Healthcare Technology and Nursing Leadership

Informatics in nursing is extremely important as healthcare becomes more technologically advanced. There have been many things that I have learned about in this class.  I realize that this specific area is in no way my expertise, and it has been an extreme challenge for me over the last five weeks.  I can definitely say this has been one of the most difficult classes of the whole program.  I am excited to have learned more about meaningful use, interoperability, human-technology interface, data mining, and data bases.  I also have learned about how to utilize different types of applications such as snag-it, you-tube, powtoons, blogger, and move note.  Additionally, I was able to work on my blog to learn more clinical classification systems, and on all of the topics that all my classmates have blogged about.  I am very impressed by how engaging and creative each one of you are, and each one of you is an inspiration to me.

The role of nursing leadership in leveraging technology in the health care setting is crucial to the success of incorporating and utilizing new technologies.  To thrive as an organization in the technological enhanced information age, leaders must understand, embrace, and manage change (Mays, Kelley, Sanford, 2008).  All levels of leadership must be engaged and ready for this challenge.  Leaders need to be actively engaged in the planning, selection, deployment, and evaluation of new technologies.  They must possess a basic knowledge and understanding in order to manage, educate, and engage staff.   Leaders need to encompass a shared vision/governance and an environment of collaboration and trust .

In conclusion, as nurses and nurse leaders, we must always be caring and compassionate.  We need to help find the balance between maintaining the reason we became nurses with advancing technology. If we are able to do this, we will be able to give our patients the best care possible.