where nursing informatics, in my humble opinion, has excelled AND the reason why IT folks don’t mind NIs hanging out in their “IT” meetings. It is unrealistic for IT folks to learn our world—one, it is too complicated, and let’s face it…it changes so often it is hard for us to keep up with. So, let’s turn the table and become proficient on what would benefit nurses—answer….understanding SDLC process.
I have seen it work. When nurses come to the table understanding the steps/stages of the SDLC and using the language and are able to show how it relates to the workflow of admitting a patient, say—then the IT people start getting it. No one wants to compromise patient care—but there is only so much money and time allocated to the development of systems….so nurses must take the first step—and again, this is where nursing informatics has really been helpful. While the end result may not be 100% it will be closer.
