Module 6

I really enjoy taking online classes due to the flexibility and self-pacing they provide.  It saves me 2 hours in commuting time up to the University for a single class.  I also like being able to do my classwork in my PJ's on the couch with my daughter snuggling me.  The only downfall is that I tend to do all my other homework before the online homework because for some reason I feel like I have more time or have more pressing items to accomplish.  But, in the end it all works out. 

I learned a lot in this class, but the funnest thing to learn about was blogging.  I had always put off making one because I thought it required a lot more time.  Now, I'll just have to keep up on it!  I also learned a lot in Module 3, Teaching with Technology.  I enjoyed the multiple intelligence test and liked learning where the future of teaching is headed.  It was enlightening.  

Overall, the class was well-organized and self-explanatory, but it was difficult to get a timely response from instructors.  My schedule only allows a certain amount of time to get things done and my schedule gets thrown way off when I can't get a simple question answered prior to starting the homework.  Perhaps the instructors should check email at least twice per week to keep in close contact with students.  This was the most frustrating thing to me.     

Module 5

What, if any relationship do you see between the information available on the webpage and regulatory, accreditation and reimbursement issues and healthcare information system use and design?

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's website had wonderful resources and information available for both consumers and providers of healthcare.  It has a wide array of general information and I would feel comfortable recommending this website to patients as another resource.  There is some valuable information regarding smoking cessation, prescriptions, how to get quality care and many other subjects.  Although overwhelming at first due to the large amount of information, the site is easy to navigate and is user-friendly.  There are so many "unregulated" sources on the internet that confuses patients, it's nice to see a site that is straight-forward and trustworthy.  It can give patients empowerment in their healthcare and hopefully won't cause more worry for them.  It also has a disclaimer that tells consumers that the information on the website doesn't replace a qualified healthcare professional, which is very responsible.  I'm sure it will be a resource for me in the future.  

There is a definite connection between the webpage information and regulatory, accreditation and reimbursement issues and healthcare information system use and design.  In this day and age, it is impossible to regulate what information is available on the internet.  Consumers who are accurately informed will be able to make better healthcare decisions.  AHRQ's site displays the CAHPS surveys from consumers on hospital care so that patients can make informed decisions on which hospital they want to use.  It also provides data for healthcare professionals in several IT research reports and highlights EHR's, barcode medication administration, telehealth and computerized orders to name a few.  This information is good to have and is an excellent resource for clinicians.  All of these things can affect accreditation and reimbursement either negatively or positively.  

Module 4, Question 2

How does nursing data quality relate to decision support?

Nursing data quality is very important because healthcare providers are making decisions based upon the data.  The data integrity is important in healthcare because treatment decisions are based upon the data in the charts.  Recently someone at work put in the wrong intake and output for a patient and the physician treated the patient as if he was fluid overloaded and in actuality he wasn't.  I went back to our paper flowsheet and found the correct entries and put it into the computer charting system accurately.  It is important to remember that one wrong keystroke can cause the patient's plan of care to be harmful or wrong and it can also be inaccurate reflection of the patient's status. Accurate and quality data are important in healthcare to diminish mistakes and harm to our patients.  In our Hebda book, it states that "data provides the building blocks in the formation of knowledge".  This is so true because it is all we have to rely on when treating patients.  In order to ensure correct data entry and collection, staff must be educated and proficient in the use of data collection systems.  They must also have the knowledge that it is important to accurately reflect the patient's status because if the dat isn't correct, patients may be harmed.       

Module 4, Question1

How did the readings influence your perception of your own clinical decision making?  How do we reconcile the value of nursing experience with known heuristics and biases used in human decision making? 

The readings made me conscious of my clinical decision making because I have the experience and knowledge to take care of critically ill patients, but I haven't "experienced" every situation that may come.  I know where to turn for resources when I have a patient with an illness or disease that I haven't heard of or experienced.  In the past I have heard that experience is how nurses learn to do a better job and give excellent patient care, but it is important to incorporate evidence-based practice into your clinical practice as well as draw on past experiences.  Using previous experience and a clinical decision support system as tools to provide evidence-based care is the ideal way to make important clinical decisions.

Since people usually don't detect their own biases of judgements, this can cause mistakes and misconceptions.  If using probability without heuristics or other knowledge, systematic errors can occur.  We can reconcile the value of the nursing experience with our known heuristics and biases in human decision making by being aware of our cognitive biases and having knowledge of our internal judgemental heuristics.  By making our judgements based on our knowledge, experience, heuristics and biases, we can make better decisions under uncertainty. 

Module 3 Blog

In the multiple intelligence test that I took, my results surprised me.  I had a tie between musical and logical-mathematical.  The one that surprised me was math.  I don't really enjoy it, but I do ok in it, so I thought that would be my lowest score.  I was also surprised that I scored high in music. I love music, I play the piano and enjoy a good tune, but I don't think of myself as a musician of any sort.  Only one point behind was the interpersonal category, which makes sense because I am a nurse and love my job.  My lowest score was in spatial-visual.  I am not the creative, decorative type of person, although I would love to be.  The technologies I need to incorporate to augment my personal learning would be to take more art classes and self-reflective activities.  I learn well using numbers, logic, music, rhythm, teamwork and cooperation, so I need to step outside my comfort zone and learn other methods to become more well-rounded.