Nursing practice depends largely on technology to improve care outcomes. Healthcare organizations require nurses to be competent in information technology utilization and have positive attitudes toward health innovations. Nurses should collaborate with other healthcare providers in assessing, planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating new technologies needed to enhance outcomes. Therefore, this essay examines important and beneficial competencies for my success as a leader in my practice and the leadership strategies required to create a culture that supports new information technology initiatives. It also focuses on the approaches I will consider to become more proficient in health information technology.
The assigned readings identify important and beneficial competencies to my success as a leader in my practice. First, I should be proficient in analyzing current and emerging healthcare technologies to improve care outcomes. I should analyze evidence-based data to make informed decisions about technologies needed in my practice to optimize safety, quality, and efficiency outcomes. I should be able to track care indicators associated with technology use in my practice. The course materials identify the need for competency in utilizing information systems to evaluate outcomes. Evaluation data provides insights into technology effectiveness and effectiveness in driving improvements in healthcare. Nurses should also be able to use statistical methods to determine cause-effect relationships among care variables influenced by healthcare technologies. For instance, nurses can compare morbidity and mortality rates before and after technology adoption to evaluate its significance (Strudwick et al., 2019). Through this, nurses can initiate continuous improvement strategies.
Nurses should also be proficient in leading technology adoption in their organizations. Nurses should be skilled in guiding healthcare teams to assess, design, implement, and evaluate healthcare technologies. They should act as role models and mentors for best practices in healthcare technology adoption. Patients should enjoy benefits, including easy access to healthcare, reduction in healthcare costs, and adverse events with technology adoption in healthcare. Nurse practitioners should be competent in implementing patient-appropriate technologies to achieve these outcomes. They should seek patient and provider feedback and use it for information technology improvements. For instance, they should use patient experiences with healthcare technologies to develop functionalities that eliminate barriers to healthcare access for patients with limited technology proficiency. Nurses should also facilitate care continuity by coordinating interprofessional care offered using health information technologies. For example, they should be able to coordinate virtual care delivered using technologies such as telehealth. I should also be competent in policy advocacy. I should be able to advocate for healthcare policies that support technology adoption for enhanced outcomes (Monsen et al., 2019). I should ensure technology use in healthcare safeguards patients’ right to safe, quality, and efficient care.
I will employ several leadership strategies identified in Informatics Leadership Standard 12 to establish a culture that supports new information technology initiatives. Advocating for standardized nursing data is among the leadership approaches I will consider to support new information initiatives. Nursing data entered into electronic health records should be standardized for enhanced clinical decision-making and data sharing. I will lobby for key nursing data inclusion in health technology to improve patient-centeredness and optimum outcomes. Through it, nurses can measure the direct impact of nursing interventions on patient outcomes (Monsen et al., 2019). For example, they will correlate changes in safety events such as medication administration errors and new technology adoption to improve safety.
I will also ensure the active nurses’ involvement in health informatics processes. Nurses’ participation is important in ensuring their needs are considered in the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes. For example, their inputs inform terminologies that must be embedded into the new systems. I will also promote competency development among nurses to support new information technology initiatives. I will ensure nurses receive regular training and educational opportunities for their proficiency in technology use. For instance, I will advocate for resources for training and educational programs that instill knowledge and skills needed for data protection with technology use. I will also create and share a compelling vision with nurses to support new information technology initiatives. I will use different communication channels to ensure nurses understand the benefits of new technology adoptions (Strudwick et al., 2019). I will also establish forums where nurses can share their insights on information technologies to encourage change among them.
Nurses might resist new information technology initiatives being introduced in the organization. Therefore, I will act as a change agent to facilitate the adoption process. I will lead, coach, and mentor nurses to ensure competency in technology utilization. I will also create recognition systems for tracking improvements. I will motivate nurses by providing incentives for them to support new technology initiatives. Technology adopters should be informed of their successes and challenges in the implementation process. I will create channels for continuous feedback provision to nurses. I will also seek feedback from them and use it for iterative improvements (Forman et al., 2020). For example, feedback about user experiences with new technology initiatives will be used to develop user-friendly interfaces for efficient care delivery.
I have the skills to establish a culture supporting new information technology initiatives. For example, I can involve nurses at all levels in technology-related initiatives. I can lead them in implementing new technologies in their practice. I can create and share compelling visions related to new technology adoptions. I am proficient in seeking and providing feedback to technology adopters. I can create multiple channels nurses use to share feedback about new technologies. I can also facilitate the change process (Kleib et al., 2021). I am competent in using change management interventions such as training, encouraging active stakeholder engagement, and rewarding performance to enhance behavioral change.
Despite the above competencies, I should explore some strategies to become more proficient in the skills. First, I should attend more training and workshops on effective storytelling approaches. The training and workshops will build my competencies in creating compelling visions and enhancing communication among healthcare teams. I will also attend trainings and read more on negotiation to enhance my skills in stakeholder engagement. Nurse leaders can experience complexities in managing changes in their organizations. Therefore, I will proactively participate in change management projects to develop a deeper understanding of strategies to facilitate new technology initiatives and address complexities in nursing leadership. I will also attend training and seminars on leading teams to help me learn more about strategies to empower interprofessional teams (Kinnunen et al., 2023). I will also encourage a two-way approach to communication to enhance feedback incorporation into new technology initiatives.
In summary, nurse practitioners should possess information technology competencies for success in their professional practice. I can competently implement several strategies to establish a culture that supports new information technology initiatives. I will explore strategies to become more competent in skills related to new information initiatives implementation. Strategies such as attending training and workshops will be vital for my leadership proficiency.
Forman, T. M., Armor, D. A., & Miller, A. S. (2020). A Review of Clinical Informatics Competencies in Nursing to Inform Best Practices in Education and Nurse Faculty Development. Nursing Education Perspectives, 41(1), E3. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000588