Data use in clinical and administrative decision making in health care Literature review

Data use in clinical and administrative decision making in health care ( nursing ) - Literature review Example For now, the people can benefit from health through the clinical services of the nurses and byte technologies of computer. DATA USE IN CLINICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DECISION MAKING IN NURSING HEALTH CARE An interesting fact about nursing care is that as opposed to the popular concept, nurses do not devote more time to patient care (Westra et al, 2010, pp 336 and Ball, 2005, pp 1). In fact, nurses have been documented to spend as less as 15% of their total time taking care of the patients, and the remaining time in organizing and documenting the data that they receive (Ball, 2005, pp 1). This creates a concern for health care professionals and even nurses, since more documentation means that there is less clinical experience gained through direct contact with the patients (Ball, 2005, pp 1). The challenge does not end here. Nurses are now providing more services to the patients and the health care industry than that in the past (Ball, 2005, pp 2). They are taking on more active roles in providing care for their patietns, instead of taking a backseat to doctors and other senior health care administrators. This means that the responsibilities and challenges have also increased substantially. Patients are now benefitting from innovative nursing services such as information prescriptions (Ball, 2005, pp 2). ... terized methods have made it increasingly easier to document at a faster pace, which means that nurses are able to work more in less time and provide the highest levels of quality care to the patients (Ball, 2005, pp 1, Weber, 2010, np). It reduces the time and effort involved in communication between different personnel by providing the information within easy access, and through a proper set of guidelines and protocols (Ball, 2005, pp 1). Nurses are better able to coordinate the different activities that need to take place during a patient’s care, and create analogies and associations within it, so as to reach better decisions regarding care of the patient. This increases their efficiency in clinical areas too (Ball, 2005, pp 1). The use of technological tools in the nursing field is not a new concept. However, due to lack of skills in the area, nurses were unable to apply this system. Alongside, lack of motivation may also be one of the reasons why IT did not become an inte gral part of nursing till now. The applications of such IT systems however, have increased so much in the nursing sector that now it is even able to take up clinical decision challenges. In this regard, the literature review aims to highlight the contribution of IT sector in the various management activities of the nursing professionals. It aims to highlight how nurses can benefit through these technologies to improve their performances and clinical decisions. By understanding the advantages, the challenges as well as future applications of this technology, new researches can be carried out to improve the quality of care in nursing profession. There are many reasons why an age old process such as clinical decision making remains one of the most challenging areas in nursing practice. Many