Select one informatics theory from the areas of Communication Theories, Change Theories, or Human Factors. Discuss how the application of the theory you select can guide the use of technology in advanced practice. What strengths does the theory possess that would make it useful to the DNP-prepared nurse? What weaknesses does the theory present that might prevent its use? Keep in mind the Christian worldview when preparing your submission.
The human factor theory is the belief that the environment, organizational system and the individual human characteristics all influence work which may affect the health and safety of all involved especially patients in health care (Eastern Kentucky University [EKU], 2020). Ergonomics also referred to as human factor, is a dynamic science discipline attempting to understand human interactions among different elements in a system where when theories are applied helps to improve the overall performance of the system. Human factor is centered on safety especially in the field of health care because information imputed into technology is as good as the person(s) imputing it into the system (Alexander, Hoy, & Frith, 2019). This theory has three principles of workload/overload-when the workload exceeds the ability of the staff to manage it; inappropriate responses- the way staff responds to a situation could lead to or prevent an accident, ignoring the safety rules in place and inappropriate activity- are activities that may cause an accident such as work distractions, stress or personal problems or inappropriate instructions or not being adequately trained for the job or very high risk situations (Alexander, Hoy, & Frith, 2019). The theory states that humans are at the center of the work force therefore, as we gain new knowledge, the work should be modified or humanized to suit humans. The work should be adapted to the needs of humans not humans adapting to work as it appears to be presently. This theory can guide the use of technology in advanced practice by making the technology user friendly, easy to understand, navigate and safe for the patients and staff to enable reduced cost and increased productivity.
Other factors that affect the human factor apart from safety is the economic factors such as the quality and productivity of work when improved will decrease some of the work-related absence and illness (Alexander, Hoy, & Frith, 2019). Some authors are predicting that in five from when they wrote the article (2020) that the digital industry would have expanded so much that humans will become obsolete in so many fields. However, despite the automation of businesses, the human factor will still be needed to create value to business for clients. So, humans need to keep up with the demands by developing with the advancing technologies (Kruskopf, Lobbas, Meinander, Söderling, Martikainen, & Lehner, 2020).
What strengths does the theory possess that would make it useful to the DNP-prepared nurse?
The strengths of the theory that will make it useful for the DNP nurse would be that the technology has been humanized. Adapted to suit the human factor and made easy enough to assess while still keeping the electronic medical records safe from criminality. The strengths would be that systems are in place to check mate and safe guard for patient safety and can help to increase productivity of labor.
What weaknesses does the theory present that might prevent its use? Keep in mind the
Christian worldview when preparing your submission.
The weakness also lies in its principles. The overloading of the technology will result in system failure that will cause a relapse back to the old ways of writing on paper and it will cause some delays with retrieval of pertinent information. With advancing technology also goes increasing costs and the costs of safeguarding the system from criminal minds. Also, keeping I mind the Christian world view, not everyone is technologically advanced and it may cause some to fall back or be lost. Also, if there is a mechanical failure that is not caught by the human factor, it may cause harm to the patient. Hence a need still exists for the human factor to double check all information imputed into technology
References:
Alexander, Hoy, H., & Frith, K. (2019). Applied clinical informatics for nurses (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Eastern Kentucky University [EKU]. (2020, July 21). Understanding human factors in occupational safety. EKU Online. Order this paper