Role of nurse Informacist in Systems Development and Implementation 

Role of nurse Informacist in Systems Development and Implementation

Nurses play essential roles in the delivery of effective patient care. The nurses understand the needs and requirements of the patients since they spent most of the time with them at different stages of their hospitalization (Currie, 2005). Besides, the advancements in health information technology (HIT) has influenced the role of nurses since they are using these technologies when attending to their patients. Thus, these nurses must get involved in every decision when the company wants to purchase new equipment or when adopting health information technology and during the implementation. The system development life cycle (SDLC) refers to an approach used in the application of HIT. The approach is vital since it captures the ever-changing system requirements through the realization of feedback from the individuals using the systems and also including the cognitive-social technical aspects in all the stages of development to help realize the needs of the users. The nurses are thus at the center-stage to ensure effective implementation of the new systems since they are aware of the various needs of their patients and, therefore, should form a significant part of this process.

Role of nurses in planning and Requirement Definition Phase

The planning and requirement stage is a crucial stage that involves the definition of the scope of the problem and also examining the most effective alternatives to the issue getting addressed. These activities are made practical by performing various practices such as feasibility tests, assimilating the resources available for the project, schedule of the project, and also the measures in place when launching it (Alexander & Maiden, 2005). A nurse graduate will play a vital role in the implementation at this stay, performing various purposes such as working with the interdisciplinary committee to develop shared deliverables of the project. Also, the nurses can work with the team to establish the requirements of the project that can be medical, clinical, or technical. The nurses can also help conduct the feasibility test of the project in the planning and requirement stage.

Analysis Phase

The phase involves prioritizing the needs of the project, establishing and assessing the possible solutions or alternatives, review of the policies of the organization, and then making recommendations to the company (Alexander, & Maiden, 2005). A nurse involved at this stage will work to help develop a list of priority requirements once they have accessed and analyzed what the firm needs to solve with the new systems. Also, the assessment will include the establishment of the alternatives evaluated and then establish recommendations on the way forward.

Design of the System

The design stage is associated with the operations and architecture of the new system, depending on the software, processes, and user interfacing. Even though a nurse may have limited roles to execute in this phase, these individuals are still outstanding in that they can help in the study and the understanding of the purpose and interaction with the new system (Lavin, Harper & Barr, 2015). They can, under the help of the technicians, help coordinate in the establishment of the requirements that they have determined in the analysis stage and ensure that everything they in the design is as per the requirements.

Implementation Phase

The implementation phase involves customizing, testing, and installation of the system. In this phase, the involvement of the nurse is integral since they will work with the team to evaluate the performance of the system and whether the established system meets the requirements of the company. Also, the nurses can work with the team in the redesign of the system to evaluate the reliability or dependence of the system to meet the organizational needs. Also, based on the needs of the company, the nurses can provide feedback to the management on the working of the system and also get involved in the training of the other members of the order on the use of the new system developed.

Post-Implementation Phase

The phase is essential in the system development life cycle. The stage is concerned with the maintenance and repair of the system while in operation. Also, in the case, nurses play essential roles ion the provision of continuous training and support to help boost the acceptance of the new system. The nurses must strive to illustrate to the other members of the organization the need for the system in the firm.

Moreover, the nurses will work with the team in this stage to offer a continuous assessment of the system and also to identify the need for changes (Lavin, Harper & Barr, 2015). The continuous assessment will ensure that the system is effective and reliable for use with limited breakdown or stoppage of work in the process.  The assessment will ensure that the system is maintained and repairs performed within a given time to enhance the efficiency of the system.

All these processes are essential for the involvement of the nurses. The nurses are central to these processes due to their verse knowledge of what the patients require as they take most of the time interacting with the patients and understand what can be done to improve their care delivery.