Module 1- Me and Information Management and Technology

My name is Nathaniel Gay and I am a born and bred Utah Redneck. I am married to a gorgeous woman named Emily, and together we have 3 awesome little boys: Layne, Grant, and Wyatt. As you can see, their names alone illustrate the redneckness of our whole fam damily- we are pure rednecks through and through, and are proud of it. I am in the process of becomin’ and soundin’ educated, but still, to the chagrin of some of my professors, speak my own language, don’t pronounce things correctly, and I use double negatives. I am in my 3^rd semester of the Family/Geriatric NP program, and should graduate May of 2012- hopefully before the Mayan Calendar runs out so that I can actually benefit from this educatin’ ;). I look forward to learning from all of you and for the chance to develop a commodore/friendship with each of you. I have been a nurse for 4 years now and have spent the past 6 years on a Medical/Surgical unit (2 years as a CNA); sometimes I wonder if this has crippled me because being in all ya’lls company makes me feel like I know very little. But I am learn so much from all of you and am grateful for your wealth of knowledge.

As nurses and future APN’s, we are faced with a daily onslaught of information from a myriad of sources. Understanding and being able to apply the principles of information management is crucial to our successfully collecting, analyzing, applying, and disseminating that information; it is also important in our ability to determine if that information is based in science and research, or if it is based in the less reliable source of opinion or expertise. Not only are we bombarded with information, but we are also required to understand and be able to operate the various methods of information delivery, such as the computer, the internet, and other technologies. Effective utilization of these tools results in effective information management and our subsequent ability to effectively treat our patients. Truly, information management is at the heart of our profession.

There is much happening in relation to IT in my clinical setting at the hospital. Many of us know how the computer is becoming the hub of all activities, from charting to information retrieval, from data gathering to data analysis, and so much more than can be written here. At my work, our charting system is constantly being updated in order to keep up with new technologies; we are constantly required to receive training on these updates so that we can effectively navigate the system and keep up with the wealth of information at our disposal. A new intranet feature was added to our system that allows us to read and understand all protocols and procedures on everything we do in the hospital, lets us look up clinical best practice recommendations for all procedures and treatments, allows us to look up diagnoses and clinical recommendations and education based on those diagnosis, permits us to look up medications to see what they are for, interact with, and special education and administration functions; these are only a few of the things that this system has done. I am excited about all of this because it demands us to be more accountable, aids us in our professional development, assists in gaining a larger knowledge base, places us in a network with other health professionals, and most importantly is vital to continuity of care and the delivery of ethical and evidence based care. Some have complained about the transition and the need to be constantly updated and to learn the new system- change is hard for everyone. But we should embrace this technology because it will only help us to be better health professionals and provide better care to those we serve.